pot plants – Veggie Patch Anywhere

Carnations

20/11/2024Posted in flowers, pot plants, propegation, veggie patchLeave a comment

26 Oct 2024

Carnations: A Blooming Success in the Garden

There’s nothing quite like coming home to a garden in full bloom. Today, after a visit to my parents, I was greeted by the sight of my carnations flourishing beautifully. What started as just two plants has now grown into a full, thriving basket, with another nine plants taking root as well. It’s a small garden triumph that brings joy every time I see it.

Why I Love Carnations

Carnations have a special place in my heart—not just because they’re Sandra’s favorite flower, but because they’re truly remarkable blooms. Their vibrant colors, intricate petals, and sheer longevity make them a standout choice in any garden. Unlike many other flowers, when you cut carnations, they last for days—sometimes even over a week—brightening up any space with their cheerful presence.

A Growing Success

Watching these plants multiply has been incredibly rewarding. Carnations are relatively low-maintenance but highly rewarding, making them a perfect addition to any garden. From the two original plants, I now have a basket full of blossoms and nine more plants taking root, promising even more blooms in the future.

The Beauty of Carnations

Here’s what makes carnations such a brilliant flower:

1. Longevity: Whether in the garden or in a vase, carnations outlast most other flowers, maintaining their beauty for days.

2. Colorful Variety: From soft pastels to bold, striking hues, carnations add a splash of color wherever they grow.

3. Hardy and Resilient: These plants are tough yet elegant, thriving in different conditions and spreading with ease.

Tips for Thriving Carnations

If you’re looking to add carnations to your garden, here are a few tips:

• Plant in Full Sun: Carnations love plenty of light, which helps them grow strong and bloom brilliantly.

• Well-Drained Soil: Ensure your soil drains well to prevent root rot and keep your plants healthy.

• Regular Deadheading: Snipping off spent blooms encourages new flowers to grow, keeping your garden vibrant.

• Enjoy the Cut Flowers: Don’t hesitate to bring carnations indoors—cut them when the buds are just opening for long-lasting arrangements.

A Flower Worth Celebrating

Carnations bring so much joy—not just because they’re beautiful, but because they’re a flower that keeps on giving. From their ability to multiply and bloom generously to their unmatched vase life, carnations are truly a gardener’s delight.

For now, I’ll enjoy this colorful burst of life in my garden, knowing Sandra would love the sight of her favorite flowers thriving. Here’s to many more blooms and the simple pleasures they bring to everyday life.

Happy gardening!

The smell emanating from this flower box is just unreal!

Strawberries and Carnations

28/09/2024Posted in flowers, Gardening, pot plants, veggie patchLeave a comment

28 Sep 2024

Strawberries

I’m excited to report that my strawberry plants are finally kicking off again! After some time waiting, there are now a few flowers blooming, which is always a good sign. Even more exciting, the one original plant has now tripled into three.

I’m looking forward to seeing how these new growths progress. This little strawberry tub has potential, and I’m hopeful for a sweet harvest soon. Stay tuned for more updates from my garden as the strawberries (hopefully) continue to flourish!

Carnations

I’ve been busy in the garden and just transplanted about eight carnation cuttings. One of last year’s cuttings has not only survived but is flowering and looking quite healthy. Encouraged by this success, I’m trying another eight this year to see how they fare. These fairy floss carnations are always a delight!

To add to the excitement, my magnolia tree is flowering as well, filling the garden with its beautiful aroma. The fragrance is wonderful, and it’s a joy to be surrounded by both the sight and smell of these blooms.

It’s all about veggie patching and flower care around here! Happy gardening, everyone!

Traditions, Anzac Day, Mushrooms and the Bonsai Pot

05/05/2024Posted in Gardening, grass, plants, pot plants, propegation, succulents, veggie patchLeave a comment

5 May 2024

Traditions

Traditions are a great source of how things used to be done and a wealth of knowledge. A great tradition handed down through generations is the storage of summer produce. These small tomatoes have a sharp point and taste delicious. Nonno picks them in bunches at the end of summer, ties them together, and hangs them under a cool shady spot. He calls these tomatoes Spuntinni. They last for four months; I would love to see the ones in the supermarket last four days. The ones that go rotten drop off and are discarded, but not before seeds are collected. The same process goes for the peppers, which are strung together and dried to make flakes or to fry and eat like chips. A wealth of knowledge is slowly disappearing, and people like me are trying to share and keep it alive.

Mushrooms

After some heavy rains and a bit of sunshine, the lawn is looking very vibrant, and on closer inspection, I have noticed lots of mushrooms. They’re very pretty but not so great if consumed by the family pet. Lily, our border collie, is very inquisitive and highly suspicious of anything new in the garden; she gave them a good barking (along with the wind, clouds, birds, and anything else that moves or breathes, lol). I put on some gloves and got rid of a heap of them under Lily’s supervision. I also made a dish soap solution and gave the affected areas a sprinkle. After a few days, it did the trick.

Bonsai Pot cleanup

It’s Anzac Day, time to relax, pay our respects, watch the football, and give the Bonsai pot a cleanup. I cleared all the dead leaves, propagated as many as I could, removed stones, and gave them a wash. I pruned the Jade bonsai slightly to retain its shape, then placed some red rocks around the base and also some for the elephant to balance on. I might blue tack her down and have decided to call her Caron, a beautiful reminder of a great friend who gifted her to me. I topped up everything with white crushed rocks that were only $6 at Bunnings. It was very relaxing and therapeutic. Turned out looking really nice in the end.

Succulent progress

On another sunny Melbourne day I’m happily veggie patching my way everywhere and enjoying the sunshine before the cold weather hits later on this afternoon . I had a peek at my succulent propagation cuttings . The leaves have some roots – some have just withered away and died, but the ones that have taken off still look healthy . I will leave them alone for a couple of weeks and some time in the future I’ll transplant them into pots. I’ve got some from even about a year ago – they’re coming along nicely. I spray them with some water maybe once a week depending on how hot it is. They do like things to be nice and dry though. I will be keeping them undercover as it has been very cold weather and lots of frost and the little greenhouses have worked a treat.

Orange Tree and Purple Cauliflower

21/04/202421/04/2024Posted in Gardening, plants, pot plants, trees, Vegetables, veggie patchLeave a comment

21 April 2024

ORANGE TREE

This tree was a lovely present from my wife Sandra to add to my citrus collection. I now have lemon, mandarin and orange trees and it looks much better with 5 large pots instead of four 🙂 .

These 37 cm half wine barrels from Bunnings are great for this purpose. I do place them on top of a concrete paver so they drain around the base and don’t rot and at $3 a paver that’s also very affordable.

I have teased the roots out and added some homemade compost and a decent potting mix. Have given it a decent watering and as always the waiting commences – but I do love the aroma of citrus flowers while we wait.

PURPLE CAULIFLOWER AND BROAD BEANS

I planted the purple cauliflower the other day and a white cauliflower later on. They seem to be doing quite well. Just gave them a little bit of watering and pulled out a whole heap of left over tomato plants that have just randomly sprung out from the compost heap.

The beans have taken off as well – everything is growing beautifully.

In the garden section in Bunnings there is a throwaway section of seedlings for a dollar each and I brought quite a few. We’ll see how they go. Absolute bargain because they’re usually $4.99 each.

Happy veggie patch anywhere in pots!

Propagating Gardenias and my Bookshelf Garden

21/04/202421/04/2024Posted in indoor plants, plants, pot plants, veggie patchLeave a comment

21 April 2024

PROPAGATING GARDENIAS

My propagation corner is starting to take shape. The cut of Gardenia that I took two weeks ago has rooted and also has a tiny new leaf. I’m very excited about propagating the Gardenias. They make a wonderful evergreen shrub and when they flower the scent is beautiful.

BOOKSHELF GARDEN

My bookshelf garden is also starting to take shape. Lots of offcuts of Jade and succulents that are taking off as well. I had to add some sticky bug paper to try and catch some of the bugs that are constantly flying around. These little bugs are quite annoying and hard to get rid of, but the sticky paper seems to be working a treat.

I’m contemplating getting some growing lights as I’ve seen other people (namely my daughter Adelle) put some nice lights on the plants. Give them some growth and it also creates a lovely ambience.

These free standing indoor pot hangers (also from Adelle’s house) are outstanding and display the pots beautifully. I am hopefully waiting for some string of hearts offcuts from Adelle some time soon … 😉

More succulents and my winter garden plans

10/03/2024Posted in Gardening, grass, plants, pot plants, succulents, veggie patchLeave a comment

3 Mar 2024

I have started propagating a few more succulent leaves by laying them down in some soil. This is day 1 so we’ll see how this goes.

I again spent a little bit of time clearing out the veggie patch and turning over the soil – even the cleaning up is a full time job I think 🙂

Then I contemplated maybe buying two recycled steel containers and filling it up with fresh soil and compost to plant the winter crops in, but I’m not 100% sure yet if I’ll do that… watch this space.

I’ll be keeping some of the larger pots to grow cucumber and peas in next season. They are quite compact and the cucumbers and peas seem to like the pots. As long as you remember to keep them moist by watering them often and take good care of them regularly.

They also don’t take up a lot of space and you can put them just about anywhere – under a patio or a veranda – as long as it gets a bit of sun every day.

You’ll learn how to look after them eventually and they should give you a nice tasty crop with not too much effort at all.

Pothos (Devil’s Ivy)

10/03/2024Posted in indoor plants, plants, pot plantsLeave a comment

1 March 2024

A brilliant plant that requires minimal attention with maximum rewards is the Pothos – also know as Devil’s Ivy and a whole bunch of other names.

I love my Pothos because all you have to do is simply get a little branch and put it in some water. Then watch the roots sprout and eventually transfer it to a pot.

Give it some sort of support to tie it onto, maintain it and it drapes quite nicely down wherever you put it.

My one is up on the bookshelf and it has come quite a long way from the one leaf stem that I started it with.

I do have another one that I’m trying in a test tube. The roots have grown quite large so I might need to put it in a larger pot of water and I might even take another stem of the original plant and try another one.

Pothos plants are very easy to take care of and it looks quite stunning draped over a shelf or up in a high place or even some shady spot in the garden. I do like the marble pattern and it’s also got a yellow streak through the green leaves – absolutely stunning!

Here are some more resources for taking care of your Pothos plants:

Better Homes and Gardens: Pothos plants

Gardening Know How – Careing for Pothos plants