Vialii Guide to Kids Gardening Gifts for Christmas 2018

Every year it seems to get harder and harder to get gifts for the kids which are actually useful and something they will like for more than five minutes and not awful for the environment. Well, worry ye not, we have pulled together some ideas we think you will all love in our Vialii Guide to Kids Gardening Gifts for Christmas 2018…

Grow Your Own Mini Dinosaur Garden

Yup, you heard us! The dino lover in your life will be blown away by this creative gift. It comes with a pop up scene and you can grow your own “grass”. Available from Not on the High Street.

Raaaaar! Grow your own dino garden!

Little Gardener’s Mini Greenhouse

This lovely little greenhouse will be fun to build for your little ones then you can plant the various seeds that come with it. It is reusable so environmentally a good gift this Christmas. Available from the Ethical Superstore.

My first greenhouse!

Make Your Own Insect House

This fab wee kit comes flat packed, Ikea style! Make your insect home and then find the perfect corner of your garden to locate it. Available from Garden Divas.

Make your insect house

Peter Rabbit Wellie Socks

We LOVE Peter Rabbit here at Vialii Towers so these Peter Rabbit socks are perfect for us! Available in Peter Rabbit or Lily Bobtail designs from eBay and other retailers.

Cosy and cute Peter Rabbit tootsies!

Apprentice Gardener Tool Set

If you are serious gardeners like us then you will need a proper set of tools. This set from Spotty Green Frog will help you have your garden flourishing in no time!

Get a head start on your career as apprentice gardener

Wildflower Glass Terrarium

How gorgeous is this little glass terrarium. It comes with all you need to grow your very own wildflower meadow. Beautiful! Available from Prezzy Box.

A beautiful terrarium of your own

Botanist Case

This stunning case would make any wannabe botanist proud. It contains a magnifying glass, notebook, 3 storage boxes for collecting specimens and a wooden flower press. The perfect way for your little ones to explore the natural world. Available from various suppliers including Trouva.

Be the most stylish botanist on the block!

Hope that helps round off your Christmas shopping. You a festive period full of fun and frivolities! See you in 2019!

For inspiration from previous gift blogs read:

Vialii Guide to Christmas Gardening Gifts 2017

Vialii Guide to Christmas Gardening Gifts 2016

Merry Christmas!

Lulu & Tilda xx

Nasturtiums: The Life Cycle

Nasturtiums. It’s a hard word to spell (and say!) but it’s a super easy plant to grow. From sowing to collecting the seeds I explain the life cycle of the nasturtium and share some interesting facts including the hilarious meaning behind the name!…

Nasturtium facts:

Nasturtiums can be trailing, climbing or even dwarf varieties. I don’t think he was one of the Seven Dwarfs though…
Nasturtiums are annual flowers which mean they complete their life cycle in one year. Don’t worry though they are easy to reproduce…
The poorer the soil the more flowers your nasturtium plant will produce!
Nasturtiums are great companion plants in the garden! They are known to deter aphids, whiteflies, cucumber beetles and other pests from roses, tomatoes, cucumbers, cabbage and other plants.
You can eat nasturtiums – the flowers are a good source of Vitamin C and iron and look pretty on your plate. The leaves taste lovely and peppery and are great in salads.
The name nasturtium means “nose twister” in Latin, referring to people’s reaction upon tasting the flowers!

Nasturtiums are easy to grow and taste and look great

How to grow nasturtiums:

To grow nasturtiums is super easy. You can plant the seeds straight into the ground, or you can make an earlier start and sow them indoors. Once your seedlings are bigger and all risk of frost has passed, plant your little nasturtium plants outdoors. I always plant some with my bush tomatoes which I grow in pots. They are great for keeping pests away and look sooooo pretty too.

How to collect nasturtium seeds:

After the flowers die away you will be left with a little green seed. Pick these and pop them into an envelope or paper bag and store in a cool, dark place over winter. Next Spring you will have free seeds to grow your nasturtiums again.

Collecting nasturtium seeds for next year is really easy!

You could also leave the seeds to fall into the surrounding ground and you will see them start growing there again the following year. How easy is that? Easy to grow, great for companion planting, you can eat them AND they look pretty. Why would you NOT want to grow them?

Lulu xx

Product Review: Twigz

As you all know I have very green fingers (and not just when I have been painting!) I love trying out the latest plants, products and books on the market and telling you what’s worth buying. Recently I have been trying out a range of garden tools aimed at cool kids like me. Here’s what I think of them…

Twigz do a wonderful range of garden tools for children

I was sent a colourful range of products as you can see from the pic I took above in my own sunny garden. There are certain requirement for children’s gardening tools – here’s what I look for:

Good quality. The tools need to be properly robust if they are going to survive the hard work us mini gardeners put them through.
Good fit. Extra thought needs to be given to make sure the products fit children, are the right dimensions, feel comfortable etc.
Look good. We may be gardeners but that doesn’t mean we look any less cool when we are out in the veg patch!

So do Twigz meet these standards? Here’s my thoughts on the various items I have been trialling for the last month or so…

Metal Bucket

I love this bucket. First of all, it’s a gorgeous green colour (like my fingers). It also comes in other funky colours. It’s made from a really robust metal and is the perfect size for littlies like me to carry veg or fill with weeds. It’s also not easy to knock over (I have tried!) Price is around £5.49.

Watering Can

One of my favourite jobs in the garden is watering. I love watering the greenhouse, the pots and especially my feet!This watering can is really sturdy and made from metal. It has two handles making it really easy to carry when it is full. It has a rosette which can screw off if you wish and it holds 1.5 litres of water, a perfect amount for mini gardeners. And it comes in 4 funky colours – I have awesome orange!

Hand Tools

A good selection of hand tools is essential for any experienced gardener like myself. The clever people at Twigz have developed a set of 3 which includes a hand fork, a trowel (or spoon as I like to call it!) and hand rake. As with all the Twigz products they come in lovely, bright colours. They are also made from durable one piece plastic so they aren’t going to break anytime soon.

Price is around £7.99 for a set of 3.

Mini Greenhouse

In your pack you get a tray, a lid and 30 little coir pots to plant in. It comes in lovely orange and is perfect for growing seedlings on your window sill. I have grown lots of lovely vegetables and flowers in mine. Price is around £6.49.

Gardening Gloves

I was also sent a pair of gardening gloves. I can’t really comment on these yet as my hands are so teeny they are too big for me. They look good quality and I will certainly get lots of wear from them when I am bigger. Gloves are around £3.49.

So, I can conclusively say that Twigz garden equipment is brilliant and well worth the investment. I will be using mine for many years to come (if I can stop Mummy from stealing it that is!)

Happy gardening!

Lulu xx