Phaedra's 2023 Adventure

[baymule]

All your work is coming together! It looks so nice!

 

[Phaedra]

Once we bought a spider plant for the living room in my FIL's house, and we brought it back after he moved to the nursing home.

After its blossom this year, many daughter plants showed up. I put each of them in the mini pot (5cm) and let them stay somewhere without direct sunlight. After some weeks, it looks like they are doing fine and keep growing.

I decided to check if they root, and they did!

The mother plant also needs a bigger 'apartment.'

So, the mother and daughter plants all got their new place to grow. I also got four rooted geraniums from summer pruned cuttings.

Napa cabbages are developing the hearts, look delicious to me.

Zinnias are happy about the warm weather.

Bees are happy, too.

The summer heap so far maintains a good temperature, and we will turn it next week.

 

[SPedigrees]

The shop is 70% ready, and the display fridge arrives just in time.
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I baked a loaf this morning, as it can always offer charming smell. Fresh toast and coffee, better than any fragrance.
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This is in fact a small display area for my other products like bouquets and other handmade stuff, but it can be also used for providing two seperate seats or a longer table for more people.
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Window seat and its view
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It will be a nice place to enjoy coffee and read the sky (or books).
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Still some works to do, but I am already amazed by how different this space is now. I wish, it is a warm and lovely spot in this corner of town.

Lovely! I take it your shop also doubles as a cafe?

 

[Phaedra]

Lovely! I take it your shop also doubles as a cafe?

Yes, it's a to-go cafe.

 

[baymule]

Spider plants make beautiful hanging baskets. You did good rooting the baby plants!

 

[Phaedra]

I worked about two hours in the garden this afternoon, majorly cleaned up the raised beds and replenished a thick layer of compost.

Autumn raspberry, very lovely color and pleasing flavor.

Homemade compost is never perfect (and not need to be perfect) but very helpful.

I also dug out two snapdragons that I pruned about two weeks ago. I want to keep them in the greenhouse to overwinter. It's interesting to see how new basal shoots grew from the bottom. Anyway, I guess this is a sign of a happy and thriving snapdragon.

After growing Crocosmias, I felt in love with them. This is a common variety here called 'Lucifer.'

The cyclamen I bought last year - it stayed indoors until this spring. Now it's time for their new dresses.

I want to see their flowers much more than cook them.

My favorite corner now, so adorable!

 

[Phaedra]

The thunderstorm didn't come (yet), so I harvested some veggies. In fact, it's a lot of food.

Scallions grew from seeds.

I picked more than expected, well, maybe it will really rain a lot and I don't want them crack...

The San Marzarno tomatoes are reaching the best status for making ketchup or sauce.

Well, I believe pollinators love my garden.

 

[baymule]

I love your garden too!

 

[Phaedra]

Due to the curiosity, I dug out two calla lilies and wanted to see how their bulbs grew. Most of them are growing in the pots because I was not sure if voles love them like tulips and dahlias.

The answer is no, at least in my garden, voles showed no interests in them (too many other more delicious choices?). Anyway, the two I dug out grew in the pots. I did feed them from time to time with the diluted seaweed extract, but that was all. Most of the foliage are still pretty ok, so I just picked two were comparatively consumed.

To my surprise, the bulbs grow very very well!

Besides the original bulbs (the color is deeper), there are many new bulbs growing next to them. Can I say, calla lily is easy to naturalize?

I kept refilling beds with homemade compost and directly sowing leafy greens.

To prevent blackbirds from murdering my seedlings....

Meanwhile, we are building the 3-bay compost area, which is easier for us to turn each heap at least once.
The 3-Bay area can be used for some gardening tool storage. As the center one won't be used until next growing season, it's now a temporary outdoor warehouse.

The earliest MUMs this year, they are the granddaughter plants propagated from the 2021 plants. It's very easy to keep their circle of life going on.

The very early Aster - those are propagated from this spring division.

Aster from the division (left), MUMs from the cuttings (right) - both are waiting to show off their beauty soon.

At the other side, the new flower bed that was built one month ago is full of colors. Along the journey, I am learning while enjoying what they offer every day. Those plants just nourished me.

 

[Dahlia]

Due to the curiosity, I dug out two calla lilies and wanted to see how their bulbs grew. Most of them are growing in the pots because I was not sure if voles love them like tulips and dahlias.

The answer is no, at least in my garden, voles showed no interests in them (too many other more delicious choices?). Anyway, the two I dug out grew in the pots. I did feed them from time to time with the diluted seaweed extract, but that was all. Most of the foliage are still pretty ok, so I just picked two were comparatively consumed.
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To my surprise, the bulbs grow very very well!
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Besides the original bulbs (the color is deeper), there are many new bulbs growing next to them. Can I say, calla lily is easy to naturalize?
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I kept refilling beds with homemade compost and directly sowing leafy greens.
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To prevent blackbirds from murdering my seedlings....
View attachment 60633

Meanwhile, we are building the 3-bay compost area, which is easier for us to turn each heap at least once.
The 3-Bay area can be used for some gardening tool storage. As the center one won't be used until next growing season, it's now a temporary outdoor warehouse.
View attachment 60628
The earliest MUMs this year, they are the granddaughter plants propagated from the 2021 plants. It's very easy to keep their circle of life going on.
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The very early Aster - those are propagated from this spring division.
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Aster from the division (left), MUMs from the cuttings (right) - both are waiting to show off their beauty soon.
View attachment 60631
At the other side, the new flower bed that was built one month ago is full of colors. Along the journey, I am learning while enjoying what they offer every day. Those plants just nourished me.
View attachment 60632

How long have you been gardening and working with plants? You definitely have the knack for it!