Written by Andrelyn Izquierdo.
Journal entry about my gardening experience earlier this year.
Photos by Andrelyn Izquierdo.
Photo by Andrelyn Izquierdo.
This year, I didn't get to do much in the garden indoors and outdoors. Last year, my Horticulture Certificate was stolen out of my luggage while living in my vehicle. Good thing, I was finally able to retrieve a copy recently last month in September 2023. It feels good to get back something that was lost about a year ago. Not that it doesn't mean that I am unable to garden without a certificate. The document does validate that I have furthered my expertise in the field and know some extra tips and tricks to utilize while playing with my plants while digging in the dirt or sorting through cute containers.
Photo by Andrelyn Izquierdo.
Photo by Andrelyn Izquierdo.
Earlier this year during Spring, I had purchased a collection of plants to fill my white urn planters that are in the front yard of the house. It took me a few tries going to Lowes where I usually love to purchase my plants because I end up finding some great buys on the clearance racks. This time, things were a little bit different. I fell in love with the beautiful bright pale-colored tulip and hyacinth bulbs that were positioned in the front of the entrance to the store. Their containers were my favorite color purple in the shade of lavender.
Photo by Andrelyn Izquierdo.
Photo by Andrelyn Izquierdo.
When I was finally ready for planting and had the day off from work with some sunshine, I noticed that almost all of the flowers had a loss of color. They were brown, drooping, and most of them were spent. Even though they were still hydrated with just enough water, they were gone. After analyzing all of the damages done, I noticed that they were overfertilized. The other possibility could've been pesticide damage, which I do not use. This seemed very suspicious also being that one of my neighbors has so many potent lawn chemicals in his garage that they seem to take over an entire section of it.
Over the years, I have kept my garden organic by using natural and plant derived chemicals in the front yard without the harsh, damaging ingredients. Neem oil has been my go-to pesticide for aphids for my rose bushes or insecticidal soap, but that is for another article. As saddening as it was, I still had hope for the last few of plants that still had some blooms left. They needed to be placed into a smaller container.
While going through my garage, I found a hanging basket that was already being quickly repaired for use a couple of years ago. I wanted to see what some would look like inside of the basket. But for some reason, there was a break in a couple of places that made the basket begin to fall apart in my hands. What the heck! Somehow it got vandalized so change of plans with that. It made its way straight to the trash can.
Photo by Andrelyn Izquierdo.
To look on the brighter side, it is never too late to get the front yard done. Due to a mountain of expenses that seem to keep piling up, I had to be patient to see when I can try and start again with something new. Being that the season has past and has now returned to the wetter months of the year, I can start over this time around while utilizing the bottoms of the same plants. Fall is known to be the preparation time for the following year. Usually, gardeners fill in their grounds before first frost with bulbs that can begin blooming later Winter to early Spring. The frost melting as the season changes, gives the already planted bulbs a headstart in their growth period. This way, the yard shows more blooms earlier than other neighboring yards.
Dependent on availability and supply at the retail stores, I'll see what I can do for my containers at least. There are the colorful mounds of mums along with much greenery in the bushes and trees sections. Some of the varieties have polka dots of color with their berries. For now, the job to be done is to be dealing with weeds and cleanup beforehand to ensure new plants stay healthy and upright for upcoming winds of the winter season if they are cold hardy. I bid you good luck with your plantings for whatever you choose.
Happy Gardening!
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Thank you for reading.
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This article is written by:
Andrelyn Izquierdo
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