A riot of colours and textures – and alive with butterflies, birdsong and the buzzing of insects – the County Wicklow garden of Irish artist TJ Maher is unconventional, informal and a testament to his passion and respect for nature

Sometimes quitness will give you inspiration and peace. Retreat for a moment in a secret garden is one of the things you can do to enjoy the quiteness. Moreover, it can be identified with green scenery and fresh air that will refresh your mind. Then, what secret garden design do you want to fulfill your desire? These are the image of ideas to inspire you.

Here are some fantastic Ways to Create a Secret Garden in Small Space that you follow to make a beautiful one for yourself!

Hollyhocks. Marblehead. 2016. Source: rickinmar I don't think I've ever seen a more beautiful stand of these loveliest of all old-fashioned flowers.

Pretty DIY Garden Path + Walkway Ideas - How to install your own path or walkway to connect your outdoor spaces. Safe, clean, + curb appeal!

Wow, what a response I’ve had to my initial post ‘My Garden Ecosystem’! People have been contacting me via Instagram, Facebook and email wanting a more detailed explanation of my ‘Chicken City’, so here goes… The Plan The idea was to have chickens housed with fruit trees, berry canes and vegetables, where they could f

Using wood to decorate the garden Make it beautiful to relax Bringing wood to decorate in different corners of the garden It is another idea that can be used

How to create cottage garden style in your garden. Choose easy-grow plants and create a relaxed and colourful space which suits your lifestyle.

I love growing my own food for so many reasons, but how do I make it all happen? Introducing my garden ecosystem, affectionately known as ‘Chicken City’. Inside the meshed walls of Chicken City I have a central chicken house, which is connected to four separate ‘rooms’ – two containing annual vegetables, one containing

I know this isn't a real good picture but, I have Bluebirds! After many years of watching and waiting... they are here! Either the Chick-a-dees or wrens nest in my Bluebird boxes, but a Bluebird found them this year!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So excited! This is right where I am going to plant my five new Blueberry bushes too! Happy Day!!!!!! We got the frame work of this tiered raised garden done! Was not easy with all the rain! We had this slope in our yard and this is where I thought something like this would work the best, and easy to put in too! Finally the dirt came! I dump truck full!!! Now that's a lot of dirt! And it was alot of shoveling too! This is not where I will be planting my gourds, I have arbors for them. And some will be planted to climb the small arbor that you see here with the star on it....someday to be the chicken yard..... I am going to try that square foot gardening. Wish me luck!

Cottage backyard ideas offer a feast for the senses. Be inspired to turn your garden into a relaxed and inviting oasis

Create an impactful outdoor space with these small yard and garden landscaping ideas.

Last year one of my quilty BFFs, Alyce aka Blossom Heart Quilts asked me if I'd like to design a quilt block for her Bee Hive project. The aim of the Bee Hive was to design a series of quilt blocks that create a secondary design, and thus lend themselves to being perfect bee blocks - so I said I'd love to. From the outset, I wanted to design a really simple but effective block, one that would be achievable for beginner quilters (and fast and fun for more experienced quilters) but still create a really interesting quilt. The result was Checker, a very simple block to put together, but one with almost endless possibilities in terms of colour and block rotation. The other thing with this block is that you can reverse the colours and create a completely different quilt again. There are some examples at the end of the tutorial, along with a few quilts that people have made using this block design. So, without further ado, onto the tutorial! CUTTING You will need to cut the following fabrics: For the small HST unit: 1 - 5" x 5" square in a light colour (pink) 1 - 5" x 5" square in a dark colour (pink) For the large HST unit: 1 - 7.5" x 7.5" square in a light colour (aqua) 1 - 7.5" x 7.5" square in a dark colour (teal) From the neutral fabric: 2 - 4.5" x 7" rectangles From the sashing fabric (black): 1 - 2" x 4.5" rectangle 1 - 2" x 7" rectangle 1 - 2" x 12.5" rectangle MAKING THE BLOCK All seams are a scant 1/4" unless otherwise indicated. Step 1. Take the light colour 5" square and the light colour 7.5" square, and draw a line diagonally through the centre on the wrong side of the fabric. Step 2. Pair the light 5" square with the dark 5" square, and pair the light 7.5" square with the dark 7.5" square. Place each pair of squares right sides together and sew 1/4" either side of the marked line on the lighter squares. Step 3. Cut along the marked line, and press your seams open. You will only use one of each of these HST units per block. Step 4. Line the seam up along the 45 degree line on your ruler (this works best with square rulers), and trim your HSTs as follows: - the SMALL HST is trimmed down to 4.5" x 4.5" square. - the LARGE HST is trimmed down to 7" x 7" square. Step 5. Arrange the pieces of your block as shown in the photo below. Step 6. Piece the top and bottom rows together, pressing all seams open. Step 7. Join the top row to the long sashing strip and press your seam open. Join the bottom row to the other side of the long sashing strip and press your seam open. I've drawn up a few mock quilt layouts so you can see what sort of secondary patterns you can create with this block. This is what straight set blocks look like (in a 6x6 block quilt). This is my favorite layout I think - in this one, alternate blocks have been rotated to create pinwheels. As I mentioned at the beginning of the post, you can create an entirely different quilt by changing where you place the coloured fabrics. In this example, I've chosen coloured sashing fabric, but kept all the other fabrics neutral. By using textural prints (such as text fabrics or tone on tone greys) for the neutrals, I think you could create a gorgeous minimalist quilt. The image below shows what this colouring of the block would look like when it's set straight into the quilt. And this is the same as the second example above - where alternate blocks are rotated. I especially like the illusion of diamonds created within the neutral fabrics in this example. I was so excited when I saw people starting to choose this block for their hive to make for them, and there are some fantastic examples of what you can do with this block if you search the #checkerblock tag on Instagram. I wanted to share a couple of my favorite quilts, as they're a great way to show you other options with this block. This first version belongs to Michelle (@chelengeorge on Instagram), who asked her Bee Hive Swarm to make rainbow checker blocks. I think you'll agree this is a spectacular bee quilt :o). THis second version is one of my all time favorite quilt. Patti (@retiredtoquilt on Instagram) used First of Infinity by Suzuko Koseki (one of my favorite designers!!) and changed around the colour placement which has produced an entirely different quilt. By using white solid for the sashing strips and the HSTs she has created a totally different look. It's nice to see that this block works really well with large scale prints, too! If you do use this block I would LOVE to see it - please use the #checkerblock hashtag and tag me (@elvengardenquilts) so I can admire your work :o) xx Jess

I love growing my own food for so many reasons, but how do I make it all happen? Introducing my garden ecosystem, affectionately known as ‘Chicken City’. Inside the meshed walls of Chicken City I have a central chicken house, which is connected to four separate ‘rooms’ – two containing annual vegetables, one containing

How to create cottage garden style in your garden. Choose easy-grow plants and create a relaxed and colourful space which suits your lifestyle.

Turn your garden or patio into a sanctuary with our effective and lovely private backyard landscaping ideas. You deserve a place of your own.

Hi friends. Are you in search of a front door design? We will show you some very interesting interior modern front door ideas. This article is titled artistic

Cottage backyard ideas offer a feast for the senses. Be inspired to turn your garden into a relaxed and inviting oasis

I can't wait to create a mud kitchen for my boys. Here's what I'm planning to include to encourage open-ended, creative play.