Good morning and happy Thursday!
On a cold, slightly overcast day like today, it is almost difficult to believe that in only a few weeks time, spring will be here. This season, unlike the last, I aim to be more prepared!
Now, getting the garden to the level I want is going to be a bit of a challenge, not just due to the time, money and skills needed, but also because there is a chance that I will not be staying here for the entire season. The plan was always to renovate and then rent this house. Some serious planning and thought is needed before I start something that'll end up just making a mess. AGAIN...
First things first, the plants in the large pot in the far corner at the back of the garden don't get a lot of sun...which has led to them looking pretty awful. Nothing like what I had planned on when mindlessly shoving them in there.
Lesson 1 - Always do research on where to place the plants!
With that in mind, I am planning on planting something else in this pot and moving it to the little entrance garden at the front of my home...but we will get to that...
The plants in containers also need something to happen to them, though I am not quite sure what, where or when at this stage.
I am planning on having some sort of sprinkler system installed soon, preferably something with a timer, because I can be very forgetful! Also need to upgrade the awful cheap garden hose, which has held up surprisingly well up till now.
My little collection of strawberries desperately in need of bigger, better containers. I am considering tiered hanging pots for these. Should be a fun project. I am not quite certain what kind of plants the big ones are, but I know they have pretty flowers and need A LOT of water. I am planning on planting the Mc Kana giants between the two sometime soon.
These are all that's left of my attempt at creating a mini mixed succulent garden in the front yard...there used to be more, but we will get to that. I am still uncertain about how to approach the veggie garden. I might take down the entire setup and just plant a few herbs in pots.
On the topic of the veggie garden...this is pretty much all I have to show for last year's attempt. My harvest consisted of two tiny but very yummy green peppers and about four chili peppers. Basically I grew enough to top two pizzas. They were delicious, so it wasn't a complete waste of time!
I cannot remember the real name for these... I did some research on them a while ago and found out that they are basically a type of mini palm/papyrus thing. Pretty cool either way! The cats squashed the hell out of these too, and I am hoping to figure out some way of keeping them off in the future.
Another attempt at keeping the cats off of my plants, hopefully, before the end of the year, I will have figured out a decent solution.
Sorry about the washing in the photo, but this is the full view of the backyard, clearly it needs a lot of work! I have been trying to grow some grass, but for some reason, no matter how much I beg, plead or straight up threaten, the garden service people insist on murdering my grass with a rake.
Moving on to the front...the cats were using this area at the front of the house as a toilet! Absolutely horrible for both me and the plants. After adding the mesh wire, it isn't an issue anymore! The elephant bush is already recovering too. This spot tends to not get a lot of sun, but I do want to add a few flowers too. If anyone has any suggestions, please do let me know in the comments!
A few months ago, I attempted to get tile an old baby bath with leftover stone tiles and grout (From when I had the shower rebuilt) I soon found out that I absolutely suck at it, and, due to bad weather and life stuff, I was forced to give up (I totally rage quit...)
In the meantime, the cats got to work on killing and digging up my plants. The plan is to replace this mess with that pot from the corner of the back yard. I also need to decide what to actually put in there...
As I said, a lot of work and planning to do, in very little time! I am feeling positive and ready for the challenge though, so let's see what happens!
Credit - All photos are my own
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