14 Apr 2018

Six on Saturday: In a very happy place

The past week seems to have sped past, and this morning I'm definitely in my happy place having woken up to clear blue skies. Those have now turned to the promised 'light cloud' - weatherspeak for grey with a hint of occasional sun - but it's dry, bright, and I have a free day ahead - perfect! Six things that have contributed to happiness this week ...


~ looks very crowded at ground level but I can see lots of gaps for annuals from above 😊 ~



1- On Monday the scaffolding surrounding my block of flats started to be taken down. The white safety netting had clouded my view for the past five+ months while the roof was retiled. Day one revealed the sky and let light onto my balcony and by Tuesday I could see out again. By Wednesday, the middle garden came into view fully for the first time since November and I could get a clearer idea of what needs doing. Bizarrely, I've been feeling rather exposed without the netting; funny how we get used to things.



2- The avocado stone which was planted during a workshop 'How to successfully grow an avocado' in October last year, finally cracked and started growing four weeks ago - only five months of patience required and, actually, pretty thrilling. This past week four leaves have unfurled from a sturdy stem. I am vindicated and a good houseplant grower at last.


~ Here's a few I made earlier ... ~
3- I have discovered a new and surprisingly soothing pastime - making paper pots while watching tv. I usually catch up with a few crime dramas (my fave) on the weekend but single tasking doesn't suit me so I got out the new paper pot maker and soon had rather a lot of empty vessels for my seed sowing. What joy!


4- Part of the ongoing renovations here include making good and repainting the concrete areas of my balcony. So the crumbling built in windowbox has been emptied of soil, repaired and repainted in bright white, and consequently made a disgrace of my efforts at painting the rest of the brickwork a few years back. Cue: kind painters to the rescue with a large water bottle filled with free paint.  I've cleared the tiny balcony so I'll repaint it today and will then put up lots of shelves for container salad and herbs. Expect a Show and Tell when it's done!



5- Yesterday I went to the new Ascot Spring Garden Show, held at the racecourse in Berkshire. That in itself gave me a very good reason to be happy, but as there were so many excellent nurseries there, it would have been silly not to take a look, wouldn't it?  This morning I've spent a happy five minutes potting up the three tiny succulents that leapt into my basket yesterday.  Don't they look lovely? They were bought for my son to fill his empty Bonsai dish but I can feel myself getting rather fond of them.




6- Also highly related to yesterday's garden show, sitting downstairs in the garden are two trays of herbs, a white peony, a variegated eryngium and variegated leaf iris waiting to be planted today. Just writing that list makes my heart flutter - not, I hasten to add, because of the ££ spent but I'm just thinking of the loveliness to come. Pay it Forward happiness, for sure.


Linking to #SixonSaturday hosted by The Propagator blog. Six garden related happenings posted on a Saturday for a bit of fun. Hop over to find a few more Sixes and maybe to join in!




16 comments:

  1. We’ve had a bright, sunny and dry day too. Doesn’t it make a difference? The netting coming down must have made it doubly bright and cheerful!

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    1. Haha!, Yes you're right, Sue. White netting was better than green or blue but did give the impression of living in permanent fog. Once it came off, I kept wandering on to the balcony in amazement at how bright it was out there! I bet you enjoyed the better weather - about time, in your part of the country!

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  2. Hope that you had a productive Saturday Caro. How exciting to see a plant emerging from a stone!

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    1. Hi Anna, I'm hoping that it will be a productive week as brighter weather is forecast - bit chilly out this morning though! It was very exciting to see things happening at last with my avocado pit; I'd seen a healthy root poking through a couple of months ago so hoped the stone would germinate. It's where I can see it now and I love it! :)

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    Replies
    1. Thank you. Glad you enjoyed your visit here.

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  4. Shropshire has been bathed in much needed sunshine too.
    I love your patience with your avocado stone, sometimes the temptation to grow something a little different is hard to resist for many gardeners who like to play the long game. Well done on your house plant success!

    Angela - Garden Tea Cakes and Me

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    1. Thanks Angela, I was sorely tempted to give up on the avocado stone, having been told it would take just a few weeks to start growing! Obviously that person lives in a warmer house than mine. I now feel ready to tackle the coffee plant seeds that my son bought me for christmas. :))

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  5. You're right, there's plenty of room in that garden. Think another trip to the nursery might be required. Or filling up all those lovely pots. what size does your pot maker go up to?

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    1. Pots filled last night during catch up TV. I'm late sowing seeds as I held back during the cold weather - plants would have been too leggy grown indoors while the scaffolding was up. The pot maker sizes are small 3cm, medium 4.5cm and large 6cm diameter. I used the small for tomatoes, aubergines, cape gooseberries and the large for squash and gourd seeds. I've put peas in the medium size to let them germinate indoors.

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  6. Fab,lots going on there. is your garden a shared space, or do you own It?

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    1. The garden areas here are all part of the estate owned and managed by a housing association but tenants can look after the wide borders under their windows or take on one of the small allotment gardens or look after a gated area. So, technically, all the gardens I look after (veg patch, middle garden and a couple of the big borders) are all accessible but neighbours generally respect who's doing the work and leave the gardens alone. So, for now, they're 'mine'. And if neighbours want to come out and help (sometimes happens!) then they're welcome. Sorry, that was a very long winded answer!!

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  7. The light coming in alone would have made me happy, but I loved all six! That succulent planting in the bonsai dish has me thinking of doing the same with my old dishes languishing somewhere! Marvelous about the avocado too, mine died while I was away, i'm hoping it comes back as it's still in the greenhouse.I can see where your gaps are, thank goodness for that....otherwise where would you plant your new seedling? love your new purchases!xxx

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    1. Ah, the light! And just in time for the start of spring. It's wonderful, I can tell you! I'm inspired to do a balcony makeover and try to keep it tidy but lush. Definitely fill your old dishes with succulents - as long as they have good drainage and are not overwatered. A friend props up her succulents (in shallow ceramic dishes) to help drainage and others here just let 'hens and chicks' grow in poor soil in their balcony windowboxes with no maintenance. So cool! xxx

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  8. I love your enthusiasm and that even when relaxing with crime dramas you make paper pots.

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  9. Sounds like you had a wonderful week! I love succulents and those are particularly interesting, especially the tubular one.

    I can relate to the new plant purchase flutters. I'm so anxious for spring to arrive - last fall I planted several new shrubs & perennials in the new border and I can't wait to see them leaf out & come to life...so exciting! Looking forward to the balcony show & tell :)

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