Tending my garden...

That is quite exciting, landscaping a thousand square meters... Are you planting trees? If I have a huge lot like that, I will plant mango, avocado, guyabano on three corners, transform the fourth corner for my mini forest and plant tiny trees such as calamansi, malunggay, and kamias... You have a lot of work to do... That is just great.

Nice to see you back, Nick, I thought you totally abandoned mylot. You must be a good gardener, too. I am not as adept about which crops grow well in a particular season, but I really want to have my own produce... I am trooping to the local grocer and look for some seeds....

Sorry to have been away for so long. We moved house and it took several months to finalize it so we were without internet in temporary accommodation. The lots here are quite large, 1000 sq m being a small one and it frustrates me to see them with all grass and no garden. Seems to be a waste of lot with no veggies or fruit growing. So I am digging my lot all up and growing veggies and fruit with a small section at the front for roses and bulbs and flowers etc.

That environmental destruction is also happening here. The vast mini forests had been displaced and huge malls had taken their spots.... But our government is actually charging cutting down of trees criminal and thereby punishable by law. There is a strong campaign for reforestation now. But the indigenous creatures are already gone....

Hiya eileen, It´s a bit difficult to explain how these Gardens are they are not proper Gardens you see they are like Gardens that they have on high rise buildings there is no real depth to them at all they are about a metre and a half deep in depth and filled with Soil that is never replaced so anything that grows there like grass will always be much weaker than if you had normal ground where the depth is endless. Roses that grow here only last a few weeks really in their full bloom and a lot them die quick as they have not got natural enriched Soil. Problem with these Gardens is that when it Rains there is no natural drainage so the Rain Water stays in there longer and eventually seeps through the cement down to the Garages below. I think that they could have thought of this ages ago as these Flats are only 16 years old. It´s not as if they are over sixty years old is it. Here they are not conscious enough that Spain will become desert Land if they do not take urgent Steps to stop it. By the Road sides they are planting lovely Bushes of all types but that still does not replace the Trees that grow here. One example is about sixty odd kilometres from here is the Bardenas where the King took the whole Forest and felled it to make his Spanish Armada. There are miles of barren land instead of replacing it with Trees it´s now agricultural land okay they use it but there are no replaced Trees so there is flash flooding very bad Thunder Storms and the drainage is quite bad too. But thank goodness that it still does Rain albeit not very often it gets far too hot in that Region. Gardens here will be replaced like I said with cold hard concrete which I find very dismaying as it gets very hot here and it will make the heat even worse than what it is already. If this were my Flat for example I would be buying two of those great Big Canopy things I think that´s what you call them you know the green heavy duty type and put them around the front and the back they are fantastic for warding the heat off and keeping out the flies as well. They don´t look very nice but the fancy ones do not do anything you see they are more decorative than anything else. With the other type you don´t really need to use air conditioning at all or hardly. As like where you are the humidity is very high most times as all this is built on top of a huge lake. It should really never have been built here but then I don´t make the choices do I? An example of Mans folly and what making a quick penny will do to them.xxx

Hmmm, your mom must have a huge, lovely garden. I wish I could also have roses and watermelons and tomatoes, but roses need a lot of caring...I will see if I can have a rose plant in a pot. And yes, okay, perhaps it is time now to grow tomatoes. I never did try it actually...

i attached a photo of our white rose when it was in bloom about 6 weeks ago. in its place now are budding young leaves and would-be young blooms once again.

I went out soon as the heavy downpour turned into drizzle. It felt great, as if I was naturally part of that space... as if it was where I belong... Stay safe and keep away from the flash flood. It is more dangerous than it looks...

Your garden is so lush, mine is far from it. I also feel closer to God when I am gardening. It seems that He answers me when I praise Him for all the blessings of plants and flowers....

I started with seasonal flowers and vegetables but with less help around, I have now settled down for fruit trees, and perennials which add colour to the garden throughout the year.

My daughters wanted to help, but I sort of want to give my garden my creative ideas. I go for jungle like scapes while my daughter likes lots of aloe vera and the like plants. The other one go for cacti and ferns... So, gyani, thanks for the offer but I suppose you have to tend your own garden, Different folks have different strokes...

dawnee, it is truly difficult to get off the the net. I also dilly dallied before I searched for the broom and the floor mop. Believe me, that didn't work. What finally kept me from the computer was my eyeglasses. It broke. So finally, when the typhoon tempered, I went out and started shearing the sampaguita vines. Before I knew it, I was deep into gardening. It ain't done yet but I gotta rest!

Yes, the plants inhale all the carbon dioxide we exhale, and we inhale all the oxygen the plants emit. You have a cute backyard there, Knight, what are you guys picking? Do water in the morning. The plants are vulnerable to pests when they are soaked at night...

My citrus is free!

You know what toni, I also want to have a real garden set. I just have one heavy marble table where I put my tools. The chair is a portable monobloc which I bring out with me every time I go gardening... Hmmm, after all the planting I am planning, I'll shop for a set, too. Time to meditate comfortably in the garden at night...

The rain refreshed my garden actually. I was conserving water and many of my plants got crispy fried by the searing summer heat. Now the plants are much greener... and it's just a few days after that typhoon...

r3, I extend my garden indoors. Everywhere, including the bathrooms, I have vases of green plants...