Even more flowers

Well not exactly flower, but potential flower, and in some cases, potential fruit. These were the pics of bits that didn't quite make it into the garden bloggers blooms day lineup, because they hadn't quite got their bloom on.

The nectarine, buds forming for blossoms. There aren't many so I don't like my chances of actually getting any fruit this year, but fingers crossed.

And little Mr Succulent! See the flowers forming. They will slowly grow out on a long stem, then open. I never really appreciated succulents until I saw them in flower.

So today is dedicated as garden blogger's almost blooms day.

Christmas Succulent 2010

Long ago I had a housemate who wouldn't let me put up a Christmas tree. So instead, I navigated this command by erecting a Christmas succulent instead. That ginch hasn't lived here in a long time but the Christmas succulent tradition has stayed and I even gave away some little succulents last year so everyone could one day have a Christmas succulent. This year it is a little one, which was destined for pastures elsewhere but has stayed on to give us all some Christmas cheer. The usual ornaments have returned

Along with the requisite black star

And voila, one lovely Christmas succulent, that wont drop pine needles and needs no care, attention or water!

Holiday Gardentimes - Part 2 The Inside Goodness of Kew Gardens

In my last holiday post I wrote about the beauty of the outside parts of Kew Gardens, along with my encounters with its feathery animal kind. I visited each of the conservatories hoping to find an example of a vanilla pod vine. Alas I didn't manage to find this illusive greenery but I found so many other wonders.

There were floral wonders (and of course the obligatory shot of a fuschia)

Pond inhabiting and surrounding beauties

Cacti and Succulents which would never otherwise survive the UK climate

And edibles - ok this was inside the Orangery, but it was just as great as any of the conservatory items above (it was a smoked salmon sandwich with a 'side' of artichoke, tomato and greens salad, totally yum)

What a lovely day!

Hail to the Damage

Wow looked like last night Perth got a storm that resembled ours from a few weeks back. Lots of hail, lots of rain and lots of damage. Which reminded me that I hadn't posted the pictures of the hail damage on the balcony garden. Apart from decapitated sunflowers (who oddly seem to be sprouting new heads!?!?!) stripped basil, rotten water clogged zukes and the requisite powdery mildew outbreak it was the large succulent of succulent corner that recieved the brunt of the damage. A few weeks later it is even more obvious.

The 'leaves' are browning where the hail dented and scratched them. The edges are similarly browning from where they were torn. Not sure whether to cut it all back to the very small, new growth underneath, or get rid of it entirely and plant something else. Decisions, decisions.

Succulent Presents

We are doing a Kris Kringle (a sort of secret santa) this Christmas with all my relatives. It helps me greatly because I am a bit cash strapped and buying pressies for everyone (or making them which is usually the case) can get quite expensive. I got one of the easier rellies to get a pressie for, and it was a tad lucky because I had already made part of her pressie a while back, an apron. Don't worry she won't find out, she has two small children so has little time for the internet. :)

However, despite the one present clause the other rellies are getting a little something extra from me this year and it didn't cost a cent. Two of the succulents had babies, lots of babies actually.

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I potted them up using leftover pots and some special succulent potting mix I bought with my nursery voucher (also hidden in this picture is a pressie for Miss L, 3 sunflowers germinated, just for her, although you can only really count two thanks to my awesomely bad photography!)

Here they are all wrapped and ready to head north for the night.

I hope everyone has a wonderful christmas!

Succulent Surprise

I got this hanging succulent from my old housemate as a birthday present. I loved its green and purple links and held together well during the hot summer months. Then it surprised me, with these stunning yellow and orange flowers!

Love surprises.

Introducing Newbies

I suspect I'll have more new plants to introduce you to over the coming weeks, seeing as Spring is well and truly here and the balcony garden is undergoing its seasonal alterations. I've already planted out one more tomato, other than the two tumbler tomatoes mentioned and pictured in this post. But further details on the tomatoes after this week where there could well be a few more after my exciting weekend nursery visit. Before these possible new additions I felt the need to mention these two other humble little plants that made their way to the balcony garden quite some time ago via Miss J, a good friend who has an equal love of all things green. She, or her mother, or both had made some cuttings and furnished me with these two beauties. The first was a lemon geranium which has the most beautifully scented leaves.

The other is a small aloe vera plant, which joined succulent corner.

Hopefully they thrive, and perhaps, if it is lucky, at least the the geranium will be relocated to a bigger and more permanent pot.

Hanging Out

I have a few hanging pots in the balcony garden, they help make more of the space as you can see in the above picture. You hear a significant amount about the ones along the edge, those that in summer hold tomatoes and currently hold a mix of snapdragons, violas, pansies, lettuce, rocket, beets and a strange moss I am not too sure about.

Less often, but still on occasions I blog about the largest of the three hanging pots on the pole. This one currently holds a cornflower and some other supposedly blue flowers, but in the past has held tomatoes.

What I rarely post about are the two hanging succulents. They could be considered grandparents in this balcony garden as they were some of the original plants to be put in. I bought one, the donkey ear/tail/dragon-whatever it is called at the markets from my favourite succulent seller (he is actually the only one at the markets but he is awesome).

The other was a present from my old housemate, and it grows quite slowly. I love the various shades of green and purple.

So here is a post just for them, my two hanging old dears, who have survived high winds, forgetful watering and a complete lack of transplanting!

Cactusland

It's a showery kind of day today and I am spending most of it teaching, making it a very indoorsy sort of day. Therefore this is going to be a very indoorsy sort of post as I aim to focus on the few cacti and succulents that exist inside my house. One of my earliest posts dealt with one of my first ever house plants, a cactus fondly named Mr Floppy. Mr Floppy got a bit big for himself and got the chop sometime later. He has grown again and continues to flop a little, but never quite the same as before.


Other cacti inside include a little collection, which I gave to my housemate way back when she lived somewhere else (to brighten up her window sill) It now brightens up our window, but I will be sad when she moves and takes this little collection with her. May just have to invest in one of my own (from the Cactus man at the Vic Markets, he is a legend in his own boots).


We have this succulent, pictured earlier behind Mr Floppy that has now grown towards the sun and sunk some form of roots into Mr Floppy's pot! Mr Floppy has a stalker perhaps, or at least an admirer, or at worst a potential parasitic bunny boiler. Either way it is a pretty cool succulent. Next to it is the one pictured below, a sprawling mini cacti.


I love my little Cactusland - they represent some of the earliest balcony garden collections. Let's see what more can be added over the next few years!

Centenerific

100 Posts! Time to celebrate with 100 of my favourite balcony garden pics! Ok maybe not 100, but 11 will do. Thanks for reading along and hope the next 100 are slightly less inept!