Deeper Color

The fertilizer seems to be doing its work with the Angelonias; both are producing more buds and the flowers that have recently opened seem to be deeper purple though nothing else seems to have responded yet.

Basil My Way

When I couldn’t readily find organic basil plants, I planted my own organic seeds (that I happily came across at a big box store); now they’re up and growing well! I suppose I can move the “garden sculptures” back into their places throughout the garden since the seeds are now no longer potential bird food. I’m not yet seeing any bursts of growth from last week’s fertilizer application. Gardening requires—and builds patience. My computer is acting up so if you don’t see any posts—pray for it to work again. Don’t give up on me, Lord willing, I’ll be back soon.

Doing Instead of Dreading

Ah, it feels good to sit down in the garden! I’ve just finally fertilized my balcony garden-instead of dreading it, I did it. Though the fertilizer is organic, it doesn’t smell as bad this time (a mixture of things I don’t even want to read). I didn’t get around to fertilizing the pots in front; I startled a bird—a mutual feeling, when I opened the front door a few minutes ago and discovered to my dismay that it was building a nest in my hanging basket. The purple sweet potato vine and mini sun coleus were already mashed down and suffering from Mr. & Mrs. Bird’s stash of skeletonized leaves. I hated to undo their hard work but dive-bombing us any time we open or close the door or water the plants won’t do. I’m glad I discovered the plan before it was too late. I carefully placed their building materials where they could find them and start again somewhere else. I also did the dreaded red hibiscus pruning today. Hibiscuses bloom mostly on new growth—the stem ends, so I needed to make more ends to make more blooms. It was getting lanky and the one long branch caught the wind the other night and caused the plant to fall over on several other plants. It was time.

Double Pink

Another two pink daylily day! We’re coming to the end of the buds on the two flower stalks. I think next week would be a good time to fertilize or, if I’m in the mood for distributing the smelly stuff—tomorrow. Maybe then the daylily will produce more beautiful blooms. The cool morning seemed to make the birds’ notes brighter.

One Way or Another

My search through the local garden centers for an organic basil plant was fruitless and we haven’t had time to make the trek to the distant multi-vendor farmers’ market so I bought a packet of organic basil seed. Though I’m getting a late start and the packet instructions say that it will be seventy days until harvest, I’ve decided that it’s better to grow organic (though I confess I gave in on the golden oregano and hope for the best). Perhaps with judicious fertilizing (too much and the flavor disappears), the seedlings will grow quickly. To keep the birds from breakfasting on the seed, I’ve temporarily clustered my mini garden sculptures (aka silly straws) to crowd them out. But then again, they may just use them as handy perches; if so, I’ll pull out my seed packet and plant again.

Night Watch

I finally remembered one night to photograph one of the prayer plants in its “prayer“ position. From its habit of folding its leaves upward at night came its name.


Lately I’ve noticed that the prayer plant’s news leaves are much larger and have darker markings than the older leaves. At first I couldn’t think of any conditions that were different, then I remembered that when I repotted it I used potting soil fortified with Miracle Gro. I normally opt for “plain” soil but only the fertilized kind was available at the big box store. So, I guess without trying, I’ve proved their claims. ;)

Party Worthy

A fellow art student fascinated me with the story of the Night Blooming Cereus given to her by a friend who inherited it from her mother. The plant was so valuable her friend said that in case of fire, it would be grabbed to go. It had, I was told, a wonderful short-lived flower with a glorious fragrance.

While looking through some of my old photos for something “new” to paint, I was elated to find a picture of my California aunt’s Night Blooming Cereus.

When I exhibited the resulting painting another artist gifted me with a cutting from her special plant. When her Night Blooming Cereus blooms, she throws a party so her friends can enjoy the fragrance with her!

I’ve been growing the cutting in the same little pot for about twelve years; it hasn’t grown very much though it’s happiest in its current space. More sun and more water seem to suit it well. I’ve been hesitant to repot it since I had heard somewhere along the way that they need to be pot bound in order to bloom; I’m always hopeful. However, I think this year is its time to spread out—and maybe get it some fertilizer.

*Oil Painting Night Blooming Cereus

Beyond Corsages

I was having such a good time in my art studio this morning that I didn’t want to leave so I’m running a bit late in posting today.

When I was a child I thought that the orchid corsages that all the ladies loved to wear for Mother’s Day and weddings were ugly. I couldn’t imagine why anyone would like yellow green or brownish pink flowers. Now that I’ve gotten to know some of the vast orchid family (the largest genus of flowers on earth), I’m smitten by them. From the yellow green and, brownish pink cymbidiums to the floaty white and fuchsia phalaenopsis or moth orchid, I can’t get enough. I love to paint them—especially the wildly colorful ruffled cattleyas in orange, magenta, red, photographing them at a local university greenhouse.

I attempt growing phalaenopsis—with hope, and I do well with growing their leaves once the flowers are spent. Alas, it’s orchid bloom season but my phalaenopsis isn’t blooming though it did make a new plant. I’m afraid to separate the two but maybe one day I will; I keep hoping the new one will bloom though if it did the flower stalk would come out upside-down. Maybe I can find some fertilizer* that’s not too chemically.

*My botany professor also insisted that, “fertilizer is not plant food—it’s fertilizer!”

True Colors

It’s another rainy day though the sun shone for about five minutes—I’m grateful for every ray. We seem to have been in a pattern for a while now of two weeks of rain, a week and a half of sun, a week of rain.

On my walk yesterday, I noticed that more of the local leaves are showing their true colors. The reds, oranges and golds that autumn leaves display are the color they really are. The wonderful greens we see in the spring and summer are chlorophyll, the trees’ food; my botany instructor was adamant—“fertilizer is not plant food, chlorophyll is!” Since it’s produced by the sun, as the days shorten the chlorophyll recedes, displaying the leaves' gorgeous true colors.

The Tropicana Canna’s red and green stripes are especially gorgeous today. Though it hasn’t bloomed its anticipated orange flower, the colorfully striped leaves are a beautiful addition to my garden. If all goes well, it will survive the winter outdoors to grow again in the spring. The key to overwintering such plants outdoors is to keep watering them.

Good Things Come in Small Packages

Last week my friend when my friend L. came to visit she wanted to see the garden since she had enjoyed reading this blog. She wondered if my readers knew just how small my garden is. So in case you are a new reader—welcome, and didn’t see my earlier posts, my outdoor garden is on an apartment balcony that is slightly over eleven feet long and four and a half feet deep. It’s a bit smaller than the last place we lived but it’s amazing how much of God’s plant and “animal” creation can fit into it.

My main reason for blogging about my garden is the pleasure of sharing it with you. In addition to being a gardener, I’m a visual artist, writer and budding photographer. This blog makes a great place to put my various skills together. However, I can’t help but championing container gardens, even “tree house” (2nd story) gardens like mine. A garden doesn’t have to be large to be a great enjoyment. The photo is from a previous autumn. I’m amazed to see how much bigger certain varieties have grown this year—must be the fertilizer.

Living in a small space—especially if it’s rented, is so much against the way most Americans think. Though one third of all housing units are rentals, most think that unless you “own your own home”, you’re pretty much a failure. The thing is, it’s impossible to buy a home—homes are made. The idea of buying a home or being a “homeowner” is simply a realty marketing ploy; we get their ads in the mail all the time promising a “real home” for less than rent. (They don’t mention the taxes, the homeowners’ association assessments, the upkeep and repairs.) No, how you pay for a living space is not what makes it a home but a sense of welcome and refuge, a degree of comfort, good smells and sounds are some of the ingredients in making a home. These are priceless.

Same Song, Second Verse

Occasionally a hibiscus flower stays open into the next day—a bonus. This is the same one that bloomed yesterday (see yesterday’s picture). Something bloomed in me yesterday afternoon that has continued into today, and I hope it never closes. Though I’ve known all my life about Jesus’ death and resurrection paying the penalty for our sins and study the Bible closely and teach it—until yesterday I didn’t get as much of the impact of it. As I dug through the Greek word meanings, I found that the words themselves say that Jesus’ sacrifice is complete! When we turn away from our sins (repent) God forgives (sends away) our sins and cancels our guilt and punishment! The sin is gone! The debt is paid! No more guilty conscience (Hebrews 10:22) no “paying the consequences”!

The Lord washed his joy over me with an even fuller understanding of that freedom. I’m so excited that I can barely sit still! This is in no way to advocate “cheap grace” because scripture makes it clear that we are to turn away from sin and the devil and turn toward God, obeying everything that Jesus taught. (John 14) This is such good news that I just had to tell you about it!

I’ll likely be writing in more detail on this on my other sites. Meanwhile if you want to know more about the freedom, you can write me at leafyjournal@yahoo.com

The joy I’m feeling gave me the energy to at last get the fertilizing done. The lawn crew was back today to plant grass seed so we’ll soon have all kinds of new growth. The sky is still a white blanket but rain is expected.

Room to Grow

My plant purchases from two weekends ago finally have bigger pots to help keep them from drying out and to give them room to grow. Lack of potting soil caused the delay. I finally got out to the largest corporation on earth, hoping to find plain potting soil. Unfortunately, every bag had fertilizer in it. I have my own, organic fertilizer—I didn’t want all that. At last, I found one that didn’t have fertilizer called “Moisture Control”. It’s supposed to keep the soil from being over or under-watered. I’m skeptical. It was all they had. We’ll see.


I potted the peppermint and a heliotrope. If you’ve ever wondered what the color fashion and interior design call heliotrope looks like—here it is, a medium violet/purple.

We had a pretty strong rare earthquake tremor here yesterday but I didn’t feel it and none of my pots look out of place, so they don’t seem to have felt it either.

Late Bloomers

“Four o’clocks” remind me my first apartment. The old house, which had been divided into apartments still had a little strip of “yard” beyond the
parking lot, filled with the afternoon and evening-blooming flowers.

A few years ago, I bought a seed packet to grow my first ones but they’re such heavy seed producers and ready volunteers (though I often direct a few of the seeds into the soil to make sure)that I haven’t needed to buy any more.


My four o’clocks tend to get leggy and “cascade” (the “in” word), down the balcony. At first I thought that was a good thing so that they could be enjoyed from below until the night I remembered to go out to see them. I discovered they were in total darkness where no one can see them; so I pulled them in and propped them up on a rail where I can see them.
Now I can readily see their pink and peppermint-spotted white night blooms. Unlike morning glories, the flowers can reopen for a second performance.

I’m sad to say that my hydrangea rooting experiment didn’t work. Though the tops of the cuttings kept turning black, I held out hope that the tiny sprouts of new growth would prevail. Unfortunately, the heavy heat and humidity prevailed; the cuttings are now entirely black.

The good news is that my Mexican Petunia has budded! Okay, so I did fertilize it. Apparently even weeds need nutrients.

What They Need to Succeed

Today is another idyllic day; it helps make my disagreeable task less so. Today is fertilizer day.

When I had a yard to garden in, I’d measure out some blue stuff into my huge watering can and hose it full. Then I’d haul the heavy thing from bed to bed--an arduous task. I had adjusted the process to fit my smaller scale container gardens but an (indoor) incident a few years ago caused me to be chemically sensitive. Now I use only organic fertilizer.

I like to buy it from the 100 year old+ hardware store in a nearby small town. Shopping there is always a pleasant adventure so I like to keep the tradition going by supporting them. Besides, I couldn’t find any organic fertilizer anywhere else so I asked at the farmer’s market…

The fertilizer is a powdered mix of things that I don’t even want to know about but I know the plants need it, so I get it for them. It’s not that I’m looking to have big, fat, bushy, record-setting everything, I just want them to succeed at what they’re made for. If they’re flowering plants, I want them to flower well. If their main purpose is to display colorful leaves with attractive markings then that’s what I expect them to do. But they have to have what they need.

In the same way, Jesus expects his followers to do what they are created to do—live a godly life. Living a godly life isn’t only for spiritual giants; it’s the simple, basic, norm. And he has given his follower everything they need to succeed.

“His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.” 2 Peter 1:3

Double Header

Today is another two red hibiscus day! I didn’t see this one coming; I usually see the buds forming and can estimate when they’ll bloom and happily anticipate them but the second one was a pleasant surprise! The fertilizer must be working. However, it can only be applied quarterly.

The hummingbird came back for my fuchsia petunias this morning—just as I was watering the basket. Seeing me, he or she flitted to a nearby branch to sit and wait. The first time I saw this I was astounded since I had never seen a hummingbird be still. I recently read somewhere, perhaps in Birds & Blooms, that hummingbirds spend the majority of their time resting. That could just be the key to more energy!

The Beauty Queen

Today is another “Red Hibiscus Day” when the Beauty Queen of my garden shows herself. The flowers only last a day and come only occasionally so their appearance is a cause for celebration--though now that I’ve found a special organic fertilizer for palms, hibiscus and other tropicals (Palmtone), perhaps we’ll have more stunning blooms.

I bring my hibiscus indoors at the first frost; it does very well blooming every now and then bringing some color relief to dark winter days—though I have noticed that the blooms are a bit smaller.


I was first taken with red hibiscuses when I was in Spain teaching art. They were everywhere! When I added one to a group painting, I was told that the local name for the flower translated into “Flower of Peace”. So when I returned home, I had to get one. My blossoms turn up in my paintings representing peace.

I’d like to get an orange hibiscus too but I’m waiting for the right color of orange and the right price…