Today’s gardening chores included some actual work in my studio as well as in the dirt outside. I needed plant hangers for my disocactuses so they could enjoy their summer vacation without being chomped to death by slugs and bugs. We bought some hooks from the dollar store and Thom screwed them up to the side of the garage for me. We even bought some new heavy ceramic pots for them. They need heavy pots because when they aren’t hanging up they are really top-heavy and tend to keel over like drunken sailors. I also fill the top of the pots with pretty rocks to help weight them down.
Of course back in the day I learned how to do macramé. Such a ’70’s cliché, huh? But I didn’t want to spend too much time on this project making lots of knots and being precise. I just wanted to get the plants hung up. So I used this online tutorial for a simple version. Yeah, I know the site is in Dutch but the diagrams are annotated in English! And it’s pretty easy to just wing it with the idea. Anyway, I used some hemp string (which is probably not heavy-duty enough so I doubled it for the second hanger) and some of Thom’s lampworked beads for decoration and now the cactuses are happily hanging in the shade:
There’s only one flower bud showing this year. The disos (aka orchid cactus) got pretty badly damaged last summer and sadly I even had to compost the original plant. So I’m not really surprised that they are acting a little peaky this year. The other Christmas and crab cactuses are sitting below on pedestals and I moved the planter out from behind and filled it with begonias for colour. Thom has been decorating with his turned wooden spheres (he put them out after I took the photo) and a little wicker rocking chair. So now the Cactus Patio is ready for the season.
Now there’s only the front garden to finish up and then we’re down to maintenance level for the rest of the summer. Which is a good thing because I’m needing a break from all the heavy work! I’m pretty fit but this marathon over the last few weeks is leaving my back crunchy and my hands achy. I need those hands for other things! And anyway I’m sure you all are tired of hearing about my gardening ups and downs too, right? Moving on to other things.
6 comments:
enjoying your garden adventures, looking much better than mine. Too much to do, don't think I'll reach maintenance level before summer turns into autumn. A robin (I hid and watched) keeps digging up my indigo - what's her problem?
I never used to get this far with the garden until Thom retired three years ago! It helps to have 2 of us working and definitely some male muscle power. You do need to pace yourself and remember that it's not a Better Homes & Gardens contest or anything!
So maybe your robin wants to dye her breast a different colour? Perhaps she's tired of red. ;)
i'm beginning to think i have to dust off my old macrame skills too--not event the thrift shops have the hangers anymore!
Lovely to hear from you, Arlee! Yeah, for some reason the hooks are really common but not the pot hangers. Guess everyone just buys hanging baskets from the florist?
You remind me that it's time the Christmas & Easter cacti were put out under the table for the summer - I face west so it stays out of the sun under there. Both of them are blooming their hearts out right now!!! And my poor Jade needs a drastic prune before it goes under the table too. Thinking of tucking the two orchids out there as well. Just thinking.
Glad I could jog your memory, Sharon! The cacti certainly bloom better after a summer vacation outdoors. I'm afraid to put my moth or jewel orchids out though for fear they'd been chomped to death!
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