“Everything that slows us down and forces patience, everything that sets us back into the slow circles of nature, is a help. Gardening is an instrument of grace.”
– May Sarton
6/19/17:
This past weekend I bought seeds (4 packets for $1.00!) from the Dollar Store: asters, zinnias, snap peas, and a pink variety of radishes. I’m looking forward to starting the flowers in my seedling pots this week, and to trying again with peas in the empty trellised planter box. I just planted fresh rows of radishes 6 days ago, and almost all of them have sprouted already, so I’ll save the pink radish seeds for a subsequent crop.
I also found a nice bargain at the Grocery Outlet. They have some quality gardening stuff at times; I couldn’t resist buying one of the pretty blown glass self-watering globes. I filled it and stuck the stem into the soil of my Shasta daisy, which is one of my plants that needs water more often than most. If this works well I’ll buy a couple more, for the wallflowers and herb planter. The “ghetto” version of self-watering devices that I tried while on vacation did work (simply upended soda bottles with perforated caps), but looked quite silly sticking out of the pots.
I also found a nice bargain at the Grocery Outlet. They have some quality gardening stuff at times; I couldn’t resist buying one of the pretty blown glass self-watering globes. I filled it and stuck the stem into the soil of my Shasta daisy, which is one of my plants that needs water more often than most. If this works well I’ll buy a couple more, for the wallflowers and herb planter. The “ghetto” version of self-watering devices that I tried while on vacation did work (simply upended soda bottles with perforated caps), but looked quite silly sticking out of the pots.
Clicking on the small images below will bring up a larger version.
Watering globe.
Avocado tree.
Megawatt begonia.
In addition to the plant actually called butterfly bush (Buddleja davidii 'Cornwall Blue'), the escallonia is increasingly a favorite of butterflies and bees around the yard. The tall fuchsia once again has enough blooms that hummingbirds are frequent. And while there are a few flies around, I haven’t noticed as many mosquitoes yet this year, so this little environment is very pleasant at the moment, and seems healthy.
The begonia project is coming along beautifully. I moved two of them into a hanging planter on Saturday. All but 3 of the shorter plants now have small red/pink buds. The leaves have interesting colors too: deep green, red and chocolate brown hues, with a blue sheen.
Another repotting project is in the works with recently-purchased dragon cayenne pepper plants. Since that variety is the lone survivor of the peppers I’d bought in spring, I figured that getting 3 more would be a good bet. I’m putting them in terracotta pots of about 9" diameter, with snail-repelling copper tape along the edges. The avocado tree was in one of these, but is growing more rapidly than I’d guessed it would, so it’s in a larger plastic pot until I figure out if I want it in a decorative container or in the ground.
The begonia project is coming along beautifully. I moved two of them into a hanging planter on Saturday. All but 3 of the shorter plants now have small red/pink buds. The leaves have interesting colors too: deep green, red and chocolate brown hues, with a blue sheen.
Another repotting project is in the works with recently-purchased dragon cayenne pepper plants. Since that variety is the lone survivor of the peppers I’d bought in spring, I figured that getting 3 more would be a good bet. I’m putting them in terracotta pots of about 9" diameter, with snail-repelling copper tape along the edges. The avocado tree was in one of these, but is growing more rapidly than I’d guessed it would, so it’s in a larger plastic pot until I figure out if I want it in a decorative container or in the ground.