Snail

Snail made out of playdo to bring some fun in the garden.

Jardin

A pretend book for hiding your important possessions.

Daffodil

I love cream centres and golden centres of flowers. Here is a daffodil with dark yellow fluffy centre.

White Camellia

White camellia with a cream centre. Looks good enough to eat.

Brooch

A sparkly brooch for my friend, Alaina.

Collins Place orchids

Orchids in bloom at Collins Place, Melbourne.

Sofitel tapestries

After a scrumptious high tea at Sofitel Hotel, I passed these beautiful tapestries of golden wattle and foxgloves. I love oversized tapestries.

Mali at Sofitel

I am on a quest to find Mali sculptures around Melbourne. There are 50 glass-fibre calf elephants spotted around Melbourne for the next 6 weeks to celebrate 150 years of the Melbourne Zoo. This one is by Jacqueline Gwynne ‘Neo Composite’ which has endangered species drawn all over.

Threads

I usually have my sewing threads jumbled in one giant box, but a recent visit to Lincraft and I spotted a clear container especially for organising threads vertically. Why have I not thought of this? After much colour grouping, I finally completed my task of arranging them.

Madagascar Periwinkle

Catharanthus roseus. More info can be found here - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catharanthus_roseus

Aggie

Aggie the cat (named after the agapanthus plant) getting some sunshine.

Nasturtiums

Red Nasturtiums growing randomly near a post.

Iron Man Spinach

Iron Man Spinach to make you strong.

Abutilon

Abutilon Red lantern

Snow peas

Some snow peas growing along a tee-pee structure.

Mullein (Verbascum thapsus)

I showed a picture of the plant from my previous blog “Is this a weed?” - http://www.ginac123.blogspot.com.au/2012/08/is-this-weed.html

My gardener friend, Ian was quick to respond with an answer – it’s a Verbascum!

According to Wikipedia ‘Great Mullein has been used since ancient times as a remedy for skin, throat and breathing ailments. It has long had a medicinal reputation, especially as an astringent and emollient, as it contains mucilage, several saponins, coumarin and glycosides. Dioscorides recommended it for diseases of the lung and it is now widely available in health and herbal stores. Non-medical uses have included dyeing and making torches….Because of the plant's hairiness, Verbascum thapsus is resistant to grazing and contact herbicides.’
More info can be found here - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Verbascum_thapsus 

Sugar

Sugar cane stamp.

Bergenia

Commonly known as Elephant’s Ears (Bergenia cordifolia), I see this robust plant thriving in a lot of gardens. This one is even growing in the crack of the concrete.

More info about bergenias can be found here - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bergenia

White daffodils

Here are some white daffodils.

Is this a weed?

I’m still trying to figure out if this fluffy plant is a weed. It has large leaves with a texture similar to Lambs Ears (Stachys byzantina). What is this plant called?

Australia on Collins

Colourful umbrellas decorate the space above the food court inside the shopping centre, Australia on Collins. This is the final month of winter and it already feels like spring is in the air.

Felted artichoke

An artichoke made out of felt.

Arum Lily & Orchids

Green arum lily (Zantedeschia aethiopica ‘Green Goddess’) sit proudly amongst the Cymbidium orchids.

My scarf design

This is my scarf design. I want to make a scarf that sits in place while being worn, particularly under jackets and coats. I tend to wear a lot of dark tones, so the scarf would be the main source of colour in my outfit. I want it reversible with two different colours on either side, and maybe with different textures for day/night wear.

Pina’s watercolour

Here is a picture of my artist friend, Pina. She is making handmade gift tags using recycled paper.

Home of Vasili’s Garden

I finally had a chance to visit Home of Vasili’s Garden & Café in Coburg. I am an avid viewer of Vasili’s Garden show on channel 31 Wednesday 7:30pm. I love watching it for all the tips & tricks from ordinary gardeners. It’s like asking your neighbour for their gardening secrets.

Visit http://www.vasilisgarden.com/

As with any garden shop visit, I usually buy something. This time it was seedlings of red onions – both salad and torpedo varieties. I also got giant red mustard (to add a peppery punch to my salads), some Tuscan kale, and rainbow carrots – purple, yellow, orange & white. I heard someone say to grow them in seed raising mix rather than potting mix. And if you have ordinary soil, add some sand.

Yarn Corner

Whilst walking along Sydney Road, Coburg, I spotted these yarn decorated tree trunks. The books Magic Faraway Tree and The Secret Garden were celebrated and featured as relief soft sculptures sewn onto the covered trunks. Emblazoned across were the words ‘Once Upon a time…’ stitched neatly around to encourage the viewer to have a good look around the tree. Even the box seats were covered in knitted and crocheted to warm and soften what would otherwise be a slab of grey concrete. A short stroll further along towards the Coburg Library, you find more tree decorated with yarn, beads and buttons. Crocheted flowers adorn the gumtree branches. What a way to welcome visitors to Coburg!