WOW, YAY, WAHOO!!! A few days ago I was luckily enough to be awarded the SUNSHINE AWARD from a good friend blogger of mine Jacqui Brown, who lives down south in POITOU-CHARENTES  along with hubbie Ade and son Ed, she is known to a lot of us as the COURGETTE QUEEN OF FRANCE, she has them growing in every corner possible in her garden along with lots of other fruit and veg which she always has in abundance.  She also has a menagerie of ducks, cats, chickens, a rabbit, a goose and Mini their beloved dog!  Gosh Jacqui where the heck do you find the time to do it all!!  Oh yes, if you go onto her recipe page you will find some great treats there especially lots of recipes for using up your glut of courgettes, and produce from her garden!!

You might be asking yourself what is the SUNSHINE AWARD  for just like I did………….

The Sunshine Award is a lovely orange flower that bloggers give to other “bloggers who positively and creatively inspire others in the blogosphere”.

So without further ado, here are the rules:

Thank the person (or people) who gave this award and write a post about it.

Answer the questions on your favourites below.

Pass on the award to 10 fabulous bloggers, link their blogs, and let them know you awarded them.

HERE ARE MY FAVOURITES:

Favourite Colour – has to be bright orange, just like the award above!

Favourite Animal – I think it would have to be our cats, Sammy & Cindy, they are getting on a bit now, and sleep most of the day,  and our 2 remaining chickies, they are very special as they were our first chicks and have been with us for 2 years, and they do have such characters!

Favourite Number – Don’t know that one, but know I don’t like number 13!

Favourite Drink – A Pastis, for those of you who don’t know, it’s an aniseed flavour drink, which you add water too, which then turns a milky yellow colour, hmmm lovely!

Facebook or Twitter – Facebook, although I am getting there with Twitter.

Your Passion – Has to be my garden, it gives me such pleasure seeing the fruits of my efforts blossom, and I also love to see and smell the grass when it has been mown, I also love the sound of the old style lawn mower takes me back to my childhood!

Giving or getting presents –  both, I must admit I love receiving pressies especially as a surprise, but I also love to give to see the persons face light up, I do set myself rather a chore though as I will search everywhere to buy just the right present to suit that person, I think that’s so important!

Favourite Day – Friday as it’s the start of the weekend and then it’s wine o’clock time!  Also another favourite day is when the sky is blue, not too hot, and potter in the garden!

Favourite Flowers – Hard one that as I love them all!  I adore old fashioned scented roses, lilac, tulips, and sunflowers, gosh I could go on and on………………

The Ten Bloggers I would like to pass this award to are:

1.  LA VIE EN ROSE - Sharon has a lovely blog, they bought their new house two years ago and are now turning it into a cosy home with French, Country and New England influences and she wants a white picket fence with roses around the door sounds lovely!  Sharon also has a great Facebook page for you to visit!

2.  GROWING HERBS FOR BEGINNERS - Rhonda has such a wonderful website, blog and great newsletters, with everything you would ever need to know about herbs, you must check it out!  Click HERE for Facebook page!

3. TWO WOMEN AND A HOE - Jan’s  PASSION is to ignite the eternal connection between people & nature! and she does it so well, just go to the site and see what I mean! Click HERE for Facebook page!

4. EGG CARTON LABELS BY A DOZEN GIRLZ - Kathy really deserves this award, a fantastic busy site and she is one busy and enterprising lady and works her socks off!  Her mission is to inform, educate, entertain & encourage backyard chicken-keepers. and she certainly does that!  Click HERE for Facebook page!.

5. A BEAUTIFUL MESS INSIDE – Now this is something totally different to Gardening, but I like it, the two ladies who run the site nicknamed themselves Moon & Mess, they have an extremely popular site and blog,  ’If we bring a smile, an “a-ha”, a “good it’s not just me,” or even a “whew I’m glad I’m not her” having a buzzing brain is worth it!’  Well see for yourself! Click HERE for Facebook page!

6. GROO NEW YORK –  Jill has a great site and blog!  realizing the benefits of growing your own food and feeding your skin without the use of chemicals  is hertheir motto. Whether you want to grow organic vegetables in your own backyard, but you don’t have the time, or you just need some advice, groO can help you succeed! Click HERE for Facebook page!

7. RUBY CLOVER – Ruby is a very successful Artisan, she loves taking pics of Ireland and has an Etsy site especially for showing and selling themm she also makes beautiful jewellery and has another Etsy shop for that and also makes the most beautiful Heirloom boxes, all hand made and to order, just click on her site for links, Click HERE for Facebook page!

8. NOSTALGIC DREAMS –  Elizabeth runs an elegant country style 3 bedroom bed & breakfast business in beautiful Catoctin Mountains of Maryland, along with a successful online gift shop selling handmade gifts/crafts and gift baskets. Click HERE for Facebook page!

9. SEED PARADE - This is a great site and blog, as you may remember I have just recently reviewed them! Seeds which are so cheap to buy love it! a very interesting blog, and lots of interesting articles you must read! Click HERE for Facebook page!

10. HOMESTEADING/SURVIVALISM - This is such a good site with a very high following, from surviving, gardening, making things from free available sources to bee keeping and more! you must visit!  Click HERE for Facebook Page!

Email me - Jill@LaMaisonDesFleurs.com

Jill@LaMaisonDesFleurs.com

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I came across SEEDPARADE.CO.UK when I was surfing other gardening sites as you do!  I was really impressed, it was clear and easy to follow, and when I saw the prices……………well, read on:

Lajos is the person with the brains behind the scenes, she has an agri and horticultural university degree and has been growing her own veggie and flowers on her allotment for 5 years now.  She started selling seeds 4 years ago as she found the prices were so high in the garden centres, so with that in mind, she dug deep and found the way to supply gardeners with seeds at a much lower price!  she hasn’t looked back since, as the business is growing from strength to strength,  year after year!  Just take a look below at the great selection available some at a ridiculously low sale price!

FLOWER SEEDS:

If you’re simply looking for something to liven up the garden, they have a great range of flower seeds which produce stunning flower plants – including perennial flower seeds for plants full of beautiful and colourful foliage; and many varieties of lovely scented sweet pea seeds.  With most of their garden seeds under a pound, you can afford to have a full, lively and vibrant riot of colour in your garden!  You won’t find any instructions on the seed packets, which is why they can sell them much cheaper, but when you browse through their range of seeds, you will find sowing and growing instructions on every page!

Lobelia Crystal Palace 4000 seeds

Compact, bush type! Many gardeners’ favourite lobelia!

Price: £0.99

Sweet Pea Royal Mix 25 seeds

Self colour flowers. Must have mix for cut flowers. Up to 8 flowers per stem.

Price: £0.99   

FRUIT & VEGETABLE SEEDS:

When it comes to vegetables, it’s worth investing in good quality seeds. If vegetable seeds from Seed Parade are sown correctly and taken care of, then they’ll grow into high yields of delicious vegetables which are packed with flavour and goodness. We have cheap vegetable seeds for over 100 different types of veg, so you can stick to something common like tomatoes and lettuces, or try out something more unique like rainbow carrots and lemon cucumbers! We also have a range of fruit seeds for delicious melons, strawberries and more.

Tomato Marmande 100 seeds

 Well known beefsteak tomato. Indeterminate/cordon. £0.99  Sale Price: Just £0.09

Carrot Chantenay Red Core 2000 seeds

Carrot Seeds – Chantenay 5-7 in roots. Heirloom carrot.

Price: £0.99

Hot Pepper – Jalapeno 50 seeds

Chilli Seeds – Jalapeno Very popular hot pepper. Easy to grow.

£1.09  Sale Price: £0.89

                                 HERB SEEDS:

 From Parsley and Pot Marigold, to Chives and Coriander -If you’re looking to grow some delicious herbs, we have a refreshing range of herb seeds for you to choose from. All of our herb seeds are under a pound – such as 1000 Parsley seeds for only 99 pence. We even have more exotic herb seeds if you’re looking for something a bit different to throw in your salads and meals.

Feverfew 1500 seeds

Medicinal herb, also used as pests repellent. Perennial.

Price: £0.99

Rosemary 100 seedS

Perennial herb. Popular in meat dishes.

Price: £1.29

Basil Lemon 200 seeds Price: £0.99

You might be wondering how can they make a profit at the ridiculously low prices charged, well, the answer is simple,  they use only the necessary packaging to ensure that the product arrives safely at your door and in great condition, this reflects greatly on the prices, you won’t find any instructions on the packets either again saving on costs, most gardeners don’t need instructions, but they appreciate that there are always new gardeners joining, so if you do require any help, their ‘sowing guide’ section is just for you, or you can for more detailed instructions see the individual product page, where you will be able to print out, in a printer friendly version, the sowing tips!

They only choose the finest quality seeds from around the world which are then sent to you in a padded envelope, so they arrive fresh and ready to sow. Postage is only £1.29 for UK orders and £1.89 for EU orders for any amount of packets.  They regret that they are unable to accept orders from outside the EU.

See for yourself, what a great site this is you will not be disappointed!  Click on their website there you will find a very informative blog as an example on what is there check out this how to make your own liquid feed and also a forum for you to air your views or gather some information from other like minded gardeners, I find this very interesting and helpful, there is also a very active facebook page with great articles for you to click on, and also twitter to keep up to date with things immediately.

So, there you have it, all your seeds sown up for the year (excuse the pun) when you visit SEED PARADE I really hope you enjoy the site like I do!

Please let me know if you have any feedback to this article either on here or on my facebook gardening page  thank you!

HAPPY BUYING & GARDENING TO YOU ALL!

 

Email me - Jill@LaMaisonDesFleurs.com

Jill@LaMaisonDesFleurs.com

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I know this has nothing to do with gardening really, but then I suppose there is a connection there somewhere, but I wanted to post this as it’s quite sweet really!

Miki in her specially made Lego camper van, having a snack!

Some of you might remember that my son Joshy rescued this baby mouse from the Animal Shop where he does some work experience, as she had something wrong whereby she kept falling to the side, they couldn’t sell her because of this and she was either going to be put down or given to the snakes!  Well as I said Joshy does work experience in the Garden Centre near us that has an animal section and he is a real animal lover, so he just couldn’t see her being put down!

She loves climbing on Joshy’s hood string, and he loves it as well!

Well we have had her for 4 weeks now, but she has been cold and lifeless some mornings when he has picked her up out of the cage, on numerous accounts we thought she was dead! but after holding her for about half an hour she gradually got better and came back to life, then was fine, she did this a few times, poor Josh was so worried! After exhaustive looking on the net, and talking to his boss at the Garden Centre, he found out that they don’t like to be by themselves, they prefer to be in pairs or a big family, and this is a way of stressing out being so lonely, eventually they would die because of this!

Miki & Chicco, how sweet!

So he bought with his pocket money another little baby mouse to keep her happy, this one is white and grey, I did freak out a bit as I really don’t like mice as we have so many running around being in an old house and in the countryside, but these 2 are very different to the field and house mice, they have got quite sweet faces AS LONG AS THE TAILS DON’T TOUCH ME AS THAT REALLY FREAKS ME OUT!!!!

This is the newly adapted home for Miki & Chicco, the box is from the Animal Shop for transporting bigger animals, but ideal for mice, he has extended their living quarters as you can see with a small tunnel and small area! This is secured properly when they are in there, so don’t worry!

 He has spent most of today making their ‘living quarters’ bigger, he’s cut out and put some Lego windows in securely so they can see out, think it’s more for you looking in Josh! ah bless he’s so chuffed with his adaptations!

And here is Chicco in their new extension having a nibble!

When he introduced Chicco the new female mouse last night to Miki the other female mouse they sniffed each others bums, Miki went for her a bit, but after half an hour you wouldn’t have guessed they just met! they were running around playing in the Lego building Josh made for them, and last night they were both cuddled up asleep, was lovely to see but couldn’t get a piccy!

Yes we’re watching you Sammy & Cindy you leave dem meece alone!!!

Well thats made Miki and Joshy happy now!  And me? as long as the tails don’t brush over me and as long as they are happy along with Josh and as long as he keeps the bedroom door firmly SHUT because of our 2 cats who wouldn’t hesitate for one moment for a tasty snack – it’s OK!

[Show as slideshow]

Email me - Jill@LaMaisonDesFleurs.com

Jill@LaMaisonDesFleurs.com

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I first met Ruby on my FB Gardening Page http://on.fb.me/yNa9Mz  and she became a fan of mine as she adores flowers and really enjoys photographing them when she travels to Ireland.  Ruby’s a Chicago based self-taught artisan who specializes in decoupage, she draws much of her inspiration from the beautiful landscapes of the Irish countryside “People really take pride in their flower gardens in Ireland and the wild flowers are beautiful and abundant as well”.  The whole country is just so scenic, Ruby loves all the thatched cottages with vibrant painted doors and windows which always have the prettiest flower boxes hanging from their window sills.  Ireland’s climate is really moderate and the whole island remains lush and green all year round, most people don’t realize that there’s tons of palm trees all over too…..

Muckross House Ireland, with some beautiful red roses!

She is the first to admit that she is no gardener, in saying that, she wanted to contribute something somewhat relevant to this post, every year she says “this is the year I’ll plant stuff and take care of the little veggies and flowers I plant - I think I watered my tomato plants once last year…so as you can imagine, all I had was a couple dried shrivelled leaves.“ but then she absolutely loves taking piccies of them. Perhaps you ought to stick to just taking piccies of them Ruby? but hey no, try some Tagetes or Marigolds they are foolproof to grow…………….

Zinc pot with Nasturtiums tumbling over! http://www.etsy.com/listing/84062607

Muckross Rose, Ireland 

White Flower Ireland  http://www.etsy.com/listing/67535098/

Donegal Rose, Ireland

But…… hold on a minute!  this girl has real hidden talent! not only does she take great piccies of her love of Ireland, she has an Etsy store especially to showcase her beautiful ‘life’ pictures, just click here The Irish Still to see what I mean and be mesmorised by them!  Another love of hers is  Ruby Clover where she has beautiful Irish & Vintage Inspired Arts, Crafts & Photography, Some of her Irish photography is also currently featured on the set of a prime time network television series!  There is yet another site of hers called Bohemienne where she is a peddlar of Vintage Jewels, Housewares and Haberdashery, gosh what a busy girl!!!  Why not also visit her Facebook page at FB Ruby Clover  follow her in latest creations and her magnificent piccys.

A customised Heirloom Box, would make a great pressie, have one made with a specific style or theme!

But …… hold on again – this girl has been recognised for her talent, all her training has paid off! so much so that she has been commissioned to teach at a new and upcoming Art school on the beautiful Waterford coast in Southern Ireland this summer!  She is going to teach how to create a family heirloom box where she compiles clients’ family photos and genealogical information to create pieces of meaningful art to be passed down through generations and to treasure forever!  wow Ruby! this is great news congratulations!  This is a 3 day course which starts coincidentally on Americans Independance Day 4th July.

The Copper Coast in Ireland With thanks to The Art Hand for this great picture!

 A spokesman for the Art School said ‘Her work is stunning, we’re delighted to have her onboard’  just take a look here The Art Hand News  for more info.  Love your work Ruby really wish I could go and be one of your students this really interests me!  For further details of the Art school above, click on their website The Art Hand and visit also their Facebook Page  at http://on.fb.me/IlYcfb

A beautiful bracelet from one of her Etsy shops. http://www.etsy.com/listing/91020182/

Glor na Mara … Song of the Sea http://www.etsy.com/listing/53550013

This is one of Ruby’s favorite areas of the north coast… amazing natural beauty. http://www.etsy.com/listing/55340774

Well there you have it one successful enterprising Lady!!!  Best of luck with your class on the 4th July, very exciting!  To celebrate Ruby’s success, in conjunction with myself we have decided to hold a little competition, how do you fancy winning two 5×7′s piccys (or one 8×10 if you prefer) from either of her shops! all you have to do is ‘like’ Ruby’s FB page at Ruby Clover and my page at Maison des Fleurs  and leave your comment on this blog posting below.  Ruby will choose the winning number on Saturday 6th May 2012 – Good Luck!

Click on the links below to discover what other goodies are for sale in Ruby’s Etsy shops!

http://www.etsy.com/shop/rubyclover

I decoupage boxes and wall hangings, make jewelry, bookmarks, greeting cards and take lots of photos in Ireland (among other things!)…you never know what my medium du jour will be :)

http://www.etsy.com/shop/bohemienne#

Peddler of everything vintage…jewelry, buttons, fabric, trims, paper ephemera, photos, housewares, apparel and random supplies. Visit my other shop www.RubyClover.etsy.com for artwork, custom boxes, flower brooches etc.

http://www.etsy.com/shop/theirishstill

Any photos that you see here can be professionally printed in any size you’d like and shipped within a couple days, just convo me. Placenames can be written in Irish or English on cards or mats at no extra charge as well.

Email me - Jill@LaMaisonDesFleurs.com

Jill@LaMaisonDesFleurs.com

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PHEW what a day yesterday, not one I really want to remember!  it started off with a long day for me working from 7.30am to 6.30pm, the weather was absolutely awful, really odd for this time of year, I have never seen so much rain and the gale force winds, they were incredible!   Whilst I was at work, I noticed the wind was picking up even more as I watched chairs and other lightish items being flung all over the place, then I had to take my charges 2 little girls, out in the afternoon, which was quite a frightening experience driving through the lanes with trees bowing ready to break, and lots of debris already on the road……

My 2nd overflow greenhouse after having just put it up and before securing it.

BUT it was when I got home and realised my worst fears had been realised that my 2nd little greenhouse I had put up was in bits!   I was worried all day about my seeds which I had pricked out and put in my second small greenhouse only the evening before and wondered if it was still standing,  despite securing it as much as possible, but no, there they were 10 trays of newly pricked out babies were strewn all over the place, with the greenhouse in bits all over the garden and field, I was so so sad, I felt as if they were crying saying ‘mummy please help us’, so I picked up as much earth and little plants as I could from the ground, took them indoors, put the staging in the lounge and sorted all of it out. I have replanted 9 trays of seedlings, obviously I have lost a few, but not as many as I thought, took me ages!

This is what greeted me when I got home, my poor poor babies!

I have just been outside to let the chickens out, it’s a lot quieter out there now still windy but not bad, sunny and cloudy, it’s certainly left it’s scars in it’s wake, I noticed that a lot of ridge tiles have come off from the barn roof as well, hmmm wonder if I’m covered by insurance!!

This is part of the front garden, so sad to see!

I do know that I am not the only one this has happened to a few of my friends have had exactly the same, and I know that this might sound trivial compared to whats happening in the world etc., but this is my own personal experience which I wanted to air, but life goes on and I’m looking forward to doing some more gardening this morning!!

I have never ever seen this bit flooded – oh well at least I won’t have to water for a while!

And on a cheery note……… here’s a lovely piccy of one of my sunflowers, always happy always smiling, it’s saying  HAPPY GARDENING EVERYONE!!

Email me - Jill@LaMaisonDesFleurs.com

Jill@LaMaisonDesFleurs.com

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I thought I would do a quick post about Gnomes, hands up who likes Gnomes, well I said this on my FB page http://on.fb.me/yNa9Mz and seems lots of people do love them!  do you love Gnomes as much as we Brits do in America??

Well here are some piccies of our Gnomes, a little bit weather beaten, so perhaps  time to buy additions to the family this year I feel…….

Meet…… GERARD our pipe Gnome yes he loves climbing drain pipes!!!!

and Grandad Gnome the wise old ‘Gnome’ of France!!!! yay go for it Grandad!

Then we have the laid back family of frogs and a cat below, ok yes I know they are not Gnomes but not far off, they are guarding my primulas, note that my purple primulas seem to be eaten probably by slugs grrrrrr!

Then what else do we have, oh yes Mr Baby Cheeky looking after my Rosemary plant below!  Don’t nibble on it too much Cheeky, you know what it does to your insides!

Then we have Mr Splayed legs looking after some other Primulas below, bet you’ve got leg ache Mr Splayed Legs!

And last but not least we have the family of mini Gnomes Spinky, Sponky, Spanky and Splodge! not forgetting pissed Alfred!

Well there you have it, our Gnome family ha ha!!!!!!!!!!!!  Why not post some pics of your Gnomes I would love to see them, and I’m sure lots of my followers would love to as well either here or on my FB page at  http://on.fb.me/yNa9Mz Bye for now my Gardening friends and just remember, there is always a Gnome just round the corner!

Email me - Jill@LaMaisonDesFleurs.com

Jill@LaMaisonDesFleurs.com

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Good morning, good afternoon and good evening to everyone everywhere!  As you may know, over on my blog, I do a MONTHLY GUEST REVIEW.

I am now looking for blogs for March, and have decided to do one for MY AMERICAN FRIENDS and one for ALL MY FRIENDS IN UK, FRANCE & ELSEWHERE so in effect there will be 2 blogs for each month.

So………hands up who would like me to do them a post plug for March?? I will have great pleasure in doing this for you in return for you plugging my site on yours. I will need your permission to lift some photos off your site and perhaps some blurb that you could provide me with.

Don’t forget I am not as big as some of you, but I enjoy doing it and if it gives anyone of you pleasure and a plug then that suits me fine and pleases me. So if interested just let me know here or on my facebook page.

Email me - Jill@LaMaisonDesFleurs.com

Jill@LaMaisonDesFleurs.com

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I came across WOODBLOCX very recently on my La Maison des Fleurs FACEBOOK  page http://on.fb.me/gOol1G and WOW am I glad I did!  What is WOODBLOCX I hear you say, and what has it got to do with gardening? well it has everything to do with gardening …………

Your host and point of contact HENRY BLAKE!

WOODBLOCX is a new and exciting concept in garden landscaping.  It is wooden, modular and easy to use. BlockX are linked together using dowels and wedges made from re-cycled plastic.  As Henry says, if you can put together Lego pieces, you can put together WOODBLOCKX it’s that simple- build whatever you can think of!

WOODBLOCKX is run directly from the family’s sawmill (4th generation) in Dumfries, Scotland.  About a year ago they saw a need to expand and decided to start their own website selling their popular products  http://www.woodblocx.co.uk and they haven’t looked back!  It is run and managed by Henry Blake who found that there was a demand for decent quality wooden raised beds & planters, ponds etc. in which the customer could do a spot of DIY himself easily, so if you fancy trying your hand out you have a lot here to choose from, just take a look at what you can buy in kit form to build yourself …………

RAISED BEDS & PLANTERS – in lots of different sizes to suit your garden, or use the online calculator to work out exactly what you need.

TERRACING & RETAINING WALLS -  build terracing and retaining walls of any shape and size to suit your garden.

PONDS – a great way to enhance any garden.

DECKING & GREENHOUSE BASES – WoodblocX is a great product for setting up a solid base for decking in your garden.

L SHAPED BEDS & SEATS  - can be a great way to take the stress out of your gardening. A little extra height can make weeding and harvesting so much more accessible and enjoyable

KERBING - An easy way to make edges look neat and also to save time and energy in maintenance

On the website you will find useful videos on ‘how to build with woodblocx‘, there is also a very handy calculator online to help you work out what you need and pricing. You will also find a very useful online catalogue and an FAQ area. There’s even an online blog!

At WoodBlocX they can help you with the design of whatever you would like to build. If you have a rough idea of what you want, they can draw out and send plans to you. This way you can get an idea of what the design will look like and how much it will cost as well.

If you would like to talk to Henry about your requirements or just purely general information, he would be only too pleased to help you, contact him on  Freephone 0800 389 1420 or  Email – admin@woodblocx.co.uk 

So there you have it, everything to make your project for this year come true!

WEBSITE: http://www.woodblocx.co.uk  TWITTER: https://twitter.com/WoodblocX   FACEBOOK: http://on.fb.me/zegsYZ

Email me - Jill@LaMaisonDesFleurs.com

Jill@LaMaisonDesFleurs.com

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Well I should imagine we are all getting busy with our gardens weather permitting, and sorting our seeds out. I indeed did buy some new seeds today from Lidl’s at 29c a packet you just cannot go wrong at that price as they always seem to germinate, but they only have a limited selection.

One thing I am NOT going to buy this year are round courgette seeds, I really didn’t think they were that prolific last year and not so easy to use, so have bought the good old straight ones!  Now with tagetes, last year I had the SOLAN ‘patula’ variety http://bit.ly/Aq9wAz  they were ok but when it rained they looked very slimy and didn’t get better with the sunshine,  there are so many sizes and types so am going for the ones this year which have a lot of little flowers on one stem like LITTLE GEM http://bit.ly/y3IbTg, and for contrast in colour and size, am also going for DURANGO TANGERINE http://bit.ly/A3LyA3, but I also rather fancy for a change this mixture DREAM COLLECTION http://bit.ly/w5T4QO.

As a lot of you probably already know, I absolutely adore my SUNFLOWERS I have loads upon loads of sunflower seeds, and what I did during the winter time is scatter them all around the edge of our property which is about an acre, also scattered them across the road just above the ‘fosse’ (like a ditch) which is partly my overgrown bit of land and next doors overgrown bit of land (nobody there), so am hoping they will take and if so should be a good display in the summer!

Do you have any preference on seeds ie do you prefer round or straight – tall or shorter flowers & veggies?  What do you think you might be changing in your garden this year?  would be interesting to hear your views……………………..

Happy Reflecting!

Email me - Jill@LaMaisonDesFleurs.com

Jill@LaMaisonDesFleurs.com

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AS A LOT OF YOU PROBABLY KNOW,  I liaise closely with Rebecca from THOMPSON & MORGAN the seeds & plants people.  Rebecca is in charge of the international site for T & M, we work closely together to give you the chance to win seeds and various other items via my blog.

Calendula Fruit Twist delightful dwarf calendula in a zesty mix of citrus colours. Pretty, daisy-like blooms are early flowering. 

AND NOW – how do you fancy winning a 50E voucher to be spent online with Thompson & Morgan worldwide which is especially for people like us who live out of the UK, (sorry UK  & USA you have your own competitions),  go to http://www.tandmworldwide.com/index.html and have a nose around!  The pics you see here are the ones I fancy buying, but hey hang on there are sooo many which to choose. oh dear I feel my bank balance is going to be thrashed!!!!!

Tomato : Berry F1 Hybrid Cascading trusses of deliciously sweet, dark-red, strawberry-shaped fruits

Now all you have to do to be in with a chance to win a 50E voucher, is to subscribe to T & M for their fortnightly newsletter which will be packed with great offers – free P&P, discounts, free products, etc. If you are already subscribed you will be automatically put into the draw.   Please note that this is not for the UK or the US & Canada, they have their own website.

Poppy ‘Pink Fizz’ bring your garden to life as the stems of silver foliage sway in the breeze, topped by elegant two-tone pink bicolour blooms.

Each month a winner will be drawn by Rebecca, go here for further details, think about it what have you got to lose, nothing! you have everything to gain, even if you don’t win the first month, you will benefit from so many offers, can only be good, and you might win the following month!

Aubergine : Calliope F1 Hybrid, produce a heavy crop of baby 5cm fruits that mature to bitter free, oval, 10cm .

Over the course of the rest of this year and next, Rebecca and I will be doing lots of exciting competitions with great prizes of seeds etc., open to all including the UK and will also be for the US & Canada (regrettably not seeds though)  so keep your eyes open!

Begonia Non Stop Fire F1, wonderful showy blooms in an unusual combination of colours

- yellow, gold, orange and red.

We would love you all to be active with us for example, showing us pics of your gardens, your projects and any other special pics that you may have, especially how your seeds from T & M (if purchased) are growing, who knows, you may even be featured on their website!

Impatiens walleriana Tutu Red Bicolour F1 Hybrid, Early flowering,

Anyone who subscribes to the Newsletter or has already subscribed, just let me know and I will send you some seeds from T & M which I have left over from previous competitions, they will still be fine for next year.

Wallflower Orange Bedder Sweetly fragrant rich orange flowers on dwarf sturdy plants. Just right for beds where space is limited, containers etc

Look forward to hearing from lots of you, with what you are all up to in the garden in preparation for next year and don’t forget to subscribe for your fortnightly newsletter here!

Vegetable – Easy Grow Collection - SPECIAL OFFER. With this range of easy-to-grow vegetables, you’ll have a good variety to choose from!

Watch out for various offers coming soon and throughout the coming year especially for you here at LA MAISON DES FLEURS in conjunction with T & M!

HAPPY CHOOSING!!

Email me - Jill@LaMaisonDesFleurs.com

Jill@LaMaisonDesFleurs.com

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