Plant Babies

They’re so cute!

Here’s whats happening with my seeds so far:

Nasturtium tray – 5/20

Mini ‘Satellite-dish’ leaf structure

I’ve been ill all weekend. However, nature continues without me, which is great. The nasturtium seeds are coming on well, as seen above.
Very little to report on the ornamental gourd seeds. No signs of life as yet, and I haven’t grown them before, so I am beginning to get excited as to how they will present themselves, when and if they finally do!

If successful, the ornamental gourd plants could be trained to look something like this:
(not my garden)

Incredible and beautiful gourdi-ness!

Mine will not look like that as I don’t have space for an arch! But we shall see, – I have some plans to ‘train’ them in a minor, less ostentatious, fashion.

Succulents

These babies have been ignored for almost 2 years now. Back then, before I got really depressed, I had started cultivating the shoots of a few succulents that I had, and getting them started as plants in their own right.
Then I ‘switched off’ and abandoned them, but remarkably, here they still are; ready and waiting for a bit of opportunity to arise for them to flourish.

Again, I have plans for them, but am not entirely sure yet how these plans will pan out.

I’ll try hard not to run out on the plant babies again though.
I am looking forward to watching them all develop and grow up!

T.G.L

(the Grateful Landlady)

Gratitude is a Garden

The more time you spend in it, working on it and enjoying it, the more abundant & beautiful your garden will become. Similarly, the more you practice feeling gratitude, the more it will grow and spring naturally from within you.
Well that’s the hope anyway, I find it really difficult sometimes!

In the time of Covid19, what with staying at home being enforced by government, an outside space is a very real blessing. Whether it’s a balcony, roof terrace, courtyard, or garden; all give the opportunity to commune with nature and also be creative and nurturing!

I am fortunate, I have a small garden (and a shed – which is a great place to escape the house).
However, the lengthy period of depression has not done my garden any favours whatsoever. It needs ‘intensive care‘.

Earlier this week I began my rescue mission, with some cutting back of dead branches.
The council is temporarily not collecting garden waste, which was the perfect excuse to have a bonfire, and burn some other random bits of wood from various DIY jobs too!
The smell of a bonfire is something I love. Reminds me of childhood, and helping my dad do garden work.

I also started what will be a long process of working on my bench, which is looking very sad. Firstly, washing down with bleach. I’ll do this a few times. Next, I will lightly sand the bench, before treating it with a protective oil.
I’ll need to do the same process on my garden table too (just visible in the lower right corner of the picture below).

Lutyens Bench
(Renovation required!)

I trimmed my ‘Red Robin’ hedge out front, and cut my sorry excuse for a lawn. The lawn will take a lot more work to recover, if indeed possible without completely relaying.

Straggly hedge, and mossy lawn.
Needs work. Nice tulips though!

So, all this before even adding any plants or flowers. I have planted some seeds though, so there will be flowers in due course.
Nasturtiums in the small pots and Ornamental Gourds in the large (below). All should grow into quite large trailing plants which will need to be up-potted. I have some ideas of where they may go, but some will have to be given away to neighbours – if they are all successful seedlings! My garden just isn’t big enough for them all.

All of this was not only energetic but very satisfying and I can truly say that for me, pottering in the garden is definitely The Good Life.

Thanks for reading… I hope your own gardening efforts are bringing equal success & happiness, or if no garden – at least a pot plant to care for. Let me know in the comments!

T.G.L

(the Grateful Landlady)