Hey hey hey it's Friday!!!  Just had Alfie for a lovely long walk, sun was shining, really warm and I saw my first butterfly of the year.  

It was one like this and I thought oh great the weather is definitely getting better now.  Just got home and in the back door and would you  believe it torrential hail stones!! What is going on with this weather?  Obviously it can't make it's mind up.  Anyway following on from our Product of the Week, if you would like to attract butterflies into your garden then we do have a box of seeds that does just that.  It is in our Garden's Friends Range and specifically has species that will attract butterflies.  Sowing time is perfect for now and you get about 23 different species in the pack including Clover, Corn Cockle and Dill which is known to attract many caterpillars.   The box is priced at £9.99 and will cover 7m2 of your garden.  So why not give it a go and have some of these lovely creatures coming into your garden.

It's been another busy week here at Ruddick Garden Gifts, have you seen our facebook page? If not then go have a look and please click the like button, (if you do).  Watch out for next weeks blogs as we have something special coming up in May which could mean that some of our lucky customers could be getting a FREE GIFT when they order.  Watch this space for more information.  Have a good weekend and speak to you on Sunday.

"Gifts To Make You Smile"

 

 Hey everyone and welcome to Wednesday!!  Did you know there are only 52 days until Father's Day.  So now is the time when you should be putting your thinking caps on and deciding what to buy for him.  Forget about socks and mugs and boring stuff like that we have some great ideas at Ruddick Garden Gifts - here are a few that I picked out, see what you think.  Firstly, what about this Robin Thermometer Clock.  Hand painted and made from polyresin meaning it is weather resistant this would make a great gift idea and at only £19.95 it's affordable too!  Next up what about this cast iron Garden Tool Hook, great for hanging things on in dads shed and its only £8.99, he's worth that isn't he?

Finally I have chosen 
this German Shepherd Plaque.  Don't worry if german shepherds aren't his thing, there are other breeds to choose from.  All the ceramic tiles can either be hung or left free standing and all are priced at £29.99.

Hopefully, these items have given you some ideas but don't worry if none of them have taken your fancy we do have lots of other products that would be suitable for all dads out there.  So go on everyone don't leave it until the last minute get browsing through our website and see if you can get something really different this year, something that he will appreciate and will last forever!

"Gifts To Make You Smile"

 Good Morning everyone and welcome to this weeks Product of the Week.  Before we get onto that though, I thought you might like to see a bit of spring colour from my own garden.  It's so nice to see all the flowers coming out now and it makes you want to get into your garden and get busy.

With that in mind and as we have had some half decent weather this week I felt the time was probably right to focus on our seed collection.  Produced by Nova-Flore they are a garden in a box.  They come in four ranges, The Garden's Friends Range, The Summer Flowers Range, The Specifics Range and the The Dwarves Range, so we really do have something to suit everyone's garden.  I have selected two boxes from two of the ranges to talk about today but for all the others take a look at our Seeds page.

Firstly the Perennials are from the Dwarves Range.   Dwarf plants are essential in creating a good looking landscape and are brilliant at filling in all those nooks and crannies of your garden.  These seeds can be sown in either Spring or Autumn so now would be perfect.  There are approximately 29 species in each box and they only grow up to 50cm.  The species include Achillea, Centaurea and Bellis and are perfect for growing a mini meadow.  There are enough seeds in the box to cover 7m2 and will give you 3 - 4 months of flowers.  They are priced at £9.99.

The next box are for Wild Flowers and as you can see from the above picture they are really pretty.  These are from the Specifics Range.  Again they can be sown in Spring or Autumn and there are about 13 annual and perennial species per box enabling you to establish a wild flower meadow at the heart of your garden.  Species included are Chrysanthemums, Centaurea and Grasses.  The seeds will cover 7m2 and will give you flowers over a two year period.  These are also priced at £9.99.  For more of our range visit our Seeds page.  Well I hope this has given you some inspiration to get growing your own flowers.  Even if you've never done it before these boxes are so simple and come with full instructions you will have no problem in creating a beautiful garden.

"Gifts To Make You Smile"

Anyone else feel like this right now!!  It's been quite a week but finally the weekend is here and hopefully, fingers crossed, the weather is going to be ok.  Which means of course we can all get out there in our gardens or back yards and enjoy ourselves.  So how about this set of 3 Silver Birch Love Heart Containers as you can see they are lined with plastic all ready for you to pop your favourite plants in.  I tried them with polyanthus and you can see they look pretty good. They are priced at £24.99 for the 3 and you 

will find all the measurements for each container on our Garden Accessories page.  They will certainly brighten up a corner of your garden and as they are made from the bark off Silver Birch trees they will blend in beautifully.  So go on why not treat yourselves and order a set today.
And seen as you are hoping to do some gardening why not add a pair of our gloves onto your order.  At only £4.75 they really are worth having.  They are the best gardening gloves I have come across as they fit like a second skin so you can still feel what you are doing.  As for our little survey held the other week, it was a bit disappointing as not many people took part but I think that pink came out on top as the favourite colour.  They are available in small and medium sizes and in pink, blue or yellow.  Alternatively you can also order the landscape
gloves which are a bit more heavy duty.  They are the same price and sizes but come in burgundy, navy or green.  So go on you have no excuse, get your gloves on and get planting.  Enjoy your garden!!

"Gifts To Make You Smile"

Hey, it's Wednesday!! half way to the weekend.  What a great feeling that is.  Well what have you all been up to this week?  As you can see Alfie has been out and about again, he loves going for walks and playing in the garden as you can see! Talking of gardens, I don't think it will be long before we are all able to get back out there as the weather has been a 
little warmer this week.  A perfect time then to start thinking of things for your garden and if you have any birthdays coming up then don't forget we have some cool gift ideas.  From birdhouses and feeders to lanterns and tea light holders we have something for everyone.  This Welcome Stone for example is only £5.99 and would make a simple yet effective gift that would last forever.  We also have a selection of cast iron 
Bells and Knockers and some great clocks and thermometers.  One of my favourites is this Blue Tit Thermometer Clock which is made from polyresin which means it is weather resistant.  It is also handpainted and is only £19.95.  So go on if you haven't already had a good look round our website, do it now and see what we have to offer.  I'm sure you'll be surprised!!

"Gifts To Make You Smile"

                                                      

 Good morning and welcome to this weeks Product of the Week.  Well we have had a few lovely sunny days and it has been great seeing all the birds going about looking for stuff for their nests, so this week I am highlighting our DIY Nest Box Kit.  Priced at £17.99 this is a fantastic gift idea for young and old alike.  Instructions are included and the kit comes with everything you need to build your very own nest box for your garden. It is not suitable for children under 5 years and should be used under supervision from an adult. The kit includes wood glue,  

nails, a small hammer and wooden pieces.  Once made it will make a great home for Blue Tits, Great Tits, Tree Sparrows, House Sparrows and European Pied Flycatchers.  When fully assembled the nest box measures approx. 17cmx21cmx23cm.  When you have finished your nest box the best place to hang it is in a quiet and somewhat sheltered part of your garden, not in direct sunlight and with an obstacle free approach route for the birds.  If you do not nail the bottom you can easily clean out the box in the autumn to make the birdhouse a safe haven for birds seeking protection from severe weather conditions during the winter.  We also have on offer this DIY Paint Nest Box
which is another great idea for children.  The kit includes a wooden nest box complete with paints and brush. Let their imaginations run wild and see what wonderful

decorations they can come up with.This kit is priced at 
£9.99 and can be found on our Best For Birds page.

"Gifts To Make You Smile"

 Okay, I'm a bit late today so haven't got much time.  What I thought I would do is get you to do some work.  I want you to let me know either by commenting or feedback the answer to my question.

On Ruddick Garden Gifts Gloves page we have some really great gloves.  The Soft n Care Flora range is brilliant for everyday gardening and is reasonably priced at £4.75.  They come in three fab colours and my question is which colour is your favourite?

I'll start you off.  My favourite colour is PINK!!  So go on help me out with this little survey.  Is it the blue, is it the pink or is it the yellow that is going to come out on top?  I'll let you know the answer later in the week.

       

"Gifts To Make You Smile"

 Good afternoon everybody and welcome to today's blog.  Hope you're all having a great Sunday and are relaxing before the week begins.  Well, what a change in the weather we are having.  Here in Carlisle we have had a couple of days of beautiful sunshine that makes you think that Spring might be on the way. At last!   So for today's Product of the Week I have chosen a lovely ornamental filigree thermometer.  Made from die cast metal in a black finish it is easy to read and shows the temperature in centigrade up to +50 and down to - 40.
It can be easily fixed to the wall or fence with 2 screws (supplied) for the top and bottom.  It measures 41cm high x 9cm wide and is priced at £19.95.  You can find this product and others on our What's the Weather? page where we also have thermometers that stick on your windows and ones that the children will love.  You know what it's like, we British love nothing more than talking, or complaining, about our weather.  Well now if you had one of our thermometers in your garden, you would be able to keep a track on what the temperature was doing.  Here are two examples of our children's 

 thermometers, the frog and the bee.  These are priced at £4.99 and I'm sure kids young and old will love them.  They have suction pads so they easily fix to your window and then you don't even have to go outside to read the temperature!  So now you know that Ruddick Garden Gifts have all you need to keep an eye on the temperature in your garden why don't you spoil yourself and buy one!  Hope you all enjoy the rest of your weekend and the week ahead is not too tiring for you.  

"Gifts To Make You Smile"

Happy Friday everyone.  Bit late I know but I have been out at work all day.  Anyway, the weekend is upon us and I hope you are all going to have a great time.  Now, I know I have talked a lot about stuff for the garden and dogs but for all you cat lovers out there then we do have this little fella who I'm sure you will agree is a total cutie!  His name is Dale and he is one of our "ceramistone" ornaments which can go inside or outside the home.  He sells for £35.00 and can be found on our Inside Gifts page.  Another one of his friends is Nicky and he really is a happy 

cat.  These cats are great.  They don't need fed and they wont run up your curtains or bring you dead animals as presents.  Granted they're not fluffy like this little one but they are adorable just the same.  Well, I hope you all have a very enjoyable weekend, it looks as
though the sun might continue to shine on us.  Could this be the beginning of the better weather?  Who knows, I certainly hope so.  Maybe not time to get the sun cream out just yet but here's hoping it wont be too long!!  

"Gifts To Make You Smile"

Hello again.  I thought this picture might cheer us all up as this is what we should be seeing out there in the gardens by now, not snow.  I have to say that we are having a lovely bright sunny day up here in Cumbria although it is still very very cold.  Hopefully, it wont be too long before things start to sprout up in the garden.   I thought today I would share with you some of our garden accessories.  How about for starters these cute cast iron key keepers.
You can choose from either tortoise, frog or hedgehog and they are priced at only £4.99.  Never be locked out of your home again.  They make a really great gift and look good as a garden ornament.  We also have three or four different hooks available.  I particularly like this one which is a love heart design.  Made from cast iron it would look great inside or out and is only £5.99.   Find them and more on our Garden Accessories page. Now then as promised Alfie is back!!  This was taken a couple of weeks ago in 
the beautiful Lake District.  It was his first time there and as you can see I think he loved it!  Don't forget to look out for him on facebook and I'm sure he will make further appearances on here.  Well, half way to the weekend and hopefully this is the start of the better weather because I'm dying to get back out in the garden.  Enjoy the rest of your week and remember...... Keep Shopping!!

Happy Easter everyone and welcome to our latest Product of the Week.  We are at that time of year when our garden birds are looking for somewhere perfect to nest so this week I decided I would focus on somewhere for them to live and have chosen these lovely shaker style bird houses.  They all have a little round hole for the bird to enter but each has a different design to doors, windows and chimneys.  

They come in a choice of four colours, cream, white, brown and blue and all have a hinged door either at the back or side so you can easily clean them out.  They measure 17x17x27cm and look great in the garden.  They are suitable for Blue Tits, Sparrows and Wrens and are reasonably priced at £18.99.  Find them on our Best For Birds page. 

So go on and make our feathered friends happy this Easter and buy them a new home from Ruddick Garden Gifts.
Well I hope you all enjoy the rest of your Easter Day.  I am off for my Easter dinner now and will speak to you later in the week.  

                           "Gifts to Make You Smile"

Well, it's finally here, that time of year when we stuff ourselves with chocolate eggs.  I've just eaten the biggest piece of Easter chocolate crunchy cake I have ever seen and it was delicious!  Anyway, enough about food.

Today I want to introduce you to some of our products that can go inside as well as outside your home.  They are made from "ceramistone" so although I would say they are not fully frost resistant, they can certainly be left outside in the better weather.  We have a range of mainly dogs and a couple of cats but we also have a rooster, a cow, a sheep and a duck.  They are real characters and are bound to make you smile!   Here you can

see Bart, the German Shepherd, Roland the Rooster, Tyson the Staffie and Ermintrude the Cow.They range from £35.00 - £55.00 but are well worth it.  For inside your home we also do some ceramic tile pictures of dogs which are along the same lines as these ornaments.  They can either be hung on a wall or left free standing.  They are priced at £29.99 and make a perfect present for all you dog lovers out there.  As well as these great gift ideas we also do a range of small animal doorstops.  They are made from faux leather and come in

brown and beige and are weighted

with sand.  They are priced at £11.99 and can be found on our Inside Gifts page. You have a choice of elephant, rabbit, tortoise,

fox, owl and hedgehog and I'm sure when you see them you will find them really cute.  Anyway, that's about it for today.  Please don't forget to put your clocks forward this weekend and I hope you all have a very Happy Easter from everyone here at Ruddick Garden Gifts.  Don't eat too many eggs and keep shopping!!

 So, here we are again, and guess what.....
Carlisle had SNOW this morning. Unfortunately, I forgot to get a picture before I went to work and now that I am back its all melted.  But you can take my word for it, it was all white!!  Anyway, enough about the horrible cold weather and lets not forget that it is now officially spring.  So I thought you might like this picture of one of our products.  This is Baa'bara and she is made from ceramistone which means she can go in the garden, or if you prefer you can keep her in the house.  She is no trouble at all and will always make you smile.  She has loads of other friends and you will find them all on our Inside Gifts page.
Another little fella I thought you might like to meet is Alfie, my Parson Jack Russell Terrier.  He is only 10 months old but already is quite a character. Now unfortunately for you he is not for sale on Ruddick Garden Gifts website but he will be popping up on my blogs from time to time.  He also appears on my facebook page, so if you haven't seen it yet then check it out.  Just put in Ruddick Garden Gifts facebook and remember if you like it then please click the like button.  Well that's about it for today, enjoy the rest of your week and please feel free to leave any feedback, it's always interesting to hear from you.                                               

Good Morning and I hope you are all keeping warm this cold, snowy Sunday.  Its hard to believe its nearly April and yet we are having colder weather than we have had all winter.  Once again I have to report that Carlisle is in its own little bubble and we have yet again had NO SNOW!!  We must be the only place in the Country but there you go. Anyway, enough of that and back to my
Product of the Week. This week I am highlighting two items because as you may or may not realise, the clocks go forward next weekend so I thought it would be a good idea to show you a couple of my outdoor clocks.  This first one is a Bickerton Clock which has an  antique effect brown surround and a handy built in thermometer.  It is fully weather resistant and can be used outdoors or if you prefer, inside your home.  It has a 12" diameter and needs 1 AA battery which is not included. It is
priced at £15.00.  The next clock is this Stonegate Clock which has a slate effect surround , Roman numerals and once again a built in thermometer.  It too is fully weather resistant and needs 1 AA battery.  It is 10" in diameter and would look great in either the garden or home.  This one is priced at £18.00 and you can find both clocks along with others on our Outdoor Clocks page.  Hope you like what I have shown you, there is plenty more to see on our website so go on have a good look around it and feel free to leave any comments.   
So on that note I will say ta'ra (as we say in Cumbria)  and remember British Summer Time officially starts next weekend.

Somebody better tell the weather that!!
(This clock is not for sale on Ruddick Garden Gifts website just in case you were wondering)
           


                                                 

Ok, all you chocoholics out there who are looking forward to all those yummy Easter eggs, STOP!!  Yes, they taste good but only for a short while, why not get something that will last a whole lot longer.  As previewed in my blog on Sunday, this topiary rabbit frame is a really easy way of getting topiary into your garden.  You simply place a plant, box is a good one, in the opening in the bottom 
and as it grows, tease it to fill the frame.  Once the shape if full, 

allow the growth to come through the frame and clip to keep in shape.  Then you can have an Easter Bunny in your garden all year round!  Another great gift idea for the youngsters instead of chocolate are our fun window thermometers.  They come in a choice of frog, ladybird and bumble bee and are a great way of introducing children to the world of weather.

Another range we do are gardening gloves, something we will all be needing in the next few weeks as we get back out into our gardens.  Sometimes gardening gloves can be quite bulky and you can struggle to handle small plants etc. well with our gloves they are like a second skin.  They come in some great colours too.  The picture on the left is an example of our Soft and Care Landscape range which comes in navy, burgundy and green and in sizes small and medium.  The picture on the right shows an example of our Soft and Care Flora range which again comes in small and medium but the choice of 

colours are pink, blue and yellow.  I hope I have given you some ideas for Easter gifts other than chocolate, but if you feel the need to still indulge then our gifts are reasonably priced that you can still buy an Easter Egg if you really must!!