I couldn’t believe my eyes when I noticed that some shoots were already starting in the nursery just two days after the seeds were sown! I was so happy about that progress. It’s now just five days since I started the nursery and now we’ve got quite a few trays exhibiting signs of life.
First to make an appearance were the Amaranthus seedlings, followed by the Holyhocks, Marigolds and even the Weeping Love ornamental grass and some calendulas too. This morning, I saw signs of a couple of Alyssum shoots, I’m particularly interested in these coming through as I’ve got three trays full of their seeds. The Alyssum – I hope – will be the main feature of every border as they will reside right at the front and provide the frame for that border. As you might have noticed from my inventory, I’ve got two kinds; the white Snow Cloth and the yellow Gold Dust.
Here are a few pictures for your enjoyment. I hope that your seeds are doing well too. Let us know how you’re getting along by entering a comment.
Here are the seeds which have been sown today (Friday 29 Aug 2014) in the nursery. A total of 16 seed trays and 34 types of plants. Watch the video for more of the seeding info and background:
Our viewer Shirley Dockerill asked us to cover the important topic of gardens that need very little water. In other words: xeriscaping. In this episode, I discuss and show what I have personally done in my garden to accommodate the xeriscaping philosophy and show my xeriscaped border and the thriving plants in it. All while using as little water as possible and I show you how you can implement that in your own gardens as well.
This weekend’s project is to make use of some of the tens of pots we have lying around. My wife suggests we open a garden shop, or at least do a yard sale to get rid of some of them. No way, I say. Pots are meant to be mini-gardens, and that’s what I’m going to do this weekend. And to be fair, it was she who suggested that I use some of the pots, something that escaped my mind 😉
This is how one potted garden once looked by our pool. Most of those plants actually still survive but are spread around the garden and in my xeriscaped border to the side of our house. Let’s see if we can do something as nice this time.
But, you’ll have to wait for specifics as all will be revealed in the third episode of the Mahmood’s Garden Show scheduled for release this Saturday 16th August, 2014.
Here’s my first in a forthcoming series of gardening videos I’m personally producing and creating to share with you my trials and successes in my home garden. In this series, “Mahmood’s Garden” I’ll show you how to get colour back into your garden using annuals. Most of those I’ll cultivate from seed, so you’ll accompany me on a journey of gardening from seed to fully grown plant in one season. The planting season starts toward the end of September in Bahrain, this episode, I set the scene and share with you my plans for the coming few weeks and months.
Come along on the journey. And be generous with your comments and feedback. I would appreciate +1s, Likes and Thumbs Up too 😉
By the way, my company (Gulf Broadcast) will coincidentally producing a Garden Makeover show professionally this season too, but the series of videos will be released in Feb/Mar 2015 along with the Bahrain International Garden Show, so through my videos, you might see some behind the scenes action. So please subscribe to my channel so you won’t miss any interesting happenings. Go to http://YouTube.com/Mahmood to subscribe – I cover many more subjects about living in Bahrain and not just gardening, so it should be interesting in its variety.
Another palm in our garden is dead. Thanks to this beetle. We have to remove the “Khawajah” palm from the garden now and must get someone to come spray the rest of the palms so that they do not spread to the rest of them, or more importantly, don’t spread to the rest of the neighbourhood. Sad.
This one loves the “Witch’s Cauldron” and is the best Agave I have in my collection. Unfortunately though, this erection means that after it flowers it will die 🙁 but not without first giving its viewer (and the bees) much pleasure!
I think this is a “single” Sultani or as they’re called locally “Mohammedi” Rose. It has a very nice scent. Unforutnately some bugs have taken a shine to these and other bushes in my garden and they’re chomping at the leaves and damaging flowers. I’ll take some advice from the botanists in the Budaiya experimental farms and hope that they’ll identify what needs to be done, if anything.
Do you have any idea what’s chomping at my plants?
It’s really strange that when you observe a garden, or any other space for that matter, and you are used to that particular view, you not only get to take it for granted but your mind disappears some detail and you never really appreciate it. However, I found that if you do frame it through the camera and take a picture, more often than not you would be pleasantly (or otherwise!) surprised. It’s almost as if the two-dimensional view – especially if done well – would make you see it for what it actually is, in all of it’s glory.
Consider this for instance. It’s a view I pass several times a day without giving it much thought. In fact, I didn’t think it as “lovely” as it obviously appears here:
Isn’t this a picture fit for a gardening magazine?
Looking at it now and noticing the beauty of the “tear drop” in the middle; the depth that the Ixora on the left leads to the lovely purple Datura flowers and then onto the bed of Calendulas and onward to the rose bushes below the French windows. Then we notice the gorgeous framing offered by the two plumerias, going through to the two Cassia Fistulas and then at the very back, at the wall, we see the passion fruit climber in the middle and the plentiful flowering of the Oleander is just.. well, beautiful!
And then just imagine this space a few weeks from now once the plumerias are fully clothed and the fistulas have shed theirs leaves and replaced them with new growth, and you will be once again pleasantly surprised.
All of this in the arid climate of Bahrain? Yes, indeed it is. As I’ve said in the previous article you can indeed grow just about anything in this lovely country, but for a short while until the scorching sun put an end to this particular enjoyment and forcibly transfer your attention to the most heat tolerant plants; namely the palms, plumerias and the cacti.
But let’s not dwell on that. Here. Enjoy this view as well, taken a minutes of the one above and is what is available opposite. The one on top I call the Southern Garden; while the one you see below, obviously, is the Front, or even Northern garden.
Have a look at this beauty! We’ve just finished this new border this afternoon. I moved almost all the agaves and cactii from the cluster by the pool into this new brilliant arrangement, even if I say so myself 🙂
I’m looking forward for them to mature in place and hope all visitors to our neighborhood enjoy my xeriscaped garden border.
Stoked! The cycad is alive :)
Stoked! The cycad is alive :)
Is this thing on?
Is this thing on?
Is this thing on?