Category Archives: How-To’s

I watched a film the other day called ‘The Vow’ about a woman who had been in a coma and had woken up but had lost part of her memory so she couldn’t remember being married or her husband. The film focused on the attempts he made to help her to remember which included revisiting many of the places they’d been to whilst together and unfortunately none of them did.
The film got me thinking and I did a little research into memory, how it works and how it can be stimulated. It’s a complicated process, completely different to how a computer memory works according to some, for instead of storing information our brains use a series of stimuli gained from our senses to remind us of what we are ‘remembering’.
It covers simple things such as when we see a collection of marks on a piece of paper our brain follows the process like this…

It’s information, so it’s there to tell me something.

The marks look like letters so they must form words

The arrangement of the letters match with words I know

I can link them all up to read the message

I can understand the message being given by those marks

It’s the same when we meet someone again, our brain matches the face to all the faces we’ve seen in the past and if it’s one we’ve been introduced to it will then try to link the visuality of the face to a name.
And again when we taste food that we love or that we hate, memory has a big part to play. In the film, the woman was a vegetarian but because of her memory loss can’t associate the taste of bacon with her former life as a vegetarian.
Some of the most inspiring ones for me are the memories associated with smell and they’re one of the strongest memory joggers. I love the smell of newly made cotton which reminds me of gifts of clothing. Going into a room where onions are frying reminds me of my favourite dish my mum used to make whilst jasmine makes me think of a garden I loved years ago and the people that owned it. There’s perfume or aftershave that lingers on clothes or furniture or in the room that reminds us of our partners too and each time I smell scented stocks, I’m carried back to the summer evenings in my parents’ garden.
Giving flowers isn’t just a visual gift, you can more than double the effect by choosing scented flowers – research has shown that smell is one of the oldest senses and is even used by bacteria to be able to react to their environments.
If you want to create memories or just stir up some from days gone by, don’t just think about that flowers to give, think about what scents those flowers will have. If you’re not sure, the knowledgeable staff at Cosmea Gardens are willing and able to assist in helping you to give the gift of memories as well as flowers.

Although the weather is noticeably cooler, I can’t believe it’s nearly Christmas, so it’s time for some tips on how to make your home look effortlessly festive.

I love poinsettia plants and although there’s a myriad of colours to choose from these days, I still love the ones with the red bracts. You can spice them up by putting them in a festive looking container or simply get a terracotta pot, paint it green and then when dry, daub some wood glue in patterns such as bells, snowflakes or Christmas trees around it and press on some contrasting glitter. Don’t forget to bung up the drainage hole before putting the plant in it or you’ll have a soggy mess on your table!

If you want to keep the pot plain, then a quick squirt of spray-on glue over the leaves, followed by a dusting of silver glitter gives an instant effect.

If you can get hold of any evergreen foliage, it doesn’t have to be holly or ivy, make up a wreath by intertwining the stems and tie in red or gold ribbon in bows, add small Christmas decorations or small sprayed pine cones – there are hundreds in Cyprus at the moment – then hang it on your door or over a fireplace.

Finally, if you can’t afford one of the really expensive real Christmas trees this year which, to be honest, won’t survive long in the Cypriot climate, buy an Araucaria, otherwise known as a Norfolk Island Pine, which looks exotically similar and which will grace your garden afterwards. A 1.2 metre specimen in a pot can be bought for around 20 euros, less than half the equivalent for a Norwegian Spruce. Check out Cosmea Gardens for their range of festive plants and have a Plant-astic Christmas this year.

I’ve never been in Cyprus in May or June before so this year is a new experience for me. Last weekend my wife and I went over to stay in Ayia Napa for a few days and she kindly drove. This gave me the chance to look around at the countryside, gradually dessicating in the strengthening summer sun but what amazed me was the beautiful sight of the Oleander bushes planted by the Cypriot transport authorities in the central reservation of the motorways.

I’d tried growing an Oleander at home in the UK with no success at all so to see the magnificent display here was breath-taking. It made me think of them as the Cypriot equivalent of the UK’s rhododendron displays.

Now I wondered whether I could do a display of Oleander in the house. I chose a selection of branches from a white and pink Oleander, being careful to wash my hands afterwards as the sap is extremely poisonous. The result was stunning and lasted nearly two weeks. The benefit with Oleander as a cut flower is that it has its own framing greenery, you can just put it in a vase and off you go. Being a semi-hardwood stem, you’ll need to break up the ends first with something heavy but then afterwards you’ll be rewarded with a beautiful display.

I was completely knocked out of the water though by a much simpler and elegant arrangement from my wife who simply took some wasted blooms and put them in a white china cup – so much for the years of study…..!!

if you haven’t got access to any Oleander, you can buy plants cheaply from florists and garden centres such as Cosmea Gardens. Don’t take too much off the plant in the first year though – you don’t want to ruin it!

It’s amazing just how long summer, or for us gardeners, the growing season lasts. My school is next to a farm and whereas back home they’d be tidying up and ploughing the fields ready for the spring, here though it’s row after row of new plants, lettuce, peppers, tomatoes and the list goes on. Getting the growing bug, I’ve invested in a truckload of soil, some sacks of compost and a few packets of seeds from Cosmea Gardens and I’m going to see just how long I can make summer last. I’ll be updating you in the coming weeks and months to make you all jealous as I crop tomatoes in November and pick fresh crisp lettuce at Christmas. I’m going to grow some of the more exotic bedding plants as well so not only will I have delicious freshly picked veg but also a beautiful garden in which to eat them!

I looked out over the balcony of our apartment the other day to see the neighbours below us had made an arrangement on their balcony. It was difficult to see well from above but what caught my eye was the way they’d used driftwood from Lara Bay to set their arrangement. It was a sun-bleached, very weathered piece of driftwood that had obviously been the roots of some faraway tree that had toppled into the sea. It was nicely twisted and had an erosion widened split in a wide part of the root that lent itself perfectly to holding a low vase. From this they they had splayed out deep glossy green strap-like foliage which contrasted beautifully with the bleached wood and then arranged beautiful zinnias with their fiery tones highlighted against the green. It looked fabulous, almost like a beach campfire. I ran to get my camera, desperate to get what would have bneen an awkward shot that wouldn’t have done it justice but as I returned I found they’d taken it in out of the sun!

To try something similar, go for a walk on a remote beach and you’ll usually pick up something of use but if you’re not the energetic type, call into Cosmea Gardens where as well as beautiful flowers they’ll usually have supplies of driftwood to help you on your way.

This week I’ve bought some of yet another of my favourite flowers – Gerberas. They are so bright and bold. If a flower is red, then Gerberas are scarlet, if a flower is yellow the Gerberas are sunshine! The problem is that Gerberas don’t last long in arrangements and many florists wire them to keep them in shape. I came across an idea the other day for arranging them and included it in the video that accompanies this blog. I haven’t bored you with it all but have included a photograph of the finished arrangement.

First of all a handy tip. I left my flower arrangement in a crystal vase just a little too long (truth be known, the flowers were almost fossilised!!) and I had the dried on green algae tide mark which would normally be no problem but this time it was a narrow necked vase. The dishwasher isn’t a good idea for crystal and I get annoyed shaking ball bearings around in a vase, so I grabbed what was to hand and started. This turned out to be the washing up brush and a scouring pad. The pad attached itself onto the ends of the bristles and I was able to whoosh it round inside the vase with perfect results. I was so impressed I even looked for more vases to clean (how sad is that!).

I don’t normally gripe about people but our neighbours, who we try to be friendly towards and invite them for drinks etc, approached me today to ask if I’d mind turning our fence around. Now I thought this was a peculiar request and so waited for the rest of the explanation. It turns out that they aren’t happy seeing the reverse, ugly side of the closeboarded panels with their horizontal rails which we had paid for and had erected, and said it was inconsiderate of me to have the sleek side facing into our garden! My mum had words for this calling it a ‘brass cheek’ and I hope that, whilst not showing my utter disbelief at what they’d asked, they’ll realise how ridiculous their request is.

Last time they made a neighbourly faux pas we were placated with wine. This time I hope it’s a bunch of flowers to replace the ones that so nearly ruined my vase!

From my youth I can remember my mother loving the deep blue Agapanthus lilies that used to grow in the hotel grounds where my uncle and grandfather worked. When the hotel closed down the site was due to be levelled and a leisure centre built there. My uncle asked the builder if he could take a clump of the lilies for my mother to grow and they soon flourished in our garden.

They are also known as the Lily of the Nile although they are not known to grow that far north in Africa.

The colours range from bright blue to purple to white and can be sturdy or delicate. The plants are easy to grow in Cyprus and the UK and can be propagated from bulbs and from seed. My recommendation for using them in an arrangement is to pair them with deep red alliums and use a mix of white and blue or white and purple set off with bear grass or phormium leaves. Stunning, yet simple. Agapanthus and Allium can be obtained from florists or nurseries such as Cosmea Gardens. Next time you’re there, check the flowers out for yourself!

Hot weather’s arrived in the UK and in Cyprus and my arrangements are suffering here in the UK. It’s fine doing an arrangement and making it look stunning, placing it in the perfect position but it’s disheartening seeing your hard work wilting within a day of its creation.

So what can you do about it?

- Use the freshest flowers, anything else and they’ll be dying before you begin. Buy them from a good florist such as Cosmea Gardens.

- Think about where you’re going to display the flowers, a cool room out of direct sunlight.

- Change the water regularly to keep it cool

- Mist the arragement regularly to reduce moisture loss through the petals and leaves.

Follow these simple rules and you’ll enjoy your beautiful arrangement for much longer.

OK, whilst I can give you tips and ideas on what to do, there’s nothing like the real thing and I was reminded of that this week when a friend invited me to the flower arranging club she runs at our local church. She’s been arranging flowers as an amateur for years and has become a bit of an expert in my mind. She went through arranging stocks and cinerarias to make a ‘cottage garden’ arrangement which she augmented with some warm antirrhinums to balance out the coolness of the stocks. The final arrangement was beautiful and fragrant and really looked at home in her thatched house on the edge of the New Forest. I watched her friends try to emulate her and was pleasantly surprised at their efforts. Just goes to show that with someone to guide you, anyone can produce an, at the very least, satisfactory arrangement. Now I was thinking, whilst there may not be many flower arranging classes near you, why not start up a group, a little like the ‘sell at home parties’. Buy in enough flowers for everyone to take part, invite your friends and over a glass or two of wine, arrange together. You’ll have something beautiful to take home at the end of the evening of fun and friendship. You can buy your flowers in bulk at Cosmea Gardens where the staff will be pleased to order all you need. Happy Arranging!!