I have added 2 dwarf, holly-leafed tea olives to the the front beds in place of the ‘Super Sochi’ tea bushes that died last year. And I got a bicolored heather at Trader Joe’s last night. I intend to keep it inside until the end of April and put it off the patio when I’m not worried about its roots freezing. It may be fine now. But, its blossoms won’t be and they’re cute.
We moved another of the 100 gallon raised beds. So, there’s only one left to shift. The asparagus bed is just going to stay out in the middle of the yard by itself. If we move it, it will be another 4 years before we get a good crop.
Many years ago, (a decade? longer? less?) I found a Phalenopsis at the grocery that was absolutely lovely. I have never been successful with orchids, as much as I love them, and had given up bringing them home with me. It hurt my feelings to see them die in my care.
But, this orchid had a tag that said I could keep it healthy and happy if I would but 3 ice cubes on it once a week. It was relatively inexpensive so I brought it home.
And it didn’t die.
When the blossoms finally withered, the stem they had grown on remained green. I am a believer in leaving green alone until it finishes producing food for the plant. A new stem grew off the side of the original one and made more blooms. That’s the first time I ever got new growth on an orchid.
Eventually, I got it an orchid pot. And, again, it didn’t die when I transplanted it. (That’s the new pot in the picture.)
But, it didn’t bloom for a couple of years. I was about to give up on new blossoms when we went to a show by the local orchid society. I asked one of the members about my plant he suggested fresh growing medium and orchid food spray.
I did both things. After 3 or 4 months of no change, I was about to give up completely when I saw a stem starting. It bloomed and the blossoms lasted a long time on that single stem.
Last Fall, I got another stem of flowers and have left the stem alone while it remained green, even though the blossoms have been gone for months.
It’s rewarding me with another bloom branch and appears to have 2 buds forming.
We moved our raised beds from on-the-ground to 100 gallon watering troughs in 2020. We had been fighting trees-of-heaven out of those beds for as long as we’d had the beds (around a decade) and were clearly not winning the fight. So, beds with bottoms seemed like a good idea.
They work well. There are some rocks leftover from the defunct labyrinth in the bottom to help take up some space. And lovely soil on top that gets topped off with compost fairly frequently. Some is homegrown and some is purchased. The 2 of us don’t make enough vegetable waste to do it all. the troughs have a drainage hole near the bottom, so they don’t flood.
Three of the troughs are Chuck’s and 2 are mine. I have asparagus in one and herbs in the other. He uses the others for whatever vegetables suit us. Tomatoes, beans, greens, sometimes okra.
I was able to dry enough herbs last summer to avoid using any bought this Fall. It will be interesting to see if I make it all the way through.
I have had chives in a pot outside for over a decade. It went in the ground today. We grow cilantro and basil in pots, reseeding as the season requires. There is rosemary in the back flower bed. My trough has parsley, sage, thyme and 2 types of oregano. I expect I’ll plant a little dill again this summer since it doesn’t appear to be perennial here.
I really enjoy messing with plants. I love it when seeds I’ve put in the ground or something I’ve stuck in a pot flourishes and blooms. I like blossoms as decorations. But, it always feels like a lie when my friends comment on my “green thumb.” I don’t have an innate gift for growing things. I’m just persistent.
Many, many years ago, I decide that the best thing I could do was to choose plants that like the way I treat plants. Generally speaking, that means sticking them in the ground and ignoring them. If something is in my yard, it cannot demand a great deal of care past a first year of watering while it gets established. Plants in pots get a lot more attention and water.
My herb bed is in a 100-gallon water trough and it does get watered. I feel like those plants are owed that much attention for being in that container. Same for the asparagus. When it was in a raised bed that was just lifted up from the ground, it got less coddling.
My inside plants are all things that want watering. Succulents die in my care and our only cactus is the responsibility of my husband because we both know I would drown it. We have an aloe, a gift from a friend, that is in a room where I don’t see it often and I am not allowed to water it.
I have learned to read tags at garden centers. I live in zone 7b. If you look at the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map, it looks like climate change is allowing 8a to creep up this way. But, it’s not here yet. So, I plant accordingly. I don’t buy plants that only thrive in zone 5 (or wherever).
I have learned that there are some plant varieties that prefer different climates than their relatives. There are hot climate lilacs and cold climate lilacs. Generally, big box garden centers don’t care if a plant will thrive for you. If you buy it, they have made a sale. If it dies, you will be back to buy something else. If you don’t believe me, look at the tags the next time you’re at Lowe’s or Home Depot and see how many plants they have for sale that are labeled for different zones than the one where you live.
I have learned, too, that some plants are never going to love me and I just have to accept that. Even reading everything I can find online and on the tags from the nursery will not save the life of a fuchsia or bougainvillea. Coming to my house is a death sentence for those plants. I think they are beautiful and I long to have them flourishing all around me. But, I am not a fit caretaker for them.
I am the Audience 