Spring is finally taking off in the garden! The plants are all starting to enjoy the warmth and growing daylight, and the calmer winds are letting them keep their large leaves safe. I can’t wait for all the tasty plants growing on my balcony to be ready to eat – except the Cress, which is unstoppable. I probably managed to plant just a bit too much!
If you have a garden you’d like to show off, or if you’d like to see what others’ gardens are getting up to – take a look at other Six on Saturday posts. Want to make one of your own? Check out where it all started!
1
Oh my goodness, the sunflower is growing! It’s such a strong little seedling. Still hasn’t added many leaves (actually, no new ones at all yet…), but the current leaves are turning into real beauties. There’s a little bundle growing at the center that I hope will one day be the flower. If this is a sign that it’s going to bloom soon, though, this may end up being the shortest sunflower I’ve ever heard of. I’m crossing my fingers and hoping that the slowly warming weather will give this happy little plant a reason to take over the whole pot. Or potentially share it with some squash.
2
The hummingbirds are back! It seems that Hummin’eezer Scrooge-bird and his girlfriend have moved on. We haven’t seen them hanging around the feeder for more than a month – not since the incredible winds that downed a few trees in the area. I’ve chosen to think they migrated somewhere warmer. In their absence, two new hummingbirds have moved in. They’re much calmer than Hummin’eezer; they hardly ever yell at other hummingbirds flying by.
3
The Garden Cress simply will not stop growing! I’m eating it as fast as I can (even made antipasto with a few sprigs of this last night), but the little patch refuses to quit. I think a few of them will end up flowering soon if I don’t make some sort of cress salad. This plant has been remarkably easy to grow from seed, and it’s going to be a constant in my garden for the foreseeable future. Unstoppable growth aside…
4
A lovely little Calathea made its way home. This plant was a real eye-catcher over at SarahCotta Plants when we went to pick up a new home plant. Since then, it’s been putting up new leaves and doing its best to be a good guest. Soon enough we’ll have to move it up to a larger, more decorative pot. But what sort of pot would show off this lovely plant best?
5
The Olive Tree is finally starting to think about making olives! Its putting out these little clusters of buds at the end of some of the branches. With the new hummingbird friends visiting, I’m hoping these flowers will be pollinated. The tree has been a constant in its corner of the balcony for a couple years now, and I’ve been waiting far too long for some homemade olives. Now I just have to cross my fingers and hope.
6
The Winter Squash seedling has sprouted with a great deal of bravado. It has a remarkably thick stem and starting leaves – evidence of how it managed to break out of that tough seed shell. I’m thinking it might go well alongside the sunflower, though I’ll have to figure out if there will be enough room in the pot for both of them.
Thanks for stopping by! I hope you had a pleasant time checking out the plants. If you’re in the mood for more nature, please stay in touch!
Mindful Foliage 