Spring 2024 SPRING 2024 We have a spring in our step here at TDG HQ. With smiles on their faces, and mugs of tea to hand, Jean (our lovely DG volunteer) and Sara (our Founder and CEO) spent the day putting together 75 tailor-made Green Shoots boxes, all of which are beautifully wrapped, taped up and ready to make their way to the families taking part in our spring project. Once everyone has received their spring Green Shoots boxes, we will post tips and hints on when to sow and how to get the best out of your particular seeds. We will be sowing and growing along with you, and we can't wait to see your photos - which will be posted here on our website. There's lots of fun ahead. So, look out for a parcel with our distinctive Daisy Garland tape.... it's full of magic! 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. MARCH Our Daisy Garland Grow Boxes have been delivered to participating families from Cornwall to Scotland and Northern Ireland. With the help of mums, dads, carers, siblings, grandparents our 2024 Green Shoots gardeners are ready are raring to grow! Welcome aboard everyone and fingers crossed for some warm sunshine soon! Lots of lovely pics and comments below from our Green Shoots families: "Hey there everyone, thank you very much for my really wonderful flower press and seeds. It has been raining all weekend and this made me feel really happy. You are always so kind to me. Love George xxx" "Thank you so much for Jamie’s flower press and seeds. He’s very excited to get started (despite being full of cold). It was such a lovely surprise " "Thank you so much for Esme’s Green Shoots parcel. She loves it and is excited to get growing. Extra exciting as we have a greenhouse and raised beds since last year. Thank you Daisy Garland xxx" "Thankyou so much for Teddy’s wonderful parcel We are really happy to be part of the Green Shoots project this year and can’t wait to get stuck in. Robert was especially excited about the snakes gourd x x x" "Yasmin was very happy with her flower press and seeds! Thanks so much. We will get in the garden at the weekend x" "Thank you so much for Chloe's Green Shoots parcel, she's delighted with the lovely flower press and seeds. She's eager to get started now Spring is on its way. Gardening gloves at the ready now she's had her nails done as a treat for her birthday xx " "Thank you for Henry’s parcel! We can’t wait to be involved this year " Esme and Arthur (below) are very excited to receive their Green Shoots flower press and seeds... "Thank you so much for Amy's wonderful, personalised Green Shoots box. She is delighted and we can't wait to get into the garden when the cold and wet goes " "Always wanted one of these " "Thank you so much The Daisy Garland. We put our flower press to good use this morning at a bushcraft session. Not many flowers to see yet but picked up some leaves. Being out in Nature is so therapeutic for me and my son. Looking forward to planting some seeds in the warmer weather." "Faith say's a big thank you and she's put a flower in her press already " "Ava-Rose says thank you so much for the press and seeds." "Yipee! Look what arrived today. Thank you so much for such a fabulous gift xxxxxx" "Lots of lovely wildflower seeds were included in our Daisy Garland Spring Grow Boxes - perfect for sprinkling near your insect hotels 🐝 🐞 🦋 " "Nikki, our lovely Family Support Assistant here at The Daisy Garland was out for a walk at the weekend and came across this rather smart looking bug house!" "Thank you so much for the flower press and seeds! We cannot wait to get out in the garden and start sowing. Hattie loved her little parcel xxxx" "Thank you so much for the wonderful flower press and seeds. Poppy and Teddy were so excited to receive it. Photo of our happy girl " "Thank you for our green shoots box. Pic of Bear planting tulips at school 😍 he's come so far in a year. He was very excited when I told him he is going to to plant things in our garden. So I'm hopeful the dirt will remain uneaten this year 😂 " "Emily was very excited to find out she's part of the green shoots project. She's going to press some flowers at the weekend thank you The Daisy Garland xx" "Thanks you so much for much for the gifts for Bobby, he absolute loves Them and can’t wait to plant them!" "Thank you for Ella’s lovely flower press, it arrived just in time for her birthday - here she is enjoying a yummy Daisy Garland chocolate brownie to celebrate, it was hard to get a photo as she ate it so quickly!!" "Green Shoots update. We’ve got little seedlings coming through, tomato seeds sown and they are all different colour cherry tomatoes which are Esme’s favourite. She’s picked cherry blossom to put in her flower press and even helped hold up a side of the greenhouse that is getting near being ready for our seedlings and compost! Better than being on the kitchen table….. Thank you The Daisy Garland for our Green Shoots Project. Happy days." "Tia isn’t well but was smiling when we opened her Green Shoot’s package which arrived this afternoon Thank you The Daisy Garland xx" "The petals are going into the press just hope we can survive the two week wait to take them out x" "Been busy preparing and pressing flowers. A close friend of 18 years and my eldest godfather, sadly passed away early this year. These are some of the flowers from his celebration of life. The eldest 2 kids wrote and read out beautiful poems, so I'm hoping that I can get the poems printed and surround them with the flowers and frame them. " "Thank you so much, Oran can start planing seeds soon, he can try out his new greenhouse he had for Christmas." "Ellie was very excited to receive this parcel today in the post, thank you very much, now we just need some sunshine" In forty years of medical practice, I have found only two types of non-pharmaceutical 'therapy' to be vitally important for patients with chronic neurological diseases: music and gardens. ~ Oliver Sacks (1933-2015) "Thank you so much Daisy Garland for Jack's Green Shoots delivery! After a difficult few days, it was lovely to see it waiting in the porch for us this morning " "Thank you so much for Eve’s green shoots box! She can’t wait to get planting " "Thank you so much for including us again in the Green Shoots project and for this lovely package. Can’t wait to get growing with Annabelle! X" "Thank you to The Daisy Garland for our green shoots box! We can't wait to get started." "We had ours as well x it’s an awesome project isn’t it x" "Thank you The Daisy Garland for the flower press! Cant wait for the dry weather so we can get out in the garden." "Thank you The Daisy Garland your parcel put a smile on both Gethin’s and my face. Your kindness really knows no limits, can’t wait to start growing again, not sure about the snakes though xxx" "Faith say's a big thank you and she's put a flower in her press already " "Thank you Daisy Garland . Jacob had his delivery this morning and we can't wait to get planting. Love the flower press. Come on sunshine , help us so we can do some planting " "So happy to have gifts in the post! Thank you so much!! 💜 " "George got 2 sunflower seeds planted yesterday so I'm happy he got his nose in the "little garden" already. I can't wait for all the memories we will be making! "Thank you so much for the flower press. After a horrendous 2023 spent in hospital we are committed to making memories with Mr A and his siblings!" "We got a box in the post!!! Woooooww thank you so much can't wait for all the memories we will be making. Loads of pics to follow!" "Thank you so much. It’s our first year of being involved and we’re super excited! Happy planting everyone!" "Gethin and I decided to get in the garden and enjoy some sunshine, we’ve planted some of our seeds for green shoots, thank you. Gethin is looking forward to the sunflowers and cucumber most xxx" "George loved opening his parcel today thank you so much! He’s been poorly with tonsillitis all weekend so it has cheered us all up! So excited to start growing " "I just got this lovely package from my postie, thank you so much, The flower press is such a lovely and unique idea! Looking forward to getting planting again when it finally stops raining!" "A MASSIVE THANKYOU for Sidney’s seeds and bug house. It’s been a busy couple of weeks but we have finally managed to get some time out in the garden. He busy prepping his tomato trays " "It was finally time to open the flower press - waiting is not Emily's strong point but the finished picture is beautiful " Well done Emily! What a beautiful picture! Sunday March 17th Pulled on my boots and set off in the spring sunshine, Flossie at my heels, to see what we could find growing amongst the Devon hedgerows. Wow! Look what treasures we stumbled upon... An hour later and some serious flower pressing underway! Watch this space for more pics coming soon! SARA X Flower Pressing - Getting Started For flower pressing tips and ideas click here What to Grow in March For tips on what to sow in March visit: Thompson and Morgan March 23rd - Top Tip: unless done already, sow tomatoes inside in pots or outside under cover today! A top time by the moon. "We’ve been sowing our tomato seeds in the sunshine this morning Thank you for the reminder The Daisy Garland." 23 March - sowing in the rain. If not now, when?! The compost is wet and claggy and makes me think of the mud pies me and my sister used to make when we were children. Despite the rain it feels exciting to get the growing season underway. I felt a real sense achievement as I carefully placed my newly planted seed pots onto the top two shelves of my mini greenhouse, Hoping to see some little Green Shoots soon, despite the wobbly weather. Forecast for the next 10 days showing: rain, rain and more rain! Fingers crossed for signs of life soon. Heading inside to dry off and boil the kettle for tea... ☕️ SARA X Emily's been busy potting up seeds in her smart pink wellies. Mum Sarah sent us these lovely pics and told us: "Finally got around to planting our seeds we got radishes left to plant more of another time too xx" More little seeds being sown and some fabulous looking sweet peas looking for some little poles to climb. Mum, Jenny told us: "Eve really enjoyed planting some of her seeds with the help of big brother from the green shoots project Now she can’t wait for them to start growing thank you." 6 April - excited to see some little green shoots! The cosmos, sweet peas, broad beans, lettuce and sunflowers are racing ahead, with the tomatoes, runner beans and wisteria (hopefully) soon to follow. Gave them all a light watering and will keep a close eye on them to make sure they don't dry out. The trick is to keep the compost moist but not wet. Roll on the warmer weather to encourage good robust growth. Looks like we'll be having egg mayo and home-grown mustard cress sandwiches for lunch. First produce of the season! Yum yum. SARA X There's no taste quite like your own home-grown fruit and veg - from plot to plate in minutes! We received this lovely message and picture from Annabelle's mum, Hannah: "First rhubarb of the year from our allotment. To be enjoyed with some keto - custard " This sounds incredibly yummy, Annabelle - enjoy! There's a bit of a seed swap going on at The Daisy Garland, which we're absolutely loving. A big Daisy thank you to Green Shoots, mum, Erika, who recently sent a little bundle of beautifully packaged seeds carefully collected from produce grown in her garden last year, to share with our Green Shoots families. Enclosed in their natural velvety cases, Erika also sent a big handful of seed pods from her Japanese Wisteria. A fabulous sensory experience for our Green Shoots gardeners 🌱 Parents and carers, will need to help carefully prise the pod open using a blunt knife Soak the seeds in warm water for 48 hours Plant 3/4 inch deep in a pot of compost, and water to settle the seed into its new home Place the plant pot on a saucer and pop a plastic bag over the top to keep in the heat and moisture and place the pot somewhere light, perhaps on a kitchen windowsill, a greenhouse or conservatory Check the soil weekly making sure it doesn't dry out, adding enough water to keep the compost moist but not too wet. And keep your fingers tightly crossed for some little green shoots appearing 🌱 Sarah, our lovely Daisy Garland Volunteer, planted two little seeds 10 weeks ago, with great results: For more tips on growing Wisteria from seed please click HERE 8 April - the tomato seeds we sowed a fortnight ago at The Daisy Garland HQ have sprouted over the weekend! How exciting!! One definite green shoot and two others making their way through if you peer closely... 9 April - What a difference a day makes. 3 green shoots clearly in view. Isn't nature wonderful 💚 Emily, and her mum Sarah, have been busy planting Mustard Cress*. Sarah told us: "the ones in the compost (pic 2) are radishes, the mustard is on the cotton wool (pic 1), the tiny ones are the ox eye daisy, (pic 3) the empty patch to the left of pic 2 is where we are waiting for the tomatoes." *Low in carbohydrate, Mustard Cress is packed with health-giving properties. Click HERE to read more. "Reese was so excited to see the first seeds popping up." Isabelle's mum, Erika, has been busy, sowing, growing and harvesting. She sent these fabulous pictures telling us: "Green shoots at our end Our field beans are ready to go in but the bed is not quite ready..very behind with allotment as it 's been ankle deep muddy. Tomatoes and cucumbers are still at home waiting for more warmth. If I succeed with these toms, I will collect their seeds and share with some of you. They are from a special tomate project, where they breed dwarfs producing large fruits. So" Fingers tightly crossed for this special project, Erika, please keep us posted. PS Loving the little bird box nestled amongst the blossom 💕 Spring is in the air! Francesca: "We have Green Shoots! 🌱 " Getting outside in the fresh air is the best medicine ever. Green Shoots mum, Ella told us: "We have been busy planting our snake gourd seeds today and digging a veg patch for when they get big enough. The tomatoes are also growing!! Thank you The Daisy Garland x" Avocados are a rich source of nutrients and healthy fat, making them a popular food item for children following the ketogenic diet. At the end of last year, we invited Green Shoots families to take up the challenge of growing an avocado plant from an avocado stone. Arlo was keen to have a go, carefully placing his precious avocado stone, supported by a small scaffold of cocktail sticks, in a jar of water, patiently waiting for it to sprout. As you can see from the picture below, it was definitely worth the wait. A little pot of compost awaits... 🌱🥑 Well done Arlo! And please keep those fab pics coming! Ceri-Ann took up the challenge too with fabulous results Talented Green Shoots gardener, Gethin, has been looking after his seedlings beautifully, as you can see from these gorgeous pics. Mum, Helen, told us: "Gethin is very pleased with his growing! Not really sure what is what as he took the labels away. I think I know the sunflowers and the courgettes are in different pots. We’ll have some nice surprises xxx" I’m no gardener but love doing green shoots with Gethin - Helen xxx Mum, Tina, told us: "Wow Reese's seeds suddenly popped up massively lol. He was so impressed." Wow and a very big well done Reese! You are a Green Shoots SuperStar! 🌱⭐️ "Radishes have gone crazy so they are outside in the veggie box now xx" Great job, Emily, well done! "Egg and cress wrap for lunch Got the thumbs up from Emily " "Chives growing really well, got quite a few plants so I've tested my ninja and dehydrated a load, Bean loves these mixed into her mayo." Oooohhhhh, we LOVE your jar of yummy goodness Bean! Way to go! Gardening's so therapeutic isn’t it? I love the moment the seed peeps through the compost. - Mary "Tia has been getting muddy and planting some mustard seeds and flower seeds " "Well the project manager may have been snoozing on the job but yesterday we finally got around to planting our seeds We have planted Teddybear sunflowers, sunflowers, tomatoes, daisys, verbena and snake gourd Fingers crossed we start to see some little shoots soon x x x" "A little bit of weekend gardening! Tomatoes, cucumber, runner beans and courgette all planted Amy is impatiently waiting " Come on sunshine! We need you to help Amy's little seeds grow! 🔆 🌱 Mum, Emily, sent us these fab pics today of her happy brood having lots of muddy fun. And just look at those little green shoots...🌱🌱🌱 "Checking out Lachlan’s flower press (and devouring a pot of KYO)…. thank you The Daisy Garland" On my way to visiting the ketogenic service at Addenbrookes hospital last week I couldn't resist snapping this gorgeous pic of the Wisteria covering the front of the Masters Lodge at Christ's College, Cambridge. What a truly spectacular sight 💜 It left me wondering how long it will take my recently planted Wisteria seed (below) to reach these heady heights! 🤔 Meanwhile.... my little lean-to greenhouse is doing a grand job in nurturing my little seedlings until the weather perks up and I'm able to plant them directly into the ground. Back with more updates soon! SARA X The following seeds included in our Spring Green Shoots Boxes kindly donated by Thompson & Morgan: We will be posting here weekly, so keep checking in for updates, tips, hints and more fabulous photos. More updates coming soon... 🌱 Manage Cookie Preferences