Cate is in Delhi this week
so the cats and I are having the usual knees ups.
I have a number of chores
to do while she is away so it will not be all beer and skittles.
Firstly there is the matter
of the crispy plants on the terrace. I am really reluctant to replace them because
I know the inevitable result – but I will have to dispose of the two corpses
and can hardly leave two large empty pots staring accusingly at me. And no I
refuse to succumb to plastic plants – yet.
I have given the subject of
their demise some careful thought and have narrowed it down to:
Not enough/too much water
Too hot/too cold
Too much sun
Not enough/too much fertilizer
Too many Foo Fighters
videos (the plants have a front row seat for the TV and I tend to watch-listen to too much music on my 25 satellite music channels when Cate is away).
Using the old soil from the
previous plants (which also turned crispy). I think this was the real problem –
as was suggested by fmcgmccllc.
This and not speaking to
them enough. Well it is hard to have a conversation with plants that you know
are on life support and going to die at the first opportunity.
What do you say? Hello my
little Buchsbaums – how are they hanging? What are you going to do today -
apart from turning crispy I mean?
So when I start again I
will start with a fresh batch of potting mix and perhaps some hardier plants. My
track record with Buchsbaums is appalling.
Also as they don’t seem to
like hot OR cold weather maybe I will bring them inside from the terrace during
the months when the weather is a bit extreme.
Perhaps into the bedroom
where they can be really comfortable – with their own Doonas.
Maybe I need a gardener?
My other pressing task is
to clean out the basement. (Shriek)! This is much harder then killing plants.
More of this tomorrow.
I would suggest hiring the best local nursery expert to come to the scene of the crime and decide what is best suited. It is worth the money.
ReplyDeleteNo advice on the basement other than plenty of drinks. When I was in Austria the throwing away and recycling required a college degree.
In the States they say you have to wash the planters with bleach before reusing them. Kills off any bad vives, er, bacteria (or whatever).
ReplyDeleteIn the States they say you have to wash the planters with bleach before reusing them. Kills off any bad vives, er, bacteria (or whatever).
ReplyDeleteI clicked only once! *duck*
ReplyDeleteOn Saturday I planted some pansies in Molly's front garden. (Not Badger's daughter, my next door neighbour!) She and I decided that it would be nice to get some colour to brighten us up. Jim supervised from a chair in the sun. He did a great job:-)
ReplyDeleteFirst thing Sunday morning, Molly rang to tell me that all the plants were standing tall and looking good. I'd already been out to check.
Do you, by chance, have a green-thumbed neighbour who could help you? Just a silly thought!
*laugh* yeah, bringing them in from the extreme weather might be good. or just getting them little plant umbrellas for really sunny days? hmmm.
ReplyDeletefmcgmccllc: Perhaps the nurseryman will also do the basement for me?
ReplyDeleteMerisi: Also a good idea.
Annie: We have a gardener who looks after our courtyards. She may be able to help.
CarrieMarie; I was actually thinking of shade cloth but it best so windy it would be blown away.
One variety of my grape vines lost aLL of its grapes, bugs maybe, but the other two, white grapes, appear to be doing okay, with much larger fruit. I am not sure how long until harvest.
ReplyDelete