Foxtail Lilly: March 2012

Saturday 31 March 2012

Cards by Sam Purcell, local artist who did the illustration on the front cover of a local magazine.

The Hare and Hen cards are lovely for Easter.

Friday 30 March 2012

More Furniture painting workshops

April 28th -(as the other one is fully booked)

Sarah will be here to do another workshop -

Learn how to prepare furniture for painting and how to create beautiful paint effects .

Starting at 10am will finish around 2.30

All materials provided as well as refreshments and a simple lunch

£60.00pp

£30.00 deposit please.

Call 01832 274593

Email-tracey@foxtail-lilly.co.uk

Monday 26 March 2012

My garden style...

I don't have any grass, no fretting about brown scorched lawn. I started to gravel just the front garden and feel in love with the ease and look . The initial cost is expensive but when you whey it up against all the time spent having to cut grass and cost of petrol etc. I love the sparkle gravel gives of after a shower . Seedlings are easy to pick out and pop on or hoe away.

I go for group planting and plants that don't mind dry conditions. I like perennials that you can pop in and leave -they flower , leave pretty seed heads for the birds , I cut them back in the Spring and then they pop up the next year-Simple! When I plant I give them a really good water and mulch with homemade compost and then leave them to it.

Mass planting covers the soil so less weeds and keeps the moisture in as the roots are shaded.

Here are a few of my favourite plants that are hardy and tolerate dry conditions...

Eryingium 'Miss Wilmot's ghost' and Jos Eiking are my favs

Achillea

Poppy (well I have to have lots of those!) Patty's Plum is a nice perennial

Scabiosa - Chilli black , Beaujoules bonnets

Lavender

Verbena bonariensis

Sedum

Iris

Nepeta 'six hills giant'

Penstemon heavenly blue is the only hardy one in my garden , so good on a edge of a border

Cirsium

Sage

Salvias

Stipa grasses

Alliums

Foxtail Lilly now has a page on Facebook

Link from website-click on the logo on the home page.

I have a tumblr page too (its rather addictive!) minttree.tumblr.com

Sunday 25 March 2012

Oh, happy days...

This weekend has been lovely- We did think we would venture to the coast, but with the fine weather we thought everyone would have the same idea, to tell you the truth I'm quite happy pottering about in the garden. Why sit in a car on a lovely sunny day? We had lunch in the garden. We had a BBQ and invited my lovely 82 year old neighbour who we are all very fond off-very spur of the moment but things usually work out better that way.

Feels like Summer, very odd for March ( I have heard the water board have plans to cut off our water for 6 hours a day soon(oh, what a worry!!) All we can do is enjoy the sunshine, nothing else we can do about it?

I love it when folk come into the shop and tell me they follow the blog- I do meet some lovely folk!!

So as, you can see I don't frequent the hip hangouts but It will do for me!!

Hope you all had a lovely happy, sunny weekend too??

Ede just has the easy life!!

Poppy studious in the garden (she has her GCSE'S this Summer!!) Is it me or do they have far too much work? I'm all for hard working ethic, but when they don't have time to see their friends etc its a bit much??

The Bell tent went back up, in the garden this weekend-lots of sleepovers to come.

My friend (Streetcomber) got me these house number plaques for my B'day- we put them up today-I have wanted some for ages. So many delivery people wonder what number house we are,they will now know!

Saturday 24 March 2012

To the lovely folk who came into the shop this weekend, who look at my blog - Thank you!

So lovely to meet you. Txx

Friday 23 March 2012

Old treasures -new in the shop...

Tapestry panel

Old bottles and jars -

Just loved the colour!! Don't often seen a Lloyd Loom table.

Table, new in for sale

Lazy , in the garden, NOT FOR SALE!!

Thursday 22 March 2012

Today was a good day...

The sun shone.

I did wedding flowers for a couple I went to school with who have been together for 27 years!!

I went to buy Vintage (I didn't get much but , hey, I came home with some cash!)

My daughter was in a play-we had a family trip to see her in it.

Her boyfriend came and had super with us for the first time-he thinks we are mad , I'm sure , we had beans on toast-it was late!! I like him.

Wednesday 21 March 2012

Just picked this morning. Cheerfulness.

Seedlings are shooting up in the tunnel.

The water shortage is a real worry. Drip irrigation systems are permitted.

Drought tolerant plants are top of the agenda.

I will post a list of plants .

Tuesday 20 March 2012

Decorative furniture painting workshops..

A lovely lady called Sarah Callaghan will be running some workshops here at Foxtail Lilly.

The first one is on April 12th -Saturday 10-2.30

Plenty of refreshments will be offered as well as a simple lunch.

All materials will be provided , as well as a piece on which to practice your new skills.

Cost of the workshop £60.00

Places are limited to a small group.

£30.00 deposit secures place.

Email = tracey@foxtail-lilly.co.uk

Monday 19 March 2012

Mindful gardening

Enjoying being in the garden, in the sunshine today. I was held prisoner in the shop all last week, no visiting outside. I have made the most of my day release today.

The poly tunnel is rammed full of potted up plants, to tender to brave the evening dip in temperature.

This time of year is so uplifting , feel all the shoots bursting forth.

I shall wait for the clocks to go forward before the main seed sowing starts. Seedlings go too leggy, if sown too early. We had a frost last night.

Mothers day finished now, onto Easter. When you have a shop you seem to jump from one event to another . Sometimes hardly gives you time to catch your breath! Gardening gives you time to meditate, being so busy thinking of what plant to put where and dig away , takes the cares away.