My Other Garden

Since 1989, with a break. I have had at least two gardens - which is why the name of this blog is in plural. My other garden of the minute is down at my Mum's hostel, which started with just bringing in four Hoyas from home when she went in there, but grew. The Hoyas have moved with her (not really well) as she moved around the hostel, and are still there. But now what there tends to be more of is strategic pots, mainly in the outdoor area near Mum's room, but also in a few other spaces. 

The one above is my favourite planting technique - throw three geraniums with different types of leaves in a pot, and top the soil with a handful from my magic bucket where I continually put spent Lobelia, Virginian Stock, Violas, Alyssum and Snapdragons to drop seed into dry potting mix. I have even been known to throw in Italian Parsley for some greenery with geraniums. I just put a bit of the soil and seed mix on the top of each pot, and voila.

Here is another pot, which is past its best now, and about to come home. It was supposed to be Babianas, and they were superb - but then the volunteers really took over.

I keep rotating these pots home when they are not in flower, and am really enjoying getting some propagating space back after all the upheavel of eight months waiting for builders.

This one is a geranium all on its own - sometimes placement is the most important, so the pot can be seen from a distance and give the impression of a garden. This pot does that brilliantly.

This is one area where I did a quick "makeover". One woman there was a wonderful gardener before she came in, and all she could see from her window was a brick wall with pipes. She was asking for "just a couple of flowers". Maintenance staff put down four pavers, I threw four quick pots on - and now I am ready to look for some pink and retire some of the orange/red to a courtyard that has nothing.

The only down side is that staff are extremely hard-working, but do not have the time to water pots all over the place. So I am starting on the time of year when I need to water daily.

And I only took these photos as I wanted a shot of my Albuca canadensis. This is in the Lily family, and I have carried it around for years. It is down there for a visit, then I need to divide it up. Staff (there are so very serious gardeners in the staff), keep asking me what it is. Common name Slime Lily (which I do not like) or Sentry-in-a-Box - which I do not mind.