Gardenhog

Last week this fellow was strolling around in my garden in the early morning. It's amazing how these creatures make a home for themselves in the city. They also don't really freak out whenever they see a human. Earlier this year I did notice some hedgehog dung in my garden at times so they regularly patrol my garden for food. Last year they also snacked on the courgette and (cherry) tomato plant. When you're a gardner like me you have to expect some fruit and vegetable loss due to the animals. However, it is a joy to watch them sometimes.

Sunflowerfield

Everywhere mysteriously sunflowers pop up..

Kattendel

Lathyrus

Greener

Hyacinth Freshener

Here's a spring tip for inside your house and not only for the flowers. The hyacinth, a bulbous plant, not only produces some gorgeous flowers but it also has a remarkable fresh scent. It also has a natural smell to it which in my opinion exceeds that of any other (commercial) air freshener. They bloom for a week or so but it's well worth it and over here in the Netherlands they cost practically nothing.

Russian Meteorite

Amazing footage from Russia where a meteorite exploded in midair. Turns out many Russians have camera's on their dashboards in case they are in an accident and want to prove their innocence, they also serve as a deterrent for corrupt police officers. This resulted in an amazing compilation of the meteorite burning through the atmosphere.

Goofy Iz Sleepy

This is Goofy. One of the cats belonging to a neighbor down the street. Cute animal and I give it a little snack some time. On the day of photography however there was none of that. Goofy probably had a long night and was desperately in need of a nap.

Tigridia 2.0

Last year I planted around 8 bulbs belonging to the Tigridia family of plants. Those that were in a pot came out for the most part. Those that got planted in the open ground didn't fair so well. We had a lousy summer here last year. One of the worst on record for Holland. The Tigridia with its sword-leafs is also vulnerable to high winds. It was a common sight last year - the upper half of the plant broken off and no flowers whatsoever. The one in the picture tried its best but the European winds got it as well. This year however it came back with a vengeance. Protected by a small table and tomato plants the occasional storm didn't get it this time. Et voila. It produced 3 gorgeous flower so far.

RBE Cherry T

In a previous post I wrote about cultivating strawberries, growing new plants and sharing them with people in the neighborhood. Well, I actually did the same thing with cherry tomatoes. In early March I bought a breeding kit for 1.50€ which is nothing. Managed to get around 17 plants out of it and 7 of them still grace my garden with the fruits only needing ripening. So 10 plants got shared with the neighborhood, free of charge course. The cherry tomato is also a forgiving plant and it keeps on growing even after you trim it down. The latter is more or less a requirement. Energy of the plant ought to be directed at the fruit and not new branches, and as mentioned before the plant just keeps on growing which also means you run out of space if you have a limited garden. Hope the tomatoes will taste just as great as the strawberries.

Seaspark

This phenomenon was in the newspapers here in Holland. A rare occurrence which someone managed to take a picture of. The conditions have to be just right. Warm weather, westerly winds and then a member of the plankton family, dinoflagellate, can do its magic in the surf.

Garden Shots 2012

RBE Strawberry

 Last March I bought 4 strawberry plants at a garden center. Not too expensive, 4 for €5. After a slow start in April because of the cold weather they really picked up speed in spring and summer. Put those plants in decent-sized pots and added a lot of fertilizer. Two kinds actually. One gives off nutrients for a period of 6 months, they are roundish granulates (see picture). The other is a clayish material that dissolves after you water it a couple of times. Boy, did it work.

Those 4 original plants not only (almost constantly) bare a lot of fruit (that often went into the yoghurt), they also produced new plants through stolons. The plants more or less clone themselves through of-shoots. Stick those stolons in a new pot with some fresh earth and it starts rooting. After a couple of weeks you can cut the 'umbilical' and you have a new plant.
My 4 plants produced another 24 plants this way... Remarkably quick and easy. I have no use for so many plants so I already gave a lot away to neighbors in the street. Tough luck for the market but the strawberry is a real 'resource based economy' plant. Good things that are healthy should be free of charge.

Brown Moth Returns

F-L-Y

Blackbird Returns

Think these are the new Blackbird neighbors.

Soft Kitty

Peekaboo

B-Fly 5

Pink Tigridia

These came out looking amazingly beautiful. Bought a bag of Tigridia bulbs earlier this year and they were mixed colors so it was still a wait and see what I'd get. Normally pink isn't my color. In my country it can be associated with being gay which is just one of those cultural peculiarities (in Italy guys wear pink without the cultural baggage). So, just thought it was a nice flower.