Well, we're getting into that time of year when gardens need a bit more TLC than they've had over the last few months. So I figured it was time for a new thread for the year.
Before Christmas an AMAZING friend paid for me to finally get a fence built round my back yard. This means it is now secure and I can make the kitchen garden I've always wanted! It's all very exciting for me! So I've bought compost, planters, canes, food, and seeds! Then I spotted some little plants, and bought 2 of them too.
So I've just been outside and planted up the 2 plants that arrived - a normal high yield blueberry, and a pink blueberry that apparently has a different taste to it. I've also got some black raspberry seeds soaking, as they need soaked for 24 hours then put in the fridge for 2 months, before being grown, then planted outside a couple of months later. I've then got 10 types of herb, and 30 types of veg to plant out through the year too.
Not tried growing veg before, so it's all new and a massive learning experience for me. But I'm looking forward to it, and it gives me a reason to go outside, as well as a nice space to go outside to!
Anyone else got anything new going on in their gardens this year?
Lass
Xx
Hi Lass
Osteospeemum and red hot pokers
In the weeding I found the first shoots of the Himalayan poppy that graced my front garden last year - see pic. I do hope so, anyway.
Xx
My tiny yard. Love gardens.
Aloha Millie
I'm afraid you have me stumped there, Millie. How jealous am I? You must have a plethora of tropical fruits at your fingertips! Over here we can grow, in south facing spots, one or two different types of banana plants although we need to wrap them up in fleece or bubble wrap from October to April to protect them from frosts. We'll have some fruits on them but they won't ever be edible because our growing season isn't long enough. A pilot friend of mine has a couple.
We can also grow a few species of palms. I have several Cordyline palms and one 12 foot tall, 25 yr old Chusan palm that I'm very proud of. I have the Chusan palm in an area of my garden that's protected from the north wind, so it's growing in a warmish microclimate. Cordyline palms are a very common sight in British gardens and many people buy a little selection of plants in a pot without realising that one of the plants is a palm. They're quite easy to propagate from a largish tree because they'll grow from the base.
I was in Madeira last year and there, many gardens grow an abundance of Bird of Paradise plants which I guess you'll be able to grow in Hawaii, but pop off to a decent garden centre and you should get good advice for growing different garden plants.
You should be able to grow sweet potatoes, I grew them in my polytunnel a few years ago when I had full mobility. We can grow them here but it's best to buy slips instead of growing from seed potatoes, again because of our growing season.
I've got to know my Haematologist pretty well over the years. His wife is from Malaysia so each year after he returns, he'll show me photos of different fruit and veg that I have never heard of and they are so exotic looking. My son's girlfriend is also Malaysian and her father has a plot there where he grows many types of fruit and vegetables that he sells at the roadside. He and his wife were over with us 3 years ago and he brought lots of photos.
You're looking for onions? Do you buy onion sets in a small netting bag as we do here? I have around 200 onions planted this year. When I had more mobility and I wasn't a wheelchair user, I was Northern Ireland onion champion foy 3 years in a row, there wasn't much I didn't know about growing onions! I'm not as able to get around so this year I have raised the height of my raised beds so I can work at them a. little easier. Still hurts a lot though and for that reason I can only work for short periods.
I took some pics of bird of paradise plants last year when I was in Madeira so I will try to put one or more if I can, below.
Will you let me know about your climate and seasons if you have any! Have you heard of Bird of Paradise plants and is it something you grow in Hawaii?
Aloha
Tvman
