FATHER/DAUGHTER PROJECT

Our girls are just a little obsessed with pallets at the moment.....
Chloe's flatmate celebrates her birthday tomorrow and Chloe wanted to make her something special...
Danielle is really into gardening at the moment, and the girls have been growing some of their own herbs... Chloe wanted to make Danielle a garden, but it had to be portable as the girls are only renting a unit at the moment..

Steve loves nothing better than working with the girls, especially with tools so when Chloe asked him last weekend if he could help her with a little project she wanted to make for Danielle, he was right in. 

They have spent most the the week working on this together... Chloe has been here almost daily, as they have made linings for the planter boxes,  little labels to go on the front of each box,  Chloe has been here cutting out stencils and painting and we have enjoyed her company....

I only wish I would have got some photos of them working on this last weekend, but I didn't.  I did however manage to take plenty today as we all worked together to finish the project......

Danielle's Herb and Flower Garden..

 The used an old wooden shipping pallet... I thought it might have looked nicer painted, but Chloe was sure that Danielle would like the raw timber best.  She put a lot of thought into how she wanted it made....  Each little tag on the front had to be attached so that it could be removed and written on....   All the little planter boxes have been lined and waterproofed,    It is on a nice study stand to support it, but also allow it to be moved around the yard to catch the best sunlight...

Stencilled Name on the bottom of the garden

 Chloe spent a whole evening on our lounge room floor painstakingly cutting out a stencil so that she could paint on the words "Danielle's Garden.  It wasn't as easy as it looks which the paint bleeding at times.  Still I think she has done an impressive job, and she managed to fix up the stops where it did bleed. 

Side view of the garden..

 Still needing to line the bottom to planter boxes, and finish decorating the little chalkboard tags attached to the front the the planter boxes. 

Chloe's boyfriend Dan,  borrowing his Dad's work ute so that he could cart it over to their Unit for Danielle.

In the Ute ready to be transported. 

 Chloe took Steve and I to Bunnings with her to help her pick the right potting mix and plants to plant in her garden.  

Checking out the plants

Think I want to use these flowers....

 Heading down to find the right potting mix to put in the garden.  Hitching a ride with Dad....

Hitching a ride,,,

Fun times together...

By now we have a trolley full of plants.   Herbs for the herb gardent and pansies, voilas and little white flowers to separate the others.    Our contribution to the gift were the flowers to plant...

Trolley full of herbs and flowers

 Next we were off to find a watering can.... this proved to be a little more difficult....
We eventually found one,  but it was missing it's little head to the spout..... We could have got a yellow one but Chloe had her heart set on this green one...

the watering can

 We eventually found a spare head so just popped it in the watering can until we got home and could put it all together....

All loaded up - time to go to the checkout...

 Loving the colours of these pansies...

Pretty purple pansies. 

 Meanwhile Dan had headed back to Chloe's.  He had been given strick instuctions to park up the road, no where Danielle might see him...
By the time we got home,  Chloe made sure that Danielle was banished to her room whilst we carried it into the yard and did all the planting....

Steve and Dan carrying it up the street

Into the front yard

Sneaking it into the back yard

 Chloe opened the back gate so that they boys could sneak it into the back yard without Danielle seeing....

sneaking in the plants..

 Next we had to get the plants and the potting mix bought around without Danielle seeing it. 
Then to get into the potting mix so that we could fill in the little boxes....

large bag of potting mix.....

Chloe deciding where to plant each group of plants. 

 All hands on deck to plant...

We'll make a gardener of you yet Dan...

Planting time

Down on bended knee

 We had bought heaps of plants.  Probably too many and I think I might get to have some for my garden at home....

All the pretty flowers...

Yellow Violas

Red Pansies

Pretty purple pansies

 I got the job of writing with chalk on all the little tags....

Mint Plants

Rosemary

Basil

Parsley

 We planted two different sorts of parsley, the flat leaf parsley and the curly leaf parsley.

Minette Lettuce

Bok Choi

 Steve was teaching Dan how to plant.... Not sure that he has done much gardening before,  but he was quick to learn. 

Planting up the boxes...

doing a great joj planting the lettuce

 Steve and Chloe were paying down out because his plants weren't quite evenly planted... He is keen to have lettuce served to him when he eats at their place in a few weeks time... Both Steve and I are keen to see if this garden survives...

Really getting the art of compacting the soil around these little plants...

Steve compacting the soil around his parsley...

 Chloe put screws on each side of the garden to hang, gloves, watering can, and gardening tools.  

Garden tools hang this end.

Tools are catered for....

 These guys really had fun together doing this.  I am so impressed with Dan, who was quite happy to give up most of his day to help Chloe with this... Think he quite enjoyed himself....

 Finally it was all finished, all Chloe needed to do was finish putting on her decorations...
She bought a huge big gold bow decoration to hang on the front of the garden,,,, and then she but a little gold ribbon on each corner as if it had been all wrapped up.

All decorated

Putting on the finishing touches

All ready for Danielle

Another shot of it....

 Checking out the flowers in Danielle's garden

Flowers

 Chloe bought Danielle out to show her, her birthday present.  She made her close her eyes and then guided her until she was standing in front of it

Guiding Danielle to the front of her garden..

 Danielle got the job of watering her plants for the first time....

Watering her Garden..

 A photo of both girls  in front of her Garden....

Danielle's Birthday Present...

 Loved spending the time with Chloe whilst she built this garden for Danielle....
Happy Birthday Danielle.... I hope you love your new garden.... we certainly had fun creating it for you....