Early Autumn Gardening Update: Tower of Flower, Mini Ponds, & a Rainbow of Snapdragons
I went to the nursery with flowers on my mind, but no real plan. My goal was to remodel the Botanic Apartments and look around for fall gardening inspiration.
Then I pottered about the Courtyard like Snow White in my head and figured out where to plant what I got.
Nursery haul, September 3
Part I: Pond to Pot
You know what you should really do with this "pond"? Turn it into a pot.
In my post on pond problems, I said:
I could fill the pond with soil and turn it into a place for plants, and place a pot dish in the middle as a water center.
Well, that was the option C that I went with.
Yes, BJ, it was a good idea.
Yeah, I know.
I filled it with soil and put a pot tray in the middle for a mini pond, and planted salvia, snapdragons, and sage. And transplanted a verbena quartz.
A few days later, the salvia and snapdragons bloomed.
Pretty pink and purple
BJ does an inspection
See? I told you it was a good idea.
It has been very cute to see the Cantina customers enjoying their new drinking pond.
Then, one morning, I noticed the salvias had been eaten, and discovered that the culprit was Sneaky!
Also, while you're at it – move this into a sunnier spot.
You got it, BJ.
I also moved the splash 'n sip spring over a few feet into a spot that stays sunnier, so the fountain would run for longer.
The change was well-received by customers
I planted trailing rosemary and a few more salvias in the pot below.
Part II: Tower of Flower
The Botanic Apartments have been through many remodels. The latest is called Tower of Flower, or Flower Tower.
I also moved the tower back to the Courtyard from the Deck because it's easier to water in the Courtyard with the hose.
I planted salvias, marigolds, a couple of snapdragons, and chives. I planted only two of the snapdragons in the tower because I want to see where they do best. You already saw I planted a couple in the pond pot, and in part III, you will see more in pots.
Also, I transplanted the salvias that Sneaky ate into the second tier from the botton for safe growing.
Bee enjoys a drink at Salvia's apartment
Part III: Snapdragons
I spread the other snapdragons into different pots in different spots to see where they like it best.
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They bloomed quickly into a beautiful rainbow and seem to be happy everywhere. I've been pruning the faded flowers to encourage them to spread.
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Part IV: A Little Frog Pond
With another pot tray for a pond, and a broken pot, I made a quick little indoor swimming pool for GoldenEye and his friends.
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I planted the coleus wizard mix on either side because it's a shady spot, and these plants match the aesthetic of a frog waterpark – to me.
Part V: Compost Check-in
A quick update on how my compost is doing:
Also known as Worm Headquarters
It's a bit too wet; I need to add more dry matter, but it's interesting to see. I scooped some out and added it to two of the pots with snapdragons.
Thus concludes my early autumn gardening update! Thank you for reading!
Wait! Wait! Wait! I wanna be featured on the blog!
Okay, Lacy. You can do the honors of concluding this post.
Hi, I'm Lacy! I'm a Green Lacewing of the Chrysopidae family! I'm a beneficial insect, or Captain of Organic Enforcement, as I like to say. My team and I eat garden pests, like aphids, helping farmers and gardeners keep the bad guys out! – including pesticides!
That was a wonderful introduction – and conclusion – Lacy.
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