Showing posts with label garden. Show all posts
Showing posts with label garden. Show all posts
Sunday, March 5, 2017
Garden Bunny
Garden Bunny
............we have had a very lovely and very busy bank holiday weekend with adorable baby rhys and his mummy and daddy staying with us.........lots of baby bliss to enjoy and lots of pictures to sort out soon too ........i am catching up with some work now as well as writing my blog post...........thank you for dropping in here to see me, dear readers, and for your kind and generous comments, always such a joy to read..................wishing you all a happy week, filled with flowers, sunshine and crafty times.........back soon xxxxxxxxxxxxoooooooooooooxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
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Friday, March 3, 2017
Flowers From The Garden
Flowers From The Garden
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Wednesday, March 1, 2017
Garden to Visit At Japan
Garden to Visit At Japan
Garden to Visit At Japan
Garden to Visit At Tokyo
Botanical Gardens, University of Tokyo Also known as the Kioshikawa Botanical Gardens, these are the oldest botanic gardens in Japan and older than many gardens elsewhere in the world. The collections focus on plants from eastern Asia, as well as other regions, and include over 400 species.
Address: 3-7-1 Hakusan, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 112
Open- 9.00am to 4.30pm Tuesday to Sundaydaily
Closed- Mondays (unless a National Holiday), December 29 to January 3
Entrance fee- Yes
Directions- Owner- University of Tokyo
Tel- +81 (3) 3814 0138; Fax +81 (3) 3814 0139
Rikugien Gardens- an arched stone bridge spans a small streamRikugien Gardens These lovely landscape gardens were begun in 1695. The water, mountains and plants depict 88 scenes from famous poems or waka. Rikugien Gardens have been designated a site of special historic interest by the Japanese Government.
Address: 6-16-3 Hon-komagome, Bunyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0021
Open- 9.00am to 5.00pm daily Closed- December 29 to January 3
Entrance fee- Y300 in 2000
Directions- From Komagone Station on the JR Yamonote Line go left in Hongo Street, the entrance to the Gardens is down the second street on your right.
Owner- Tokyo Metropolitan Park Association
Shinjuku is a favourite with photographers at Cherry Blossom time
Hibiya Park Adjacent to the Imperial Palace gardens, close to Tokyo Station and Ginza, Hibiya is a busy park. There are lovely areas of maples and cherry trees, more formal gardens and walks. A little dusty by late summer you may find it tired and, sometimes, home to those no longer employed.
Address: Hibiya Dori, Tokyo
Open- Dawn until 11.00pm daily
Closed- None Entrance
fee- None
Facilities- Restaurant, snacks
Owner- Government of Japan Tel
Hibiya Park is a green oasis in the heart of Tokyo
Imperial Palace Gardens Inside the huge moated walls of the Imperial Palace, the East Gardens are a huge, peaceful green space. Immaculate there are cherry trees, azaleas and many other features to enjoy.
Address- Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo
Open- 9.00am - 4.00pm Tuesday to Thursday, and Saturday, Sunday (last admission 3.00pm) Closed- Monday, Friday and December 25- 5 January
Entrance fee- None
Facilities- None
Directions- JR to Tokyo Station; Subway to Otemachi or Takebashi
Owner- Government of Japan Tel +81 (3) 3213-1111 Ext.485
The Imperial Pace lies, tempting, beyond the moat...
Shinjuku Gyoen (National Gardens) Incredibly popular at cherry blossom time (April) when more than 2000 trees flower, Shinjuku also has French and English style gardens, and a Chinese pavillion. Come in autumn for the chrysanthemums.
Address: 11 Naitocho, Shinjuku-ku
Open- Daily 9.00am to 4.30pm in April; 9.00am to 4.30pm Tuesday to Sunday May to end March
Closed- Mondays except in April)
Entrance fee- $8.00 adult (house & garden)
Owner- Facilities- Snacks Directions- JR to Shinjuku station, take the south exit and turn right walking east for about 10 minutes.
Subway - Marunouchi line to Shinjukugyoen-mae, the station is opposite the main entrance to the garden. Tel +81 (3) 3350-0151
Nanzen-ji Nanzen-ji is a very large temple in eastern Kyoto. The gardens are park-like and lovely. The view from the temple verandah over the trees to Kyoto is lovely and worth the climb! Visit Nanzen-in, Tenju-an and Konchi-in while you are there. Open- 8.30am to 4.30/5.00pm Closed- Mondays (unless a National Holiday), December 29 to January 3 -->Entrance fee- Y150-Y400 Directions- From either Kyoto or Sanjo station take No 5 bus to Eikan-do-mae bus stop
The lovely gardens and maples at Nanzen-ji Temple
Konchi-in Just outside the gates to the Nanzen-ji Temple, Konchi-in is an exquisite landscape-style Japanese garden. The secluded paths, trees, pond and area of dry, gravel, garden, make this well worth the visit. Review and more photos of Konchi-in
Open- 8.30am to 4.30pm
Closed- Mondays (unless a National Holiday), December 29 to January 3
Entrance fee- Y400
Konchi-in, looking across the pool to the entrance Tofuku-ji Temple Founded in 1236, Tofuku-ji Temple is one of the main temples in Kyoto. The stroll gardens are especially lovely in autumn, the narrow pond is crossed by arched bridges. A pattern of white sand sqaures in lush deep green moss is striking backed by pink azaleas in spring and brilliant foliage colour in autumn.
Open- 9.00am to 5.00pm daily
Closed- December 29 to January 3
Entrance fee- Y300
Directions- From Kyoto station bus No 208 to the Tofuku-ji-mae stop.
Maruyama-koen Park A large and popular park, particularly in spring when a huge and venerated sakura, or cherry, blossoms. A pretty pool, paths and trees
Open- Daily Closed
Entrance fee- None
Facilities- Snacks Directions
Sakura tree, Maruyama-koen Park
Kiyomizu-dera Temple A steep path through dozens of tourist shops leads to this large temple, popluar in cherry blossom season. -->Open- 6.00am - 6.00pm daily Closed- Monday, Friday and December 25- 5 January -->Entrance fee- Y300 Facilities- None -->Directions- From Kyoto station take bus No 206 to Gojo-zaka or Kiyomizu-michi bus stop, the temple is a 10 minute walk up the hill Owner- Government of Japan
Tel -->
Sakura or cherry blossom in spring
Ryoan-ji Set within earthen walls with glimpses of green tree tops beyond, this simple karesansui, or dry landscape garden, of fifteen rocks set in a sea of raked, white sand is justly famous.
Address: 11 Naitocho, Shinjuku-ku
Open- Daily 8.00am to 5.00pm from April to November; 8.30am to 4.30pm from December to March
Closed- Mondays except in April
Entrance fee- Y400
Facilities- None
Directions- from Kyoto station take bus No 52, or from Sanjo Keihan station take bus No 59 Tel +81(3)3350-0151
Daitoku-ji Temple While the Daitoku-ji Temple is closed to the public, the many subtemples and their lovely gardens are open. It can be busy and crowded, but Daitoku-ji is a must for those interested in karesansui (dry landscape gardens) and Zen gardens.
Open- 9.00am- 4.30/5.00pm daily Closed
Entrance fee- Y300-Y400 Directions- from Kyoto station take bus No 205 or 206 to Daitoku-ji-mae; or walk from Kitao-ji subway station.
Available link for download
Wednesday, February 22, 2017
garden party
garden party
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Tuesday, February 21, 2017
FLOWER GARDEN
FLOWER GARDEN
What is your flower garden style? Is your flower garden informal or formal? Does it look the way you want? What if your flower garden looks like a terrible mistake!
Which flower garden style do you prefer? Some flower gardeners prefer an overabundant look while others prefer a flower garden that appears restrained, tidy and orderly. You can control plant selection and the spacing of your flowers to achieve either effect depending on your preference. For example, an informal cottage garden is usually crowded with a kaleidoscopic mix of flowering plants, while a more formal flower garden or a carpet bedding scheme would be more ordered and typically uses only a limited palette of plants.
To some extent, your interior decorating style may give you a hint about your preferred garden style. The architecture and exterior of your house will also give you a clue as to how best to design your flower garden. Ideally, the two should complement each other.
Flower Gardens: Planning and Practice
No matter which garden design style you prefer, success requires careful planning and thoughtful plant selection combined with experience as to how certain flowers perform in your own flower garden. Some plants will simply grow better than others in your particular garden. Some will consistently grow to the top of their size range while others will consistently fail to fulfill their potential.
Trial and error and learning from experience are the best ways to learn about flower gardening. If you are just beginning, visit flower gardens in your local area and talk to the gardeners who tend them. You will learn so much just by observing, and you will also discover that there are as many opinions about gardens and gardening as there are gardeners.
Fixing Mistakes is Easy
Annual flowers last only one season so you can correct any mistakes easily the next year. Sometimes it is instructive to do a trial run using annuals, then replace them with similar perennials the following year.
With perennial flower gardens, selection and spacing problems can usually be corrected by gentle transplanting or division of plants as they outgrow their locations over time, or when you observe they need to be closer together, or when you realize they would grow more happily in another location altogether.
If a particular combination truly bothers you, you can shovel prune - that means dig it up!
Failure or Serendipity
If you work up a design and draw out a garden plan and plant it and nurture it faithfully but the results are not quite what you expected, the true gardener looks and learns from the results.
When things go wrong, its perfectly okay to assert, if asked, "How exasperating! Someone must have switched the plant tags! Its not at all what I expected." And when things turn out even better than you hoped, well of course "Its just as I envisioned it!"
Then and again, have you ever seen an ugly flower garden? Of course not. Above all, have fun with your flower garden!
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Friday, February 3, 2017
Garden Tic Tac Toe
Garden Tic Tac Toe
When I was little, I loved restaurants that had paper tablecloths and crayons. Not only could I doodle while I waited for my food but it also meant I could play an endless amount of tic-tac-toe. I actually know of a way to make sure that every game ends in a tie, but Ill keep that a secret between me and Google.
(This post contains affiliate links for your convenience.)
After my friend Amy from While Wearing High Heels (an amazing blog you must check out) shared with me this creative tic-tac-toe version by Chicken Scratch NY using painted rocks, I knew I had to make my own. Instead of the traditional Xs and Os, I wanted something that would fit perfectly with a garden. Ive always been drawn to sunflowers, so that was an obvious choice. The leaves were a good match, but they needed something to make them a little more special so each one has a tiny ladybug. My playing board is a simple paver I picked up at Home Depot for about $1.00. I used chalk to draw the grid.
Painting rocks is easier than it looks. Here are some tips and answers to questions you may have:
1. The number one question Im asked about my painted rocks is where do I find such smooth stones? Im fortunate to live near a beach covered with them, but you can also look for rocks at the craft store, dollar store, and any garden or landscaping center.
2. Clean and dry your rocks before you paint. To be honest, I dont always do this, but when I do, I notice a difference.
3. I always use acrylic paint. Martha Stewart high gloss acrylics are my current paint of choice. I love that they are made for all surfaces.
4. I use very small watercolor brushes because I find them easier to control and perfect for details. If you are painting with kids, I would look for a variety of brush sizes.
5. Im still experimenting with varnishes to protect my finished rocks. I most often use Mod Podge as a sealant, and I prefer the matte version.
6. Most importantly, dont feel like your rocks have to be masterpieces. You can pretty much paint anything on a rock and it will still look beautiful.
If sunflowers and leaves seem like too much work, traditional Xs and Os still look great painted on stones. I cant wait to give this garden tic-tac-toe game to the kids who live next door. It will be a perfect game for them to play this summer in the yard.
(Post Update) For an even easier version, I decided to make a third option with rocks and foam stickers. For the playing board I used a craft wood slice that I purchased at Michaels.
I would love to stay in touch with you on my Facebook page. Besides letting you know when I have a new post, I always post other fun crafts, activities, and pictures that I dont put on the blog.
If you liked this rock craft, you might also like my other rock projects:
-Rocks stamps
-Magic dragon painted rocks
-Magic dragon painted rocks
-Painted number rocks
-Heat embossed alphabet rocks
-Rainbow train rocks
Available link for download
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