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Mimi’s secret garden patch

The first quarter of the year and Summer is upon us in no uncertain terms. I
know that to practice ‘eco’ in the garden, depending on how passionate one’s
thoughts are on the subject, brings a sort of comfort to the soul when
tending the plants. Sadly I am a little stumped on eco. I like being green but
the thought of putting beer for snails to fall into, makes me sad. I pick out all
the snails from their hiding places and throw them into the public park
adjacent to our garden…where they can eat grass to their heart’s content.
Strangely snails don’t go for my barlerias, but are very partial to geraniums and pelargoniums!
Most of the varied indigenous succulents are immune to creeping munchers – but not all. It’s
definitely a ‘look and experience’ effort. My orchids are not affected either – maybe because I
have them high up from the paved pathways. I have found a ‘bio’ insecticide called BioGrow
Neem that not only doesn’t smell so bad, but also helps to get rid of some of the destructive
crawlies.
I have tried using plants that have a reputation of keeping certain pests away from some
plants – but have found again, that the more one works in the garden, it’s a matter of getting
to know the habits and growth of plants. I don’t carry on a conversation as some boast, but
in deheading and taking off all bad growth you can almost see a plant’s gradual improvement
in the days after.
It’s very important to check out how your plants are looking on a daily basis. The other
month I noticed a beautiful orange hibiscus wilting and the leaves all drying up. Without
delay I repotted it and found a new, cooler home. I administered some diluted Epsom Salts
and fresh compost around the base and a prayer that it would recover. I could hardly believe
my eyes when in only a couple of days, new leaf shoots were showing and since then we
have been rewarded with beautiful orange blooms and the leaves are dark lustrous green.
This doesn’t always work, but when a plant is revived, it is really so gratifying to feel that it
has been saved from the compost heap.
I must add here that the grey water from the bath that we still use in the garden appears to
have no ill effects and our lemon and lime trees have borne the best unblemished fruit that
we have ever had. I do try and reuse my plastic pots, although I always favour the terracotta
pots in any varying shape that I can find. So, all in all, my garden is, I guess, reasonably
eco-friendly.

Basel Botanical Gardens, by S.C
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