Warmer Weather

Over the past few days, the weather has turned warm and Summer-like. This has been good for the garden. It's moved a few things along quicker than expected.

My Large Leaf Jade has been flowering beautifully. It hasn't flowered in about three years - which is something I do look forward to. I've found that when it does flower, it's after I've trimmed it right back and given it time to recover; as well as back-filling it with fresh potting mix. It takes around 6 months for the plant to fully get back on its feet and then it'll bloom the following Winter. For some unusual reason my plant just won't flower in Summer.
But today, I got out there and repotted my Egyptian Sage. I was given this by the Caretaker of my unit complex, who thought it was a weed. But once I repotted it, this plant was happy as a pig in mud! Now, I had to clip off the straggly bits and back-fill it; otherwise, it's going well! I'm not big on touching this plant too much as when you do, it puts off a strong scent which can get a little much if you breath in too much of it.

I'm up to the stage in my little garden where all I have to do is pull out the weeds around the edges and watch it all grow for the next year or so. There's still a few little detail things to get on with, but that's about all... until the next year or two when I plug more big money into the yard.

Isn't it fun to get in and get your hands dirty? I think so. It's the most wonderful thing to just jump in just after breakfast in the early morning and work on the garden, to clean up the small things before they get in become something too big.

The Ficus is going well - it's been in the pot for 3 weeks now and I'm looking forward to what it'll look like in 6 months time. I'll keep a record on Pintrest for anyone who's interested. Well, until my next post, happy gardening.

Every Three Years...

Every three years, I work hard on my garden, spending money on it to make it look great. It's a work of passion and love to move its design forward - no it's never finished. 

Every three years, I repot what needs to repotted. I move plants that have grown so well in older pots into much, much bigger pots and then reuse those old pots (if they can be reused) for new plants that I buy at the nursery. Or if I have other plants that need new homes, I repot the others first.

Every year, I'm constantly writing in my Gardening Journal to record what works and what doesn't. I also write down which plant's I've bought and which ones have lived good long lives, and which ones up and died on me for no good reason - thus I know I won't be getting them again because they don't suit my garden. The Gardening Journal is a great way to keep track of what I can and can't do in my garden.

Every week I mow the lawn with my spin reel mower, and pull out all the weeds. Every Spring I pull out all the Bindis so I don't have a huge crop every year to watch out for. Every day I watch my garden grow and enjoy the small victories of when I accomplish something in it; as it's all a learning experience with it - and always has been. Every month, I prune the shrubs, making sure they look good, neat and proper. Every season, I fertilise the plants to make sure they live at their very best. Every week, I water my plants - unless Mother Nature does that for me; then I watch and enjoy the view of it all working out.

Every three years, I have watched my garden through that camera lens change from being an empty desert of a lawn into a lush, green, flowering oasis of beauty, which is ever-changing and beautiful. And the best thing about my garden is: it's a container garden.

How do you see your garden?