GARDEN: Our portager location!!!!!!

Yeeeesssss, we selected a spot that receives the minimum hours of sunlight a day! It is close to a tap. It will not break the lovely lawn. And it will become a focal point to the main garden.

Below: The approximate layout. The red lined area "behind" the small trees will be fore shade loving veg and will not be very visable unless entered into. We may add a small arch inbetween the trees to lead to the small back strip.

Below: Just a close up of the area. Compost bags ready and waiting. White string has been strung to indicate the area! And now the hard work starts!!!!!

As you can see from the photos, the lawn and garden in general is recovering nicely from the winter! Now is the perfect time to plant a vegetable garden. If we delay any longer it will be too hot and the small plants and seelings may not make it.

Do you like the spot?

IDEAS: Veg Garden

Here are a few more portager / veg garden ideas I liked:

Below: This is an excellent idea for someone that lives in a townhouse and have only a small garden or even just a wall is really all you need. You don't even need to spend money on containers, focus on living green and re-use old coffee tins, etc. Just make sure you make little holes in the bottom!

Below: Another portager connecting onto a garden shed and planting/potting surfaces. This portager has been built up with little walls into various terraces! This is a great idea.

Below: Another portager connecting onto a wooden deck with some interesting metal art in the background. This is the type of space that will enspire an artist or work from home landscape designer!

Below: Another portager  with beds bing in-line and very square, but following through with the patterns in the beds itself!

GARDEN: What is a PORTAGER

So, the idea is to have a Portager or as we may say in SA; a veggie patch. But we will be breaking some of the rules and keeping the ones we like.

And you ask me, what is a portager?

Below: A classic traditional example! But as you can imagine a little out of my reach ;-)

Definition and discription:

The traditional kitchen garden, also known as a potager (in French, jardin potager) or in Scotland a kailyard, is a space separate from the rest of the residential garden – the ornamental plants and lawn areas. Most vegetable gardens are still miniature versions of old family farm plots, but the kitchen garden is different not only in its history, but also its design.

The kitchen garden may serve as the central feature of an ornamental, all-season landscape, or it may be little more than a humble vegetable plot. It is a source of herbs, vegetables, and fruits, but it is often also a structured garden space with a design based on repetitive geometric patterns.

The kitchen garden has year-round visual appeal and can incorporate permanent perennials or woody shrub plantings around (or among) the annuals.

Below: A good geometric patterned example of a portager, with a lovely entrance arch and picket fencing all around!

Below: Still very formal with paving, focal points and beautifully landscaped

Below: This portager seems less formal, but in fact, it is not at all. Here they have made due with the available space, added wooden fencing. The climate and feeding must be excellent if you look at the plants. And I just love the little garden shed with french furniture, the perfect place for an afternoon cuppa tea with some mint in!

VEGETABLE GARDEN: Think before you dig!

Vegetable and herb gardens need around 6 hours

of sunlight a day! The more the better.

So for the first couple of weeks in the new house I have been eyeing out all the spots that could possibly work for a veggie patch or a portager.  My idea is to combine the two.

It can not be close to the Kitchen, as the kitchen is on the South side of the house. I also do not want to "break" the large lush larn we inherited. Our property has a mini-forest on the one side -

no sunshine there, well not nearly enough for a veg garden. There is a + - 2 m strip of

garden on the other side of the driveway which I thought would be perfect and then I realised

the neighbours on that side also had a urban forest going with large, large, large trees - the results, too much shade there too.

So after much discussion and ummming and aahhhing we have finally earmarked a spot!!!!

Details will follow.

IDEA: Herb Garden

I love this picture soooo much! A small strip has been converted into a full fledged herb garden and the best thing about it is that you will never struggle to get access to your herbs and it is so close to the house. Herbs love being used, it encourages more growth!

So pick, pick and pick some more!

IDEA: Functional Entrance Hall

Ohhhh, how I wish we had a bigger entrance hall.

It will not fit a cupboard!

It will not fit a chair!

It currently has an antique ball and claw server with a large picture resting on it, the best place for this picture! But just look at the idea below! Just so fabulous, especially for a family with kids!!!

IDEA: Theamed - Bedroom in Paris

The reality is. . . Bedrooms are dull!!!!

Bedrooms are very private places and for a newly married couple or all couples it should be a romantic relaxed space. But yet this area is sometimes overlooked, because other areas in the home needs attention.

So here's an idea: How about a Paris themed bedroom!!!

Just add a few simple elements and crisp white linen! You can even use the elements you select as storage space for all those unwanted not so pleasant on the eye bits and bobs and just hide them away.

Instant romance and relaxation will be the result.

IDEA: Just lounging around - Churchhill style

I have been looking at various style couches: Upholstered, slipcover, L shape, corner lounge, white, natural colours... I have nearly "looked" myself silly at all designs, so now it is time to start sharing.

There are so many things to consider when you buy a new lounge suite: Your lifestyle, the style of the house you are living in, flooring, roofing, etc, etc, etc - so many things influence this decision.

I think it will take a while of living in the new space to know what will be the right option for us.

Below: I love the dull greys, natural colours, white and dull browns inbetween!!!!

Below: Simplicity at it's best - but with so much charm!!!!

Below: I fond a Daybed/chaiser that suits this style at Corricraft. How stunning is this!

Below: And a couch fro coricraft that looks nearly exactly like the ones in the Picture.

Unfortunately fully ubholstered, i.e. no slip covers that one can take off and wash. Not really ideal for our lifestyle, more for a formal lounge. But still very gorgeous!

IDEA: DIY Square Tub-Chair

Just look at this modern take on a "square tub-chair". Yes, this can certainly work in a living area! I am eyeing it for my office!!! Pillows, cushions and paint design work can be customized!!!

IDEA: Open Plan Kitchen

This is such a stunning open plan kitchen! Just love it.

We have a closed off kitchen that is rather seperated from the living areas, so not really an option currently in our home, but thought I'll share it anyway!

IDEA: Loft room bookshelf

When I saw this bookshelf I got home interior design butterflies. It has soul!!!

This picture have inspired us to think very carefully once we start working on the design of the loft room to ensure that we give it plenty of character and cater for all the little things that will make the space comfortable to live in.

This picture inspires me so much that I want to go out and buy more books!!!

IDEA: Glow In The Dark Driveway

How cool is this driveway? This awesome glow in the dark driveway was made by mixing glowstones with gravel, causing the driveway to light up at night.

Glowstones, which you often see used in fish tanks, are a synthetic aggregate, based on Photoluminescent pigment and synthetic resin. According to Jinan Chenghao Technology, “When exposed to light sources, the photoluminescent pigment within Glowstone becomes chemically excited and will afterglow (i.e. glow in the dark).” The glow is initially very strong, but then slowly dulls over night.

IDEA: Herb garden idea

I looovvveee this garden idea. Although we have a big garden I am not sure that we have a suitable space for something like this. But I love it none-the-les!!!

DRIVE WAY OVERVIEW

How lovely - when we moved in the previous owner left us a beautiful welcome present at at the access gate!

BELOW: Driveway from the bottom up.

BELOW: Lamps all long the drive way on the one side

BELOW: The view down the drive way.

BEFORE & AFTER: Spike and Mei-mei's garden

Spike and Mei-mei are our pet lizards. They are bearded dragons and at their age they eat between 60% and 90% raw vegetables and leafy plants. They have specific needs and they have been spoilt - especially Spike because we raised him - they are spoilt that they have had their own vegetable garden at the previous house. As a result one of our first priorities was to prepare a garden for them at the new house. So now Spike will quickly learn a new routine of slithering off the patio into his own little cullinary garden!

We also realised (look at the before photo) that the lawnmower will not cut all the way up against the patio sides, so this little garden will make mowing the lawn easier too.

BELOW: BEFORE PHOTO

Look at how long the grass is sprouting up agains the patio and large tall shade loving flowers are planted in full sun here!

BELOW: AFTER

On the one side.

BELOW: AFTER

On the other side.

BELOW: AFTER

We planted the following:

• "Magriete" - Beautiful white daisies once they flower on the sides
• On the front edge a medicinal herb that makes a beautiful yellow flowers. One can use the sap of this plant for wards, insect bites, fever blisters, etc, etc.
• Baby spinach
• Various green leavy lettuce
• Red leavy lettuce
• Thyme
• Cherry tomatos - we eat the tomatos, the lizards eat the leaves
• Watercress
• Green sweet basil

BELOW: AFTER

We created this beautiful feature with pebbles around the edge of the steps.

BELOW: We added a few "rose" succulents to add a touch of life!

BEFORE & AFTER: Bay Window Garden

I call this garden nook the BAY WINDOW GARDEN as it is directly under the Bay Window. It has not been completely revamped, but here are some pictures of before and after of what has been done there so far.

BELOW: BEFORE
This garden was full of dog poo, plastic bottles, newspapers, dead plants and just oozed neclect.

BELOW: AFTER

If I can have my way I will fill this area with these large lavendar bushes, they are so beautiful, hardy, doesn't require a lot of water and smell amazing! For now there are 2 large lavender bushes and 1 small one. I planted dark burple irises here. Let's see if they will grow. We worked a little bit of compost into the soil, but not nearly enough.

BAY WINDOW IN OUR LIVING ROOM

We have fallen inlove with the bay window in our living room and we would really like to preserve it, pretty it up and make it a space that we can use in our new home.

This made us wonder where did the BAY WINDOW originate?

A bay window is a window "space" projecting outward from the mail walls of a building and tehreby forming a bay in the room. While most bay windows protrude, some bay windows are level with the exterior and are built into the interior of a room.

Bay Windows are associated with Victorian Architecture and were a part of the Gothic Revival style.

Interesting fact:
In 1894 the Building Act changed the regulations, so that windows no longer had to be flush with the exterior wall. This enabled windows to stand proud from the facade. The late Victorian and Edwardian period took advantage of the change in new building regulations and now presented their windows in bays. Medium and larger houses would often display double bay or bow windows.

Why, why, why?
Bay windows creat and illusion of a larger room and are often used to increase the flow of natural light into a building. They also seem to provide a better view of the outside. Our bay window looks out on the main garden, I must take a photo and load that too!!! The view is pretty.

I just love the wooden "window sill seating box", it doubles up as a bookshelf - we have placed some books and magazines in it with protea pillows at the top to place where you would like to sit or to lean against.

An even more interesting fact:
Bay windows were identified as a defining characteristic of San Francisco architecture in a 2012 study of 25 000 photos of cities from Google Street View.
So, I guess we can pretend we live in San Francisco every now and again! LOL