Phaedra's 2025 Journey

[SPedigrees]

Mother Nature is surely smiling upon you, Phaedra. You are a true artist of garden landscapes.

 

[Phaedra]

After some hours of cleaning, the big pond area look nice again, can't wait to enjoy the quiet morning in another couple of hours.

Azalea and Rhododendron are about to blossom.

The first Lupin this year, the pink ones

Flowers for the tables outside the café

A lot of mints - i use them for making mint syrup - can be used for many many deserts and drinks

 

[Phaedra]

I didn't sow any salad green this spring, but I got some from Lidl (with roots, i guess they were from greenhouse + hydroponics). I harvested the outer leaves and then transplanted them. Later on, I also got some seedlings from Aldi - so I have about two dozens of salad plants now - in different stages.

Two weeks ago, I realized there are some self-seeded young plants from the lettuces I let flower last year. I dug them out and potted them in 7cm nursery pots. Two weeks later, they are ready to be transplanted again.

I love it, I will let some flower and seed again this year, haha. In fact, this year, I did such things very happily - hunting volunteering plants --> relocating and transplanting them --> enjoy!

Same for Basils, I got one pot from Lidl, which I:
1. pinched the tops to encourage the side shoots
2. divided into 14 smaller pots, each has 2-4 plants
3. repotted and fed (seaweed extract), let rest in greenhouse for two weeks
4. transplanted into different locations

Timing and recommended procedure are important for gardening, yes, 100% agree; however, garden isn't the place to produce guiltiness, which is harmful for our health, totally opposite to its original purpose. For me, garden should be a place where we can practice 'balance' - figuring out the best solution based on the current situation, conditions, and constraints. Only so, gardening itself nourishes us, isn't it?

I am grateful that I have a garden to enjoy, to learn, and to explore.

The fresh salad greens - 15 steps away from the cafe, very fresh. The rinsing water returned immediately for watering them.

This is what I offer today during lunch service hours, with homemade bread (toasted with butter), curry meatballs, potato puree, pan-roasted asparagus, and a vibrant daily salad - served with mint + pineapple sparkling water.

And my 'mobile' office this morning, haha.

 

[Dahlia]

I didn't sow any salad green this spring, but I got some from Lidl (with roots, i guess they were from greenhouse + hydroponics). I harvested the outer leaves and then transplanted them. Later on, I also got some seedlings from Aldi - so I have about two dozens of salad plants now - in different stages.
View attachment 74830

View attachment 74831

Two weeks ago, I realized there are some self-seeded young plants from the lettuces I let flower last year. I dug them out and potted them in 7cm nursery pots. Two weeks later, they are ready to be transplanted again.

I love it, I will let some flower and seed again this year, haha. In fact, this year, I did such things very happily - hunting volunteering plants --> relocating and transplanting them --> enjoy!
View attachment 74832
Same for Basils, I got one pot from Lidl, which I:
1. pinched the tops to encourage the side shoots
2. divided into 14 smaller pots, each has 2-4 plants
3. repotted and fed (seaweed extract), let rest in greenhouse for two weeks
4. transplanted into different locations
View attachment 74834


Timing and recommended procedure are important for gardening, yes, 100% agree; however, garden isn't the place to produce guiltiness, which is harmful for our health, totally opposite to its original purpose. For me, garden should be a place where we can practice 'balance' - figuring out the best solution based on the current situation, conditions, and constraints. Only so, gardening itself nourishes us, isn't it?

I am grateful that I have a garden to enjoy, to learn, and to explore.

The fresh salad greens - 15 steps away from the cafe, very fresh. The rinsing water returned immediately for watering them.
View attachment 74837

This is what I offer today during lunch service hours, with homemade bread (toasted with butter), curry meatballs, potato puree, pan-roasted asparagus, and a vibrant daily salad - served with mint + pineapple sparkling water.
View attachment 74836

And my 'mobile' office this morning, haha.
View attachment 74838

I love the pics you share! The colors are so beautiful! You truly are talented! I can see why your cafe is such a great success! What a lovely nook of the earth to stop in for a bite!