The Plant Thread

[BlackCurtains]

Ben is just out of control He's become very vine-like.

[Ponyfan]

I'd love to see pics of your new plants, Beth.  I'd also like to see Ben. 

I learned the other day that basil is a member of the mint family.

I'm hoping to repot Mint 2 this weekend.



Ponyfan

[Beth3346]

Here's a photo of them. I had to move the mint because it got soaked during the storm we had today. it was under the TV antennae and i think some water must have been coming off the roof and somehow getting funneled onto the mint plant. i think i rescued it in time.

please excuse the hose strewn across the lawn

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[BlackCurtains]

Looking good! What's the droopy grass looking one? Chives?

Here's Ben and the catnip. They both bump into the window now so I had to move the pots back and I turned the catnip around.

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[Beth3346]

Ben is huge!

Yeah they're chives. i need to harvest some but i'm waiting until the next time i make mashed potatoes.

the empty pot will have some cilantro but i'm waiting on the seeds to be delivered. i want more plants but the pots are expensive so i'll need to add slowly.

[Artemesia's Garden]

I learned the other day that basil is a member of the mint family.

Cheers I didn't know that. So many useful plants in that family...

[Ponyfan]

Your plants look great, BC and Beth.   Are chives easy to grow?

Here's this week's pics of the mints.  Mint 2 has been repotted.  The first pot I picked out for Mint 2 was too small, so I had to get a larger one.  Luckily, we have a lot of flowerpots in the yard.  I also had to get more potting soil as Mint 2 took up all that was left in the bag.  Mint 2's roots were starting to come out of the drain hole of its original pot.

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Mint 1

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Mint 2 in new pot.


Mint 1 also needs to be repotted soon.

Cheers I didn't know that. So many useful plants in that family...

I didn't know that either. Maybe that explains why basil grows so easily.


Ponyfan

[Artemesia's Garden]

Everyone's plants are looking great! Ponyfan, I really like that flowery pot you have, I think it's cute and the mint looks very happy in it. The grey pot is nice too. They both look as though they have settled in.

Some of my plants are in a less than ideal situation and need better support, more space, a bigger pot. The cheeseplant needs to be hung from the ceiling from a hook some time. Maybe I should try to find a wall bracket. The orchid in the bathroom is sitting on the curved lid of my loo (the cistern not the seat ha ha) and is always in danger of sliding off. I guess it's partly the time of year too and the fact that things have grown big outside over the summer and we have no room to take them in. So the plants are just perching where they can. I'm not sure they mind too much. The one that's really good is a pot with three plants in it that sits on a bedside table. It's like a tiny forest with a small peace lily (filler), small tradescantia (spiller) and single stem of Ficus alii (pillar). I should take a photo of it sometime.

[Beth3346]

@Ponyfan i've managed to keep the chives alive so i don't think they're that difficult. i grew them from seed in a smaller pot and i had to repot them. they're the only survivors from the plants i had at the other house. all were plants i tried to grow from seedlings. just for reference i'm in the Austin area so the climate is fairly dry and hot. i water them every other day or so unless it rains. if it rains i don't water them.

i removed more weeds today and yesterday. pulling weeds is hard! especially when they are out of control. my yard does look better though. it's also a great reason to be outside. it's still a little hotter than i would prefer but i'm looking forward to fall.

[BlackCurtains]

I got a cat grass regrow kit so my little kitty planter is repotted now. It has to stay in a semi dark area for a few days until it sprouts. I love the soil disks that come with it. They're neat to watch after you add the water

eta: I didn't know that about basil either. I wonder if that's why the smell sort of bothers me. I'm allergic to mint, but not like omg I'm gonna die allergic. I can eat it, it just irritates my sinuses and throat. I don't find that to be the case with the basil though.

[Ponyfan]

Thanks, everyone.  Mint 2 has gone in to a bit of shock from being repotted.  I noticed that part of the new growth looks like it is dying.  I'm sure it will recover though once it gets used to the new pot.

It took a whole pitcher of water to water Mint 2 in its new pot. Before I could fill up the pitcher, water both plants and usually have some water left over.


Ponyfan

[BlackCurtains]

Oh man, I just lifted up the pots to put stronger cardboard under them and the spot under Ben is all moldy! Worse it went through the paper and onto the cat tree fur. I picked off as much as I could but I'll have to wash it. Luckily it is removable.

I still want to switch out my bench I've just been lazy about it.

[Beth3346]

i think a significant portion of the grass in my backyard didn't take before the drought and has died. so i'm going to look into replacing the dead portions with gravel and/or stone. i certainly don't want dead grass and the dogs keep digging for bugs.

i want to move to more drought resistant landscaping anyway since i don't think water restrictions are going anywhere. i think it's something i can do myself but i need to plan it out. i tend to just want to jump into a project and then i end up with stuff i don't use. so i have to temper my enthusiasm and do some planning.

i also want to add some flowerbeds on the part of the yard that gets lots of sunlight and some pathways on the side of the house. ugh i think have unrealistic expectations about gardening for books i read as a kid i need to win the lottery or something.

i also need dog proof landscaping and decorations. i had some faire lights on the fence and Luna managed to break off the solar panel. then she brought it to me like it was a treasure maybe i need to wait until she grows up a little.

[Artemesia's Garden]

i think a significant portion of the grass in my backyard didn't take before the drought and has died. so i'm going to look into replacing the dead portions with gravel and/or stone. i certainly don't want dead grass and the dogs keep digging for bugs.

i want to move to more drought resistant landscaping anyway since i don't think water restrictions are going anywhere. i think it's something i can do myself but i need to plan it out. i tend to just want to jump into a project and then i end up with stuff i don't use. so i have to temper my enthusiasm and do some planning.

i also want to add some flowerbeds on the part of the yard that gets lots of sunlight and some pathways on the side of the house. ugh i think have unrealistic expectations about gardening for books i read as a kid i need to win the lottery or something.

i also need dog proof landscaping and decorations. i had some faire lights on the fence and Luna managed to break off the solar panel. then she brought it to me like it was a treasure maybe i need to wait until she grows up a little.

I have massively unrealistic expectations all the time! I think you have to keep dreaming anyway. We just got quoted £3500 to do a patio that's only about 4 x 7m. Completely absurd. I think we will have to get this small area done to make it safe for the baby, but not until next year. The rest of our garden is DIY. The site was such a mess that it's taken a whole year to clear the overgrowth and rubbish, but we also found paving slabs, a mess of gravel (which needed to be sieved) and we also had a lot of brushwood to make chippings. So overalll we bought tools, a domestic chipper and a lot of landscaping fabric but we recycled a lot of stuff as well. We made a shed base, small seating area, a few bark paths and a gravel area to park the caravan. It's not as dry here as where you are though so we will try some 'lawn' even if it's more like native grasses with drought tolerant little plants dotted about. I guess you don't have a lot of old stuff lying around to recycle?

[Beth3346]

your yard sounds really nice Artie

our house is new construction so nothing to clean up except weeds and the dead grass. the downside is that all we have in the backyard is new sod and a small covered patio. we opted to get a smaller patio since having the builder extend it would have taken away from the square footage of the house. we definitely need to extend the covered patio at some point because a good rainstorm soaks everything on the patio. but i know that will be expensive so for now just a dream.

yeah when i look at the price of material it seems fine until i calculate the total i need for the area. then i have to come back to earth. it's like looking at flooring for the house.

the new sod in the front yard is doing well and most of the back is fine. but there is a portion that is under the neighbor's oak tree that doesn't get much sun. i love the tree and it was one of the reasons we chose the lot. i want to pull up the dead grass and add paving stones or gravel. i really want a table out there but there may be a bird poo issue also the area close to the house has some dead grass.

i think i need to prioritize and work on one area at a time. it's definitely more cost effective to DIY so we'll be going that route wherever possible. i made good progress in the front yard but i need to finish the mulch. most of the weeds are gone though. except for that big thistle. i'm bad about trying to start new projects before i finish others. i like doing projects around the house. i'm not great at it but i'm learning. i wish i could train Luna to help me dig.