Category: 30 Day Challenge

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30 Day Challenge Christine's garden Gardening

The 30 Day Challenge – Day 30

Solanum Rantonnetii

Today I am grateful for “The Gardening Blog”. When Barbie and I first started this blog in January this year we thought we had gardens and knew what we were doing.  So we started a “gardening blog”. Seems rather funny now because when we look back we realise that we had very little knowledge and pretty basic gardens that were nothing very special. Finding things to blog about every day opened our eyes to just how little we knew and how much more we could do in our gardens to create the gardens of our dreams.

The Gardening Blog has opened up a whole new world for us, one that has been incredibly rewarding, lots of fun, and we’ve loved every minute of it. Here’s to many more great gardening years and blogging!

Solanum Rantonnetii

Photo: Solanum Rantonnetii -Barbie and I both have this bush in our gardens – Barbie’s is huge, nine is still a young plant. They are covered in these small blue-purple flowers in summer. Easy to grow and pretty much pest and disease free.

Solanum Rantonnetii – S. rantonnetii is a deciduous shrub forming purple-blue flowers throughout the summer, followed by red decorative fruit in autumn which is popular with the birds.

About the 30 Day Challenge

Cat of The Whimsical Gardener, has invited Garden Bloggers the world over to join her in the 30 day challenge of posting a photograph and sentiment that you are thankful for – every day for 30 days. Find something you are thankful for every day, for 30 days, can’t be too difficult, can it? See all Barbie’s and my posts filed under “30 Day Challenge“.

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30 Day Challenge Christine's garden Gardening

The 30 Day Challenge – Day 29

Salvia

Today I am grateful for the sense of achievement and the thrill of success I derive from gardening. Planting a seed, seedling or young plant and watching it grow until it reaches its potential is indeed very gratifying and watching a garden grow is extremely rewarding for me. From a patch of weeds overshadowed by overgrown trees I am slowly converting the space around my house into a beautiful garden. Gardening this past year has been wonderfully satisfying and I’m looking forward to lots more of it in the future.

Salvia

Photo: Salvia – This plant is new to me as I only bought it recently. I’ve planted it in front of the Virburnum for colour in an otherwise very “green” area in my garden.

Salvia – Salvia species include annual, biennial, or perennial herbs, along with woody subshrubs. The stems are typically angled like other members in Lamiaceae. The leaves are typically entire, but sometimes toothed or pinnately divided. The flowering stems bear small bracts, dissimilar to the basal leaves, though in some species they are ornamental and showy. The flowers are produced in racemes, or panicles, and generally produce a showy display with flower colors ranging from blue to red, with white and yellow less common.

About the 30 Day Challenge

Cat of The Whimsical Gardener, has invited Garden Bloggers the world over to join her in the 30 day challenge of posting a photograph and sentiment that you are thankful for – every day for 30 days. Find something you are thankful for every day, for 30 days, can’t be too difficult, can it? See all Barbie’s and my posts filed under “30 Day Challenge“.

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30 Day Challenge Christine's garden Gardening

The 30 Day Challenge – Day 28

Freesias

Today I am grateful for Time to stop and smell the roses (and all the other wonderful scents in my garden). Having the Time to spend in my garden is a wonderful luxury. I haven’t always had time to do the things that give me pleasure and today I am extremely grateful that at this time in my life I actually have found the time to spend in my garden almost whenever I please. Happy Days!

 Freesias

Photo: Freesias – I love, love freesias! They looked so beautiful in my garden when they were flowering in early spring. My only complaint would be that they should flower all year round!

Freesias – Freesias are very popular garden plants, grown for their often strongly scented flowers. Numerous cultivars have been bred. Modern tetraploid cultivars have flowers ranging from white to yellow, pink, red and blue-mauve. They are widely cultivated and readily increased from seed.

About the 30 Day Challenge

Cat of The Whimsical Gardener, has invited Garden Bloggers the world over to join her in the 30 day challenge of posting a photograph and sentiment that you are thankful for – every day for 30 days. Find something you are thankful for every day, for 30 days, can’t be too difficult, can it? See all Barbie’s and my posts filed under “30 Day Challenge“.

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The 30 Day Challenge – Day 27

Jasminum Polyanthum

Today I am grateful for all the tools and gadgets that make gardening easy and fun – without all my gardening tools I’d really be stuck! How would we cope without spades and rakes, hoes and watering cans, hose-pipes and wheel barrows, buckets and secateurs, loppers, bulb dibber and … there are so many tools I could not garden without.

One “tool” on my wish-list which I don’t yet have is “Lawn aerator shoes”. Have you heard of those? No, I hadn’t either but I believe you can buy them – What next!
Whats your “can’t do without” gardening tool?

Jasminum Polyanthum

Photo: Jasminum Polyanthum – I have recently planted this evergreen creeper in my rose bed against the walls. I needed something that could tolerate the heat in this corner and would climb quickly to cover the trellises. I love the smell and the pretty white flowers. Easy and pest free.

 Jasminum polyanthum, also known as Pink Jasmine (or White Jasmine), is an evergreen twining climber from China. It produces an abundance of reddish-pink flower buds in late winter and early spring, followed by fragrant five-petalled star-like white flowers which are about 2 cm in diameter. It has compound leaves with 5 to 7 leaflets which are dark green on the upper surface and a lighter green on the lower surface. The plant is very vigorous and can grow up to 6 metres in height when supported. Depending on the climate, this vine has a semi-deciduous to evergreen foliage.

About the 30 Day Challenge

Cat of The Whimsical Gardener, has invited Garden Bloggers the world over to join her in the 30 day challenge of posting a photograph and sentiment that you are thankful for – every day for 30 days. Find something you are thankful for every day, for 30 days, can’t be too difficult, can it? See all Barbie’s and my posts filed under “30 Day Challenge“.

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30 Day Challenge Christine's garden Gardening

The 30 Day Challenge – Day 26

Camellias

Today I am grateful for all my gardening books! I’ve always loved books and combining one hobby (gardening) with another (reading) has resulted in quite an impressive library of gardening books. Its great reading fiction on an E-reader like Kindle or on the i-Pad, but when it comes to gardening and plants, there is nothing that compares to paging through glossy books filled with wonderful photographs of plants, flowers and trees to inspire me to be a better gardener.

I’ve learnt so much from all the books I’ve accumulated and continue to do so on a daily basis.
I ♥ all my Gardening Books!

Camellias

Photo: Camellias – Because I have so much shade in my garden, Camellias really thrive here. They are easy to manage and relatively pest free (I see occasional aphids). The only down side with Camellias is that they require plenty of water and will not tolerate drought. I love the glossy green leaves and of course the flowers … they are truly gorgeous!

Camellias are evergreen and small trees up to 20 meters tall. Their leaves are alternately arranged, simple, thick, serrated, and usually glossy. Their flowers are usually large and conspicuous, one to 12 cm in diameter, with five to nine petals in naturally occurring species of camellias. The colors of the flowers vary from white through pink colors to red; truly yellow flowers are found only in South China and North Vietnam. The various species of camellia plants are generally well-adapted to acidic soils rich in humus, and most species do not grow well on chalky soil or other calcium-rich soils.

About the 30 Day Challenge

Cat of The Whimsical Gardener, has invited Garden Bloggers the world over to join her in the 30 day challenge of posting a photograph and sentiment that you are thankful for – every day for 30 days. Find something you are thankful for every day, for 30 days, can’t be too difficult, can it? See all Barbie’s and my posts filed under “30 Day Challenge“.

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30 Day Challenge Christine's garden Gardening

The 30 Day Challenge – Day 25

Louisiana Iris

Today I am grateful that I am able to create a little haven for the birds in my area and that they help me with “pest control” in my rose garden. I have plenty of little Witoogies that visit daily and they apparently feed on aphids. I’ve been purposely NOT spraying my Roses with any of the “recommended” chemical sprays and the result has been very interesting – NO aphids since I stopped spraying (I assume the noxious spray was keeping the birds away). There is a bird bath in the rose bed and I see the Witoogies and Sunbirds in it daily which might explain why I am no longer seeing any aphids on the roses. It is possible of course that they will return … but for now I am most grateful to the Witoogies for making a meal of them.

Louisiana Iris

Photo: Louisiana Iris “Colorific” – I love the Irises I have growing in my garden, so much so that I have bought a lot more and have planted them in preparation for next spring! I love the strong strappy evergreen leaves of the plants when not in flower, so I have these tucked into various areas in my garden now and they are growing beautifully. I should have a magnificent display next spring!

Louisiana Iris “Colorific”  grows to 2 ft, it has large bicolor, reddish purple and white flowers.

About the 30 Day Challenge

Cat of The Whimsical Gardener, has invited Garden Bloggers the world over to join her in the 30 day challenge of posting a photograph and sentiment that you are thankful for – every day for 30 days. Find something you are thankful for every day, for 30 days, can’t be too difficult, can it? See all Barbie’s and my posts filed under “30 Day Challenge“.

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The 30 Day Challenge – Day 24

Impatiens

Today I am grateful for my Best Gardening Buddy. Not only a gardening buddy but a lifelong best friend, Barbie and I have been through so much together. From playing together as kids to being Moms at the same time, sharing experiences (and clothes!) and all of life’s highs and lows. As we have matured, so have our interests and these days we’ve traded “club hopping” for “nursery shopping” and we are still having fun! Thanks for the ride Barbs … it’s been a blast!

Impatiens

Photo: Impatiens – I have lots of these growing in a very shaded corner of my back garden where I needed a fast growing, white annual to “lift” the darkness of the space. They are easy to grown and flower profusely given the right conditions and have had the desired effect. The area is a mass of white flowers which makes it appear far “lighter” than it is.

New Guinea impatiens form compact, succulent subshrubs with branches growing 1 to 2 feet tall by summer’s end. Leaves are long and narrow, green, bronze, or purple. Flowers, growing up to 2 inches in diameter, are white, pink, lavender, purple, orange, and red.

About the 30 Day Challenge

Cat of The Whimsical Gardener, has invited Garden Bloggers the world over to join her in the 30 day challenge of posting a photograph and sentiment that you are thankful for – every day for 30 days. Find something you are thankful for every day, for 30 days, can’t be too difficult, can it? See all Barbie’s and my posts filed under “30 Day Challenge“.

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The 30 Day Challenge – Day 23

Hypoestes Aristata

Today I am grateful that gardening has taught me to be patient! I’ve always been a very impatient person, expecting everything to be done yesterday and wanting goals achieved in record time. Of course in the garden this just does not happen. Things take time … Mother Nature decides on the time frame in which things will grow (or not) and its been a very valuable lesson for me not to expect instantaneous results. I’ve noticed that I have a far calmer approach in other areas of my life now too. No more the constant rush-rush of getting things done yesterday. What’s another day or two …? For the calming influence gardening has had on me, I am grateful.

Hypoestes aristata - Purple ribbon bush

Photo: Hypoestes aristata – Purple ribbon bush: I only have one of these left in my garden. Another South African Native, The ribbon bush is evergreen and flowers in winter when very little else is in flower in the garden. During the summer it has a neat and compact appearance and is useful as a backdrop to a low, mixed, herbaceous border. 

Hypoestes aristata – The ribbon bush ‘Purple Haze’ is an evergreen shrub approximately 1m in height. It produces an intense show of deep purple flowers in the early to mid winter months in South Africa. The selection ‘Purple Haze’ was developed at the Witwatersrand National Botanical Garden by careful selection for flower colour, foliage colour and compactness of growth. Other colour forms are available. These include the normal lilac-purple, as well as pink and white forms which are not as showy and compact as ‘Purple Haze’

About the 30 Day Challenge

Cat of The Whimsical Gardener, has invited Garden Bloggers the world over to join her in the 30 day challenge of posting a photograph and sentiment that you are thankful for – every day for 30 days. Find something you are thankful for every day, for 30 days, can’t be too difficult, can it? See all Barbie’s and my posts filed under “30 Day Challenge“.

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30 Day Challenge Christine's garden Gardening

The 30 Day Challenge – Day 22

Murraya Exotica

Today I am grateful for all the new gardening knowledge I have filled my brain with this year. With gardening as a new hobby obsession, there has been much to learn. Starting with the basics on how to plant, soil composition and how to improve ones soil, composting, organic gardening methods, planting, pruning, propagation, pests and diseases, fertilisation, lawns and watering to the fun side of gardening, landscaping and design! And I’ve filled my head with so much knowledge about individual plants that I feel like a walking “Plant Encyclopedia”. There has been so much to learn and I’m only just beginning… for this I am grateful!

Murraya Exotica

Photo: Murraya Exotica – I have eight in pots and a few more in the ground in various spots in my garden. They are easy plants requiring little special attention. Slow growing, they benefit from composting and mulch application after which they grow quite vigorously. The scent from these plants is fantastic and the foliage is a rich, deep green which is lovely to look at even if the plants are not flowering. Keep them well watered and Murraya Exotica will give you lots of pleasure.

Murraya Exotica – A lovely, evergreen shrub or small tree with glossy, aromatic foliage, white bell-shaped flowers with a heady scent of Orange Jasmine.

About the 30 Day Challenge

Cat of The Whimsical Gardener, has invited Garden Bloggers the world over to join her in the 30 day challenge of posting a photograph and sentiment that you are thankful for – every day for 30 days. Find something you are thankful for every day, for 30 days, can’t be too difficult, can it? See all Barbie’s and my posts filed under “30 Day Challenge“.

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The 30 Day Challenge – Day 21

Tibouchina

Today I am grateful for the kindness of other gardeners and the camaraderie we share. I’ve been through many phases in life and never in all my years have I experienced such generosity of spirit as I have from gardeners the world over. Offers to send seeds, willingness to share knowledge, giving of their time to advise and gifts of cuttings and surplus plants … I have not experienced such generosity in any other hobby or past time I’ve been involved with before. For all the wonderful Gardening Friends I’ve made in the last year, I am very grateful!

Tibouchina

Photo: Tibouchina – I have three of these in my garden. At first I had them standing in a sunny place and they didn’t do very well. Since I’ve moved two of them to a shadier position the growth is lush and full and they look fabulous. The flowers are a vibrant purple but they don’t last very long. Not that it matters, the plants produce lots of buds and flower pretty much continuously in my garden. I love the plant and I love the name … Ti-bou-shina … rolls off the tongue!

Tibouchina urvilleana is a fast growing, evergreen shrub that forms majestic mounds of handsome foliage that is covered during the warm months with big beautiful bluish purple flowers. Tibouchina urvilleana is native to Brazil. Princess flower is a very popular landscape plant in frost free areas around the world.

About the 30 Day Challenge

Cat of The Whimsical Gardener, has invited Garden Bloggers the world over to join her in the 30 day challenge of posting a photograph and sentiment that you are thankful for – every day for 30 days. Find something you are thankful for every day, for 30 days, can’t be too difficult, can it? See all Barbie’s and my posts filed under “30 Day Challenge“.