Another wet and rainy day and all I can think about is the compost heap (well may be not all). We all slip up, drop clangers and get it wrong so I thought I would list some of my own compost errors or lash-ups.
24.07.2023 - 12:26 / hgic.clemson.edu
In an earlier blog post, we discovered how easy it is to grow luffas. Making soap from luffas is a fun and easy craft project for all ages.
The finished soap scrubbers can be used in the tub, shower, or to remove garden grime from hands. The scrubbers may also be packaged for gift giving or sold as a fundraiser for school gardening projects.
Supplies You Will Need:
Luffa sponges (homegrown or purchased) Soap molds or small plastic containers Serrated kitchen knife Spoon Cutting board Glass measuring cup with a spout or other microwave-safe bowl with a spout 2 lb. block of melt and pour soap base (available at craft stores and online retailers) Small spray bottle Rubbing alcohol Essential oils (optional)
Optional supplies for cleaning homegrown luffas:
Bucket Household bleach Gloves Eye protection
Step by step guide to making luffa soap scrubbers:
Note: Adults should supervise each step of this project. Make sure children wash excess soap off their hands before touching their eyes or mouth.
Luffa sponges are ready to harvest when the skin feels loose and brittle around the hardened fibers inside. To process the sponges, peel the skin off and shake the seeds loose. Be sure to save the seeds for future crops!
Luffas that are grown in your garden may need to be bleached prior to use to remove any mold and mildew on the fibers.
Full-sized luffas can be purchased from local growers or online to use for this craft project.
Remove outer luffa skin and seeds. Soak dingy luffas in a solution of 10 parts water to 1-part bleach for about an hour to remove any stains. Allow them to dry completely before making soaps scrubbers. Next, use a serrated knife to slice whole luffas into rounds approximately 1 to 1 ½ inch thick. The thickness
Another wet and rainy day and all I can think about is the compost heap (well may be not all). We all slip up, drop clangers and get it wrong so I thought I would list some of my own compost errors or lash-ups.
A rock garden is a grand place to display your alpine plants. You can shade them with rocks, provide deep root runs and provide rain cover with perspex roofs
I know I can use all sorts of materials as a mulch but I like the organic versions. Here I have piled it high well before it is ready as a mulch much less a compost
The Barbie Dreamhouse has stood as an aspirational symbol of the ideal home ever since Mattel debuted it in 1964. With its cheerful pink hues and bounty of furniture accessories, it evokes feelings of comfort, happiness, and pure reverie among the youngest members of each generation. If you want to channel a bit of that light-hearted fun and nostalgia into your everyday life, here are 20 of our favorite Barbie-themed home goods that should do the trick.
Luffas have magical appeal to kids, so growing luffa can be an exciting family or classroom project for your summer garden. Also known as dishcloth gourds or vegetable sponges, luffa are actually Chinese vegetables in the cucumber family that are edible and useful. The most common luffa grown for sponges is smooth luffa (L. aegyptiaca).
THE PLANT CATALOGS look delicious, but what plans have you made for where those wishlist items might go, and how many of each do you need to make them really say something in the garden? I love creating mixed plantings of shade treasures–bulbs and perennials, and especially extra-early bloomers–under deciduous trees and shrubs. I call the process “Making Mosaics,” and it’s one of the how-to sidebars in my 2013 book, “The Backyard Parables.” It’s also a video, with photos I’ve taken here at my place.
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THE FLYER PIQUED MY INTEREST: Dan Benarcik, part of the creative team at Chanticleer Garden in Wayne, Pennsylvania (a must visit!), would be lecturing nearby about “The Art & Craft of the Garden,” and how to personalize a garden using artistic elements, found artifacts, and ornamental containers. I quickly got a ticket—you can, too, for the June 16 event, including garden tours and a garden market, in Spencertown, New York—but also asked Dan to share some of his ideas and images (including the bromeliad-artemisia- urn-and-melianthus moment at Chanticleer, above) with us, no matter whether we can attend. A Q&A with this enormously talented plantsman and garden artist.