Monday, September 26, 2022

Me On A Monday - September 26th

 

Source: Internet

Currently - Heroes: this week two of my heroes are Hilary Fordwich & Daisy Cousens.  I like for different reasons ... Ladies, thank you for talking sense.

Currently - Reading: I've gone through several books of late, none that make me want to stand up & shout "you must read this".  I've read: Your Pelvic Floor Health, Should I Stay A Christain (this for an online workshop); more of the Doctor Ruth Galloway series; Lessons in Chemistry ( liked this one); 

Currently - Shedding: I use to tape & watch after work a Canadian women's talk show.  After countless moments of being annoyed beyond comfort, I've decided that my power was in the ability to stop recording, stop watching, stop reading their Insta posts ... I've shed what seems like too much time invested in being outraged (which by the way I think is their aim). I must say the calm is SO empowering.  

Currently - Baffled: by my own SPSH list.  This Friday the 30th is the final check in.  I think I'm going to be shedding scavenger searches.

Currently - Evaluating: my plant successes for 2022.  I did not do as many annual pots as I have in years before.  The cost of annuals this year was rather daunting to my planting wants ...

Extra White Impatients

There were two rain barrels like this

My Favourites 2022

There were some epic failures too. There were two pots of New Guinea impatiens.  Both died off late July - they were fine until one afternoon they both just collapsed. 

 


The white & pink impatiens I purchased from Costco.  The other plants that I bought from the nursery were utter failures.  I was very disappointed in this year's blue & white lobelia in the water pump barrel - the entire planting died off in July. The same planting the year before was fantastic.  That's gardening!  I try not to take it personally.



20 comments:

  1. Our pots are all petunias these days and they did well. The pots out back are still hanging in although they are getting pounded lately. The pots out front made until into September when the’d had enough, largely due to aphids.

    You asked about current tv series. We’ve found another foreign mystery set in Iceland, but it isn’t grabbing us too hard. We are watching Rings of Power as a new episode becomes available every Friday, and The Voice has started, and we like to follow that.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I also had two pots of petunias & they both did well - I like all the variety of colours in petunias. Thanks for the TV show referrals. Mr Man may like the Iceland mystery, he's always wanted to travel to Iceland. :)

      Delete
  2. I'm down to just a few photos needed for the Scavenger Hunt. I hope you won't give up on them; they're always fun and challenging too. I'm really stymied on one of them in particular. I'll try to be ready on time this week, but will probably come up a bit short. I, too, enjoyed "Lessons in Chemistry." I'm now reading "Horse" by Geraldine Brooks. Sarah brought it with her when she was here in August. I'm thoroughly enjoying it, and with your interest in horses, I think you'll enjoy it as much, if not more.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Glad you are having some success with the SPSH & when ever you're ready, I look forward to seeing. Thanks for the book referral, I'll check with the library.

      Delete
  3. I know exactly how you are feeling with the planting dilemmas. Interesting to see which plants thrive and which fail despite equal attention! We are going to look into adding some more drought tolerant plants to our garden next year as I think that longer, hot, drier summers are here to stay.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. There has been much more encouragement from local nurseries to have in stock native plants, which not only thrive in weather conditions but attract pollinators. For me there are far too many golds & oranges in the native plants so I'm on the search for native pinks, blues & purples :)

      Delete
  4. Your pots look lovely. I think we all have a few pots that never do well, but it looks as though you had far more successful pots than failures.
    I've just completed the Scavenger Hunt this afternoon and am feeling smug. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh I'm glad you have had success with the SPSH list. Cannot wait to see. Gardening is one activity where I know I shouldn't take personally, nature has a will & mind of its own & I am taking the wins & saying thanks Mother Nature :)

      Delete
  5. Your busy lizzies look lovely. I specially like the wheelbarrow. Mine have been pretty good this year, although those in tubs have gone mad and are almost too big. The ones in the ground are more contained and have a nice distribution of flowers, like yours. I am wondering whether it is better not to give them quite so much feed in future. I'm definitely pleased they are back; for some years we couldn't get them after they succumbed to a fungus of some sort ... yet for shaded/half-shaded areas, there is nothing else that performs quite so well.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The wheelbarrow required Mr Man's handy skills of "making over" I think it may survive for one more year. I have never planted Impatients in the ground, as they require so much watering in our climate, but I may try a small patch in the ground next year. My self seeded Cosmos were the most successful in the ground annual this year. I'm going to let them go to seed again & hope for another brilliant showing in 2023. I didn't extra feed much this year, just the roses.

      Delete
    2. Ah thanks, - I did wonder. My neighbours' impatiens, even those in tubs, have not gone wild and I wondered why. I have not fed mine at all, other than to plant them in fresh compost and add a very few granules of slow-release feed at time of planting. I have photographed my triffids today! Those in the ground are in pretty poor soil but look nice. Perhaps I will use old compost (or a mix) next year.
      Good luck with the cosmos! One of my favourite flowers!

      Delete
  6. Your reading list is intriguing. Lantana and zinnias were my only annuals this year. I'm encouraging perennials from now on. Your flower successes are lovely!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think every year brings surprises to the garden. This year the self seeded Cosmos were brilliant & became a focal point. I do like to keep my reading varied - it certainly baffles the library staff as one told me "we cannot pin point your style so it makes it hard to make recommendations" I laughed at this.

      Delete
  7. I, too, am challenged by this SPSH, but, I hope you won't shed doing them! They help me think outside the box, so to speak. Gardening is challenging, too - very few of my plants survived this summer, especially the vegetables I planted! I had 5 tomatoes, total, and they were cherry tomato sized even though the plant should have produced larger tomatoes. I had two okra, total, from the whole packet of seeds that were planted! The beets produced lots of leaves but, didn't really form a large enough root part to make it worth the water to grow them! But, I will keep trying. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The weather certainly has played a large piece in the challenge of gardening. I agree this year's SPSH certainly had me thinking outside of the box, but I'm not sure where those thoughts will get me with end results :)

      Delete
  8. Your pots and wheelbarrow look so good. Do you always have a white area or was this year the first time?

    Good luck finishing the SPSH. I have one more to find but I have an idea for what to photograph.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The white in the wheelbarrow was a new attempt this year, usually I choose white as the accent throughout the garden but I was so impressed with the lift all white gave, I may go that way next year all over with pink as the accent. Thankfully Mr Man fix the wheelbarrow so I'll get an year out of it.

      Delete
  9. Beautiful flowers! I hear you about the talk show. Rage farming, they call it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Well if that was the crop the social was going for, then they were successful. Flowers always bring a smile to my face.

      Delete
  10. I cannot tell you the number of years that hubby has tried nurturing impatiens, but I can count to number of years he has succeeded -- 0! I especially love your little wheelbarrow and triangle of pots. Very pretty!

    ReplyDelete