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!

 

[Phaedra]

This left side of front yard, time to evolve. It belongs to our neighbor, but she said I can handle that (like previous owners).

Earlier last month, I have already transformed the right half into a VIP table for the cafe customers (of course, also ourselves). This corner receives sunlight from the east and west nicely, however, the previous house owner grow many cover plants that are already difficult to remove. So, I decided to use plastic planters on the difficult areas. So far, everything is growing well.

For the easier area, I dug out plants I don't like and grow new ones. Now, it's time to transform the other half.

Stage one done, let's wait for a few weeks and see how these plants adapt.

 

[Phaedra]

Young fruit trees in the main garden are bearing fruits nicely this year.

Pears

Currants propagated from cuttings, finally bearing fruits

Peach, finally

Gooseberry propagated from cuttings also starts producing

more pears (my love)

Honeyberry, finally, I didn't know it needs two plants

Japanese plum -first fruit~

 

[Phaedra]

Flowers are doing great this year, too - now is the time for Iris and Lupine. Rose, Delphiniuim, Yarrow, Shasta Daisy, Daylily, Sweet William, Chamomile, and Valerian are doing the last preparation.

Absolutely gorgeous

Roses are about to blossom, too.

Elderberry (white), the dark red variety is a bit slower.

 

[Anniekay]

@Phaedra You have a very lovely garden and your food made my mouth water !!

 

[Phaedra]

@Phaedra You have a very lovely garden and your food made my mouth water !!

Thank you, the garden is a lifelong classroom and so much fun!

 

[Phaedra]

These two days, I worked in this small pathway to the main garden. I never really paid attention to this pathway since we move in. It was taken as a place for the trash bins, ladder, pallets, and plants to die down.

DH was responsible for this pathway, but it's a meaningless chore for him. What he did is cutting the hedge, with minimum effort to clean the debris. It's totally fine, as I didn't spend any minute here, his effort counts.

However, as I rearranged the front yard and had more time to sit besides the new water feature and flower bed, I see this pathway all the time. Realising that this pathway has sufficient morning sunlight for at least 4 good hours, it will be an ideal place for leafy greens during summer time as there is no sunlight after 13pm. Time to make it alive.

First, we moved one plastic planter for accomodating self-seeded letteuces.

Helpers on board
A long 'way' to go - but not too bad as no direct sunlight here in the afternoon.

Keep cutting, trimming, cleanining...

Faithful helpers

Eventually, there will be 3 planters (now 2 already), and I will plant one maple, one rose (queen of sweden) and another hydrenga.
A small compost bin was settled to collecting compost from cafe, this pathway, and the front yard. We also plan to add one rain barrel and build a pallet wood trash bin screen, which can be multi-functional,too.

I already enjoy the current result, and would absolutely like to keep doing such 'renovations' corner by corner, patch by patch - with their own microclimate conditions.