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Hi , if ever there were a month for starting a garden and expanding the one you have, it's May. Though there's plenty on the ole to-do list, the weather is getting more pleasant, and I, at least, am spending much more time outside. It's more fun gardening when you're not wet and battling the elements 😄
In this newsletter, I'm sharing what's been happening in the garden, along with insect-repelling soap and tea light ideas, the RHS Malvern Spring Show, and a massive sale on the metal raised beds that we've just added to the garden.
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Birdies Raised Beds
But first, those beds... As you'll see in my new video, we've been hard at work in the veg patch and have also created a new growing space outside the Polycrub. The new beds are Birdies Raised Beds which are recently available in the UK and Isle of Man. They were quick to put together and created instant vegetable beds on land that's rock-hard with clay soil and rubble in-fill.
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As you can see in the photos, I already have two rows of salad greens and two rows of calendula popping up. That's in just two weeks from building and filling them 😍 The beds I have are the 8-in-1 type in 'Mist Green'. The 8-in-1 refers to the eight different ways you can screw them together - long and skinny, square, etc. You get to choose and it's really simple to put them together.
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Birdies Raised Bed Sale
Interest piqued? You'll be pleased to know that there's a massive sale on Birdies Raised Beds right now and until May 29th. It's up to 30% off when you buy four and use my discount code LOVELYGREENS5
🚚 Plus, you get free shipping if you live in the USA, UK, and Isle of Man.
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It's a great deal, and one friend who bought them yesterday reckons it saved him over £200 over using wood sleepers to build four beds. Plus, the beds will last many more years and can be moved if you move house.
The main discount is automatically added when you add four beds to the cart. Use my discount code LOVELYGREENS5 to get a further 5% off. I tell you more about my beds and the sale in this Instagram Reel.
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Some years ago, I created a eucalyptus soap recipe using essential oil, and I've shared it with you before. The main idea behind the recipe was to create a refreshing soap that helps to open up airways and help boost energy during cold and flu season. However, I've just found a second potential purpose for it. It's pretty exciting stuff 😍
With summer right around the corner, we all will deal with biting insects of some kind - the main one being mosquitoes. A new study has now shown that the main natural chemical in eucalyptus essential oil, eucalyptol, has been shown to be a very strong deterrent to these annoying and potentially sick-inducing insects. It may be one of the strongest essential oils we can use to keep mosquitoes away.
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Citronella Essential Oil Ideas
So keep that in mind for insect-repelling formulas. I'm planning on making another batch of eucalyptus soap and seeing if it also has an effect on midges and horseflies, too. Let me know if you've noticed it working for you?
Citronella is another essential oil that we can use to repel insects, and it's an ingredient in this cucumber soap recipe and insect-repelling tea lights. And you know what? Citronella and eucalyptus work well together, scent-wise, so all the more reason to blend them together in products too.
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The month of May is one that I almost completely dedicate to gardening. I make fewer products this month because there are just so many May Garden Jobs to get through. I admit I love this month more than any other and spend as much time outside as possible. May is a time of seed sowing but also planting out seedlings and young plants.
In my new video, The Garden in May, I take you through some of the work I've done this month, including planting the peas grown in a gutter, the no-dig asparagus crowns I've just put in, and of course, the new Birdies Raised Beds.
There will be a new video tomorrow, too, and I'll be planting out sweet potatoes, tomatoes, eggplant (aubergines), and more in the Polycrub. Plus introducing you to a new olla watering system. Subscribe to the Lovely Greens YouTube channel to get a notification for when it's out.
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Malvern Spring Show
Even though this is a busy month in the garden, I also got the chance to visit the RHS Malvern Spring Show. If you're not aware, the RHS (Royal Horticultural Society) hosts many gardening shows at various points in the gardening year. Chelsea is the most famous and is happening next week. Malvern is like a taste of Chelsea with several show gardens and oodles of ideas and plants, but it's more relaxed and with fewer celebrities.
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Malvern Spring Show
I've shared photos and a video reel on Instagram, but I'll post a few more just below. One big theme with the show gardens and stands was creating space in our gardens for wild animals and wild plants. In the two gold-winning gardens, nettles, grass, and other wild plants were even woven into the mix. It shows their importance to wildlife and how we can work with nature rather than trying to eliminate it from our gardens/yards.
I absolutely loved that and feel so inspired to add even more water and wildlife features to our garden. The small pond has been filling in but there's just so much more that we can do!
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I hope that you have a lovely weekend, , see you again on social media or in your inbox in a couple of weeks.
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Tanya Anderson of Lovely Greens
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This newsletter comes to you every two weeks with new and seasonal content from Lovely Greens. To never miss one, please add tanya@lovelygreens.com to your email contact list. That way, emails will appear in your inbox.
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