However, when the gardener first purchases the packet of peas, wheat, or apple trees they admire it, and can’t wait to rip into it to get those contents into the ground. The promise of what may spring forth is enchanting. Then the shine wears off, and attention is redirected. Poor, poor neglected seeds. For, once the number of seeds the individual required for planting is done, the remainder is not looked after, and more often than not end up useless and/or discarded. Well, as they say, “waste not want not”. Don’t be the gardener who doesn’t think enough of their seeds. Pick up a bag of plastic Ziplocs with the external white strip to indicate what is held inside and the date of opening the packet of seeds in the first place. Then, when you return to them months, or even years later test them before you automatically conclude they are useless, or worse that they are still viable, when they are not, and plant them to no avail.

What exactly is it that has me so absorbed, fascinated, enchanted? Well one thing is Sauromatum Venosum, also known as “Voodoo Lily” or “Monarch of the East”. It is a dramatic exotic plant, known for its beautiful purple bloom, but better known for its pungent scent. If you were to look it up, you would encounter many people proclaiming the fragrance is unbearably strong if grown within a house. Yet, what is most relevant is that the odour they are referring to only is emitted for a few hours on the day the bud first blossoms. Thereafter, you are left with a gorgeous, and rather striking plant. For anyone seeking to avoid the experience of the aroma, the bud can be nipped off prior to it opening. The gardener who gave me my bulb said it will bring years of visual enjoyment and that serious garden cultivators should experience the fragrance at least once.

This lily also has another curious element, it produces a surprising amount of heat when in bloom. I have been told that the amount of heat it radiates will be discernable from three inches away. The description of the level of heat produced was that it felt like a furnace. So, you can see why I am virtually tied to my greenhouse.

Once I have witnessed the bloom of this lily, I plan to share its bulbs with those I know who have greenhouses of their own. For I imagine while it is one thing to describe the flower, it will be a whole other thing to observe its development first hand.

After all, we are only talking about the addition of one tool, not several, and the one I have in mind is not the kind that you must by the top of the line of either. Pretty confident that by the time you reach the end of this you will be a believer, and soon after the owner of a tool that might very well become your favourite.

One of the best things I ever did for my garden was to obtain a hand rake. Tons of people try to get by without one, trying to make a hand shovel, or trowel tow the line. I think it is because you already own a larger model of a rake, that it seems as though you should be content to get by without purchasing the smaller variation. See, I get where you are coming from, but I also know all too well what a hand rake can do, and it is worth it. This tool aids you in the removal of garden debris, such as dead leaves that have collected on tight spots. It is not only assisting you in tidying things up, it also is potentially taking away leaves that harboured diseases and pests.

Take for example a hedge, now you might intend for your sprigs to morph into a tremendous barrier, but those can be slow to mature. So what do you do for that privacy you are seeking in the meantime? Create a focal point of green with the help of plants in large containers. Line them up to make a temporary screen, and then move them to another location in your garden once the hedge is doing its job.

If you are concerned that by the time the hedge reaches its desired height you will have the rest of the garden in concise order, and there will be no space for the plants in the containers, don’t be. They are always a lovely addition along paths and walkways, a place often void of too much permanent foliage.

Also, depending on what it is you are hoping to cover, or decorate you will want to know if you require a self clinging twinning, scrambling or trailing type. Note too that wisteria and evergreen will give you something nice to look at all year round, without the big fanfare of blooms or fruits in the warm months, and deciduous climbers (like clematis or jasmine) will be eye-catching till autumn, but then loose their up and at ‘em appeal. And if you are lucky enough to be planting the climbers for the sole purpose of wanting to admire their beauty, then they are very well featured when growing up a circular article like a column as this will show it off from all angles.

You will undoubtedly be thrilled to learn that you can raise a sprinkler to a new height with items that you probably already have in your garden supplies. You will need an oscillating ground sprinkler, a bamboo pole and some zip ties. While it is self-explanatory as to what you should do to attach the sprinkler, we do advise that you sink the bamboo pole into the ground quite deep to support the mechanism on top.

Obviously, differing heights will shoot the water out at different distances. You may want to play with a couple of these to get it just right for the garden plants you wish to keep from getting parched. Don’t be surprised if you are quite impressed with this gadget and its effectiveness. Sometimes things do not need to be complicated to work just right.

Sinking my fingers into the earth and getting my hands dirty is fun to me, and making something grow from seed is an accomplishment I never tire of doing. Arranging plants to grow in harmony both literally and visually is often a challenge, and making things thrive year after year is too. But, it fills me up inside, while simultaneously beautifying my environment. With that said, those little plaques make me grin every time I see them, and to place one in your own garden is amusing to me. So there, I’ve said it, but whether I actually get one and place it amongst my lavender, or roses we shall see. The point is, there is room for humour in the garden, just as there is for whimsy and light hearted elements, and I never want to forget that fact.

Instead, create a modified version with a wide mouth pot, or even a galvanized bucket. Just make it something that is appealing visually, otherwise you will basically just have a container full of water with stuff floating around in it. It is also preferable that it be either something lying quite low to the ground, or quite elevated so that it stands apart from the other articles that surround it.

Once you have filled the decorative container up introduce things like aquatic plants or floating candles. These will bring in a source of movement and life. And if you go with the candles, these will glisten on the water at night when they are lit. Thus bringing another element to your area.

For those new to the terrarium please note that there are also other types, such as the Wardian which consists of a glass panelled case with a hinged top, but my personal preference has always been the more basic, less frilly styles.

That said, any of them are a wonderful to create a micro garden, and why they seem to have fallen out of vogue is a mystery to me. Some are completely closed in, while others have a hole on top. Those without an opening will create a humid habitat for the plants, so you must select your plants accordingly.

Some plants known to do well in these habitats are echeverias, tillandsias, aloe, bromeliad, and jade. Should you opt for the closed terrariums, succulents will be a good choice to fill it with.

Those areas that are looking void can be filled in temporarily with potted plants I strongly recommend you use the hanging basket version, so that once the area you are hiding comes back to full strength you can make use of these plants by hanging them up. Now, please note there is no shame in this, it is completely normal for you to have periods when flowers are simply not in bloom, and a zone in your garden could use a little unplanted boost. Consider this the non-traditional method of gardening, but also as a smart way. The only downside is that it might leave you wanting to snoop around other people’s gardens to see if they have resorted to the same thing.