turn my balcony into an oasis with a herb garden and a chill-out area

I’m changing the title of this goal because I now have a balcony.

A world of possibilities has opened here !

Certainly more than with my previous dearly loved but modest window planter boxes…

As I stated in my last entry, my rose had been covered in white mildew powder. It pretty much asphyxiated her and all her leaves fell down.
I read on an organic gardening forum that both milk and baking soda could be used against mildew.
So I opted for the milk, as it sounded easier. I bathed her in milk several consecutive evenings. She also got a somewhat severe cut, since all the contaminated parts had to be removed, while other parts had simply died off.
Two week later, the mildew is gone for good and a many new leafs are appearing all over the now twice as small but healthy plant. It seems the milk treatment worked very well while the severe cut boosted the rose growth.
Sadly I had to cut the buds in the process, but I sure hope the rose will produce new buds and later on in the season!

My rose has been attacked by powdery mildew (oidium)...

Oh Dear! She had been growing so well over the winter time (not that it even ressembled winter but anyway) and in the last few days she had produced several sweetly promising buds.

But the fungus pretty much covered her within a matter of days. Damned it. I had to cut all the leaves down and take all the contaminated parts away. Poor rose, she really is a convalescent right now.

According to the organic forum I just searched, there are several organic recipes to tackle this common rose ailment. The first I’ll try is the milk bath. So today I sprayed the plant with milk. I will do a follow-up in the coming days. I hope the cure will save her!

Summer (apparently Spring got cancelled this year) made a couple of casualties among my fragile young plants.

Sigh.

On the other hand… that means some space is now available in my window boxes…. meaning I’ll be able to take home any another plants I may fall in love with without worrying I have no space left. It might happen at any point, so that’s kind of good news.

Oh, the cycle of life and death…

The cutties I ordered at the nursery were delivered yesterday, delicately bedded like sleeping beauties inside a little box. I was so excited when I got the package and I can’t wait to see how they grow. They are so tiny right now!

There are double Impatiens and Nemesia (annuals) plus a classic perennial, Lavender.

A common French name for the Nemesia is miroir des elfes … You can’t really get better karma than this, can you?!

Anyhow, the Nemesia might attract useful insects (well I’m not sure because I live in a big city where there aren’t exactly tons of ladybugs hanging out, but who knows) while Lavender will keep flies off my rose (on the other hand I know for a fact there are flies as they came once before).

Well in any case, they’ll all be beautiful!

I’ve dug the soil up and added green fertilisers to prepare my window boxes for the new season to come.

I’ve made a ‘quick compost’ (compost for when you don’t have a garden to properly compost) by blending peels from this week’s fruits and vegs. This compost mix was deeply dug in and certified organic fertiliser (bone meal) was added on top.

As for the roses, they got chucks of potassium-rich banana peel, and while I was at it my indoor friends got some of the organic bone meal too.

I’ve ordered flower plants (annuals and perennials) at the nursery. I’ll be planting at the end of the month, weather permitting. I can’t wait!

My first experiment with propagation is going pretty well I think.

Some weeks ago I divided 3 of my Primulas – one has produced its first bloom this week, one hasn’t bloomed yet but she’s producing new leafs, and the third died off. So here I have a pretty good success rate. And two flower plants to offer to friends very soon!

I also made my first rose cutting and it has now made a tiny green leaf!! I’m so pleased to see it. I’ve read rose cuttings require time to settle and develop a good root system, and I should not consider the cutting a success until a flower appears. I so hope it will make it! So this one will be left alone for all the time it needs and then I’ll offer it to someone.

I’ve decided to go organic and/or as close to it as possible, primarily because it will make me learn cool stuff.

And really, considering I’m only keeping a few plants in my flat and by my window, it would be silly not to, wouldn’t it?

I’m learning about cuttings and other propagation methods right now. It’s very fun and I’m curious to see whether my ‘babies’ will make it (and there’s more experiments to come throughout the year, when the right time comes to propagate others plants).

This is great because it means I’m working on this goal ANDthis one at the same time. I love when that happens!

This is not so much a goal as a pastime… I have a passion for flowers!

I enjoy gardening.

AND I just discovered I enjoy reading about plants. It’s similar to reading baking books, bare delicious dreaming page after page.

I currently live with many poted plants in my tiny flat. I don’t have a garden and I lack the space to grow many more plants. But why not learn more through reading, while I continue to care for my current plants and flowers. I will fill an imaginary garden with ideas, colours and scent!

I hope to use my plant knowledge in future (when I get the imaginary house to match the imaginary garden ;-) AND This reading and learning will also be an excellent way to gain more environmental knowledge towards my green goal !