Although the upper garden plants have been sort of "neglected" they are doing just fine. For some reason they are more independent than their relatives in the lower garden. When it comes to nourishment, they are able to fend for themselves without much human help. This summer alone they have not received as much watering as one might expect they needed and yet they are thriving.
For the past several months we temporarily hired additional help to clean the garden area. As much as the plants are thriving well, so too are the weeds. In fact, the viny weeds have found good structural support from the taller plants almost to the point of taking over, threatening to choke them. So the task of the extra helpers were to clear the grass and weeds around and under the plants, remove dead leaves and trunks and other gardening stuff.
Much of the upper garden is the realm of the grazing animals particularly our small herd of sheep, a few cows and water buffalos. In the small areas where they are not allowed to roam are where the plants are growing.
These are the plants that are currently there. The 'greening' of the garden isn't done yet. We will continue to add more plants whenever we could. As much as I'd like the garden to look like a jungle of tropical plants now, I'd have to be super patient since the plants with the capacity to grow tall are still relatively small.
If there is one particular thing that I am proud to say about these plants is that they look strong and healthy despite the fact that they are free from chemical fertilizers and pesticides.
11 comments:
That area is looking lovely - you have so many of the same plants that I grow, and they are low maintenance. I think because they are planted out in the open too they look really healthy. I know what you mean about the vines - you have to be vigilant to watch out for them! I love the colors that tropical foliage comes in - the red bush next to the cordeline in the third last picture is stunning.
Even my small garden occasionally get out of hand with weeds. Good to see your tidy, colorful grand project. :)
Hi Africanaussie,
I'm delighted to know that our gardens have some plants in common. I did ask Mom to tell our helpers not to let the vines crawl up the plants or let them get unmanageable. The red bush on the third picture is one of those plants that are there but I don't know their names.
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Hi One,
They've neglected the back garden for too long that it came to a point where they needed extra pairs of hands just to manage the weeds. It's a never-ending battle.
Vining weeds are the most dangerous. They grow rapidly and can take over the whole structure. Weak stems but strong stranglers!
Is it all right if I turn your comment into a comment again? If you have violent objections, kindly let me know...
Your views at the top are wonderful. You have plans of opening this to the public once your plans are all done?
Oh dear! I meant 'caption', not 'comment'. I guess there is no violent objections. Thank you.
Unless you remove all the roots of cogon, which are so deep in the soil, you will always have a big problem. I remember commenting about it long ago, i didn't see the reply. Cover is the only solution. Mayana or Coleus blumei are beautiful and can cover them perfectly if planted very close together. Dark plastic cover would be the best to kill them including their roots. Remember the sun is their life, so removing the sun will kill them! Good luck.
Hi Autumn Belle,
You are right. That's why I told them to be extra vigilant with this kind of weed. I noticed also that before they would just pull out the vining weed but leave the clinging vines attached to the plant. It made the plants look unsightly.
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Hi One,
Sure. If you think my comment is good enough as a caption, please feel free to use it.
And sorry for the delayed response :)
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Hi Bom,
Hmmmm... its been an on and off thought. When things go as planned, maybe. But that's still in the distant future.
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Hi Andrea,
I must have overlooked your comment... sorry, my bad... hehehe.
We would need a lot of dark plastic sheet just to cover the area. For now we're just propagating and planting as much as we can so that hopefully when thick vegetation shades the ground from the sun, maybe the cogon grass will disappear, if not then at least to a manageable level.
Doesn't matter. The future will get here soon enough. When your farm becomes famous, I can always say I knew of the farm way back when.
Bom, your comment made me laugh. I'm not aspiring for fame for the farm. I just want it to be self-sustaining because right now its punching a lot of holes in my pocket. But it won't hurt a bit if it becomes famous... why not... hehehe.
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