Your houseplants and gardens - Yellow leaf means underwatered AND overwatered?! What a country!

[Anasa Tristis]

Don't talk to any Italians about this but you can make pesto without pine nuts.

I second that motion. One year I noped out on pricey pine nuts and tried pepitas and cashews instead. And never went back.

 

[glioblastoma multiforme]

aving us over half of the $12k removal bill. $300<$7000

Do you know anyone with a fire or log burner? Cos then if you can get someone to do the initial chopping you won't have to pay for it to be taken away. I'm friends with a tree surgeons precisely for the cheap wood (not really but it is a big help).

My orchids didn't bloom again this year.

I've been keeping orchids for over 15 years and I still haven't fgured out what makes them flower. What I would recommend is to put some orchid food in your spray bottle if you spray them, It seems to have increased mine's frequency in flowering. I didn't know about them needing cold in winter, but I like in a country that gets reaosnably cold and they live on windowsills so should be good.

We've been having scorching weather. How is it that weeds thrive in it, even in places they don't get watered by me (cos they're next to plants I care about), thrive in it. I think the non-weeds have enjoyed it too, but if I didn't water I think half the garden would be dead by now.

 

[Aunt Carol]

I've tried this and hate it. Don't take my word for it, though, plenty of people swear by it. It may be better with fresh walnuts.

I could see variables like that changing things; walnuts can get really tangy.

Hazelnuts have been good in pesto, too, but I think the takeaway is really that you can adjust pesto recipes to your own personal taste. And that "too much fresh basil" is therefore no kind of problem.

 

[AnOminous]

I could see variables like that changing things; walnuts can get really tangy.

Hazelnuts have been good in pesto, too, but I think the takeaway is really that you can adjust pesto recipes to your own personal taste. And that "too much fresh basil" is therefore no kind of problem.

I'm generally pretty traditional at least with basil pesto. That said you can make pesto with almost any combo of a leafy vegetable, nut (maybe roasted), something sour like citrus or vinegar, garlic/shallots/leeks/whatever, cheese or something serving the same purpose, and whatever else to round it out.

Like I once made an arugula/walnut pesto with I forget what else. I came up with this myself but on looking it up, there are actually recipes for it. The flavors work well together.

 

[Pickman's Modeling Agency]

My first zucchini of the season:

More to come, hopefully. It's been an unusually cool and rainy summer. This is a chode by zuch standards (8" long, 9" around at its widest). I would like the sun to hurry the fuck up, please.

Also, does anyone have experience drying flowers for arrangements? I have some strawflowers and a couple of breadseed poppies I'm letting dry on the plant for their pods, but I would like to save some of my hydrangeas as well and they seem much more delicate. I've clipped four globes and am trying out the vase-drying method.

 

[an_actual_reptilian]

Cucumber update. I was worried about pollinating these myself but I found this giant this morning. So these guys are doing good. I think I need to cut some back to let some air in there? My father still remains resentful that the cucumbers overtook the tomatoes.

These are the pumpkins I grew from seed and we ki da just put in the dirt near the fence. Do I thin these guys out? The flowers rarely seem to open and we've got a lot popping up. I'd like to say thank you to you all for replying to my questions and what-not about them. We're super happy we got some cucumbers and can't wait for the pumpkins.

 

[Aunt Carol]

Also, does anyone have experience drying flowers for arrangements? I have some strawflowers and a couple of breadseed poppies I'm letting dry on the plant for their pods, but I would like to save some of my hydrangeas as well and they seem much more delicate. I've clipped four globes and am trying out the vase-drying method.

I have only dried relatively sturdy flowers, and herbs/lavender. I'm a big fan of the "hang them upside-down somewhere dry" technique, which can even be outside if it's not rainy.

When the weather is scorching things dry out practically in a day. And it's fun to dry little sheaves of lavender on the clothesline, in between wet socks and undies. Sometimes the wind decides that you need lavender-scented underpants.

I think the hydrangeas would be too delicate for my certified dumbass technique, though. If I were doing it, I'd be trying vase-drying like you are, and I'd know they were dry enough to use by my cat knocking them out of the vase and dried hydrangea petals all over the rug.

I think with vase-drying it's easy to doubt yourself or try to use things too soon; you gotta put them somewhere you don't see them a lot.

 

[glioblastoma multiforme]

Little flower update, first dahlias at the front have come up, plenty of buds on some others but not my new one which is irriatating.



Really love the white cosmos with these guys whose name I forget, I had some pretty neon yellow ones which were awesome too:


Pink cosmos is still being fabulous:

 

[Pickman's Modeling Agency]

Really love the white cosmos with these guys whose name I forget

Looks like snapdragons!

 

[BongoMongo]

I've an African fig who needs a new stake/cane to support him as he's outgrown it. His stem isn't strong enough to support him so if I take off the ties holding him to the cane then he'll flop over.

How the heck do I solve this without growing an extra set of arms please?

 

[one_time_user]

Add new stake, add new ties to the fig. remove the old
after.

 

[glioblastoma multiforme]

Looks like snapdragons!
View attachment 7693327

I think you're right, though the pics looked at had slightly lighter leaves the rest looks identical.

Here's another pic with some more just because:

Our neighbour put up a new fence with trellising at the top so obviously I needed to try another climbing plant- bought two wisteria. Dug massive holes so we could put fresh compost in, I think part of my previous issue was the soil being so bad so hope that helps it.

Also bought potting medium for my orchids as they seem a bit sad and I've never changed it. And a pathos for my office, I hope it copes, its hanger gets barely any natural light but the label says shady.

 

[DeeNaMeeTay]

Kiwisisters your gardens are so impressive!

Something terrifying almost happened to me. I was picking the basil in my garden to make presto for later and in the container had this fricking bug moving around in it!

I must’ve accidentally picked a leaf it was on and didn’t notice it being in there. Luckily I leaned the container to a bush and it climbed out of it so the basil stash is bug free, but it’s terrifying thinking that I could’ve accidentally made Katydid pesto!

 

[Valstrax]

If your orchid still has fresh leaves but the stem's dried up with no flowers, what does that mean?

 

[Swagstika]

The garden in the project house is full of frogs and toads!

 

[Pickman's Modeling Agency]

So. I have been watching my single tomatillo plant get nice and bushy while every single flower falls off, unpollinated. Dismayed, I ran to the Internet to see what the problem is.

You need at least 2 tomatillo plants to get fruit. They don't self-pollinate. Summer wasted.

 

[Aunt Carol]

So. I have been watching my single tomatillo plant get nice and bushy while every single flower falls off, unpollinated. Dismayed, I ran to the Internet to see what the problem is.

You need at least 2 tomatillo plants to get fruit. They don't self-pollinate. Summer wasted.

At least you can roast your tomatillo for being an incel.

 

[Sayer of the N-Word]

I bought a pothos today, my first potted plant in a very long time. Aquatic plants are really easy to make flourish, but terrestrial plants have rarely done well in my care. The pothos is just a test to see if I have gotten better... what I really want are Zanzibar crotons. There was a huge one in my childhood home that a housesitter killed, and I only recently managed to figure out what its name was. If the pothos is doing well in two months, I'll get the crotons.

 

[Imp]

I lied about my orchids not blooming. Only one is but it's encouraging for next year.

 

[glioblastoma multiforme]

If your orchid still has fresh leaves but the stem's dried up with no flowers, what does that mean?

Has it recently bloomed? If so, nothing, its normal for the stems to die back afterwaards.