Tag Archives: gardening

by | October 4, 2012 · 9:40 AM

Gardening Woes

It is well known amongst my friends and family that, to date, the only thing that I’ve been able to grow with any real success has been weeds. Actually I am putting myself down unnecessarily here, not only have I totally mastered the skill of growing weeds; I have excelled at filling my garden with them!

Photo Credit

Next month I move house and swap my long (eighty feet!) and thin garden / meadow for a large patio garden. You have no idea how much this excites me. Lord Dodo, who looked on in exasperation as I killed the cress, the beanstalk and the sunflower that my eldest son brought back from school, has given me a copy of the Dodo Book of Garden Cuttings, fixed upon me that look which tells me I really need to sort myself out, and has left me to it.

HELP!

I freely admit that it is unlikely that I will ever be the Mother who sends her child with home-grown fruits and vegetables in an artfully arranged hamper for the school raffle or, at the end of the year, bestows upon the grateful teacher a bouquet of fragrant roses plucked from my own garden. To be honest I really am not sure whether it is entirely necessary for any parent to show the rest of us clutching shop-bought soap or chocolates up in this way. That said I would like to turn my garden into something that I can be proud of.

My children are keen gardeners and I envisage a costly trip to the garden centre for tubs, soil and whatever one needs when planting things is on the horizon. The issue that I have is, well, I have no idea where to start. Is it too late to plant anything now in time for spring? Is there anything I should avoid planting in a patio garden because it will attract wasps / bees or generally not be great for the kids?

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by | June 14, 2010 · 6:27 AM

Happy Father’s Day!

Hallooo dear Dodopadlers!  It’s Miss Peabody!

Those of you using your Dodo Pad and/ or Acad-Pad diary will notice this Sunday 20th June is Father’s Day!  It’s the day to show your appreciation for your father (or stepfather, grandfather, or any other father figure in your life).

Father’s Day was first proposed as a holiday in 1909, by Sonora Dodd who wanted to show her appreciation for her father. The first official Father’s Day was celebrated on 19th June 1910 in Spokane, in the state of Washington, USA. Now Father’s Day is celebrated every year on the third Sunday in June.

Do you have a gift to give your father to show your appreciation? Might I suggest some Dodo Produce, which is always sure to please. We have something for every dad!

Does your dad like to garden? Is he a world traveler? Is he handy in the kitchen? Does he like to write? There is almost certain to be a Dodo organiser to suit his taste and interests.

Here at Dodo Towers, Lady Dodo will be hosting a grand dinner in honour of Lord Dodo with all of his children and grandchildren in attendance.  It’s a grand occasion each year with plenty of food and merriment.  Lady Dodo has a wonderful tradition of inviting each person around the table to state what they most appreciate about their dear father/ grandfather, Lord Dodo.  By the end of the dinner, he feels thoroughly awash with love and admiration!

How will you celebrate this Father’s Day for your dear old Dad? Do post a comment and tell us about it!

Toodle-oo for now!

Miss P

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by | May 21, 2010 · 10:11 AM

Chelsea Flower Show May 25-29

The Dodo Book of Garden Cuttings now 15% off!!

Hallooo dear Dodopadlers!  Miss Peabody here.

Those of you using your Dodo Pad and/ or Acad-Pad diary will notice on 25th May the anniversary of the first flower show in Britain, held by the Royal Horticultural Society in 1833.

The Royal Horticultural Society is still going strong, of course. RHS is dedicated to passing on gardening knowledge to all generations.  They have a wealth of information on plants and gardens, and they even have gardener’s calendars with advice on what you need to do each month to ensure abundance.

The tradition of the Royal Flower Show continues this year at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show,  25th-29th May.  The show promises heaps of excitement for gardening enthusiasts including gardening advice from professional gardeners, tips on how to bring wildlife to your garden, and inspiration for creating your best garden ever.  If last year’s winners are any indication of the level of beauty and innovative gardening we can expect this year, then it should be a very exciting show indeed!

If the flower show leaves you feeling horticulturaly inspired, you’re in luck!  Here is a special offer to thrill any gardener (or aspiring gardener, green fingered or otherwise): 15% off the Dodo Book of Garden Cuttings! Just enter the promotional code 10MP at checkout to automatically receive your discount. This offers is open until midnight on 6th June.

The Book of Garden Cuttings is an ingenious way to organise your garden, from planning your plots to recording your abundant harvest.

There is a wipe-clean grid plotter so you can arrange and re-arrange your garden layout, then record your final design on the paper grid pages.  There are tabbed sections for each month to remind you what needs to be done throughout the year, and to record the conditions and results for future reference.  There are plenty of pages for sticking in notes and jotting down information.  In addition, there are ten pockets to pop in those clippings and seed packets you want to save lest you forget.  The book has a sturdy spiral binding and a durable wipe-clean cover to withstand outdoor use.

And, as with all Dodo Produce, the book is brimming with a cornucopia of humour, art and inspirational gardening quotes.  The Book of Garden Cuttings will help every step of the way to bring you bountiful begonias, mounds of melons, rows of rhubarb and oceans of orchids, leaving you cool as a cucumber all the while. Don’t miss this chance to get one for yourself (or a lucky favoured gardener friend) at this specially discounted price!

So, dear readers, are any of you going to the Chelsea Flower Show? I’ve never been though I’m told it is a spectacular display.  Perhaps next year…

If you do go you simply must post a comment and tell us all about it!

Toodle-oo for now!

Miss P

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by | February 2, 2010 · 11:47 PM

Garden Plotting

15% off!

Hallooo dear Dodopadlers!  Miss Peabody here again!

Even though we are still in the throes of winter, warmer weather is just around the corner.  I’m sure all of you gardeners out there are hankering for spring and fantasizing about your glorious garden that will bloom in all its majesty.  I can just picture you all thumbing through your seed catalogues and looking out at your wintery garden, imagining what it will look like in a few months’ time when it is bursting with nature’s bounty.  But in order to make those dreams a reality, you know as well as I that quite a bit of planning is involved.

Luckily for us, Lord Dodo’s cultivated creation saves the day once again!  The Dodo Book of Garden Cuttings is just what a gardener needs to plan your plots, sort your seeds and harbour your harvest.

It has tabbed sections for each month, so you can plan exactly what you need to do and when.  You can note every step of the way to your glorious garden showcase with plenty of pages each month to record your seed orders, note growing conditions, control pest problems and chart your yields.  There is a wipe-clean laminated gridded Garden Planner to sketch out your ideas for your landscape design, erase and re-do until you get it just the way you want it.  Then there are plenty of gridded paper pages to make permanent sketches of your garden layout.

There are also numerous pockets for clippings, articles, or even storing your empty seed packets for future reference.   There’s an extensive ‘Notes’ section for those things you don’t want to forget, or perhaps even reminders for next year’s garden.  And of course throughout the book are Lord Dodo’s witticisms, illustrations and inspiration for garden greatness.

And as if that weren’t inspiring enough, as a reader of my musings, you can get the Book of Garden Cuttings for 15% off from now until February 21st ; just enter the code 09MP at checkout to automatically receive your discount.  That should get your garden party started in the right direction!

Happy planning!

Toodle-oo for now,

Miss P

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