On this gloomy day, I’ve decided to type up a quick post and share some pictures of my garden.
I want to be the “rose garden” house
Whenever I need to instruct people on how to get to my house, they ask questions such as… Is it next to the fir tree? Or… is it the yellow house?
So, it got me thinking that I, too, need a distinct characteristic to help identify my house.
Why not a rose garden?
For once, I’ve already decided on roses as my signature scent and love picking fragrances carrying that note.
Since last year, I’ve planted many rose bushes. Not all of them adjusted. I don’t think I had the best quality saplings. I also made the mistake of planting many of those in the heat of late July.
Still, I’m happy with what I’ve got for now.
I love climbing shrubs and have planted a few in my garden. I also forgot which one is where, so I’ll probably have to transplant them once I get to designing my garden.
An abundance of apples and strawberries
I’m lucky to have picked a house with an old apple orchard. I’m even more lucky to have had the previous owners plant a few new apple trees in the front garden. This means that I can hope for an apple harvest every year. Last year, we had so many apples, we had to ask neighbours to help pick them all, and we sold quite a few bags to a manufacturer. So, if you’re ever buying apple juice or jam, there’s a chance that you’re tasting apples from my garden. You’re welcome!
Important to note! Plant remnant strawberries in the autumn if you want to have a nice harvest early in the summer.
Another advice is to put landscaping fabric around your strawberry bushes if you don’t want your strawberries to be all muddy. We’ve also tried mulching with cut grass, but I suspect that we don’t have the right weather for it to work. If your climate zone permits, mulch should be just as good if not better.
Mustard for pest control
I’ve read every possible article about plants that you can use for pest control. I’ve probably dumped ten packets of marigold seeds around the vegetable garden and on a separate lot. Yet, my marigolds are only now getting ready to bloom.
My mother, on the contrary, decided on the mustard plant as her bug repellent of choice. She sowed mustard seeds all around her tomatoes and even more way in the back of the lot.
It looks gorgeous! What’s more, my sister sowed a bit into a pot and placed it on her balcony. Not only did it grow instantaneously. She said that she hadn’t had any mosquitoes or bees in the last two weeks.
Now I know that I need mustard plants around my windows. Maybe then I won’t need to invest in mosquito nets for the windows.
Decorative shrubs
And last but not least, I’ve got my decorative shrubs.
First of all, I had to plant some lilacs. I have a personal family history with lilacs, so it is kind of symbolic. My three lilac bushes are looking great, even if I didn’t get any flowers this year.
And this little lady is making me very happy. Spirea!
The two bushes I planted last year were very weak but completely resurrected this spring and are already in bloom. My mother brought me another one early in the spring. It’s not looking too shabby itself.
Mint and basil for the windowsill
Always remember to keep your mint contained in a pot. The roots can get a little crazy! I barely managed to dig up two pieces to plant into smaller pots for my sister and me to keep in the kitchen.
I sowed basil into two separate pots. Next year, I’m gonna do it one seed at a time and put them into a mini-greenhouse.
That’s it for now! If you want to see more of my garden, I sometimes post updates over on TikTok.
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