My New Horticultural Blog

(August 31, 2024)

I’ve never had one of these plants grow this tall. It’s an agave, I guess? Or possibly an aloe? I dunno. I’ve tried propping it up against the window, but today, it fell over. Twice! But without shattering into twenty pieces, so it’s more hardy than I thought — succulents like these have a tendency … Continue reading My New Horticultural Blog

Needs replanting in about five years, eh?

(July 18, 2024)

OK, looks better on the other side. No worries.

Aftermath

(July 16, 2023)

Once I Was Tall

(July 14, 2023)

Horticultural Mysteries

(July 10, 2023)

My home office has devolved to a storage room over the past few years (I don’t use it much after I started just sitting on a couch with my laptop on my er lap), so I haven’t really paid any attention to what’s going on with the plants there either (beyond watering them once a … Continue reading Horticultural Mysteries

My New Horticulture Blog

(May 7, 2022)

I’m repotting some plants, and finally got to this Zamioculcas thing… Do you think I should have repotted the plant, like five years ago? Or, alternatively, I could kill it with fire, depending how much you zoom in.

My New Horticulture Blog

(June 10, 2021)

For some reason, I didn’t take care of my plants on the balcony last year at all. (Did anything happen in 2020? I forget.) So even the weed (not the fun kind) died and I just ripped it all out: Blank slate! So it’s been kinda nice weather here lately, so I got a couple … Continue reading My New Horticulture Blog

Organs

(March 14, 2020)

I was just walking back to the couch to watch the next movie when… OH MY EMACS! I’ve had that Zamioculcas for over a decade, and it’s never done that before. Is it Corona!?

The Continuing Story of the Balcony

(August 27, 2019)

I had a peek out on the balcony just now (it’s unseasonable warm, fortunately), and this thing was waiting for me: What on Earth? I did not plant those flowers, so once again something has started growing spontaneously. Or perhaps there’s a guerrilla balcony plant planter gang terrorising arid balconies? What is this thing, anyway? … Continue reading The Continuing Story of the Balcony

Not Grass

(July 1, 2019)

I had planned on spending all day today reading comics, but I found myself at a garden centre and I bought a rosebushlet, so I thought it was time for me to get weeding the balcony instead (and get the furniture out of storage). And then it started raining immediately, of course. *sigh* The ivy … Continue reading Not Grass

Grass

(June 28, 2019)

I haven’t been weeding the balcony this year (June has been cold). So I went out to the balcony for the first time this year and this was what’s out there: What is that? Grass? It’s a mighty substantial grass. Is that… some kind of grain? Wheat? Rye? Barley? Am I a farmer for real … Continue reading Grass

Flowers

(June 9, 2018)

For the first time ever, I’ve bought annuals, because I thought the balcony thing with the rose bushes looked a bit on the sparse side. I.e., 90% soil. I may have gone slightly overboard. The other one is a bit more reasonable. The ivy things will hopefully cover the soil and extend downwards while the … Continue reading Flowers

Farmer Lars

(June 2, 2018)

The last couple of years have had sucky summers so I kinda neglected the balcony. When gardeners go missing, nature happens: I have no idea what’s growing there, but it’s kinda stingey and I certainly didn’t plant it. So it’s a weed of some kind, but not the fun kind. So I basically ripped out … Continue reading Farmer Lars

Perhaps I Should Have Done Some Weeding This Summer

(September 25, 2017)

Fauna

(June 15, 2015)

The other day I noticed some teensy bugs on the balcony.  I first thought they were ants or something, but looking at them more closely, I guess not? They’re so small that it’s difficult to get them in focus… Kill them with fire? I’ll buy some more poison tomorrow, I think.

My New Horticulture Blog

(June 22, 2014)

The seeds I planted a couple of weeks ago are growing pretty well. Probably because I’ve almost never forgotten to water them. It’s an achievement! But it’s very windy on my balcony, so I thought it might make sense to shield the plants a bit from the incessant wind. I bought some plexiglas (i.e. plastic) … Continue reading My New Horticulture Blog

My New Horticultural Blog

(June 10, 2014)

I decided that I should grow my own food, so I planted some radishes and peas and carrots and stuff. I need to start thinning out in a couple of days… In other horticultural news, everything’s coming up roses: After the previous post, a kind reader identified the bugs as aphids, and I went out … Continue reading My New Horticultural Blog

My New Horticultural Blog

(June 2, 2014)

No horrors today.  I bought some poison to spray over the rose bushes, which should take care of the critters living on them.  Or it’ll give them resistance and they’ll kill me in my sleep. But I bought a Sansevieria Victoria.  There are a lot of weird sansevierias, and this is one of them. It’s … Continue reading My New Horticultural Blog

My New Horticultural Blog

(May 31, 2014)

Due to the exceptionally warm winter, or exceptionally studly plants, the roses on my balcony survived.  But one of the bushes looks kinda…  odd… See?  There’s a white powder thing going on, and there seems to be a lot of spider web action going on, too.  But mainly around the buds. So is this a … Continue reading My New Horticultural Blog

IT”S ALIVE!!1!ONE?!

(January 6, 2014)

As I’m sure you all remember, in the last terrifying chapter of this story, I found that the white fluff had spread to another room. During the Xmas holidays, I visited my mother.  She’s brilliant with all kinds of plants and stuff, so I showed her the pictures of the aloe armageddon.  She said: “Are … Continue reading IT”S ALIVE!!1!ONE?!

IT”S SPREADING!!1!

(December 15, 2013)

As all y’all remember clearly, some kinda weird white fungus attacked a pretty big aloe and killified it totally.  But look!  This plant was totally OK just a couple weeks ago: It’s spread!  To a different room!  But it’s still only attacking aloes. And, eww.  It’s leaving this grey residue on the sill: I think … Continue reading IT”S SPREADING!!1!

My New Horticulturalist Blog

(November 16, 2013)

Well, I had to replace the aloe that the fungus ate. I think that’s an aloe, another aloe, and a sansevieria.  I have no idea what the grassy swampy thing in the back is. So you can lead a horticulturalist to water…

Ick pt II

(October 20, 2013)

In the previous part of this series, we learned that a couple of plants had been invaded by white dust, which is probably a fungus.  Of some kind. I threw out the main offender, cleaned the area, sprayed anti-fungal stuff on the other plants nearby, and scrubbed down like in one of those horror movies. … Continue reading Ick pt II

Dear Interwebs

(August 25, 2013)

I’m not really the most observant person in the world. However, having this escaping my attention is a pretty big achievement. But today, while watering the plants, I noticed something odd on one of the aloes: Some white fluffy things on the leaves.  Hm.  Then I looked further down: Lots more!  And the soil! More … Continue reading Dear Interwebs

I Can Haz Rose Garden?

(June 1, 2013)

Another winter over. Unfortunately, I kinda forgot to wrap the rose bushes in December, so there was a mass die-off. The green bit is a weed. More weed.  The dry dead thing over there is Heidi Klum.  Ba-dish.  Yeah, that’s the name of the rose.  And it’s dead.  Boo-hoo. Anyway, I’m giving it another go, … Continue reading I Can Haz Rose Garden?

Haworthia Is The New Black

(March 21, 2013)

Flowerin’

(July 18, 2012)

It’s summertime, so all the flowers are in bloom!  Just look at these bountiful aloes and haworthias! Ok, not very impressive.  But the roses are doing well, at least.

Pot

(June 18, 2012)

I’ve been repotting this evening. I just noticed the subtle difference between old pots and new pots. Can you spot which pots are the new ones?

I’m Still Not Promising Myself A Rose Garden

(June 16, 2012)

It hasn’t really been warm enough this year to spend any time on the balcony, but I have been keeping an eye out for the roses I planted last summer, seeing how they were getting on.  Through the window.  Once in a while. Being proud that they survived the winter. Then the other day I … Continue reading I’m Still Not Promising Myself A Rose Garden

Springtime

(March 24, 2012)

 A decade ago I decided to buy lots of plants. I don’t know what this is… I’d always had a couple of plants, but they’d always die on me.  Since I’m basically enthusiasm-driven, I realized that the only way I’d ever be able to have any non-dead plants on my windows was to buy lots … Continue reading Springtime

They Live!

(March 24, 2012)

I wrapped up my rose bushes for the winter, but I didn’t really expect them to survive.  And I just unwrapped them now. But look!  New leaves! This has been a kinda warm winter, though.  And it’s the hottest March ever, according to…  somebody… Anyway.  Exciting!

You can lead a horticulturalist

(July 6, 2011)

This is a rose Either Pink Fairy or Viking.  Who can tell? While waiting for the fallout of the default change of send-mail-function, I’m snapping flash pictures of the roses in the middle of the night. As one does. Look!  They are roses!

I never promised myself a rose garden

(May 22, 2011)

Viking to the left, Pink Fairy to the right But now I have a rose balcony. I wanted to have something growing on the balcony (in addition to the dirt), so I went to buy a rose bush.  I got a bit carried away, as usual, and got three of them.  A (I’m not kidding) … Continue reading I never promised myself a rose garden