{texas in bloom}

A little glimpse of our flower bed, happily growing and blooming.

The giant coneflowers were for Mother's Day just a few weeks ago -- huge and daisy-like, with petals that fold back and down to make unusual cones. The garlic, we have yet to work out if we'll actually be able to eat, but the flowers are nice nonetheless! The borage -- only just sprouted -- came back with us, as a packet of seeds, from England, and should give lovely blue flowers to put in our summer drinks. The achillea only came in packets of "mystery colour" and so I'm rather pleased to see it coming out white.

Patiently waiting for the next planting season, we have fennel, marigolds, nasturtiums, "demon" peppers, Thai basil, and red spring onions... and I'm dreaming of a big purple buddleia to bring in some serious butterfly action!

A Year of Wreaths

Over advent, our tea wreath became one of my new favourite Christmas traditions. It also encouraged me to see wreaths in a new way -- they can go beyond run-on-the-mill winter greenery, and be fun, useful and unique. So, this year, I've set myself a challenge: to create a new wreath every month in 2011.

 1. Edible Wreath, 2. Marshmallow Wreath, 

3. Cinnamon Wreath, 4. Garlic Wreath

There are lots of inspired people around the world creating wreaths, like those above. I love the idea of a ring of herbs, ready to be used by the cook, a marshmallow wreath for the snowy months, cinnamon sticks to add a little fragrance to your entryway, and a garlic wreath to keep away any vampires!

5. Road Sign Wreath, 6. Thread Spool Wreath,

7. Wool Wreath, 8. Crayon Wreath

Others have made use of their extra wool, thread spools, and crayons, and have even recycled an old road sign!

Perhaps you like this idea and would like to join in? Each month, I'll have a spot for you to share a link to your own wreaths, so that we can inspire each other. For me, January's wreath will be started once we return from England, and shared with you as soon as possible... stay tuned!