Fiddle leaf fig tree club

I'm always late to join the club...fortunately this is a club which is worth waiting for: the fiddle leaf fig tree owner's society.

image source here

Actually there is no such club. I just made that up... but I did receive a fiddle leaf fig tree as a birthday gift from family on the weekend. How very lucky am I?!

image from here

Fiddle leaf fig trees (Ficus Lyrata) are the 'it' plant to have among design and decor circles right now. The plants have been gracing the pages of interiors magazines for many years and in recent times the plants have become more readily available in Australia.

A fellow blogger told me that Big W stocks them in Western Australia. And a few hardware nurseries have been known to stock them too. My plant is from the Cottage Garden Nursery in East Brisbane.

The fiddle leaf fig tree is an evergreen tree which hails from tropical West Africa - its common name is due to its large violin shaped leaves. It is an impressive plant and its glossy leaves are just lovely.

Fiddle leaf fig tree in the front entry verandah

My healthy new plant is a beauty and will reside in the front entry verandah as the room gets a nice amount of sun in the morning. It seems to be doing okay, so far...

Fiddle leaf fig tree in a Marché Moderne  fair trade jute storage basket. (My online shop!)
Available HERE

Olive oil tin can planter

I really ought to be painting the fences... instead I've been pottering around the yard - a bit of weeding, pruning, fertilising, watering and planting.

In Blogtopia, I have noticed large olive oil tins used as planter pots. They've always appealed to me for some reason. Perhaps I'm a Greenie deep down inside.

I always throw out our olive oil tins with the recycling but I kept the last one aside to make it into a herb pot. It seemed like a good thing to do.

There are instruction on how to whip one up at Apartment Therapy blog. It is really a no-brainer but here is the link to the instructions anyway.

This is what was created today. It literally took 10 minutes to make. I planted some basil in the tin as I have had absolutely no luck growing it in my laundry tub planter. Apparently, basil grows best in its own pot.

Olive oil tin can planter with basil

We'll see. I'm hoping Basil likes its new olive oil tin. And I have a feeling that my olive oil buying in the future will be based on the attractiveness of the packaging.

West German planter hit

You know you've made it in the world when you have your own dealer; someone to call for your buzz.

My go-between is called Katherine. She works theoldboathouse and sometimes she contacts me when the good stuff comes her way.

Like West German pottery planters. Yeah, you know what I'm trying to say.

These pots are so fine. Who you callin' a gutter junkie?

West German planters on the left and right of the large pot

I had no imagination regarding what plants to put into them. The brown and orange planter has a peace lily (with a house of three boys, Peace is the holy grail) and the brown and cream planter has a succulent.

Anyway, Katherine's your go-to-girl on the streets of Brisbane for your retro wares - a purveyor of fine vintage goods.

Also a little birdie told me that Mr Rooney, our anti-ageing Oil of Olay using builder, is celebrating a birthday today. Best wishes to you Mr Rooney and take it easy...as there are stairs still to be built.



* all drug slang courtesy of here (too much time on my hands).

The Front Entry - before and after

The photo above is from when we first obtained the keys to the house exactly a year ago today. It doesn't seem possible that we've been here nearly a year. However, there is oh so much more to do to the Sow's Ear.

The front entry was one of the first projects Jason tackled when we moved in mid May last year. It is one of my most favourite rooms in the house. It has an open, airy, uncluttered feel which I adore.

The entry gets the lovely warm winter sun in the morning and cool afternoon breezes on a summer's afternoon - a really good place to hang out with a book and drink.

In the above picture there used to be VJs (vertical join) boards nailed over the green painted area. It was a very crude effort and looked out of place. We suspect it was done to hide the electrical wires which snake their way along the walls. It was probably VJ-less originally, but we're not sure.




We thought it best to line it with VJs again but add cornice and a frame to give it a more finished look. As you can see from the above picture, this room was orignially a deep sea green.

This is the door to the study and that's a glimpse of Jason (fully clothed? It was winter) filling the gaps between the VJs before painting the entire room. The study door was also frameless.

This is what the entry looks like today.

It took about two weeks for the entire project with work done on weekends and week nights. White paint magically transformed this formerly bland entry. It cost approximately $500 to refresh this room - for new timber, VJs, paint and other building materials.

I like that this room makes a statement about what to expect when you enter our home - it is certainly a departure from what is traditionally expected in a Queenslander home in the burbs.

The Marimekko fabric hanging, I made myself. I bought a good quality large stretched canvas from Eckersley's in Milton (best and friendliest art store in Brisbane) and simply stapled the Marimekko Mini-Unikko fabric onto it. A very effective way to obtain instant, happy colour.

The Butterfly Chair was purchased from Katherine at theoldboathouse a number of years ago. I have another adult sized chair under the house which needs a cover. I was thinking of getting orange with white piping, so I can have the Holy Trinity of citrus colours....in the name of the lemon and the lime and the blood-red orange...

The large white Chinese lantern was about $8 from an Asian homewares store and replaced the green plastic shade that offended me so much.

The new VJs above the front lattice door. Neater and seamless.

In this picture you can see the frame Jason made for the VJs, above the lattice.

The yellow child's butterfly chair was a gift from friends when our first child was born. A very funky present.

Another friend gave us the swirly black cast iron table when she was de-cluttering for her move to North Queensland. The retro style planter was bought from Katherine at theoldboathouse - she has some great finds. The mothers-in-law tongue plant was from our backyard.

In this photograph you can see the door frame Jason made. It definitely presents a more finished look.

The vintage anodised bullet planter was an ebay purchase and it cost $17 including postage from Bundaberg. An absolute bargain. The spider plant was from my Mum's backyard.

The Jack and Jill coat hooks, which are made in South Australia, were from Great Dane. They were $25 each.

The bus roll we have had for years. Our mate Chris used to collect vintage Brisbane vinyl bus rolls and had this one framed decades ago before they were ever fashionable. When he moved house to a different suburb, he gave it to us because he knew we like a bit of Brisbane history and we also live in one of the suburbs listed.

(Also for Ange from Signed by Ange,  my fabric handbag was bought at the BrisStyle Indie Designer's Market last December from acreaturestrange who also operates an Etsy store.)

So, there you have the story of our front entry.

Spider plant and coat hooks

Taking Susan's advice regarding what to plant in my new old anodised bullet saucer planter, I went looking for a Spider plant.

I had a feeling my Mum had a spider plant lurking somewhere in her overgrown garden. I asked her if I could have it for my planter - Mum's are good for giving you the things they no longer really want.

It looks better at my place anyway.

This is a photograph of the other side of the front entry (I'm sitting on the green butterfly chair).

As you can see, I use the door knob from the study door as a coat/bag rack. (I carry a hand-made cherry-red fabric tote, the other bag is #2 son's library bag which I still haven't packed away.)

Jason can't stand that I use the door knob. What can one do? It is the first protrusion I see when walking through the front door, so I dump my bag there while I bundle the brood into the house.

If I leave my bag on the floor, #3 son does a runner with it. The child shows me no mercy.

Therefore, I need a hook; preferably a funky hook. I didn't realise how many takes there were of the humble coat hook.

Here are a few of my favourites:

 Eames Hang-it-all

 image from living edge

This was originally my first choice but I'm starting to think it has been overdone. I don't know. I shouldn't over-analyse, it is only a coat rack, after all.

cubby coat hook  image courtesy of Materious

This is a very cool idea. It would mean never having to lose keys ever again...

 

jack and jill coat hooks image courtesy Great Dane

This is actually meant for a child's room or the beach house (that's what it says in the spiel). How limiting. If I was their copywriter, I would say it was meant for everywhere or for the whimsical...I shouldn't let their spiel put me off, I shouldn't let their spiel put me off, I shouldn't let their spiel put me off...

Or, should I just keep it simple?

Agapanthus and lamp update

I've scored an agapanthus supplier for my garden through this blog. Woo hoo!

A few agapanthus that I had in other parts of the yard which I transplanted to the front garden

First it was the agave fairy, who was so generous, then a sleepy head brother ,who still doesn't know there are plants missing from his yard, and now, an agapanthus philanthropist, who doesn't even know me, has come to the party. How good is that?

And a big thanks to everyone for the feedback about the lamp. After careful consideration of your valuable comments, I am going to find a new taller base for the organic textured retro shade and with the existing base, I will get a shorter light-coloured drum shade. I am also toying with the idea of painting the timber base white...

lamp on the retro telephone table

 
One lamp will morph into two - mood lighting central. Thanks again everyone!

Spiky statement - dracaenas and agaves

The stolen goods were planted today. They are planted in a row along the front garden bed and are looking very groovy albeit a little knocked around - those agave leaves bend and snap easily.

We are going to plant agapanthus between each agave, but I haven't sourced my supplier just yet. I'm also  planting dracaenas on each corner of the garden bed to make a spiky statement.

I was a bit over-enthusiastic with my daylight raid at my brother's and have more plants than I really need.

Anyway, this is what I did with one of my dracaena cuttings:

dracaena marginata are commonly used as indoor and outdoor houseplants

Since buying the Sow's Ear, visits to the florist (who am I kidding? I buy flowers for myself at Woolies) are a luxury, and what flowers I do use in the house are what I can scrounge from my (or my brother's) garden.

Usually it's foliage, because leaves tend to last longer than flowers.

While he was sleeping

I hit the motherload of free plants. I'm talking the motherload.

Mum and I paid a visit to my brother's place while he was still asleep. There were so many agaves growing wildly. I was only limited by the space in my car and the fact I was ill-prepared for plant pinching. Next time, and yes, there will be a next time, I will bring my loppers to cut through the thick stalks of the monster agaves.

The best bit of all is that he won't even notice that they are gone and he still got a sleep in. Thankfully, I had our mother's tacit approval. She gets first dibs though.

And if you are wondering what the pictures are above, they are definitely not of my bother's place. His place is the complete antithesis of the above images.

I drive past this place often (it is owned by a local architect who also runs his business from the premises) and covet their lawn and landscaping design. It is so simple but highly effective - large agaves borders, agapanthus, cupheas, gardenias and healthy lush hedge. Does anyone know what the hedging plants are in the third image? 

I would love to have a garden similar for our place. One day, maybe.

Ill gotten gains - agaves, frangipani and dracaena cuttings

My Lychee Tree House

Sorry to Jane from My Pear Tree House for my take on her blog title.

A mystery was solved for us here at the Sow's Ear. For seven months I have been wondering what that tree (click to see picture) in our front yard was. It is almost as tall as our house and the boys use it as their climbing tree. It's been dubbed the "Thinking Tree"  - a place where they can ponder their childhood woes.

'Mum! Look! We found these nut things," Number 2 son bellowed from his haven.

"Look! There's lots of nuts."

Lychees from our tree

When I went to investigate further, I noticed the red rough outer-shell and glossy dark seed of lychee fruit scattered on the grass beneath the tree. Looking skyward, I saw the lychees dangling from their branches. Fancy that! We have a lychee tree and a fairly mature one too (who knew they grew so tall?). I don't think I'd ever seen one before. 

Lychee fruit

I tasted one and it was sweet. I love fresh lychees. I don't know how many we will get to sample - there is stiff competition from the lorikeets and the fruit bats - but at least the mystery is solved.

Planted

The agaves are planted. Now we will just forget about them and hope they grow.

Agaves in a row.

These were probably the nicest looking ones (the others 10 or so weren't worthy to be featured just yet because they were too puny). However, they will be beauties in time.

I did a quick google search to see how much agaves cost at the nurseries (I have always been able to obtain cuttings) and to my complete shock they retail between $15 and $40 each for the sizes we planted.

Thank-you Agave Fairy!

The agave fairy

How cool is it when something you really want turns up on your doorstep? How sad is it when all you want are succulent plants...

Yes, the agave fairy came to the Sow’s Ear when we were out this morning. I received about 10 foxtail agaves from a thoughtful friend who reads my blog (it has paid dividends). She's clearing her yard and the agaves were destined for her wheelie bin.

Foxtail agaves are the short succulent plants. The tall spiky plant is the dracaena.

These plants are also known as agave attenuata which are a spineless species which produce a bluey green rosette. I think they rock because they are so bold and have an architectural appeal.

They are disgustingly easy to care for in Brisbane's sub-tropical climate and can survive my potential neglect. I also scored a cutting of a dracaena marginata plant from another friend.

We did a bit of clearing of the garden beds last week and it looks like we will be gardening again this weekend.