Saturday, August 11, 2007

Tiburon Garden Experiment III

The biggest fan of the new garden is Dixie.

We brought home some cat nip.


Trix digs it too but Dix loves it.

You may remember that at the end of our first summer here, I found some planter boxes marked free. I brought them home, put them on our back deck and planted some flowers and veggies.

I soaked the new plants with water to get them off to a good start. Then, the rainy season started. Tiburon Garden Experiment I was somewhat of a success but with the limited amount of sunlight we get on our back porch, the plants never got dry. Eventually, they died.

During the cold, dark, wet months, I watched to see which plants were thriving elsewhere.

From the first experiment, I learned that I need plants that thrive in full shade.

The cyclamen and pansies I planted in the second experiment, did really well, for months, with nearly no attention. It seemed like they were in their natural habitat. Success, at last.

Then, all of a sudden, before I realized it, it got hot, the plants dried out, choked and croaked. Instead of being frustrated with myself, I'm choosing to think that it isn't realistic for a plant or group of plants to thrive in the same some in the very different seasons we have here.

On my mom's most recent visit, we went shopping for plants.

I wanted some that needed more sun than I know I will have in the coming months.

I did pick one anyway.

We'll see how long it holds out.

Most of the rest of the plants said they would do well in partial shade. Wish me (and them luck).

The Daliahs look nice and are doing well.








I didn't want snap dragons since they were part of the first batch but these were so healthy, my mom convinced me to give them a try.

They look good.

Maybe if I don't over-water them this time...




We picked out some cute little cactus-type plants for the strawberry pot.

The pansies did well in it for awhile but it dries out so quickly...









Having fresh herbs for cooking is always desirable.

I got basil too but this one looks healthiest.

I've forgotten which herb it is though.

Regardless, it's sure to be yummy.

5 comments:

Kayhan Gultekin said...

I'm not 100% sure, but the mystery herb could be sage.

When Laura and I had herbs, it was great. They grew back so quickly, too. Until we went away and forgot to water them. They died and never grew back. We both are not so very great gardeners. We tried to grow spearamint, but only weeds grew in that pot, and we grew it from a package of seeds. Indoors.

marymaddux6272 said...

Thanks. I thought I remembered it being sage but when I did a search yesterday and looked at images of other sage plants they looked different. If both of us think it is sage, I'll stick with that label.

Funny that you got weeds in your indoor pot. ; )

marymaddux6272 said...

Update: Most of the flowers look lovely. I did move the one that called for more sun into a pot so I could set it in the sun. I planted one of the plants with the purple flowers in its place.

Also, last week, Dixie wouldn't stay away from some fresh green peas I'd set out for Sam. The next day, when we were picking up cat food, we saw some cat grass and brought it home for them. I planted it in with the cat-nip. It has been well-received as well.

Anonymous said...

Hi,

It's oregano.

Grace

marymaddux6272 said...

Thanks, Grace. Oregano sounds like something I would have picked up too.