Christmas welcome basket

On the way down to some doctors appointments in Cairns I lucked out when I arrived in Bunnings just as their monthly garden group began.  They provided pots, plants, decorations and soil to make your own Christmas centerpiece.  This is my favorite store, but now it has been elevated!  Look at what I made.  I love that dichondra silver falls - they are always talking about that on Gardening Australia, and I even got another lipstick plant which will eventually have to go into its own hanging basket. The pointsettia should be in an area that does not get light in the evenings to help it keep its colour. It is more of a welcome basket than a centerpiece, and gives a lovely christmassy welcome feel to the entrance. 

 I do surveys to accumulate points which I then trade in for Bunnings coupons, and there really is nothing better than free shopping in my opinion.  I had accumulated 70.00 in coupons, so had fun looking for bargains to make my free money go even further.  I found tons of plants on the clearance rack.

 I also found some garden pretties - these are glow in the dark balls, they might work better than the solar lights I keep buying and either they never work or they just don't last. 



I love the purple arum lillies, and treated myself to this, although they look a little pinker than some of the others in store.   Some leaves look as though they are showing signs of overwatering, but I thought they liked a very moist environment.  I will plant them in the garden and hope they do well. 


There were some 1.00 artichokes, and I will plant them out, but not sure what they will do in my climate. My little asparagus seeds that I planted are all doing very well, so my perrenial bed will probably need to be modified and enlarged at some stage.  I  also got some herbs, thyme and oregano, which dont do well in the wet season - they might go into my kitchen pots.   I feel as though I already had my Christmas - in fact I have,  because the adults do not get presents, so this is it!.
What have you done to get ready for christmas?





Comments

  1. i don't do much at all these days for xmas, to me it's just another day in the year; i'm not much of a traditionalist either, less stress that way. i do enjoy reading about everyone's different styles at this time of year though, it's quite interesting.
    love how you grouped all the plants, very pretty welcoming pot!
    i love Bunnings too sometimes.
    solar lights a pain aren't they? have given them a go many times myself, never found any reliable, perhaps those glow balls will work better?
    thanx for sharing

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    Replies
    1. Hi Selina,
      Nice to hear from you. We do church and carols, but find the commercialism a bit too much, so try to keep it family focused rather than present focused. You could leave me in Bunnings for an entire day!

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  2. I recently was given a purple lily and it is quite beautiful. I saw pots of them at our new Bunnings store and they were $23 each!!! Mine was free thankfully :-)

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    Replies
    1. Mine was "only" 16.00. I am hoping it will flourish in my garden. enough to pick some to put into a vase occasionally.

      Delete
  3. Love your Christmas welcome basket, lovely colours together. Hopefully all your new plants will do well in your garden. Meg:)

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    Replies
    1. I do too Meg, I will repot some of them after Christmas so they have room to grow and expand.

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  4. Your Christmas basket looks beautiful and very well put together Gill.
    I also don't have much luck with solar lights, they either don't last long enough, or the light is so dim, it's hardly worth having then lighting up the paths.
    I do the traditional Portuguese or European Christmas of a big Christmas eve (fancy) dinner with family and friends and then Christmas (more relaxed) lunch with almost the same bunch of people. I'm trying to "educate" my guests to just give presents to kids and rather give to charity instead of giving to adults.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh Sami, it sounds as though you are in for a busy time. At one stage it looked as though my daughter from Germany and her French husband were going to join us over Christmas. We were planning on one of those Christmas eve dinners - they sound wonderful! I look forward to hearing about your menu and seeing photos.

      Delete
  5. Hi AA, love your Christmas pot with the silver dichondra, and I love that metal butterfly. Have a very happy Christmas.

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    Replies
    1. Hi Catmint,
      Yes i was excited to get some silver dichondra, and they said it will grow easily from a cutting.

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  6. What a cheery Christmas pot! I bought myself a new supposedly squirrel-proof bird feeder as an early Christmas present. I haven't filled it yet but I will this week. Arum lilies are beautiful but I also have been confused by conflicting advice as to whether or not they need wet soil. I haven't had success with them. Sounds like you're having fun in your garden!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Haha I remember when I lived in Jacksonville how the squirrels would climb up my birdfeeder to get onto the roof and then they eventually got into the ceiling! Naughty little things. I remember seeing the quite arum lilies in quite swampy areas.

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  7. What a beautiful arrangement, I would have felt as if I had my Christmas present, too! I love Silver Falls Dichondra, I have a friend who grows it all alone in hanging baskets and it trails a full five feet to the ground. Stunning! There is also an Emerald Falls, too.

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    Replies
    1. I never thought of putting it into a basket all by itself but I might just do that. Five feet! that is amazing.

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    2. Yes, my friend usually plants up dozens of pots of Silver Falls and uses them as decorations at weddings she floral caters. The effect is truly stunning. :-)

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