We begin again in 2025

The first begonia cutting has been set. If it lives, in five to seven days I'll do about half the tray. If not, I'll wait a week to ten days and try again. 

Here's the thing. The planting guide for my location says I can start pepper seeds indoors now. Yeah, okay. But I trust a wax plant cutting more than the planting guide. I think these tender cuttings know more than the almanac. 

Besides, it's cold outside. I don't have my seed starting trays and soil inside warming up yet. I really need to get that done before I even think about starting seeds. I guess I'll have to go outside in below freezing temperatures with the wind whipping around and bring them in. 

Maybe tomorrow.

The Lady of Holly Tree Manor/The Hideaway

Holly Tree Manor, The Hideaway, wax plants, begonias, seed starts, cuttings, gardening, rural living, country lifestyle, weather watcher, green peppers 

Well, of course they'd issue a frost warning!

This is blog post #400 here at Holly Tree Manor/The Hideaway. I don't have anything profound to say, but I will say thanks for coming along with me as I record my day-to-day life as a country girl.

Yesterday was a beautiful day! Blue skies, gentle breeze, and abundant sunshine. I went out to my garden and sowed some seeds, and decided to get the begonias into the planters. I'd checked the ten-day forecast and the overnight lows weren't all that low. 

Well...What a difference a day makes. Now, today, there is a frost warning for tonight. Go figure. 

Losing a few wax plants won't matter much in the overall scheme of things, but I went out and bagged the lot of them with plastic grocery bags. Will it make a difference? Hell if I know. Will it really frost tonight is the bigger question. 

I knew it was risky when I planted them. All I can do now is see what the night brings. I have more plants if some of them don't make it. Be prepared they say.

The Lady of Holly Tree Manor/The Hideaway

Holly Tree Manor, The Hideaway, frost warning, gardening, begonias, wax plants, country lifestyle, rural living, taking chances, spring weather, weather watch 

An update on the 2023 Greenstalk

Earlier this year I purchased a Greenstalk. The Greenstalk has been hyped on a lot of gardening and homesteading YouTube channels, and I thought it did look kinda cool.  I have three acres of ground, but not much of it is actually arable. I'm averse to cutting down trees on a whim when I can work out options. My option for having a garden is to grow in containers. 

Back to the Greenstalk. I had to set it in the old washtub so I could level it. Level ground is also at a premium here. I live on the side of a mountain. We make do. 

I planted seeds in about half the pockets, added a few begonia cuttings for color, and transplanted a few herbs. It's finally looking like I did not waste my money. 

The Greenstalk will be in another location next year. I need to get a large concrete paver and the special base before next season. As with all things, we tend to take cautious steps. This year we observe how things grow in it. Next year we take it as far as we choose.

The Lady of the Hideaway

Holly Tree Manor, The Hideaway, Greenstalk, gardening, rural living, country lifestyle, level ground, using caution, seeds, wax plants, begonias, container gardening

Begonia cuttings: I may have jumped the gun

Begonias, or wax plants, are a staple among my plantings every year. My grandmother loved red begonias and I feel that keeping a red wax plant keeps my connection to her more alive. Begonias are easy to come by in the spring, so I've not always bothered with 'wintering over' a mother plant. Some years the day job got to me that much.

This year, I brought in two red and two white wax plants to winter over as mother plants. Last summer I noticed my veggie garden lacked some color and I want to remedy that in the 2023 season. My plan for this year included space for annual bloomers.  

I have a five-tier planter that was originally bought with strawberries in mind. That didn't work out so well. I think the planting cubbies are too shallow for berries, but they are perfect for begonias. I need fifteen plants to fill it. 

I may have jumped the gun.

A few days ago I noticed two of the mother plants were beginning to fade. My fault. I did something stupid and one evening turned on the space heater in my office without setting the plants in the other room. Sometimes plants don't do well around ceramic heaters and I suspect that's what happened. I ordered a tray of peat pellets and they arrived yesterday. 

I've gone ahead and taken cuttings from the two plants that were looking stressed. It may be too early for the cuttings to grow, but established wax plants are tough enough to rebound if judiciously cut back. It'll be a win/win if all goes well. I'll still have the mother plants in their red pots and I'll have enough young plants to fill the planter. And I have two large wax plants that don't seem to be affected by exposure to the heater. 

With any luck, I'll be able to get the begonias in the planter around mid-April, and let them harden off in the greenhouse for a few weeks. That should give them a good start. 

It's only the second week of January. Did I start the cuttings too soon? Maybe. But since I needed to trim the mother plants, I'm only out a few peat pots if the cuttings don't root. I think it was worth the gamble. 

The Lady of the Hideaway

Holly Tree Manor, The Hideaway, begonias, wax plants, gardening, rural living, country lifestyle, traditions, annual plantings, greenhouse

Changing directions on strawberries

Last year, or maybe the year before since one does lose track of time, I bought a five-tier planter that was marketed for strawberries. Nope. Strawberries wouldn't successfully grow in it. The soil is too shallow and it dried out too fast. And I did worry that the planter may not be BPA-free and the strawberries *could* absorb bad chemicals. When in doubt, change direction. This year, I decided that the planter could be better used for begonias. 

My maternal grandmother loved red begonias (wax plants to some). Where I live, they are treated as annual bedding plants or as houseplants. I'm so pleased with this planting that this fall I'll bring in one red and one white plant to winter over. Next spring I'll start cuttings and plant them again.

A love of wax plants is just one thing my grandmother passed on to me. I think of her when I look at my little planter and that's important. When we remember our loved ones, they're still with us, and she is still with me.

The Lady of Holly Tree Manor (The Hideaway)

Holly Tree Manor, The Hideaway, annual plantings, begonias, wax plants, gardening, rural lifestyle, houseplants, a writer's life, memories, simple country pleasures