planters of paperwhites

Large aluminium planter with iron handles and base - planted up with paperwhite narcissi - £27.00 (£30.00 delivered within 12 mile radius). These scented narcissi will gradually open up over a week - they will last 10 - 14 days in a cool hall. After the bulbs are finished the planter can be reused for spring flowers. Smaller pots and planters are also available from £2.50.
Snap.dragon@ukonline.co.uk
01360 660 903

wreath photos

From the top!
Medium wreath - 18" on mossed base - with apples, chillis, hops, birch & cranberries £18.00
Door hanging with apples, cones and ivy £16.00
Door hanging with pomegranates, cones and ivy £16.00. Small door ring - 12" with chillis, birch, limes and cranberries.
All these decorations can be done in a variety of colours with satsumas, baby aubergines etc.
The rings should last for a month outside and are available from 9th December. They need little maintenance but if they begin to dry out (e.g. if hops begin to become brittle and shed) they can be gently spritzed with water. After 12th night rings with apples and berries can be put out to feed the birds.
snap.dragon@ukonline.co.uk or 01360 660 903

Tir-na-nOg Open day and Fair

Thanks to all who visited the Fair at Tir-na-nOg yesterday - it was a great success and £310 was raised for the Tullochan Trust. The weather was very kind to us, bright and dry, and plenty of people turned up to do their shopping.

Paperwhite narcissi

The paperwhite narcissi on my kitchen windowsill are now in full bloom and filling the house with their sweet scent. It is not too late to plant paperwhites for Christmas/New Year - they are easy bulbs to force as they do not require either dark or cold before flowering. Bulbs that you buy at this time of year should already have begun to sprout but not to root - they may look as though the sprouts are bent but they will soon straighten out once they are planted.
There are 2 ways to grow paperwhites - either plant them in bulb fibre keeping the shoulders of the bulb proud of the soil - or grow them in gravel, put a couple of inches of gravel into a glass vase or glass, pop in the bulb and pour a little more gravel round the bulb to keep it upright - water so that the roots will be able to grow into the wet gravel, but not so that the bulb is wet. Then put them somewhere light, but not in direct sunlight, and watch them grow and flower. These are so easy that they are a great bulb for children to grow.
I shall have paperwhites both planted and to plant yourself at the 2 fairs I am attending this weekend - Saturday 2-5 Kippen Village Hall and Sunday 12-6 Tir-na-nOg holistic centre, Balfunning, near Drymen.

Decorated candlestick

These are an example of a decorated candlestick in oranges and golds with variegated holly, physalis, hops and kumquats. The arrangement is formed on an oasis foam ring which fits onto a ridge at the top of the candlestick . It can be also done in red/green or purple/green.
The candlesticks are clear blown glass - very elegant with a hollow core so their colour could be changed by filling them with coloured water. They come in 2 sizes - Large at 2 feet tall (£20.00) and small at 16" (£18.00). As you are left with a very beautiful candlestick, I think that a pair of these would make a lovely present. The tall ones would look great on a dining table as the arrangement would be tall enough to let diners see each other. A similar arrangement can be done to fit around a pillar candle on the table (£16.00). Pillar candles can be supplied from £2.50 for cream; £4.00 for coloured to £9.00 for 100% beeswax.

Brain turned to cabbage

The last frantic week trying to make up stock, get some press coverage, and worrying about the weather for Sunday's Fair (will it rain? will it snow? will anyone come?) has turned my brain to cabbage and I APOLOGISE to all the people who got a letter with the wrong web address for this log. As if that wasn't bad enough, I managed to give some people 3 different wrong addresses. Sorry. I need some sleep.
This evening I am packing up 'make a fairy' kits (they actually make 2 fairies) with dolly pegs, ribbon, raffia, feathers, beads, pipecleaners and glue. Learning from the web address fiasco, I now have my daughters acting as quality control to ensure that each kit is complete.
I took a decorated candlestick over to the Panik Gallery in Killearn - their Christmas exhibition opens tomorrow night with a private view from 6 - 9. The exhibition wasn't fully up when I called in, but it is obviously going to be a lovely show with vibrant spiky cacti by Christine McArthur and some fabulous beaded bags. http://www.panikgallery.com

Tir-na-nOg Festive Fair

I have spent this evening addressing and stuffing envelopes to send out with my Christmas Price List and invites to the Tir-na-nOg Festive Fair on Sunday 27th. I have begun to paint pieces of chipboard to make signs for along the verge and thought I would write this while I wait for them to dry.
The Fair is looking as though it will come together well - there is a lovely selection of stalls - from Spiky Pebble, who make doorstops, bags and wonderful advent calenders from old tweeds and kilts ( I am planning to buy some of their cute chicken egg cosies made out of felt) to Mona Archibald who crafts flying fish mobiles out of felt and feathers, from Gullane Antiques who are bringing a selection of antiques suitable to give as Christmas presents to Jan Rooney who makes floral jewellery out of aluminium. I was given one of Jan's brooches as a Christmas present last year and have worn it endlessly - getting lots of compliments along the way. There will also be baskets, hampers, soaps, pottery, prints, paintings, clothing accessories and crafts, not to mention Tir-na-nOg's own shop which is full of vibrant candles, jewellery and a great selection of books.

I shall be there with wreaths and decorations to order, bulbs and planters to buy on the day and my range of textile bits and bobs. Now all I have to do is keep my fingers crossed about the weather, we are promised a cold but dry weekend so wrap up warm and come and do your Christmas shopping - directions to Tir-na-nOg are onhttp://www.tirnanog.co.uk

If you want to pre-order anything contact me on snap.dragon@ukonline.co.uk.

winter sowing

These hard frosts make it the ideal time for winter sowing. Some seeds have a hard seedcoat which germinates best after it has frozen and thawed repeatedly. Instructions on the backs of seed packets often suggest putting seeds in the freezer before sowing. This is fine in theory but it is actually the repeated freeze/thaw of a winter which degrades the seedcoat and allows germination. So sowing now and letting the seedtray repeatedly freeze will give the best results.
Obviously this only works with certain seeds - I winter sow larkspur, bells of ireland (Molucella laevis) and some hardy biennials like the black leaved cow parsley Anthriscus sylvestris 'ravenswing'. It will work with most hardy annuals but not with anything likely to be killed off by frost. It is really not worth it for easily germinated seeds such as calendula or cornflower The seedlings generally germinate in early spring and can then be pricked out and grown on. I actually tend to move the seedlings under cover at that point to keep them out of the wet which is more likely to kill them than the cold. It is nice to feel that you are able to do some gardening in the cold weather
I do not grow many perennials from seed but this is also the best way to grow a lot of hardy perennials - just remember to label all the seed trays.

Last minute fair

Tomorrow I shall be at Port of Menteith PTA Fair 11-4. The road from Aberfoyle is closedso goodness knows whether anyone will turn up. I shall take some sewing!

Hard Frost

It was a very hard frost last night and the garden looks better than it has for a month or so!
I welcome it as last year we had a problem with tulip blight - a fungus which thrives in warm wet winters and which distorts the leaves and blotches the flowers of tulips.
You can't do anything organic to treat the problem (though there are professional chemicals available) so I pulled all the bulbs and binned them last year and will be planting this year's bulbs in a different part of the field. I am also going to plant the bulbs very late so that the frost gets a chance to kill any possible spores. In the past I have planted tulips as late as January and they have still flowered on time in the spring.
We are in mourning for our chickens - on Tuesday night at dusk they were ambushed by a fox and all but one chicken and one duck have been killed. The survivors are very stressed and the poor duck wanders around quacking for its friend. This is the first fox that we have encountered but it will now be a constant problem so building a better run is on the to-do list. We had been about to take delivery of three young Indian Runner ducks - thank goodness we decided to put it off for a week or two.
Linen garden kneelers with waterproof lining and handles - £12.50. These are the kneelers that I use - tough enough for muddy borders but pretty enough to hang up by the back door.

Paperwhite Narcissi

The paperwhite narcissi planted on the 8th October are just about to flower. They were planted into crates filled with a mix of potting compost and vermiculite which nice and light. This encourages a good root system - the roots need to search for their nutrients and anchoring - and makes it easier to seperate the individual bulbs and pot them up as needed. These are still in the tunnel - which is freezing overnight. They are on a heated mat that kicks in when the temperature drops below 3 degrees.
I shall pot some up tomorrow as a birthday present for a friend and put some into the bank next week.

Amaryllis

Country Living Magazine has a good article on growing amaryllis this month and these should be planted in the next week or so if you want them to bloom around Christmastime. The bulbs should be planted in a pot which is only about 1" wider than the bulbs as they flower best if they are crowded in - if you are going for a spectacular multi-bulb display it is worth starting the bulbs off in seperate pots and then packing them into your chosen container when they are about to flower. This also allows you to chose ones which will flower at the same time.
Amaryllis can also be grown in water like hyacinths, though this is much more of a strain for the bulbs and they will not survive to flower next year. Put the bulbs on top of a suitable container, a large jam jar or small kilner jar works - what you need in something that will keep the main part of the bulb out of the water but allows the roots to access water. A pinch of charcoal will keep the water sweet and then in it just a case of topping the water up as the bulb grows. There is no need to keep Amaryllis in the cold or dark.
The main challenge is working out a way of keeping the flower from falling over. In a book I have recently bought, Forcing etc. by Katherine Whiteside, there are beautiful photographs of Amaryllis growing in water soaked gravel at the base of a tall glass straightsided vase - the vase keeps the flower stem from toppling and the gravel acts as ballast. This is how I am going to grow my amaryllis this year.
I have some Amaryllis bulbs for sale as bulbs this year - Appleblossom (pink and white); Ludwig's Dazzler (white); Liberty (Red) are £3.75 each for size 34 which should give at least 2 stems with 3-4 flowers on each. I also have a very dark red called Royal Velvet which is £5.50 for a size 34. If you are after something even larger I have a limited number of size 40 Red Lion bulbs which cost £5.50.
For comparison the bulbs that you tend to get in the gift boxes are size 28.

Witches Hat Christmas Fair

Thank you to everyone who supported Katrina's fundraiser for Croftamie nursery. It went on very late, so I went to tidy up my things this morning - so far, with a couple of stalls donations still to come in, it raised over £500 for the nursery.
The next Christmas Fair that I will be attending is at Kippen on 26th November.
Christmas Doorhanging with pomegranates and limes - small (pictured) £16.00; large £20.00. These can also be used as newel posts for staircases - 2 Large £35.00; 2 small £30.00.

Prototype wreaths

The first Christmas Fair that I am attending is on Friday (at Katrina Gardiner's house, The Witches Hat, Croftamie 11.30am - 9 pm - all welcome bring a bottle for the evening) so today I have begun making prototype wreaths to show what will be available next month.
It has been much more difficult than I had anticipated - the mild autumn so far means that the birch still has its leaves on it and the holly berries are not fully red. It is tempting to use all the bright foliage that is still in the garden but it would give the wrong impression.
I now realise why the Christmas wreaths shown in magazines (which need to be made in September/October) either tend towards the rather dull fir leaves and plastic berries look or have fresh chinese lanterns and guelder rose berries both of which will have long gone by December.
The photographed wreath is made on a mossed ring with birch, holly, pinecones, chillis and apples. It is approximately 18" diameter and costs £18.00. A smaller 15" wreath is £15.00 and a larger 24" wreath is £25.00
Outdoor door wreaths will be available from 9th December - they last 4 - 6 weeks outside and then can be put out for the birds to eat.
snap.dragon@ukonline.co.uk

Green in the Park

Yesterday I went to Green in the Park, an event run by Scottish Enterprise to explore how businesses can become more environmentally aware and how they can use their green credentials to attract business.
It was a lavish affair - held at Cameron House Hotel - and was very well attended. The facilitator was Muriel Gray who, as if often the case at these events, was more interesting that the speakers. She talked briefly about what she felt was a redefining of the idea of luxury so that excess had become vulgar and it was tracebility, connection and some kind of environmental sustainability which were becoming the qualities in demand. I hope that she is right.
Other speakers talked about their guest houses and the marketing opportunities of being "green" and a man from Thomson's airlines spoke (interestingly but not that convincingly) about what the package holiday companies were doing to address their environmental issues. There was also a perfectly pleasant but completely irrelevant cooking demonstration by Nick Nairn. The organisers had obviously decided to throw money at this one!
It is always a good things to take time away from the garden and the Christmas preparations and to go and meet people -I always think that I don't have time and yet I always come away with several good ideas or interesting contacts. Today it is back to painting the market stalls and sewing chintz canopies for them.

Planting anemones

Leaves of anemone coronaria (florist's anemone) are beginning to emerge in the garden reminding me that I should have planted this year's corms by now. The plants originate in the eastern mediterranean and thrive in well drained soil in sunshine - they don't particularly like the damp Scottish soil and should probably have been planted a few weeks ago so that they could begin to grow before the corms get a chance to rot.
A tip, if you have left planting this late is to soak the corms overnight before you plant them- this lets them take in water and means that they are ready to split open their skin and get on with growing as soon as they are in the soil. It is also worthwhile planting the corms on their side to minimise the chance of rotting - the shoots and roots will find their own way. I find that this is better than waiting and planting in the Spring.
This year I am going to mulch under the plants in the spring to stop the flowers being splattered with mud during rainstorms. I am also going to experiment with shading to encourage longer stems - in the sunshine most of the stems only reach a decent length when the flowers are fully open which is not much use for selling.
If, like me you have a lot of weeding to do in the spring - remember that creeping buttercup and anemones have similar leaves - the first year I grew anemones I weeded at least half of them out.
Photograph of Linen doorstop in Red Magnolia - £15.00 - also available in Black Magnolia, Red Roses, Country House, and Sanderson Alicia. Will keep doors open without scratching wooden floors. snap.dragon@ukonline.co.uk

Christmas fast approaching!

Now that we are into November I am having to accept that I need to get my finger out and start preparing Christmas stock properly. Part of this is due to the Festive Fair that I am helping organise at Tir-na-nOg holistic centre www.tirnanog.co.uk for Sunday 27th November. As well as my Christmas wreaths and table decorations there will be a wide variety of home and garden accessories, jewellery, art and antiques, speciality food, toys, toiletries alongside a storyteller and card making workshop for the children. The real difference however is that there will be free taster sessions of some of the massages and treatments available at the centre - so this should be a really relaxing way to do the Christmas shopping. In the meantime I am phoning newspaper editors, working out floor plans, trying our recipes for mulled wine and roping in friends to help on the day. I also need to sew enough stockings, pot up enough bulbs and make enough wreaths to sell!
It is Euan's birthday on the 15th December and we used to have a rule that Christmas wasn't mentioned until after that. Poor man, he has been living with a house littered with half finished Christmas stockings since September.

The Chistmas stocking pictured is made of linens, voile and vintage buttons - it is available in a variety of materials. It is 45 cm tall and has enough space for a nice range of fancy soaps, chocolates or even a bottle of champagne. £18.00
snap.dragon@ukonline.co.uk

Better photographs

The brighter weather today has allowed me to get some better photographs of the dried christmas wreaths - though please appreciate that they are still snaps taken with my digital camera. I can now appreciate how much time and work goes into the beautiful product photographs in glossy catalogues. I hung the door rings on the front door to get decent light but they are really indoor decorations - either for a porch or perhaps on a wall as a seasonal change to a picture.
The photographs show two different rings - Harvest is made up completely from dried flowers - hops, teasels, honesty and eryngium, Haversham combines dried flowers with vintage mother-of-pearl buttons and artificial gilded grapes to give a more festive feel. These rings will last from year to year. They can be posted.
The rings are available in two sizes -
Harvest small 14" (pictured) costs £18.00; and medium 16" costs £22.00
Haversham small 14" (pictured) costs £20.00; and medium 16" costs £24.00

To pre-order contact snap.dragon@ukonline.co.uk