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The state of the garden

By May 1, 2013Gardening

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It’s a sad story. Our garden progress thus far this spring has been almost non-existent. The weather has been absolutely abysmal — persistently cold (like in the 50s during the day, 30’s at night), windy and rainy, not like any April I’ve seen in quite some time. By this time last year, we had a great garden going, a plush yard and plenty of days we’d spent outside working in it. This year, we’ve only been in the yard working once — and it was a muddy, disgusting mess. The past few days have finally been sunny and in the 70’s and 80’s, however tomorrow it is forecasted to dip back into the 50’s with rain, and possibly even flurries!

To be fair, I could put up our cold frame and dutifully go out and nurse some plants along until it gets warm. But for me, the enjoyment of gardening comes from cultivating plants and being outside in the weather to enjoy them, not merely trying to rescue them from it.

So over the weekend, at the height of my desperation at yet another Saturday hampered by cold and rain, I ended up at Ace Hardware on another errand and came across the most gorgeous selection of succulents. They were absolutely beautiful, and there were so many I’d never heard of. I couldn’t resist, and rationalized that if I couldn’t garden outside, I’d do a little inside instead.

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I bought six succulents, along with some new potting mix, and set to work potting them and finding them places to live in the house.

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While I was at it, I also repotted my oldest houseplant. I took it under my wing while they were living in Texas for my dad’s job. My parents have had it since I was born — so, it’s old. The winter was kind of rough on him.

Freshly potted:

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And in their new homes:

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(Yes, I realize the painting is upside-down)

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Goes well with Neil’s brakes doesn’t it?

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I figured the turtle should live in the bathroom.

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And look! A bird decided to nest in our bathroom window. Hopefully this nest works out. The little egg unfortunately didn’t make it.

Edited to add: Still have the rock/sand layer to add to each of the pots.

One Comment

  • Chrissy says:

    Our garden is also looking pretty pathetic for April, mostly because we’re also waiting for actual spring to show up. I like those succulents, though! A very nice compromise.