Summer is slowly coming to an end here in Georgia. It is very different down here than in the mid-Atlantic, where I have spent the entirety of my life. In early October, the mid-Atlantic is already experiencing temperatures in the fifties overnight and in the high sixties during the day. Not so here. Overnight we are in the high sixties and/or lower seventies and our days are still in the eighties, albeit the low eighties. Humidity reigns supreme. Air conditioners are still running down here. Maybe not quite as often as they were in September, but they are still running.
The gardens are starting to look a little worse for the wear. It has been a long, hot summer. I have not run into Joanne Woodward or Paul Newman or Lee Remick over the summer, but it has been a long, hot summer nonetheless, for those who know what I'm talking about. If you know, you know. We have stayed on top of an established watering routine, but even with that, the extreme temperatures took their toll. This little ceramic pot in the picture above had wildflowers planted from seed early in the year. They flourished and we had some blooms, but wildflowers from seed are difficult to grow. At least for me. I do not think I will do that again next year. What few were left, I removed from this pot and cleaned it up in preparation for something new.
Pan Am Pilea - The Pan Am Pilea, a cultivar of Pilea involucrata, is identified by its specific leaf characteristics and mounding growth habit. Its leaves are typically ovate, deeply textured, and velvety. They often feature dark green hues with bronze tones on the upper surface, sometimes displaying silvery stripes or lighter edges. The undersides can reveal a contrasting red or burgundy coloration, especially in brighter light. Its mounding habit makes it well-suited for shelves or desktops.
You can see here that I have removed the Pan Am Pilea from its pot and loosened and removed some of the soil into the baking dish. You never want to just remove a plant from the plastic pot it comes in from the nursery and just plop it into the soil. Use your hands to aerate and remove some of the soil to let the transplant breathe a little once it is transferred to its new home.
So that we do not belabor the process of this project and go over every little detail of the transplant, I decided to show you what the pot looked like once all three of our little exotics were transplanted. You will see in the lower left corner that the glass baking dish worked quite well. All of the soil I removed from the pots stayed inside the dish. I removed a little soil from the ceramic pot so there was room for each of the new plants to fit snugly in place. You will see that the ceramic pot got a little dirty during this process. An easy way to clean up the pot is to set your outside hose sprayer to "mist" and then, holding the pot on the opened, flattened palm of one hand, go around the outside of the pot with the sprayer and clean away the soil that has collected on the pot. Gently!!!
After cleaning the pot with the hose sprayer, I brought our newly planted ceramic pot inside and placed it on the eat-in counter in the kitchen. This picture does not show it off that well, but it looked very nice here. However, for right now, I am going to set it outside in the greenhouse, at least until it is fully acclimated.
Here it is (at the top of picture, about midway and a little to the right), in the greenhouse, with several other plants I am tending to at this time. In the foreground, a luscious white vinca. I bought this about a month ago and it is very happy, obviously. And a small juniper in another ceramic pot which is doing quite well. Juniper does not need an abundance of water, so I have to restrain myself from overwatering. I've have taken out more of them than I would care to admit through perceived "kindness" by overwatering. This one has been with me since about mid-summer and is thriving. I just have to remember to point the hose sprayer in the opposite direction.
What do you think of these little lovelies? Do you know what they are? Lemon trees. From real lemon seeds. I was in the kitchen, doing something. Making lemon bars or making a cocktail, ... or both, and I found myself with a few seeds from the lemons. So, I planted them. No muss, no fuss. I just pushed them into the soil and covered them. And here is what we have. Will we end up with a lemon tree? Maybe. I had a friend who planted a grapefruit seed many, many years ago and she ended up with a gigantic tree in her dining room.
Janet Craig Dracaena - Janet Craig" is well worth getting to know. Although tropical by nature, this East Africa native adapts beautifully to average home conditions. In fact, Dracaena deremensis 'Janet Craig' does so well on its own, you don't need to fuss over it at all. Young plants are a tuft of upright leaves. As the plant grows, it forms a cane-like stem with a cluster of leaves at its top. Its dark-green leaves are naturally shiny. Because of their upright form, they can be dust-catchers. Keep the leaves clean by wiping them off with a damp cloth. 'Janet Craig' Dracaena may reach a height of up to 10 ft (3 m). You can prune Dracaena back if it grows too tall for your room. If you want, you can propagate the stem cuttings for more plants.
Variegated Teardrop Peperomia - The Variegated Teardrop Peperomia (Peperomia orba ‘Variegata’) is a popular houseplant known for its charming, teardrop-shaped leaves with creamy variegation. This compact plant features thick, waxy leaves and is relatively easy to care for, making it suitable for both new and experienced plant enthusiasts.
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This time around, I'm going to be using this 9-inch by 13-inch glass baking dish as a way to contain the soil that I will be removing from each plant and from the ceramic pot. I am hoping this will contain all the mess with the transplanting and make for easy clean-up.
You can see here that I have removed the Pan Am Pilea from its pot and loosened and removed some of the soil into the baking dish. You never want to just remove a plant from the plastic pot it comes in from the nursery and just plop it into the soil. Use your hands to aerate and remove some of the soil to let the transplant breathe a little once it is transferred to its new home.
So that we do not belabor the process of this project and go over every little detail of the transplant, I decided to show you what the pot looked like once all three of our little exotics were transplanted. You will see in the lower left corner that the glass baking dish worked quite well. All of the soil I removed from the pots stayed inside the dish. I removed a little soil from the ceramic pot so there was room for each of the new plants to fit snugly in place. You will see that the ceramic pot got a little dirty during this process. An easy way to clean up the pot is to set your outside hose sprayer to "mist" and then, holding the pot on the opened, flattened palm of one hand, go around the outside of the pot with the sprayer and clean away the soil that has collected on the pot. Gently!!!
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| This would also make a very nice host/hostess gift. |
After cleaning the pot with the hose sprayer, I brought our newly planted ceramic pot inside and placed it on the eat-in counter in the kitchen. This picture does not show it off that well, but it looked very nice here. However, for right now, I am going to set it outside in the greenhouse, at least until it is fully acclimated.
Here it is (at the top of picture, about midway and a little to the right), in the greenhouse, with several other plants I am tending to at this time. In the foreground, a luscious white vinca. I bought this about a month ago and it is very happy, obviously. And a small juniper in another ceramic pot which is doing quite well. Juniper does not need an abundance of water, so I have to restrain myself from overwatering. I've have taken out more of them than I would care to admit through perceived "kindness" by overwatering. This one has been with me since about mid-summer and is thriving. I just have to remember to point the hose sprayer in the opposite direction.
So. there you have it. We are starting to do some fall clean-up. Another pot in the garden had beautiful caladium this year. They were resplendent, but, they are no more. They naturally die back as summer wanes and fall arrives. I planted pachysandra in that pot once they were gone. I am hopeful that it will spread and cover the surface of the pot, which will be beautiful. Then, in the spring, we will look forward to the caladium pushing their way up through the pachysandra which will be a beautiful presentation.
Thanks for stopping by today and following our beginning fall work in the garden. There is one little extra bonus feature below that we will talk about in the coming week. Enjoy!!
What do you think of these little lovelies? Do you know what they are? Lemon trees. From real lemon seeds. I was in the kitchen, doing something. Making lemon bars or making a cocktail, ... or both, and I found myself with a few seeds from the lemons. So, I planted them. No muss, no fuss. I just pushed them into the soil and covered them. And here is what we have. Will we end up with a lemon tree? Maybe. I had a friend who planted a grapefruit seed many, many years ago and she ended up with a gigantic tree in her dining room.
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