The pandemic hit us all hard and left us stuck at home with the same mundane routine of office work, incessant zoom calls and endless household chores (man,they never get over)..but if social media is any proof, it’s also given most of us some spare time to reconnect… reconnect with ourselves, reconnect with our old friends and also to reconnect with our hobbies and passions…I see endless posts from my friends/acquaintances putting up pictures of their culinary skills or fitness routines, or artwork or poetries…just like them, even I have discovered a new found love …for gardening π±πΏ
I have written about my gardening experience in some earlier posts (read My Quest for a new βTalentβ, Spring for my Soul π»πΌπ¦πΊ, The first bloom π·π· ). But my garden has grown since then and I thought I must share the latest updates with all my WP friends who might share a similar interest.
First of all, it’s been many months of lockdown here owing to the ravaging second wave. The nearest nursery from where I bought the plants has been closed forever. So it’s been about 5-6 months that I couldn’t buy any new plants. So to keep up the garden, I knew I had to take extra care of the pant babies already there and make sure that they continue to thrive. And to my utter joy, they did. Most of them anyway. ππ







However, despite my best efforts I failed to save 2 of my plant babies…I tried to water more, water less, repot, everything a novice like me knew or could think of. But they just gradually withered and slipped away. βΉοΈβΉοΈ

But, Mother nature works in mysterious ways. While I couldn’t save 2 of the plants despite trying so hard, a few stems just sprang up out of nowhere and blossomed to full sized healthy plants… with zero effort from my side!! Talk about Circle of life. Funny thing, till now I am not even sure what these are called. If you guys have a clue, do let me know in the comments section. But they are beautiful and thriving. So name or not, I Ain’t complaining. ππΏπ

A few weeks back I went down to get some groceries and on my way back I noticed some beautiful potted plants near the security guards’ room. I came to know that the owners were not living here currently so they were left to his care. So took his permission and cut out a few stems and used them to fill my empty pots. And with some nurturing and care, they have been doing pretty well so far. Welcome home babies ππ


Next up, I turned my attention to the kitchen. I did some research to see what veggies or greens can be grown easily and how to get started on them. For now, I used some pumpkin, papaya, lemon, chilly and coriander seeds and slowly they are coming out. Yet to get any fruits but it’s a joy seeing them come to life from a few dried seeds. I never realized how fun it is to see new stems popping out of the soil to form full grown plants. Here they are ππ






And like before (read Rebirthβ¦), I planted some dried up leftover flowers into the soil and I can see new plants. Whether they bear flowers or not, we will have to wait and see.

Well it’s been less than a year since I started working on my mini balcony garden. And I am still learning. Must say, being a plant parent is a lot of work. You gotta ensure you’re watering them right, make sure unwanted insects don’t eat up the leaves, get rid of them if need be, ensure they get adequate sunlight. But it’s also been a very enriching and fulfilling experience. It keeps me busy. It keeps me happy. And most importantly, it keeps me hopeful. Every time, a flower blossoms or a tiny little stem sprouts up from the soil, it’s just pure, unadulterated joy. And for that I thank my beautiful plant babies π₯°π.

Wow what a beautiful garden blooming!
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Thank you so much Pragalbha…it’s still a work in progress…but I am really enjoying the experience and I wish I had started sooner π₯°π₯°
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You have an amazing green thumb and love your beautiful pictures! Nice job. Love the quotes and wonderful messages here. xoxoxxooxππππ
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Aww thank you so much Cindy…you made my day …so glad you liked my mini garden and my experiences around it…I hope I can improve and my plants live longer and healthier ππππ
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You’re so welcome and wish you could help mine.. you’re amazingπβ£οΈ
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That’s quite a garden you have there, G. The plants look beautiful β€οΈ
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Ohh thank you Shweta…am literally beaming and gloating with joy reading this ππ₯°
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You’re most welcome, G π
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The plants look so lovely!
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Thank you Pooja…that just made my dayπ€©π₯°
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All the plants look great, your hardworking is definitely showing up β€β€
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Thank you thank you so much Shivani….it’s indeed a joy seeing them look healthy and beautiful β€οΈβ€οΈπ
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Wowww..! It so beautiful..! It’s looks very pretty..!πππ
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Thank you so much dear….such praises for my plant babies makes me sooo happy…giddy almost πβ€οΈππ₯°
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Oh that’s awesome..! You’re very welcome..!ππ
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Youβre right! Some things changed for the better because of pandemic!
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Yeah…the old life became a thing of the past and a new life emerged with its own set of possibilities, allowing us to grow, learn, adapt and hope. So glad you could relate to this thought ππ€
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Clearly, you have a green thumb and put a lot of TLC into your plants. Kudos. I know gardening makes me happy too.
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Yes it takes effort but then what does not…but the joy and satisfaction it brings is just something only a fellow plant liver can get ππΏπ
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ππΌ
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What a wonderful garden!!! πΏπΌπΉ
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Thank you so much Luisa..so glad to know you liked it . π₯°π₯°
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Oh thank you so much Cindy….your comment really made my day and made me grin from ear to ear ππ
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All those warm weather plants make me think you might live in a warm place, but I don’t know…in any case, you’re doing awfully well with the plants! Keep it up and thank you for the follow. π
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Thank you so much for visiting my blog…am delighted to know you liked my mini garden π€π
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Ahhhh! Your babies aree the cutest, prettiest and so so soooooooooo beautiful! Amazing. I am loving the one you got from your guard!!! So many flowers you own, I just have three flower plants…i am so new so I fear that they will die. It is super hard. Kudos girl!!! Brilliant job!!
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Awww thank you…u made me delighted with your sweet wordsπ₯°ππ€π..most of these flowers are in small hanging pots to save space…you can try to grow your garden with some low maintenance flowers like hibiscus or try some non flowering plants like money plant. They are hassle free and do fine with just water and sunlight…let me know if you get some new plantsππ
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This is just awesome, you have a way with plants, you really do. That garden looks much more than a mini garden now, with both flowers (including fragrant flowers) and herbs, eatables. And you actually grew them from seed, kudos! Pumpkins grow real fast, and if you use the leaves and the vines they actually make very good and healthy food options, so good if they grow very fast π My chilli and tomato plants are in bloom and I haven’t bought chillies in a long long time. I would love to grow some of those corianders, I am inspired by this. One more thing, as far as I know, lemon type of trees take some years before they bear fruit, I might be mistaken though. In that case a sapling from a nursery (which they grow by grafting from a mature plant) would give you lemons a bit quicker π
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Hey thank you so much Deb…. you just made my dayππ yes my garden looks ok now but no vegetables yet… interestingly, my mother was also telling me the same about the pumpkin leaves and vines and how if cooked well they are quite tasty…but they are quite prickly to touch so I don’t know…I was hoping they would flower atleast…I doubt if it will actually bear fruit as there is not much space for it to grow…and yeah you’re absolutely right about lemons…I saw on YouTube that they take years before they bear fruits….I will get one from the nursery as you suggested…and how much time does it take for the chilli plant to bear fruits? like I said, am no expert and still learning each day πΏππ
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You are welcome π and Chillies should grow within 2 months. Don’t overwater and if they get good sunlight they will be hot! Also there are few throwaway things from day to day which are very good for plants – like the water which we strain off after boiling rice, crushed egg shells and used tea leaves, these are good plant food.
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I have been using the used tea leaves, it serves as an alternative for cocopeat I read…will try the other two…of late, I see spiders and cobwebs…need to figure out how to get rid of them
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july, august… the spiders will be everywhere. I love spiders so I let them be there π but there are spider mites which harm the plants. Diluted mild soap solution in lots of water, or maybe neem oil solution with water sprayed on the whole plant should help.
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Neem oil sounds like a good option..will be organic and less harmful for the plants ππ»ππ»
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Looks like a fun rewarding hobby for you. Beautiful plants too. It’s a delicate balance to keep them alive for me. I’ve killed one or two in my time. π¦ I like having them around though.
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Thank you so much Sheila….glad you liked my plant babies…yes it’s a balance and learning process as I too lost a few despite my best efforts…but I have started to enjoy this hobby immensely. You should also give it a go again…try with the simplest and easiest to maintain options like a money plant..am sure you will enjoy it. Do tell π
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Wonderful set of surprises. Enjoy your time.
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Thank you so much Rupali for visiting my blog and liking my post…glad to connect π
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Beautiful blooms and inspiration. Bringing Nature in to our place of rest even makes it more relaxing and just a place of zen. Thanks
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Yes you’re completely right…plants not only make the place beautiful but also makes it more peaceful ππ
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It looks amazing @Gibberish.
The beauty of these flowers shows the hidden formula of your hard work and compassion towards the greenery.
Keep the good work going!
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Oh thanks TanishQ (I double checked to make sure it does not get auto corrected)ππ…so glad you liked it…it’s really a very engaging and fulfilling hobby I have come across and I hope I can continue to grow my garden….you should definitely give it a go too if you haven’t already….try with the easiest to maintain plants and see if you like itππ
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Well, I’m impressed.π
Aside from coommon plants like ‘tulsi’ & ”gulaab”, I’ve 4 different types of “Aloe vera” plants under my care at home.
Aloe-vera? Just becoz I watched it on youtube and blah blah…
I find myself pretty close to nature always.
Caring of plants is similar to any other task.
You gotta give your 100% .
However, I’m not planning to increase my workload.π
And , you are most welcome!
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Oh that’s great that you have a few succulent plants like aloe Vera growing….they don’t require constant attention and are perfect to get started ππ»ππ»ππ
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What a wonderful garden
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Thank you so much Sahiti…. really delighted to know that you liked my plant babies ππ
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Such a beautiful garden you have, lovely pictures β€οΈ Yes, it does requires a lot of effort to take care of them. π
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Thank you so much Samreen for reading and liking my post..and you’re so right ..it’s a lot of hardwork but also very rewarding ππ
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Pleasure my dearππ€ Yes, its so rewarding, indeed. π
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You have such a beautiful garden!! Loved the flowersπ» I am glad to have found your blogπ
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That’s such a beautiful compliment…so very glad to know that you liked my plant babies… really happy to connect with you as well ππ
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All your plants look happy π€
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Thank you so much for saying that.πHappy plants = happy Me πππ₯°
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