The BIC Plant and Gardening Thread

[sister13]

Hello BIC friends and fellow gardeners! Whether you have a container on your balcony, some indoor plants, a whole garden, or even if you just happen to visit a botanical garden or see a lovely space or plant in your neighborhood you want to share, this is the place! Please share pics, tips, plans and tricks about all things gardening!  

For many years I had a container balcony garden with mostly flowers and herbs (when travel allowed), and I am now embarking on my first backyard landscaping and gardening journey. 

I am often taking inspiration from the natural world around me and have recently had some spring inspiration for the Makeup Challenge of the Week and have loved chatting about gardening in our other threads, so I thought a new thread would be nice. 

It’s always so interesting to me to see plants and gardens from different regions and countries, so I hope you’ll join the conversation!  

PS: if you create a makeup look based on some plant or garden inspiration, please feel free to post your look or flat-lay here, too! 

Here are a few pics of my spring bulbs to start and I’ll share more soon (kindly ignore the weeds)! 

 

 

My old balcony (from the outside) - I’ll try to find an internal pic too:

[JoSometimes]

Thanks @Ispend2much6! Hopefully it keeps from from digging up the rest of the yard. 🤞

[Titian06]

Teaching your kids about gardening now is a wonderful idea, @JoSometimes !  My family had a huge garden at someone else's house plus a garden at our house.  My brother and I always helped with both gardens from early childhood.  I also helped my mom with all the canning, blanching, and jam making.

[JoSometimes]

They love flowers @Titian06. I have to keep them from the front yard or they will start picking whatever’s growing out front. 

That’s amazing that you had access to so many fruits and veggies! It sounds like you had great food growing up. 

[sister13]

Picked up some French lilacs. These will be to the west of our patio against the fence. Can’t wait for some blooms (next spring). 

 
Also got a few seeds planted, though I’m late. I usually winter sow them. I’ll try to take a pic with the labels showing, lol. These are chives, garlic chives, chamomile, cosmos, four o’clocks, morning glories and portulaca. I also realized that my sedum tile (have you seen those, it’s like a 1 ft square tile of various sedum plants) spilled tiny little babies in the rocks so I plucked a few of them and put them in a cup (back right corner) to see if they will get bigger either for outside or inside. I’m hoping these will sprout without having to cover the tub with some plastic since I’m lazy. 

 

Last year I planted two beautiful lavender plants just for fun to see if they would make it, though they’re not generally hardy in my zone. I thought it was just weeds coming up at the base of this one, but they smell strongly of lavender and are definitely connected to the stems, so this plant made it! I just pulled the other one out as it was showing no signs of life. Excited about this one. 

 

I’m working on my plans for the herbs, I think I’m going to do the more woody herbs on this side (ignore the parsley, I think I’ll put oregano and thyme in), so I’ll have those plus 2 lavender and and 2 rosemary. Then on the other side of the patio, I’ll put the ones that need more water, like basil and I picked up two cherry tomatoes. I am planning to direct sow some cilantro and nasturtium. 

 

Then, I’m keeping parsley and 4 mints in pots because I think most of the backyard gets too much afternoon sun for them and to keep the mint from taking over.

[jaaayp]

@sister13 SO MUCH WORK!!!! but I'm sure it'll pay off very soon. Excited to see it! ❤️

[Saradestin]

I love all the planning and thought you put into your garden @sister13 . That’s the way to do it. I have seen so many times the devastating consequences of growing plants where they don’t belong.
I love lilacs, so gorgeous and they smell so wonderfully!! Your will look amazing in no time! 😃

And planting seeds is so much fun! You have so many different ones!

I am glad your lavender is coming back to life! How nice is that!!! 

[sister13]

I figured it was a bit of a crap shoot with the lavender but was hoping since it’s full sun that maybe it would make it!

I had a fried do a permaculture consultation with me and I think it really helped to take away some of the overwhelm at a whole blank yard, even if I didn’t get everything done I had hoped to over the winter. I’ll post an update on the seeds, the cosmos and chamomile have already sprouted. @Saradestin 

It feels like such a commitment and responsibility to plant the perennials but I know there will still be mistakes! 

[Saradestin]

Wow! Those seeds were anxious to sprout @sister13 ! 😃 I have been changing plants from place to place (and I mean, big plants, like full grown azaleas, the grapefruit tree, even a palm tree and a big cyca revoluta) Even my family is calling “to make a Sara” when they change a plant’s location 😅.
It was A LOT of work but they were originally planted in places that were wrong for them or not where I wanted. That’s the issue with buying used houses, that they come with a garden that you may not like.😊

[sister13]

Oh my gosh, that’s too funyy! Well, I’m comforted to know things can potentially be moved if necessary! @Saradestin 

[Ispend2much6]

@sister13. Oh lilacs! I've always loved those. 

You are ambitious and have a lot of energy!

[sister13]

They do really well in Colorado and I am nostalgic for them from my moms house where I grew up. @Ispend2much6 

[Titian06]

Can I come over when you start cooking with all these herbs, @sister13 ? 😄  You have it all thought out so well.  I have a wax melt called "French Lavender."  I can only imagine how much better the real thing will smell.

[sister13]

You are welcome anytime! Two top faves are the caprese salad with fresh basil and then a lemon orzo salad with a mix of all the fresh herbs I can get from the garden (or pots). And I love a gin and tonic with fresh rosemary. 

I had a great consultation from a friend who does permaculture and it was so helpful to get my plan together, though it’s changing even now after I thought I had everything decided, haha!

I have usually done a lot of herbs in pots, so planting in the ground is new. I love just walking out and fluffing the herbs to get their scent, especially lavender and rosemary. I am grouping some drier loving herbs together and some others that prefer more water with the two tomatoes, so we’ll see. @Titian06 

[JoSometimes]

Lilac will smell so nice next year @sister13! And I love the variety of herbs!

[sister13]

Lilacs are so lovely, I can’t wait! Looks like they also planted some in the neighborhood so that’ll be nice too. I love having fresh herbs for cooking (and cocktails) or just to rub my hands through them for the scents! @JoSometimes 

[blackkitty2014]

I love this thread @sister13 . I can’t grow nothing. I have a brown thumb 😂🤣 I will try to post whatever my husband grows. 😘

[Saradestin]

I would love to see those plants @blackkitty2014 !! 😍 He grows them - you enjoy them! 😁

[Ispend2much6]

@blackkitty2014. Your husband is an amazing gardener!

[blackkitty2014]

Thx you @Ispend2much6 . He sure has a green thumb🌹

[sister13]

Haha! It can be frustrating and takes some trial

and error! Yes definitely share your husband’s plant babies with us! @blackkitty2014 

[Ispend2much6]

My garlic is doing well, growing alongside my many volunteer dill plants!

And I harvested the first batch of garlic scapes.

 

 The rest of the big garden and herbs on our porch.

 

 

A baby rosemary plant in the middle of some transplanted chives. This is the first time I’ve tried this so I hope they do well!