Floret Zinnias
Hello friends,
I just thought I'd share with you how my Floret zinnia plants have fared over the summer, and all the flowers that have been produced from the various varieties.
This is how the zinnias looked like when I planted them out in the garden in late October 2024. I sowed Floret Dawn Creek blush, Floret Precious Metals, and also Floret Unicorn Mix zinnias that I bought from Emerden Flower Farm back in August 2024. I had 100% sowing success from all the zinnia seeds.
First up we have the Dawn Creek Blush Zinnias:
There's a mix of creams, buttery yellows, and pinky blush tones, they are really beautiful and understated.
Next we have Floret Precious Metals:
The Floret Precious metals, are more pink and purple toned, and when the flowers get older, there is a cool metal sheen on them.
And lastly we have the Floret Unicorn Mix:
The colours for the Unicorn mix are much more bright pinks and yellows and lime greens, and they really stand out in the garden.
All in all, I'm really loving all the varieties that Floret and Dawn Creek have developed. The seeds were super expensive, but the uniqueness of the flowers are worth it in my opinion. I still have some seeds left over for next year, and I plan to seed save from the zinnia varieties when autumn starts in March (on Saturday). If more Floret zinnia seeds become available from Emerden in spring, I plan to pick up a couple more seed packets to increase my seed stash of these beautiful flowers.
Have a wonderful day
Julie-Ann
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Sewing Reusable Birthday Present Gift Bags
Hello friends,
Recently I finally got around to sewing some reusable birthday present gift bags.
A couple of years ago I made a big bunch of reusable bags for wrapping Christmas presents, so that there was no longer a deluge of wrapping paper every Christmas day. I've been meaning to do the same with reusable birthday present gift bags, but I was being lazy, and I hadn't found the perfect fabric for the project.
About two months ago I found this birthday fabric at Spotlight, and brought 1 m to make some bags. I also bought some Homespun white cotton fabric to line the bags on the inside. I have a bunch of ribbons in a box at home, so I just delved into it until I found the perfect ribbon to tie up the bags.
I have a reusable gift bag set pattern I use for work at my online textile store, Hearth & Oak, so I used that to quickly whip up three birthday gift bags.
I'm really pleased with how the birthday gift bags have turned out, they look really pretty, and they will be used for birthdays for years to come. And now I no longer have to scramble around searching for appropriate birthday present wrapping paper to wrap birthday presents for family, when I can just pop them into a bag and be done with it.
Have a wonderful day
Julie-Ann
Want to discuss my post? Feel free to chat with me on Instagram or Mastodon or Bluesky.
Dahlia Profile - Lucky Number Seedlings
Hello friends,
Today we're looking at dahlia seedlings that I grew from Lucky Number dahlia seeds I harvested back in the summer of 2024.
First up we have the original Lucky Number dahlia. It's a peony dahlia with multiple rows of bright pink petals, with yellow centers. Each flower is about the width of my palm. Lucky Number gets to about 1 metre in height with bright green leaves and brown stems.
And here are the progeny of my Lucky Number dahlia.
This first one is a single dahlia with colours of peach and yellow in the petals, and a smaller flower than Lucky Number. The dahlia plant is similar in size to Lucky Number, but the stems are much darker in colour. My hunch is that this dahlia is a cross between Lucky Number and my Mystic Sparkler dahlia in the garden.
The second dahlia is pretty similar to the first dahlia, but the petal colours are a much darker pink, and there is an uneven mottling across the flower petals. The flowers are much bigger than Lucky Number in size, and I think this dahlia is a cross between Lucky Number and a red hybrid tree dahlia that grew in my garden in 2024, from seed that I purchased from NZ dahlia breeder Keith Hammett. The hybrid tree dahlia was bright red in colour with huge single flowers similar to this seedling.
The third seedling is definitely another cross between Lucky Number and the red hybrid tree dahlia. The petal colour is exactly the same as the red tree dahlia, but has rows of petals similar to Lucky Number, and the plant as a whole is similar to Lucky Number in size and colour.
And last up is a Lucky Number seedling that looks like a smaller cross of the third seedling. The flower is much smaller, and the red a bit more scarlet. I think this is also a cross with the red hybrid tree dahia.
It was an interesting experiment to grow seeds from the Lucky Number dahlia, and right now I'm unsure if I will keep any of the seedlings, as space is always at a premium in my garden. I'll make a decision in the coming weeks on what to do with these dahlias, and then tag them for digging up or keeping them once the first frost has passed.
Have a wonderful day
Julie-Ann
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On The Porch Blanket by Fifty Four Ten Studios
Hello friends,
I have finally finished my On The Porch Blanket by Fifty Four Ten Studios, which I started back in 2021. It was a long haul over the last couple of years to knit it, as each row took about 15 minutes to knit. I had at times left it in my knitting bag untouched for months, as it was a pretty boring knit, even though it was good for watching TV. I finally got around to finishing it over the summer while I was watching the cricket on TV.
The blanket was knitted with a dark gray double knit possum/merino yarn cone I bought from a WoolYarns outlet sale when I still lived in Wellington, and I used size 4 mm needles for knitting it. The final dimensions for the blanket were 1.15 m wide by 1.25 m tall.
I love using possum/merino yarn for blankets, as it's very soft and squishy, which is great for cuddling up with in winter. My plan is to keep the blanket in my craft room/office, and to use the blanket to keep me toasty on cold, frosty days.
I'm so pleased to finally have this knitting project done, it gives me time to also get around to finishing knitting a sock project for autumn and winter.
Have a wonderful day
Julie-Ann
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Ranunculus Seeds from Buds and Bloom, and a new Gardening Tool
Hello friends,
I was scrolling on Instagram recently, and came across a New Zealand flower seed business called Buds and Blooms Flower Farm. They were currently selling French and Italian ranunculus seeds in the most gorgeous colours. Before you could even say "shut up and take my money", I'd filled up my online cart and bought a bunch of ranunculus seeds for me to grow this March, for flowering next spring.
I bought the following ranunculus varieties:
* Bianco Sfumato, an Italian variety, "Shades of white, ivory and cream with a flush of pink. A fully double, luxuriant flower."
* Pastello 1, an Italian variety, "The perfect pastel mix of dreamy blush, pink, salmon and peach."
* Pastello 2, an Italian variety, "The perfect pastel mix of dreamy blush, pink, salmon and peach! This blend is heavier on the darker blush and salmon/peachy tones."
* Amandine Purple Jean, a French variety, "Gorgeous Mauve and purple blooms with a slight soft scent."
* Rosa, an Italian variety, "Rosa is one heck of a producer! Long, strong stems with the most perfect double pink bloom."
* Rosa Chiaro, an Italian variety, "Rosa Chiaro is a gorgeous, delicate Italian Ranunculus with it's pretty and delicate coloring. Long stems producing flowers in the most
perfect range of soft pinks."
I am very excited to start all these ranunculus varieties from seed this coming autumn, and then overwinter them in the glasshouse this winter, before planting them out in spring.
And as a bonus I get to use my newly purchased Potting Bench Tidy Tray for potting them out this autumn. I've wanted one for ages, but no one in New Zealand makes them. Occasionally, they're imported into the country from England, but they tend to get sold out very fast. Last month I managed to buy two at Nichol's Garden Center, and I gave one to my sister for her birthday, and kept one for me. No more messy seed sowing and potting mix everywhere!
Summer is coming to an end pretty quick, with the nights getting darker now earlier, and some of the deciduous tress in our neighbourhood are already starting slowly to change colour. It's sad to think that summer will be gone soon, but I'm now excited to be sowing seeds in March for the coming spring in September.
Have a wonderful day
Julie-Ann
Want to discuss my post? Feel free to chat with me on Instagram or Mastodon or Bluesky.
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