Phaedra's 2023 Adventure

[baymule]

My husband and I used to have a furniture store. Many of the pieces we bought were manufactured in Asia and shipped packed flat. They required assembly. But it was the pallets that I found interesting. Sometimes I found pieces of exotic wood, which I saved for a man who made beautiful belt buckles. He cut them into tiny pieces, glued together in amazing patterns. I have a couple of them—somewhere in a box. If I ever find them, I’ll post a picture. You just never know what you’ll uncover in a pallet!


I’m enjoying your pallet artistry! Useful, functional and painted a pretty green. Y’all are taking something nobody wants and creating something wonderful.

Your elderberry has purple leaves? Elderberry grows wild here and is blooming now. I need to go dig some up and transplant here.

 

[Phaedra]

Your elderberry has purple leaves? Elderberry grows wild here and is blooming now. I need to go dig some up and transplant here.

Yes Bay, we have several normal elderberry plants in the garden. This purple-leave one was bought last spring for its unique color - both leaves and flowers.

(This is the mother plant.)

When I planted it, I pruned a bit and removed most of the flowers. Those pruned stems were prepared as cuttings later, and eventually, I got eight healthy daughter plants. Five of them were transplanted this spring, and the rest three are still staying in the big nursery pots. They will become the products I will sell when the shop opens. I guess selling those three plants can already pay me back the expense. The mother plant cost me about 15 Euros.

Propagating more plants from cuttings or divisions is practical in creating a landscape. I replaced all potted tulips with summer/autumn plants these days. Besides the hostas, the rest were from seeds, cuttings, or divided parts.

Twenty pots of plants - I did save a small fortune.

 

[Phaedra]

Finally, it's time to clean up the east wing of the garden, the Jungle. I am not very demanding of this area because I would like to preserve an area for wildlife - there is a small piece of woodland and a pond nearby.

So, I mow this area quarterly or even longer. Today is the first mowing in 2023.

I decided to keep such kinds of grass islands instead of cleaning up everything. Oh my, it looks so cute!

 

[baymule]

I like your purple leafed elderberry. Elderberries are wild all over east Texas and are blooming now. I haven’t gone picking elderberries in the last couple of years. With all the plants growing wild, I need to go dig some up.

 

[flowerbug]

...So, I mow this area quarterly or even longer. Today is the first mowing in 2023.
View attachment 57574
I decided to keep such kinds of grass islands instead of cleaning up everything. Oh my, it looks so cute!
View attachment 57576

yes! they can be refuge areas for insects and other wildlife.

 

[Phaedra]

This cart is helpful for bringing whatever tools I need/might need. Otherwise, I was always running here and there for the things I forgot.

My mower is 'upgraded' with a Bluetooth speaker - pretty cool to mow with some loud music.

The very first plant I propagated from the cuttings - a willow from this garden. Well, at that time, I just cut something and inserted them into a pot. I didn't imagine it would work after a winter. I can transplant it anytime or keep it in the big pot for another growing season.

The tomato suckers are rooted and ready to have their own room to grow further.

Container planting - scallions (regrowth from the supermarket goods) and salad greens

Solar light on this small trellis - with the roof, it is also a temporary carport - the path is perfectly ok for a cart or a mower.

Good night!

 

[Phaedra]

Every day in May, there is always something new in the garden. As long as the weather is fine, it's so pleasant to be in it.

Broccoli 'Early Purple'

Iris I planted last year - the flower is much bigger than I imagined.

Chives divided and transplanted earlier - they are doing very well. I like how useful they can be.

Another blossoming orange Rhodrodendon near the pond area

One of the original purposes why I made this foldable side table - was to collect excessive water after cleaning the crops. We are also collecting water from the kitchen (without oil) for the garden - Many a little makes a mickle.

I keep harvesting the salad greens so there will be sufficient space for the warmth-loving plants.

 

[Rhodie Ranch]

I snipped off about 30 chive flowers and am making chive vinegar with them. One C of white vinegar and all the blossoms, steeped for a month. Its sooooo pretty!!

 

[Branching Out]

You have me thinking Phaedra...several of my tomato varieties had poor germination with only one or two plants sprouting. I will try to do what you are doing, and root the suckers to multiply those plants.

 

[Phaedra]

We started to save household water from the middle of May - it often rains much less compared with winter and spring.

As long as there is no detergent or oil, the used water will be collected, including normal rinsing or washing something with blood (fish or meat). Most of the time, we eat at home, so the food preparation process generates quite some wastewater.

It's helpful.

This is the first year I tried growing eucalyptus 'silver dollar' from seeds, and now, I have three lovely young plants.

My first bearded iris

We cleaned the east side of the garden, pond area, a bit and it's so rewarding.

Let's have some mini-croissants for tea time.