Garden in a Pot

Thursday, 24 February 2011

Wednesday, 23 February 2011

To everyone in Christchurch

In the wake of the devastating news from Christchurch, New Zealand, I'd like to express my sympathy for the victims of the earthquake. The news is horrific, but the speed at which the city has received help both domestically and internationally has been wonderful.

All our thoughts are with you. If anyone would like to make a donation at the Red Cross NZ, you can here: http://www.redcross.org.nz/donate
The Salvation Army is also taking in Donations.

Monday, 21 February 2011

Welcome Back

Hi everyone. After being away for more than a year, I'm back and ready to go again. A lot has been happening around the place including our building being painted, So my balcony is looking a bit different.
Aesthetically, I've now lost my blue wall and the rails are a dark grey. But the paint is nice and fresh, so I might wait for a bit before changing the colour again.
My plants weren't happy at all as they had to stay inside for a good part of six weeks as we didn't know when it was going to happen, and when they did start our section, it wasn't systematic so my poor plants were stuck in behind tinted glass all day. If they'd had feet, they'd have walked out. Instead, one sulked and lost all her leaves, all flowering stopped and parasites went on the rampage.
Once, the painters'd finished the main part, I spent a couple of days pruning, cleaning and getting rid of parasites. Then, finally, the painters finished completely and went away. The plants have now been trooped out and all have found homes. Some have gone back to their original spot. Most, however, have been given new ones. My Aloes and more hardy plants are now on the balcony next to my bedroom, where it is hotter and drier. Which has made more space for other plants that are starting to need more space of their own, including the Hibiscuses.
I've also been trying some more organic pesticides that I'll tell you about next week.