Katie Rushworth brand identity
Katie Rushworth brand identity

My Journal

Plants as presents

Katie Rushworth image of bright pink flowers

When you give a plant, you give the gift of love! Plants take time to grow and nurture, so it shows the recipient that you’ve thought about them well in advance. Here are a couple of gift ideas that are cheap and easy, and make wonderful presents all year round.

Propagating your own plants might sound scary if you haven’t done it before, but it’s really rewarding.

Succulents

Succulents are available really widely at reasonable prices, but if you’ve already got a succulent family of your own it’s very easy to propagate them yourself. Given the right conditions, succulents can ‘pup’ – or grow little babies from the same root system. Just use a sharp knife to cut the small plant off the stem, and re-pot in some potting compost. Allow it to take root in a small pot or jar, before transferring into another container for gifting. You can even grow a new succulent straight from a carefully-removed leaf, as explained in this wonderful tutorial. I love the look of succulents planted in mugs, teacups or even beer cans! You can tie some patterned ribbon or raffia around for a finishing touch.

Philodendron/zebrina

Trailing types of philodendron and zebrina are really easy to propagate, and they look stunning trailing  from a shelf or from a woven macrame hanger. Take a cutting from a healthy plant at a point just where the leaf grows from the stem. You’ll be able to see a little ‘node’ at the base of the leaf – this is where the new root will grow from. Place the cutting in a jar of water, making sure that the base of the stem and the node are fully submerged, and leave it in a warm, bright spot away from direct sunlight. Leave it for around 4-6

weeks, changing the water regularly, and pot on in potting compost when the root is long and healthy. Keep well watered, and voila! – a whole brand new plant for your friends to enjoy.

Make a mini terrarium

We’ve already spoken about propagating succulents, and the tiny baby ones are the perfect addition to a miniature terrarium. Use anything you like that fits the purpose: a clean, sterilised jar, a purpose-bought container, or even a glass teapot. I’ve written a detailed article on creating your own mini terrarium as a fun DIY weekend project, so follow the steps in this article. Once your terrarium is finished, add your chosen ribbon or raffia to pull the look together. Perfect!

Mini bouquet

Rather than splash out on a big bouquet of blooms that’ll last just a week or so, why not create your own miniature bouquet out of dried plants and herbs? Gather together stalks of fresh bay leaves, rosemary, heather, lavender, thyme, sage and even some dried flowers (these can sometimes be found at gift shops). Arrange the sprigs together and secure with an elastic band, then cover the band with some pretty paper, fabric or even tin foil so it resembles a tiny bouquet of flowers. Secure with your choice of natural string, ribbon, or even a wooden clothes peg like this beautiful example.

These are a lovely thank-you gift to a host, or a lovely finishing touch to your table decorations if you’re throwing a festive dinner party. Your guests can take them home and keep hold of them as a reminder of a fabulous time.

Katie's expertise is transforming clients' gardens with their video calls and garden visits...

My consultation with Katie was superb! Katie's focused and erudite knowledge really helped me transform my garden into something I would truly be proud to show off. Katie went into great depth and was very patient with my questions, guiding me through the process and enabling me to understand her thinking. I could not praise Katie enough, and would truly recommend her to anyone who is keen to breathe some new life into their garden!  

Shazia

I am absolutely delighted with Katie’s design service and feel that it was money very well spent. Katie came up with something that we would never have thought of but still feel is totally achievable. She completely fulfilled every point on the brief I had written and was so prompt with all of the follow-up information, including a helpful sketch and list of suitable planting. Katie has totally exceeded my expectations of what I thought could be achieved in a 30-minute call!

Claire

It was really great having a consultation with Katie. I really enjoyed it and she is so knowledgeable, advising me some ideas that are going to transform our garden. I'm so grateful. I've never known where to start and now I have a way forward. After I've finished my back garden I'm going to get a second consultation for the front. Thanks so much.

Anonymous

I would not hesitate to recommend Katie's Gardening Consultation via Zoom. Her knowledge of plants & garden design has helped enormously in my deciding what to do with the Garden.
Katie has given great advice & recommendations for making the garden perfect for us. 

Sandra

My zoom consult with Katie far exceeded my expectations!  She clearly took the time to assess my garden before our call and presented a brilliant plan for my garden as well as provided lots of tips for the planting.  I was even able to show her some additional problem areas in my garden during the consult and she offered practical advice that was really helpful and allowed me to envision what my garden can become with a little confidence and willingness to plant and design more boldly! I can’t say enough positive things about the consult. I highly recommend! 

Kyla in Southwest Idaho, USA

We were looking for some fresh ideas to rejuvenate an old garden. Katie has an easy-going and friendly approach which is underpinned by her extensive knowledge. She quickly aligned herself to our thought process and understood what we are trying to achieve. 
She made a number of innovative suggestions that challenged our preconceptions and we feel that we now have a plan to move forward.

N & P Cannon

Katie helped us see our dream garden where we couldn’t, taking time to understand our thoughts and favourite parts of the garden.
Katie was great fun to be around and has provided us with a beautiful plan for our garden which we will enjoy for a long time to come.

Anonymous

Without any exaggeration, the Katie Rushworth Garden Maker is the Best Investment I have ever made. My garden was stuck in the past and I had no idea how to transform it. I never dreamt in my wildest dreams, that I would be lucky enough for Katie Rushworth (personally) to work her magical garden design, with her professionalism and knowledge to transform my garden. She cuts no corners, you get far more than you could ever pay for, she works really hard to deliver the right garden for you and on top of all that she is a very nice person!

Roger in Stourbridge

Katie must be a mindreader because the scheme she created for us was just perfect; great variety, textures and all very much in the Japanese theme we had dreamed of. It was so helpful and also really enjoyable to be able to spend the day planting with her and learn lots of useful tips for maintenance and beyond. We can’t wait to watch it grow and change with the seasons.

Ruth in York

Working with Katie has been fantastic and worth every penny, she has helped me create two beautiful areas in my garden. It now looks fantastic!

Fiona in Holmfirth

Katie has been incredibly helpful as we set about transforming our front & back gardens, and we have learnt so much in a short space of time. We didn’t want someone to just do it all for us – we wanted to be hands-on but with some guidance & encouragement, and Katie’s mentoring has been perfect for that. She is very easy to work with, great fun – and she’s certainly done her share of digging & planting too!

Andrew & Susan in Baildon

Katie really knows her plants, where they are happiest. She understood our needs and wants and simply delivered. Great knowledge, great advice and taught this old dog a few new tricks giving me the confidence to take my own garden planning to the next level.

Tricia & Ian in East Hardwick

Katie Rushworth is a passionate and knowledgeable gardener whose enthusiasm is infectious. She has a great eye for design and is also good at explaining things. Oh, and she’s not at all afraid to get her hands dirty!

Alan Titchmarsh