Winter 2025 This project has been made possible through funds raised and donated by our Daisy Garland fundraisers and supporters. We are enormously grateful to each and every one of them. Welcome to our Daisy Garland Winter Green Shoots project 🌱 Even though the days are shorter, chillier and the garden's looking a little bare, there's plenty to look forward to over the winter months. Number one job for October/November is planting your new bulbs either direct into the garden, in pots or even a pair of old wellies - a fun job to do on a bright day! Planting bulbs always gives me a real sense of achievement. It's something easy to tick off your 'to do' list and once planted, there's the added excitement at the thought of seeing your first green shoots push though the soil in early spring 🌱 Now's also a good time collect beautiful things for a winter nature table or shelf (I love mine!): acorns, pine cones, fallen leaves in all sorts of stunning colours from soft yellows to vibrant reds, conkers and rose hips. You can even add a little string of fairy lights for some extra magic. Don't forget wildlife over the winter months. Birds will benefit from table crumbs and tiny scraps of cheese, and over ripe apples and pears make a yummy breakfast for birds, hedgehogs and small insects that visit your garden. Have fun planting your Green Shoots bulbs, and don't forget: spring is just around the corner... 🧅🌱🥀 Happy Planting everyone! Sara xx MID-OCTOBER Our boardroom table, laden with bulbs, waiting to be quality checked and sorted before Sara and Jean make up our 2026 Green Shoots boxes 🌱 Flossie, our office pooch, checking the correct labels have been added to all 70 Grow Boxes 🌱 (Flossie takes her quality control job very seriously! 🐕 ) Nikki, getting ready to head off to the local sorting office ... 🌱 Meet some of our 2026 Green Shoots growers! 🌱 "Thank you so much for our wonderful Green Shoots parcel (or Green shorts as Amy calls it )" Julie "Massive thank you for Tommy's Green Shoots box we are very excited to join in." Chloe "Thank you so much for the Green Shoots parcel, we love alliums Teddy’s been a little bit poorly but I hope to take some pictures of the boys with their book and planting the seeds soon x x x" Lauren "George is saying a BIG THANK YOU for the Green Shoots gift box! What a fantastic surprise to start the weekend. He is thrilled to bits. We have just finished reading the Ranger Hamza book. We will send you more photos of planting the Bulbs." Love Marguerite & George xxxxxx" "The boys were really excited to receive their box today. They can’t wait to get planting xx" Natalie "Thank you for my autumn grow box and the book is perfect for when I go into nursery’s or in college to do my childcare course to read to the children x I will really look forward to seeing the flowers next year xx" Esme "Thanks so much for the Green Shoots box" Lynsey "Hope, enjoying the contents of her Daisy Garland Green Shoots Autumn Grow Box." Caroline "Thank you so much for Luca's Green Shoots box we aim to get them planted next weekend, halloween this weekend is a busy one " Sarah "Thank you for our box! Poppy couldn't wait to get stuck in, and wants to get out in the garden ASAP! " Hannah "I got home after a weekend away to find they had saved George’s Green Shoots parcel to open with me 🌱 💜 xxx" Ella "Lily planting narcissus bulbs in pot for patio in our garage as pouring outside. Where I am taking pics . Still got Allium bulbs to plant." Vanessa "Izzie was so excited to have her Green Shoots box arrive! thank you so much! We can’t wait to get planting and love the - amazing! Sorry. Barnham decided to photo bomb xxxx" Annie "Thank you so much for our green shoots box, definitely put a smile on Geth’s face and mummy’s too xxx" Helen We grew some raspberries last year and he checked on them day and night until they were ready! Thank you for creating these opportunities where we feel like part of a community. Helene "Thank you so much for Annabelle’s bulbs and book! Looking forward to planting them together x" Hannah "Patrick had so much fun planting his plants from the Green Shoots project! We are very much in the unknown when it comes to gardening but I’m sure we will learn as we go" Jagoda "Alliums and baby daffodil bulbs all panted out and watered in Wanted to do this before it became another thing on my 'to do' list! I wonder who else is pulling on their wellies this weekend and planting their Green Shoots bulbs?" Sara xx "Planting our bulbs!" Maxine "We took advantage of the sunshine, and Emily's cousins, old wellies and got our bulbs planted today. Love Green Shoots. Thank you Daisy Garland xx" Sarah "We have had a lovely afternoon planting Annabelle’s bulbs and picking crab apples to make jelly for Christmas presents " Hannah "Arlo loved planting his alliums last weekend! (Despite a broken collarbone ) Thank you so much xx" Poppy "Emily was so excited to receive her green shoots box she had to open it before swimming Thank you The Daisy Garland, we love Green Shoots 🌱 x" Sarah "Finally got the bulbs in and nearly forgot to take a picture. The alliums are right by the back door so we can enjoy them to the max (assuming I have more success than in the summer). Daffodils have gone in opposite the kitchen window so I can see them when doing the pots xxxx" Rosalind 🌼 "We finally got round to harvesting our little basketball carrots - better late than never! They worked better than I expected, and my friend's guinea pigs are in for a treat now " Hannah Snug as a bug in a rug. When was the last time you checked on your Daisy Garland bug hotel guests? (These little bug hotels were included in last year's grow boxes 🐜🐛🐞🐝) "Zachary enjoyed planting his bulbs last weekend with his big sister x" Rachael "Thank you for the Green Shoots box, Olivia was very excited to open it." Cath "George, busy planting up his spring bulbs... " Marguerite "Eve has enjoyed planting her bulbs this October half term, she can’t wait for them to grow " Jenny "We have been out planting this morning!! So nice to be out in the sunshine! We have a few little cornflowers from the summer still flowering so have popped the bulbs around them. Thank you so much The Daisy Garland xx" Ella "Anna planted her Amaryllis 'Minerva' bulbs and we hope, they will bloom in Christmas time 🎄 Thank you Daisy Garland fairies." Jan "Thank you for my brilliant box it was a lovely suprise to come home to after school I can’t wait to plant my bulbs now the rain has stopped." Georgie and Maxine. "A picture of Jonty gardening…" Iona "It was now or never to plant our bulbs, so we did some gardening after school today. Poppy is also testing out her new ribcap! We had a little helper, who also inspected the pot afterwards! 💚" Hannah "One of Anna's Amaryllis 'Minerva' bulbs has already sprouted, while second one is a bit lazy. Let's hope, both will bloom in Christmas time." Jan "Still munching our way through this year's butternut squash, onion, and tomato crop, so thought I'd make veggie curry for supper. Yum! Whilst the veggies sizzled in the pan I collected the squash seeds, gave them a bit of a soak and a little wash before spreading them on kitchen paper to dry. Once dry I'll pop them into an envelope and keep them somewhere cool ready to plant up in early spring 🌱 I love the way nothing's ever wasted when you grow your own food. Not even the peelings, which you can happily compost (without having to worry about pesticide reside). As you can see from the last pic below, the squash and onion peelings have gone into my compost bowl (a permanent feature on our kitchen sideboard) ready to add to the compost heap at the end of the day, which of course will be tilled back into the soil in around 12 months time. Isn't nature clever! 🌱 I'll be good to the land and the land will be good to me... 🌱🌱🌱" Sara x "So exciting to see our Green Shoots sprouting! 🌱🌱🌱 " Sara x "I love this time of year because I can say we have 'green shoots'! xx" Sarah FOR A SPLASH OF COLOUR AND A TOUCH OF WHIMSY, WHY NOT REPURPOSE AN OLD PAIR OF WELLIES AS PLANTERS? If your old wellington boots have become cracked and leaky, there's no need to bin them. Instead, recycle your wellies turning them into fun little welly planters adding a splash of colour to your garden. Their size makes them ideal for smaller spaces like steps and windowsills – and being waterproof, they’re perfectly suited to life outdoors, no matter the weather. Before you begin making your welly planters, there’s a few things you’ll need: Old, leaky wellies A drill Stones or pebbles Compost Bulbs (seeds or plug plants work well too) Watering can Step 1 - Wash the wellies in warm soapy water, removing any loose insoles. Step 2 - Drill or poke a few small holes into the sole and maybe even around the edges of the boot, for good drainage. Even if they’re already cracked and leaky, there may not be enough holes to allow water to escape. Step 2 - Add a layer of pebbles or small stones to the bottom of the wellies to assist drainage and to weigh the welly down. Step 3 - Fill the wellies with a good quality potting compost, ensuring it reaches right down to the toe of the boot leaving enough space at the top for the bulbs and a bit of extra soil. Step 4 - Plant the bulbs at the correct depth for their size, usually 2 - 3 times the height of the bulb, planting with the pointy bit up. Gently firm the compost and water thoroughly. Step 5 - Place the welly planters in a bright spot with adequate sunlight and wait for those little Green Shoots to appear 🌱 Top Tip: Don’t forget to water your bulbs, but be careful not to overwater - you don’t want those little bulbs to rot. "We keep checking our pots, and last week there were some green shoots! " Hannah "I had a little peek this morning and I think the first shoots of the allium bulbs you gave us are just poking through warmer days are coming xx" Ella Saturday Jan 3rd, 2025.... Happy new Year Everyone! 🎉 Spring has sprung early here in Devon thanks to David picking up a bunch of daffodils with the weekly shop this morning. My nature shelf (just above the kitchen sink) blessed with a splash of buttery-yellow sunshine. There's nothing like a bunch of daffs to brighten a wet weekend in January! Inspired last autumn by lovely Green Shoots mum, Erika, I thought I'd try my hand at growing hyacinths in little glass vases filled with water, rather than messing around with pots and compost. So, at the beginning of November I bought 3 hyacinth bulbs from our local gardening shop and by chance that same day managed to pick up three mini glass vases from one of the bric-a-brac stalls in Totnes market. I filled the vases to the brim with cold water and added the bulbs, which perched nicely on the top of the vase. All three vases were left outside under an upturned bucket, to keep the light out and I resisted the urge to on check them until early December. (This was not easy!) And when I finally lifted the bucket - hey presto! I was excited to see a mass of roots topped with three very robust yellowy-green shoots. (I've said it before, but I'll say it again: isn't nature clever). I brought the vases inside, topped up the water levels and popped all three on my nature shelf, wondering if we'd see blooms in time for Christmas. And I wasn't disappointed. Christmas day washing up has never smelled better. Sara xx January 4th.... The decorations came down and I spent a good hour in full mindfulness flow cutting up gift tags to add to the compost bowl, ready for the compost heap. I feel as if I never add enough brown (carbon-rich dry) stuff to the heap, so am making the most of this - a Christmas Compost Cocktail complete with a twist of lime! Come on worms and bugs, time to get busy!! Sara xx PS Anyone else had a constant stream of primrose flowers blooming in their garden for the last 18 months, or is it just us here in Devon? The Seasons They Are a-Shiftin'... 🎶 🎵 🌱 "Our indoor winter garden reached its peak so sharing with you all for some colour therapy. The scent unfortunately has to be imagined " Erika January 18th... We grew this little family of Crown Prince squashes on our allotment last year. They were such fun to grow and very easy to look after. These four decent-sized yummy squashes from one small flat seed, planted in the ground. I've said it before and I'll say it again: the miracle of nature! Aren't they beautiful... It's the first time we've grown this particular squash on our allotment and we we're over the moon with the results. They've spent the last 10 weeks gracing our kitchen windowsill 'maturing' (allowing the skin to thicken and the flesh to sweeten) and during this time I've grown quite attached to them - they've become part of the family! But the day was always going to come, when they'd be eaten! And today's the day! Washing well the outside of the smallest squash, I carefully sliced it into four before removing the seeds. A mindful moment if ever there was one! As I was doing this a thought occurred: why not share the seeds with our lovely Green Shoots children, so they too can experience the joy and excitement (not to mention the yumminess) of growing their very own 'Daisy Garland' Crown Prince Squash. So, I popped the seeds into a bowl of cold water, giving them a little swish to give them a good rinse... ... before setting the seeds out to dry on a clean t-towel. (In case you're wondering, I roasted the squash in the oven - skin and all - sprinkled with salt and pepper and a splash of olive oil. Each mouthful savoured and so very yummy. We'd eaten every last morsel before thinking of taking a photo! Darn!! Next time!) Our Green Shoots families are in for a real treat when they receive their Green Shoots packages next month! Look out for a little handful of Daisy Crown Prince seeds... We're spreading the love 🌱🧡🌱 Happy growing everyone! Sara xx "Anna's Amaryllis 'Minerva' finally blooms. 3 weeks later than planed but better late than never." Jan February 1st... "Gethin’s Green Shoots 🌱 are starting to peek through xxx" Helen "Our green shoots are really popping up now! 💚 " Sarah "Some pics I took earlier..." Rosalind "Ours are also coming through beautifully!" Jagoda "The DG Bulbs are coming through thick and fast. Love to you and all. Marguerite xxxxxx" "We are shooting! The blue pot is at home in the garden and the other at the grandparents garden! We still have other pots that are yet to shoot through but happy we have some!" Charles "The Bulbs are flowering now!!" Marguerite "These are our Alliums " Sarah "Poking through!" Annie "We planted them but no sign yet. Last year's narcissi are flowering." Sarah "Exciting to see so many green shoots in one area (pic 1)... but in another (pic 2), they've yet to put in an appearance!" Sara "We have a new shoot emerging and the others are getting bigger." Rosalind "So excited to see our Green Shoots! 🌱" Nikki "Lily's mini daffodils in pot not in bloom yet (prob didn't like all the rain). 2 alliums coming up through the ground " Vanessa "We have a bit of success this year. " Kim and Wyatt "We have more shoots and a few daffodils from last year x" Sarah and Emily "We have flowers!" Rosalind and Daniel "More popping up!" Annie "The sun has encouraged more of our green shoots bulbs to Flower x" Sarah "Planted ours a little late but we do have this one lovely little flower So grateful for the bulbs. I think next year they'll be even better! Got quite a few shoots appearing xx " Ceri-ann Said with a great sense of pride: "I've actually grown some flowers!" Nikki Pic taken at lunchtime today of the miniature daffodils (Tete a Tete) in bloom beneath our Daisy Garland 'Tree of Hope' "A little Green Shoots update from us. We went to a garden centre on Saturday - Poppy was desperate to look at the seeds, and I got some plants for Mother's Day. Here's Poppy with Grandad, and a reluctant big brother in the corner Our green shoots are getting taller, still waiting for flowers! " Hannah "The garden is looking really lovely with the small daffodils etc. xx" Lynsey 👋 Our spring Grow Boxes will be on their way to our 67 Green Shoots gardeners soon! Watch this space for more info! More Green Shoots Updates Coming Soon! Manage Cookie Preferences