Gardens, Gardening, Plants, etc 2019

Hi Millie

Now I think I have the hang of it, here's a picture of my Chusan Palm. I hope!

Tvman

Dear TVman, 

Thank you. I live hear the water, so there is a lot of salt that burns the birds of paradise and I have planted 3 different type of mangos that have expired from the salt.  I\\\ build a raised ged in the back of the house in the 'wind shadow' those are working well. I grow m own bananas, when I eat a GREAT papaya, I keep the seeds and plant them. Same for the pineapple, itit is great, I cut its head off and grow it.I have been so sick the last year with little energy that my risen bed is in shambles. But getting energy back and willl work t it daily.Star of India work well here and provide landscape along with salt resistant grass. Gardanias will do well for a season then poop put.

I have 2 coconut trees also.I am accustomed to planting onion from bulbs in Mill Vally,, California, but there are no bulbs on Kauai  for the past 2 months.  Might try to start some from seed.

I also like onions -sweet yellow onions and red onions.What are your favorite? Basil does well here also. When I get my strength back I will be planting full speed. Cherry tomatoes do best, yellow , orange or red.

My raised garden is wonderful, made out of redwood at sitting height and 21/2 feet wide and top board is wide enough for a decent seat where I can plant both sides from the same spot. Getting excited thinking about it, going out to look for plants tomorrow.

Thanks for your advice and you have got me excited to take the time and effort to get going.even if is only an hour at a time.

Warmest regards,

Millie

Hey Millie,

I've just spent some time Googling veg you can grow in Hawaii, near the coast and I've come up with this list for your consideration:

• Sweet potatoes
• Green onions
• Taro
• Okra
• Dry-land watercress
• Jalapenos
• Other haoli chilies
• String Beans
• Strawberries
• Aubergines
• Yard long beans
• Arugula
• Asian Melons
• Papaya
• Squash
• Watermelon
• Kaabocha pumpkin
• Kale
• Collards
• Green onions
• Uppland watercress
• Gai lan
• Bok choy
• Wong bok

Now, some of them change depending on which coast you are on, and of which island. But I figured it's a list to have a look at and see if there's anything there you fancy trying.

Good luck, and have fun! I look forward to seeing the pics!

Lass

XX

Aloha Millie

I googled your island and I see that it is sometimes called the Garden Isle. It sounds wonderful, so much so that I have to let my friends in this forum know how beautiful it sounds, so the next paragraph is from a website that I was looking at.

"Kauai is Hawaii's fourth largest island and is sometimes called the "Garden Island," which is an entirely accurate description. The oldest and northernmost island in the Hawaiian chain is draped in emerald valleys, sharp mountain spires and jagged cliffs aged by time and the elements. Centuries of growth have formed tropical rainforests, forking rivers and cascading waterfalls! Some parts of Kauai are only accessible by sea or air, revealing views beyond your imagination."

Wow, Millie, that I am sure has everyone's imagination racing now. However, it just shows how indiscriminate this horrible disease is, attacking people who live in what we would think is paradise. 

Good luck with your onions, my preference would be for the sweet tasting red onions. I only grew onions from seed for competition, the rest were from sets, that you call bulbs. You may find seed companies in yiou region that will sell onion plants that they have raised from seed and are young onion plants. That is very common in the United Kingdom now, the seeds companies are selling many plants direct to us, giving a head start. 

Many supermarkets, grocers and garden centres are also selling young plantlets but you need to get them planted up quickly or they outgrow the cells that they come in. 

Oh, to be able to grow pineapples and papaya! So jealous, so very very jealous. Your raised bed sounds lovely, you have done it perfectly, being able to reach everything in it from all sides. Too often, people make them too wide, then they need to stand on the soil to weed everywhere, which goes against the ethos of raised beds. No Standing On The Soil!

When you're not so healthy, an hour is plenty of time to garden. Unfortunately, my pain kicks in almost immediately I start gardening and I need to have a seat after 5 minutes because my back pain is so severe. I can do a little from seated, so I can toil on. 

Millie, I have to ask you something about the biggest fight we gardeners have in the UK-WEEDING! Do you have a continual fight against weeds? The best method of attack here is not to let them go to seed. One Year's Seed, Seven Year's Weed. That is always in my head while I am weeding, as is A Rolling Stone Gathers No Moss. 

Millie, I could go on for ages, thanks very much for getting me to talk about gardening, you have really raised my spirits, given me a real lift. I hope it's the same for you and everyone who reads this. 

Aloha

Tvman

Hi there,

For all you UK based gardeners out there, I spotted details of an offer from Gardeners World magazine in the Money Saving Expert newsletter and have put a link to the website page here.

It gives 2 for 1 entry to gardens and if you buy the £6.50 version of the magazine you get gardening gloves and 6 packets of seeds as well.

All the best,

Gragon. xx

Garden lifecycle is moving along now. 

Tulips are all dead, helped along by the aphid invasion last week! It was horrendous, some stems were an inch thick with the squishy green poppers! So out came the soapy water and ladybirds were ordered. I also smiled nicely at the workmen next door and they chopped down the mingling Elder tree that was growing out of the drain. Every year it grows mingling diseased leaves that end up covered in black greenfly. These then poo and die, which makes it all stink, which then attracts bluebottles. Its horrid. But its gone now! But not before the black and green buggers took some of my tomato and tomatillo plants with them!

But my seedlings have kept coming, and I've been planting them out as they do, so it's not looking toooooo shabby!

Front garden.... 

Back Garden..... 

So, the website is being difficult again. If you're seeing squares, you should be able to click on them to open the pics. If not, I'll link to the albums below if you want a nose through them as it shows them both from start to finish. 

You can see the front garden album here - https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10156080951116073&id=500581072 - just click on the album name and it should open.

The back garden album can be found here - https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10156076947826073&id=500581072

How are everyone else's gardens getting along? 

Lass

Xx

Hi Lass. Nice selection of plants there. I will take some of my garden tomorrow. Good to see you last week

Claire x

I will hopefully get a good crop of lots of things! So you never know, the next meet may involve fruit and veg being brought and palmed off if there's too much for me to eat! Lol

I'll look forward to seeing what you've got going on in yours. Especially with a name like Flower lady! 

Lass

Xx

My garden is looking splendid too. I’ll take fond pics tomorrow 

xx

Hi

 did promise some pics. It really is al so lovely in May

xx

Bugle plus daises

Last of the tulips

Comfrey

Poppies and a deciduous rhododendron

Hardy geranium

Veronica

Poppies

Peonies coming into flower

Golden hop

Aliums

Japanese acer