How does your garden grow?

sharpchick said:

How cool, Le Vert. It looks like you are very creative with containers. I do quite a bit of container gardening, too, but I am not nearly as good with the combinations of plants in one container.

Click to expand...

ThanksI'm just trying.learning by mistake

succulent plants don't need much waters and they prefer sunny corner
Though here in Japan,it is coming a rainy season named 'tsuyu'...(Anyway it doesn't rain all the time in the period, and SOMETIMES the weather is nice.)but I am hoping it'll end soon.

I love my garden

Hi guys, I'm new to this section (havent had time to check them all yet). What a great thread, and the pics too!

I live on the central east coast of Australia, which is subtropical. In a fairly narrow but steep valley, borded to the north by a steep escarpment and waterfalls, rainforest and World Heritage rainforest areas. The mountains here are close to the coast and form a boundary for many north / south species of plants and animals, hence both can thrive.

Our property (its a community) grows various citrus, avacado, bananas, macadamia, bunya and pecan nuts, numerous native food trees and various gardens (we also make tofu and tempeh).

My own little garden has a permanent and a changing section. The permanent section is the cabin surrounds which is a gnarly and twisted grove of Turpintine trees and bloodwoods. Further out are various species of bamboo, native plants, orchids, bromilliads (Ive become a bit of a bromilliad breeder) and lots of other stuff. [Including a few pet pine trees cause I luv em]

The other part is the vegie and herb section and that changes from time to time, now winter I have broccolli, med. parsley, peas, corriander galore, various Thai herbs (Im a cook) lettuce, tomatoe, yarrow. Its an interesting experiemnt as its winter and I am not sure how they will handle it.

Here are some hints I have found helpfull latley, especially in the cold weather.
To boost seedlings, water them early with warm water, better still use soda water, and better warm soda (it has dissolved CO2 in it, thats what plants breath.) if you have access to it put a few drops of colloidal silver in water.

I love making my own compost! but this threads getting a little long.

I want to make a circle garden with different crystals for different sections that focus the moonlight on the garden through the crystal and observe the results.

Its all so wonderfully alchemical!

You can get some pics of the environment at www.bellingen.com/homeland

and plants at www.bellingen.com/homeland/Flora.html

Wow that was fascinating Ravenest. Thanks for the link

Ravennest~I have never heard of using soda water for seedlings...I am very bad with most seeds, I only seem to be able to handle nasturstiums, and they dont do very well in the climate i live in ( too hot and too humid).

My next go with seeds will be hollyhocks, I have seen some beautiful examples in neighborhoods around me and understand that if i plant in the autumn they will bloom in the summer. So I am going to try and prepare a spot and then put them in. With any luck they will look like this http://vtgcrec.ifas.ufl.edu/pages/HOLLIS GARDENS/Hollis-3-19-03/Library-hollyhock.JPG

Catti

I dont see why you should be bad with seeds. Maybe the seeds are not good quality? They have an inbuilt programme and if you give them the basic requirements, they should germinate.

In which way are you bad? How many seeds to you set out for how many plants? When, where and in what (medium) do you raise them? Do you kick start them at the right moon time? Do you soak them in water 24hrs, before hand. It could be a simple adjustment in one of these processes and then ... you will be very good with seeds

Some Australian native seeds will not germinate until they have been fired!

Catti , Hollyhocks are beautiful, I bought some seeds about 10 years ago at Hever Castle in Kent, (Anne Boleyn's home) and they really thrived for about 8 years, then they got rust, which is a hazard to hollyhocks. Enjoy yours!!

I have an herb garden in pots in my front yard. I also have a birdbath, garden gnomes a fairy statue with windchimes, I try to keep the birdbath filled with clean water, but it doesn't always work out that way.

Anyway.....

My herbs are doing really well and growing really tall. Even my oregano is
sprouting really nicely. My thyme needs a little work, but other wise all is
well on this herb front !!!

Oh, I have Rosemary, Spearmint, French Lavender, Basil, Oregano, and Thyme.

NJ Garden

In my front yard, I have three lavender plants, they are getting leggy from
all the rain. In my side yard I have oregano, italian flat parsley,
basil, lemon balm, bee balm, peppermint, spearmint. They are doing good,
my parsley lasts all winter and seeds itself in the spring. I live in NJ.
I am also growing yellow grape tomatoes, plum tomatoes, beefsteak tomatoes,
argula, red lettuce, romaine lettuce, stringbeans, cucumbers, italian eggplant
and white eggplant, I have sunflowers in the front of the garden. I have
three blueberry bushes, they are only three years old, the birds ate all the
blueberries from the bush. They are doing well this year, since my husband
mulched them. I planted the sunflower from seeds and they are doing good.
I planted sweetpeas and they are not doing good. Oh Well.
Leleii

Roses

I forget...My climbing roses that is totally wild and out of control but
blooms so beautifully. With all the rains that we are having had a short
bloom time this year. I was so disappointed. The roses has such a short
time to bloom and this year it was even shorter. I am thinking of planting
more roses on the east side of my house. I have two old rose bushes on that
side of the house. I want roses that has rosehips in the fall.
I love roses, they are my favorite. In May when I was food shopping, they had
peony bushes on sale. I love peonies and I bought one. I planted it this spring and it is doing well. I hope that next year it will have flowers on it. It is a red
peony bush. I have a large day lily plant that I saved. I bought it at Shoprite because I felt sorry for it. Now it is a huge bush, it is blooming now, in the fall I have to divide it or rather my husband had to divide it.
Leleii

Hey, maybe someone can help since this topic is on gardens. I have a small apartment with low to medium light. I have no direct sunlight. So, I know I am limited on what I can grow. However, has anyone run into the problem- you would like to grow an indoor garden but, have limited space and low to medium light sun exposure . Any suggestions would help- thanks!