Love in a microclimate: terrarium success

Choose the right plants to get the best from mini landscapes

Getting together in the pub with my houseplant-mad mates, the conversation quickly turned to what indoor gardening trends we predict will unfold in the future. While there was some pretty fiery debate over some predictions (yes, this is what us botanists do in the pub), the one thing we were all unanimous on was that the fascination with terrariums was not just here to stay, but going to expand.

The one risk, however, is that so much advice on making terrariums –particularly online – is wildly inaccurate, and this can set newbies up for failure. As most of this misinformation centres on plant choice, I thought I’d introduce the best plant I have so far seen for terrarium culture, somewhat overlooked in the UK.

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A Christmas Winter White Tea

Hello everyone, I am enjoying a winter white Christmas tea today. Once again Tea is served by the bay window in our dining area. A little Christmas tree adorns the table along with a fluffy white table topper and some pinecones for a wintry look. I have lots of greenery up around our home... some real and some fake. Care to join me for tea? It is cooler here today

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10 Dollar Tree Jenga Block Crafts For Christmas

This roundup uses the Dollar tree Jenga blocks or the Tumbling tower blocks. These Jenga blocks have become so popular for crafting, that we knew we had to dedicate a whole post to just Christmas-themed projects. Due to the small size of these Jenga blocks, most of these crafts are for tree ornaments or magnets, but you can glue the tumbling blocks together for larger craft projects and Christmas holiday decorations.

You can buy the Jenga blocks here. Just $1.25 for 72 blocks.

 

Dollar Tree – Wood Block Rustic Christmas Trees — CraftBits.com 

Jenga Block Christmas Snowman Ornament — CraftBits.com 

Dollar Tree Jenga Block Christmas Snowflake — CraftBits.com 

Dollar Tree Snowman Hat Ornaments

DIY dollar store Christmas ornaments from a mini jenga game | Crazy DIY Mom 

DIY Jenga Christmas Ornaments – Dollar Tree Tumbling Tower Craft

Wood Block Snowman Ornaments (Dollar Tree DIY Project) 

DIY Farmhouse Christmas Ornaments | Simply Adorable Creations 

Super Quick and Easy Christmas Ornaments to make with Kids! | alivelyhope.com 

DIY Dollar Tree Tumbling Tower Christmas Ornaments – Everyday Shortcuts

One of my favorite crafts to make are the small Rae Dunn word blocks, you can use small round eyelet hooks for the hanging loop. Use a ribbon for a traditional look or use rustic twine if you are going for farmhouse decor. These are so inexpensive to make that you could fill a whole Christmas tree with these DIY Decorations.

 

 

 

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THE FLOWER MAGAZINE SHOWHOUSE

Howdy there folks.....oh geez I sound like a Grampa:) Hope everyone enjoyed their Thanksgiving!  It came so fast so I guess Christmas is tomorrow and Valentines is next week.....time goes quickly.... I went to my neighbors home in Madison a few days before the big feast.  We call it "the farm" even though the only animals there are ticks....not really but that is where I did get my

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A Touch of Rustic Christmas

Hello everyone, It is cold here today so I am happy to enjoy a hot cup of cocoa by the fire side in our family room....hope you can join me! I have been busy getting our home ready for Christmas so we can enjoy it on these long cooler evenings. I love a warm and cozy rustic look in our family room.                                                                  Join me for a hot

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Uniform thinking: inside the home of Older, the influential Italian designers

The sustainable Milan home of this cutting-edge design duo is all about rethinking the rules

We don’t believe it’s a job well done to take expensive materials and make something beautiful; we prefer using modest materials and putting a smile on people’s faces,” says Morten Thuesen of his and partner Letizia Caramia’s design sensibility. “Both of us are a little tired of hearing all these intellectual references – sometimes it’s just nice that a product can ‘be’.”

Taking centre stage in the couple’s home in the storied Porta Venezia district of Milan is their affectionately named Carolino, meaning little trolley, which the pair made from leftovers in Caramia’s parents’ workshop during a Christmas lockdown when they wanted a wheelie tray to carry food and drinks between rooms. Beside it stands the stools they conjured at the same time from plywood and construction pillars. If it sounds like a high-achiever’s version of Jenga, then it’s an endearing one: the pieces took pride of place in their exhibition at the first post-pandemic Salone del Mobile fair at the showcase’s hotspot venue, Alcova, in 2021 to critical acclaim.

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Keir Davidson obituary

My friend Keir Davidson, who has died aged 74, was a landscape designer and author. His books range from the history of Zen gardens in Japan to an account of Coleridge’s groundbreaking Lakeland fell walks in the early 19th century.

Born in London, son of the distinguished African historian and radical journalist Basil Davidson and his wife, Marion (nee Young), a Jungian psychotherapist, Keir attended St Paul’s school, London. His gap year was spent in Zambia teaching civics to high-school students, followed by four years at Leeds teacher training college. In 1973, he moved to the Welsh Marches to help a friend restore an abandoned 14th-century building. There he began garden and construction work, while in the evenings playing guitar with his band in local pubs.

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* This article was originally published here