Thank You, Tesco! (or - recycling in the garden)

These are the croissants for weekend breakfast, direct from the bakery at our local food superstore, Tesco - but look what they have very kindly used to package them...very nice plastic trays, complete with lid - that make the most excellent little propagators. Here is one holding a seed tray - but they will be used for propagating all sorts of plants throughout this month

Here are some other ideas for recycled items...

Use the brown mushroom packages as seed trays - excellent with a few holes punched in the bottom - and the individual caramel pots have holes in them already! (May need to make them a bit bigger with the twist of a knife) - here are some propagated miniature sedums in the individual pots

Remember the old terracotta pots, that I was wondering how to use? Well, look at what i have done with some broken pots - no need to throw them away...

Even the smallest can take one or two sempervivums (house-leeks) - and look what you can do with bigger pots...

While we're talking sempervivums, look how many "babies" I split from one £4.00 pot yesterday - and look how many are still left to gather...

All these pots make lovely nook and cranny hideyholes for our garden inhabitants - here is one who was being pursued by Lily, so was transported down to the bog garden for a bit of peace and quiet

The veg and herb garden are flourishing - here are some of the veg boxes in the evening light

And the greenhouse corner, with all the tools of the trade

Here's the old stone sink, planted up with alpines

 And of course, the Naughty Squad, who keep me company there...Here's Lissie giving Pip a not-so-gentle wash, while Lily looks on from her usual, upside down position

And all three of them, zonked on Catmint, and sitting quietly (i.e. stoned!) for once!  Just another quiet week at Autumn Cottage :-)

Comments

[Leslie Garcia]

Dear Autumn Cottage Diarist,
Your ideas are wonderful! Your garden is an inspiration...and your kitty cats are adorable! I am going to walk out into the sunshine and do some potting myself. Thank you for the lovely tour of your splendid garden! It is just beautiful!
How amazing our world is...
Leslie

[Angela]

I so enjoy reading your posts. I live in the US, in Georgia, where it is quite hot and gardening can be quite a toll. I love to admire your garden from across the pond--and the kitties, too!

[Britt-Arnhild]

Hi Roz. All I can say today is that I ecco Leslie (my friend). I have really enjoyed my walk in Autumn Cottage today :-)
And thanks for the idea.

[tea]

Hi Roz :)

Cats are so comical in the catmint. Here it seems they prefer something called catnip though. Ithought it was the same until I tested it. I also have the mint one as a filler because they flop down in the big pot of it all and have nibbled away down to the stems of some. I`ve been buying more to re-fill it LOL
I will find somewhere in the garden in fall to plant it where I can keep it contained so they don`t roll around on the rest of the plants.
I`ve missed visiting your beautiful blog with your lovely home and garden.

tea
xo

[Fran aka Redondowriter]

Roz, what a great post and photos. You are a gardening wonder. Did you do your raised beds yourself? And all those tips for recycling were good, too. My problem is that my patio garden faces east and I have very limited sun. Lots of greenery but not many flowers.The succulents love the space. And hey, I might take you up on 2010. I've got to go back and read what you said again.

[Mary]

Roz, I'm impressed! Great ideas - must stop throwing out the plastic trays/boxes and make use of them like this - thanks for sharing.

Enjoyed visiting with the beautiful kitties - they have a wonderful garden to loll around in. Your raised beds are so neat looking with the gravel around - clean to walk on I'm sure after plenty of English rain!! We've had a little rain in the night - glory be! - our first in almost two weeks. Everywhere was parched and my veggies seemed at a standstill - the lovely hydrangeas had lost their lustre and my newly planted shrubs were curling up. We can only water twice a week for a couple of hours due to the water restrictions still in effect from this long drought - meanwhile the Midwest is flooded and the pictures coming in from there show huge devastation. Mother Nature certainly has a mind of her own!

Hope life is good and your weekend has been fun.
Fondly - Mary.

[Carolyn]

Roz, what a treat to have a peak at the gardens at Autumn Cottage this morning before I head out to work. Love the stone sink planted up, and the beds are growing nicely. Cats have a happy place to play and get into mischief. Happy Gardening to you dear friend.

[Terri]

Roz, you know I awlays enjoy posts. I am thinking of sending this one to Jaime Oliver. He can cook from YOUR garden for his Foodnetwork cooking show. ha It'll be our little secret that it is your garden and not Jaime's.

[darla]

Your garden is looking great. I remember when those raised beds and walkways were just a dream. You must be enjoying it all as it grows and changes.

Darla