Phaedra's Garden 2022

[meadow]

The potato boxes are a wonderful idea! You have such good ideas, and your projects always inspire!

 

[Phaedra]

We can always do something from what we already had and develop the following from a small corner.

Yes, so I took another carton and added some more layers inside - anyway, I just need it for a few months, and I expect that the roots will soon hold the soil inside. So, ideally, the carton planters themselves are not so crucial in weeks.

1/3 filled with grass clipping that was dried for days - therefore, I don't worry about the weeds too much.

Mmm, not bad at all
The black planting bags were my birthday gift two or three years ago and were finally used this year. I hope the carton planters can work for crops that can be harvested in a shorter time.

All young okra plants are transplanted in this garden today. The temperature in Cologne will soon rise to 30 degrees C (86F) next week; I believe those plants will enjoy the high temperature here.

I also added two disassembled cartons to cover part of this small area to block weeds. As the covered area is a pathway, I might use the pruned materials (like the golden bell in the corner) as mulching.

I will keep using the chop and drop method for weeding and carton-planters for the rest areas for growing veggies and flowers.

 

[Rhodie Ranch]

So much inspiration!

 

[Phaedra]

Keep working; I got this head to dig holes on the plastic planter. It's originally a plastic raised bed, but the quality is pretty poor. Well, we all made mistakes and bought the wrong items. However, our experiences could still make things right again. I decided to remove its legs and drill more holes for better drainage.

Okay, now it is back on duty again. The parsley plants here are bought from the discounter. One small pot herb (basil, parsley, mint, and oregano are the items always available.) costs around one Euro. It's a common trick here to buy and then divide them.

Usually, one pot can be divided into 6-10 smaller pots. I put the split plants in the area (besides the staircase, no direct sunlight, very suitable for propagating cuttings.), and after a short time, they develop new roots well.

For me, this root status is good enough to be transplanted.

After working for a few more hours, mmm, the vegetable area in this garden also grows bigger.

Not everyone has such a chance to renovate the second garden, so I treasure and enjoy working in it very much. I cleaned up further; at least 60% of the garden is now a plain instead of a jungle. Now, the vegetables will grow while I am working on the other areas.

Tomorrow I will use the hardware cloth I used earlier to make the quail coop to support the peonies.

I will plant a row of peas along one side of the quail coop so the peas have a ready trellis to climb.

The jungle area, or we call it "wildlife corner" first? I can clean this area much later and use pots to plant Dahlias for some fascinating display.

 

[Phaedra]

Wildflower Patch in the Small Garden

I did this last year with the packaged seeds in our own garden, and the result is pretty okay. Last year, I collected seeds from the flowers and will try again in the small garden.

As they are wildflowers, I don't need to prepare a very perfect environment for them. I chose a half-shady area (the corner on the right side, behind the quail coop), cut all weeds, and covered one thick layer of dried grass clipping as temporary mulching.

I don't even cover this area with cartons because I don't care if those wildflower seeds have to compete with the weeds here. According to my experience last year, most of them will successfully germinate and grow up.

I mixed the collected seeds with soil, put a thick layer (soil with seeds) directly on the mulching materials, and then watered them. I will cover this small area with such things. As the weather remains dry, the only care I need for this area is to give water every two days.

 

[baymule]

Flowers bring bees and butterflies! Win for all. I love what you do in your garden.

 

[Rhodie Ranch]

I love her imperfect artisan gardens.

 

[Phaedra]

I worked in both gardens today and enjoyed arranging cut flowers and propagating softwood cuttings in the evening. In the past three years, I have collected six varieties of Lilac, plus the one that existed in the garden, now there are seven of them. They blossom in early to mid-May, elegant and fragrant.

Tulips are almost done, and I have cleaned up most of the flower heads to ensure no energy is wasted on producing seeds.

My paradise

Homegrown goodies

 

[Phaedra]

The last batch tulips this year

I really love the way a vertical planter like this can present.

Rhododendrons are waiting to get on the stage. I guess, in another two weeks they will be in full bloom.

This one is the birthday gift I bought for myself last year, a fragrant variety.

Magenta-colored Tree Rhododendrons

Vegetables everywhere, I like to collect a little bit of everything.

Strawberries are on the way.

Besides a Bird Cherry, I also got a volunteer purple-leaved filbert (Corylus maxima 'Purpurea'). The color of the foilage is amazingly pretty.

Kyoho grapes - already their third year
I bought two very young plants in 2019 spring. They grow quite quickly this spring, and it looks promising. Hopefully, I have the chance to get some nice grapes this year.

 

[ducks4you]

That's Quite a tool. I found THIS way to put drainage holes in plastic pots. Just FYI, bc the plastic won't crack.

How To Make A Hole In Plastic Without Cracking It: Working With Plastic DIY

Click here if you want to know how to make a hole in plastic without cracking it, plastic maintenance and repair.

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