The continuous heat over this summer has taken its toll not only on us but also on our garden. I’d already decided in the spring not to grow many vegetables and leave the two largest raised vegetable beds covered and I’m relieved we did.
This week we made some tough decisions and abandoned several plants growing in pots that were beyond saving. Much to Mr. P’s surprise, I was ruthless because some held special memories, such as gifts from friends who had passed on. But we are not getting any younger, and I have noticed energy levels are depleting every year. The mind is willing, but the body has other ideas.
Pachypodium Lamerei
Friends bought me a Pachypodium Lamerei back in 2017, and despite the odds, it has survived …that is, until now. The plant has two trunks. On one, the foliage has died off completely, and the other does not look happy. On moving the pot this morning, Mr P discovered a huge root had escaped through the hole at the bottom of the pot. Methinks it is seriously pot-bound, but what to do. It is going to be nigh on impossible to remove from the pot due to its vicious spikes. But somehow, remove it we must.
Sadly, the other Pachypodium Lamerei which we bought during COVID met its maker so I hope once we repot this one we can save it.
Raised Vegetable Planters
Is it time to say goodbye? The soil in the raised planters is tired. Roots from the Melaleuca have crept in through the drainage holes and taken over and once again sucked the life out of the soil. I paid to have all the soil replaced a few years ago, but now we are back to square one so I’m tempted to repurpose the huge area in the garden into a pentaque pitch. Ahem, Mr P and family. Possible Christmas present?
Peppers
The yellow peppers were doing well then without warning after months of waiting for them to ripen, I turn my back for a week, thinking they’re all okay, and when I go to pick a pepper for a salad, I am met with,
and the roots from the melaleuca hedge have also found their way into these planters.
Strawberry Planter
Is it too much trouble for too little reward? Given the roasting hot summer and the idea that we are trying to reduce the workload in the garden with plants that are less ‘needy ‘, I wonder if it is time to say goodbye to the strawberry planter and try and sell it.
Passiflora
Despite my best efforts to keep it alive and Mr P removing all the dead leaves, we finally lost the battle. Some things are just meant to be. Dig it out of the pot, replace the earth and buy a new plant.
Pelargoniums
To end on a more cheerful note: After ruthlessly pruning their stems to stumps barely above the surface (with an OMG have I killed it) in August, by October the pelargoniums are shooting again.
That’s it for this week, folks. For more Six on Saturday gardens, check out our host over on Jim’s blog.
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and on a super happy note the bourgainvillea are magnificent
drought hit badly :(
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I love your piggy picture, what fun. I no longer grow veg because having downsized I have no room for them. But I do so miss harvesting my own lovely fresh veg. But a petanque pitch would be fun.
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Hi Chloris, I will also miss harvesting the fresh veg as and when it is tough, yes? I also think a petanque pitch would be fun, and we could use all the spare earth and rubble from the raised beds to level up the plot :)
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Aww, sometimes life in the garden is hard, for both plants and people. It’s hard to lose meaningful plants. Here too (NE U.S.), this summer was a rough one. We had sooo much rain. There was hardly a good time to mow the lawn. It always seemed to be wet, and it grew like crazy. Therefore, it needed to be mowed more, but the wet grass would clog the mower. It was also a bad year for tomatoes. A lot of them rotted on the vine, but I did manage to save enough cherry tomatoes to freeze some to use in soups and other dishes this winter. In any case, the weeds LOVED this weather!!! Somehow, we go on. Next year will be a different story – hopefully not too dry! Perhaps some of your plants will recover somewhat over the winter months.
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Hi ephesians413, yep life in the garden is hard for plants and people When leaves turn yellow I am stuck between is it too much water or not enough? Sounds like you also had a tough summer managing the lawn. It’s also tough to grow veg when it is so damp. Now I know why commercial growers use greenhouses to offset the sun and the rain. Driving to spain we passed miles about miles of these structures.
Yep we sure do :)
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Yes, we do. Perhaps the time away from most of it during the winter renews our love and resolve to do it all over again. The spring seed catalogues come, and we are hooked again. As they say, hope springs eternal! Happy planning for next year! :)
Jeanne
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The heat caused some damage, and unfortunately, you couldn’t quite achieve everything you wanted. Still, you have peppers right now, and I hope you have plans for next spring.
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Morning, Fred :) Sadly, the peppers that remain are all infested or deformed so not worth saving and the remaining yellow peppers are not much better. I have decided not to plant veg next Spring. My veg growing days are behind me.
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It all depends on the weather next spring. If conditions are favorable, why not try growing easy vegetables suited to your climate? Sweet potatoes, radishes, or small cucumbers—specifically gherkins—don’t take long to mature. On the other hand, crops like tomatoes, chilies, bell peppers, and aubergines might given poor results if the weather changes. .
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I’d love to. The mind and the enthusiasm are there, but I no longer have the energy. I have fibromyalgia, and I also experience difficulty bending down and digging. It’s not that the will isn’t there, Fred, I just have to change the way I garden. and we have metered water so that is another consideration. Plus, the roots from the hedge have invaded All the raised beds . I am very much a person who believes that where there is a will, there is a way so this decision re: growing vegetables has not been easy. :(
On a positive note I will go to the local farmers market and support the endeavours of others :)
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A reality that I hate, age is about letting go and focusing our energies on less temporal things. But I find that I get joy now from things like clouds and beauty that I didn’t create and don’t own. They are all around us once we look. Praying for you to more and more enjoy the beauty all around us that is pure grace when we open up to it.
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So true, Eileen but also so frustrating when the mind is so busy with a job list.
I try to remember the Serenity prayer but it ain’t always easy
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It’s hard to see so many losses, but then again an excuse to buy something different. And yes, making life easier as we get older. Your idea for a pétanque pitch sounds like a good one and a fun way to get some exercise.
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Exactly, Jude :) And I do love to play pétanque when we were in France where they play it anywhere. Back in April, we played in a fun competition, which was great fun.
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It’s sad to let go of old plants or concepts, but I guess the garden is a constant, evolving project. I love your strawberry planter and would want to buy that off you if I were local! What a good idea.
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Hi Kathrin, yes our gardens are constantly evolving which is good as they keep us busy.
We made the strawberry planter and it worked well until I became complacent
https://pigletinportugal.com/2024/03/21/how-to-make-a-vertical-strawberry-planter/
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Change is the only thing that is constant. I too downsized my garden a lot this fall. Now I only have a balcony garden.
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so you no longer tend your allotment?
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That is correct, I handed it over to a new gardener.
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wow, I had no idea but then I dropped off the radar all summer
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I believe everything happens for a reason, Carole, even though it’s sometimes tough to figure out the reason. In the case with your plants, I’m guessing that it’s far too much work to keep up anymore, so your tough decision to pare it down is a good decision. It’ll free up time for you for other passions like writing and art work.
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Hi Terry, there is usually an upside if we dig for it :) I will just have to change the way I approach gardening and accept my mobility limitations
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Fred had some wonderful looking peppers, and chillis too. My ‘talents’ don’t run in that direction xx
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Hi Jo, yes he did and so did I until the dang insects found them. At least I managed to harvest and freeze some. But that’s the joys of gardening :( At least I have an excuse to buy some plants at the Mediterranean Garden Fair :)
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Perhaps best to find some native plants that will thrive in the heat and drought. Something that spreads and fill in the garden area. It is tough to lose plants bit sometimes that is how it goes.
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~Hi Bernie, it is tough to lose plants especially when they’ve been growing happily for years. Sigh… on the upside I am going to a garden fair shortly so I now have a few spaces and an excuse to buy a few more :)
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So sorry about your losses! I lost my beans to the drought that we had this summer. It didn’t have to be. I had water, I just didn’t use it. Luckily most of the native plants I grow have very deep roots and tend to do just fine without water. Gotta water the veggies, for sure!
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Hi winsconsin, yep. keeping on top of the watering during the summer months this year has been a challenge…and if I remember from my attempt at growing beans they are VERY thirsty
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What is “Melaleuca,” if you don’t mind me asking. It seems to me it was a magic ingredient in a home-based supplement selling enterprise when my husband was in law school…starving law students kept trying to enhance their meager incomes by selling it to us…
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Hi Pam, it is a plant which grows in a hedge which has very thirsty roots
https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melaleuca
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Thank you! Sounds a little too invasive for your liking!!!
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In California, where I grew up, we called it Bottle brush plant due to the shape of the flowers. It is aromatic – tea tree oil comes from some form of Melaleuca. Native to Australia mostly, I think…
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Thank you! Tea tree oil makes perfect sense!
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