Phaedra's Garden 2022

[Phaedra]

A New Year!

My first gardening work started last Saturday, to clean the small front garden in my FIL's house. There is still much to be done, but it already looks much better after the initial cleaning.

Those ground-covering Ivy plants also need some good trimming.

Mmm, much better!

 

[baymule]

Yes it does look much better! You do good work!

 

[Phaedra]

The flowers in my FIL's kitchen - so charming

Watching them grow brings him joy and calmness.

These two weeks, I was in fact a bit upset after realizing that the medicine he takes every day is a disaster.

I am very used to checking everything on the prescription from doctors. I won't say I didn't trust the doctors but knowing what medicine I take is my own responsibility. Therefore, I can't understand how my husband prepares the medicine without any doubt or curiosity to check what kind of medicine his dad is taking.

One day I noticed that the content of daily medicine is not the same; My husband told me they would look different when they are from other pharmaceutical companies. Okay, but even the number of the pills is not the same. Some have 4, and the others have 5? He couldn't explain it, so I decided to take this mission from him.

Then the nightmare begins. One of the pills is a strong painkiller, and my FIL takes that every day. I have no idea when and why the previous doctor (retired now) issued such treatment, but no one should take strong painkillers daily. The adverse side effects brought him another antipsychotic drug (and more side effects). I was kind of horrified.

Long story short - I asked my husband to arrange an appointment with the new family physician (whose background is cardiology) and gave him what I have observed these few weeks. After the long discussion yesterday, the physician also agreed that both drugs are improper and should be removed - Tilidine, the painkiller, must be reduced gradually, and Melperone immediately.

Well, I feel relieved to kick out those weird drugs.

The renovation keeps going on, too. The electrician came today to install several new lights. The 'dark age' of the ground floor in this house is officially over.

The corner in the living room - it was once full of useless stuff and trash.

Now it becomes the first coffee corner in this house.

Still, a long way to go - but I am optimistic about each tomorrow.

 

[Cosmo spring garden]

I always get excited when I see your posts! I love all the pictures of before and after

 

[flowerbug]

i'm always wary of taking drugs of any kind and am glad you had things looked into. i hope that will help your FIL feel much better.

 

[Phaedra]

After removing the Christmas decoration, I hang this wreath on the front door. I love the simple but graceful tone.

My old raised bed is still there - with some quick weeding, new inhabitants moved in. It's much warmer in the city than in our town, should be okay for these frost-hardy brassicas.

The daffodils are also much quicker than ours here.

 

[Phaedra]

The sowing for the year 2022 starts tonight! I soaked those broad beans last evening, so it's the last thing I accomplished before going to bed. They (broad beans and cherry radishes) are sent into the boiler room for germination.

The variety of broad beans I picked this year is very frost-hardy, so I believe they can be transplanted in early March. My major target is their leaves instead of the beans. Besides, some plants will be used for the chicken feed.

Young arrowwood and hellebore (purchased in 2021) have blossomed; how charming.

 

[Phaedra]

Those beauties are ready for their showtime under my Sweet Osmanthus and lemon trees in the greenhouse.

Tiny wild tulips

The weather was good for around one hour in the afternoon, and I decided to transplant some veggies from the greenhouse. They grew very slowly in the past two months, but I still harvested a good amount of leaves for salad. Besides, their root systems developed very well. The weather is relatively mild in the coming ten days, so that those frost-hardy veggies would enjoy a good time in the raised beds. When intense frost visits again later, I will quickly set up a fleece tent for them.

The transplantation is very easy because I planted them in deep trays - it's pretty similar to growing them in more giant soil blocks.

I kept harvesting the outer leaves, so the plants remained smaller. Theoretically, this condition is also helpful in reducing potential frost damage.

The spring sowing will start about mid-Feb; the autumn-sowed plants will be quickly transplanted in both gardens.

Two different methods work well - either using small pots or planting in deep trays.

After one hour, it started raining. I brought all the grubs to the chickens as their high-protein treats - a wonderful afternoon for all.

 

[baymule]

Is your winter already turning to spring? I have ice/ snow and below freezing. But it should be gone in less than a week. February is usually the coldest month. I just hope we don’t get another storm.

Wild tulips? Awesome. If I plant tulips here, they only are good for that season. But daffodils and narcissus come back year after year.

 

[Phaedra]

Is your winter already turning to spring? I have ice/ snow and below freezing. But it should be gone in less than a week. February is usually the coldest month. I just hope we don’t get another storm.

Wild tulips? Awesome. If I plant tulips here, they only are good for that season. But daffodils and narcissus come back year after year.

It seems that we won't have a freezing winter this year, but it still rains a lot.

The weather forecast for the coming two weeks is relatively mild, and the sunshine duration is also longer. So I will start sowing soon.

Most of the tulips here are also just good for the first year. This wild tulip is tiny, and its flower is smaller than an olive. I planted them (just 3) last year, and they came back successfully.