sábado, 7 de abril de 2012

Going green... and pink!

These are some of the things that have kept my busy and happy... my "green garden"!

Last year when I started thinking about it I Was told I was being silly, what's the point? If only we had a real garden... It didn't make sense, I was told. I I was quiet about it and kept the idea in the back of my mind. With the economy getting harder and people managing to struggle, they are coming up with ways to save some money and I found tons of photos and ideas that made my heart jump in joy... yes, it is possible to have a green garden in a balcony! 

So I decided...heck, I want one! I want to get my hands dirty in the ground, to pluck out the old leaves water them and see them growing day by day, and above all, to feel the joy of picking your own vegetables just before lunch or dinner and eating what you so caringly have raised!


I particularly liked an image of a wooden palet turned into shelves for herbs. A friend of mine from work thought it was a funny idea and offered me the palet from her husband's company.



I've been using up new and old vases and even large water bottles as vases to hold the plants... My hydrangeas now sit next to baby leaf lettuces and scalions, on the rack there are 4 strawberry plants blooming away and a few more just seeded today.



The seashells decorate the vase of the gingerroots and the basil is thriving in the red pot... in the back, there are some plants budding from seeds that I gathered last year from a plant I don't know that gives out the most gorgeous little flowers, all colors in the same plant! Maybe when they bloom you can help me identify them :) and in the blue pot I just planted some sweet peas today, hopefully they'll make it too :)


The hydrangeas are looking lovelier by the day sitting next to a little palm tree and a vase that's waiting for the tomato plants.



A catus peeking out the balcony, next to the bush of lemon verbena--I don't think I've ever seen it looking so nice, could it be it's enjoying the new company of the other plants? Especially the potatoes that decided to sprout from the peels I put in a vase for compost?!



I even have my very own potting and srpouting bench, recycling old  pet water bottles and plastic icecream boxes for little nurseries (they work! perfectly!) for more lettuce, tomatoes and even rucula (aragula, is that what you call it?)



This was today's acquisition. Peppermint, lavender and rosemary.



In one of the hydrangea vases there are some tiny little plants developing. I have no idea what they are. Probably just some seeds I threw in there, some day. Believing nothing would come of them because they were past their expiration date. But they did. And there are tiny little flowers beginning to show up--could they be forget-me-nots, I have a slight recollection of buying some seeds long ago?



The hydrangea don't seem to mind them at all, in fact they are the largest and prettiest so far...



But all of them are beginning to show their blooms :)



Another acquisition from today... I've always loved those balconies with hanging petunias (here's to you, Annette! :) ) and today I got one to mix in with the other hanging plants. They look drab now, next to the bright petunias... but they'll look better soon :)

So far we've had a few lettuce salads with coriander and basil, I've made lemon grass and verbena teas, and can't wait for the new babies to grow :) 

On the eve of Easter...I thought this would be appropriate as a sign of rebirth and renewal.

Happy Easter, everyone XXX

16 comentários:

  1. No doubt that you should have your garden on the balcony! You obviously have a green thumb! Beautiful plants with wonderful variety...I enjoyed reading about your luscious garden!

    :)

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    Respostas
    1. Thank you Pooch! It's so much fun to do this... I do wish I had more space but can't complain because it is a relatively large balcony :) and it gives me much joy!
      xxx

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  2. Your little garden looks lovely! I think it's going to bring you a lot of joy when you see everything growing up and your balcony turns into a green paradise. Little fruittrees will do it also very good!

    Happy easter to you too!

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    Respostas
    1. That sounds like a great idea! I'll have to go to my local plant supplier to see if I can find any fuit trees...while I still have space for them lol :D

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  3. I love it! Whilst I am fortunate to have a garden, I do take such joy from cultivating and caring for the plants in our porch area and seeing plants bloom from bulbs and seeds is such a joy. I have wanted a herb garden for a year now and seeing what you have achieved has given me the impetus to get going! The trouble with doing so in the garden is the inevitability that the birds and mice will get there before we do. Last year we gave up trying to get a strawberry and just took pleasure in watching the mouse running up and down the pole to reach the hanging baskets which had the strawberries growing in them.

    Your balcony garden is wonderful and I hope you enjoy everything it produces x

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    Respostas
    1. That is so funny MemeRose :D I can't imagine mice running away with the strawberries (the fact is my cat would love it though... 'cos then she'd chase the mouse with the strawberry!) But I do have to try to keep Pantera away from the lettuces because she thinks they're tasty too :)
      Can't wait to see your herb garden too!
      XXX

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  4. Wowwwwwwww Teresa, it looks so good and beautiful and healthy too....I love the balcony...can you sit there between the plants ? or no more place left ? LOL

    Well done ....

    Love
    Marjo

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    Respostas
    1. I can sit there, yes!!! WE can sit there, when you come here :D just need to get some chairs out there and a couple of glasses with cold drinks and we'll feel we're in the countryside :D (just kidding! For that we'll go to Dad's place!)
      XXX

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  5. what an absolutely wonderful garden you have there. well done for not listening to the nay sayers and just doing what you knew you could...it's fabulous!!!

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    Respostas
    1. Lol Marilyn thank you!... I don't know if it's because I'm a stubborn Leo... or because I hate it when people tell me I can't do something and nothing sets me off like when that happens with something harmless that will make me happy! So... here it is! :D and I do hope I don't slow down on this and it will become a real green healthy and pretty urban jungle :D
      XXX

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  6. Happy Easter Teresa, love all you have done on your balcony. Beautiful!
    Meredith

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    Respostas
    1. Thank you, dear friend :) It's one of my little corners of heaven on Earth, Meredith :) Since I can't have a garden... I have the near best thing, a balcony garden!
      XX

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  7. I think its a fantastic idea and it looks great. You gave me the idea to put pots on my front deck last year and I loved it SO much. You have great ideas!!
    Happy Easter
    xx, Carol

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    Respostas
    1. Plants and green things make me happy... All of this makes me feel good! I'm so happy you like my ideas :D
      Happy Easter to you too, dear friend
      xxx

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  8. AWW i love youre green stuff :) good for you not to listen to the no no not make any sense haha im told that all the time but i know what i have in my head and sometimes i just need to not make sense :)

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  9. Hello, my darling blog friend! Here's the story. I thought of you today and realized I haven't seen you post in awhile, so came over to your blog to see if I had missed something. Looking again at your Hello Kitty post, I enjoyed it all over again and then scrolled down to the comments. It was then that I saw your response to my comment...asking if I'd seen this post! Well, no, I hadn't! So I came over here, enjoyed your adorable garden, photo by photo...and then saw my mention! Thank you...and I'm SOOOOO sorry I missed this initially! Tell me, have your Sweet Peas taken off and thrived? I SO adore that blossom! Such a heavenly scent! I can't grow them here - used to have them in my other location (on the other side of the U.S.) and miss them terribly! Hope you're ok - and just too busy for bloggy type things. Life gets in the way of all the fun things sometimes! Sending you hugs and love, Teresa.

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It's always great to read your comments! :) Thank you!

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