who knew!

Pin It now!

Came as a complete surprise several mornings back. Noticed this flower hidden among the now fairly dense foliage of our potted snake plant. I first shared a pic of the 'new' plant here - https://tipsaroundthehome.blogspot.com/2022/09/balcony-diary.html

I took this pic on 30th June and it is still very much in bloom today. 

When I moved some leaves aside there are 2 more flower buds slowly waiting to bloom. They look just like a new leaf, rolled. However the bud is whiter and has more body to it, unlike the unopened leaf which is a hollow cylinder and has more green in it. These 2 buds haven't blossomed yet. Nature sure has a slow pace at times.

balcony diary

Pin It now!

 It's been a while since I last posted pics of my some of my plants. Itching for an update. 

Meanwhile my annual SQUIRREL made a cozy home for itself in our bird house, stuffing it with what-nots, prancing around, lying atop the roof, entertaining us, and in 3 weeks or so before I could rouse myself to take pics, it left overnight taking all its what-nots with it! I have never understood how the sheer net it manages to snag from somewhere every year, does not get snagged in it's claws.

The CROTON had 3 main stems. Very soon leaves of the 2 shorter ones withered, browned and drooped. The way it happened (all together instead of single leaves) sent alarm signals to my brain. Started looking under the leaves, and sure enough there were tiny brown spore sacs and even one tiny green leaf-shaped bug! I wiped the underside of each leaf down with vinegar and it worked. Saved this and you can see the new green shoots.

The CHILLI plant gave off 30+ blooms at one count, with an equal number of buds-in-waiting. Not a singe one turned into a chilli! Then noticed the top leaves of our chilli plant crinkling. shrinking and twisting. Yes, there were those same pests. So we bought Neem Oil and hubby sprayed it on all plants (including the croton). Worked like a charm and new leaves sprouted.

Eventually I pruned off the tips and some of them are arranged in a tiny pot adorning my study table above. You can still see some distorted older leaves.

We'll wait till end of winter and might replace this plant altogether.

The FICUS is thriving! So many new sap green shoots and some random figs/berries, too. Aerial roots have anchored in soil.

LEMON TREE - We've harvested 4 lemons from our tree and there are 3 more waiting to ripen. At present there is a stagnancy in growth. Growth hormone spray is on it's way. We're hoping it will make a difference.

The arrangement above has a couple of lemon twigs I snipped while pruning back in August. Like I said, I find it difficult to simply throw them away.

The JADE or ELEPHANT BUSH plant has shed most of its old leaves, though the twigs were lengthening with new leaves. I've cut off short lengths and planted the cuttings in another tiny pot for our bathroom in a spot where we get sunlight. 

This same spot has seen Money Plant cuttings in water in several past seasons.

The ASPARAGUS FERN is lush and some new fronds displayed pretty little white flowers. No new fronds for a while now.

The OREGANO/AJWAIN is another sight of beauty. I haven't dried leaves in a while, happy to watch the shape it takes, however one of the twigs will be planted for the 2nd bathroom later.

The GUAVA plant died off fairly quickly (in late August). For sure it wasn't the same pest because leaves dropped off one by one. It did however give us one ripe guava. There was some brown spotting on one side, but the fruit was sweet.

Meanwhile hubby bought a few more plants last week, totaling a dozen now.

This is the MOGRA (Arabian Jasmine) plant with it's first bloom and such a heavenly scent! I went around like Emperor Shahjahan (he had a rose, though) with it between my fingers, sniffing in the aroma all day and night!

We've had this in my earlier gardening stint and simply love the flowers. 2 more bloomed today.

You can see our next-in-line to ripen (5th) lemon on the left-center there.

This is a SNAKE plant variety we've never seen before. Despite what the camera shows, there is not a spot or tinge of yellow anywhere! It feels like snow. Love it.

On the left is a tiny portion of MINT (Pudina). This is the 3rd time we've bought mint and are hoping 3rd time lucky. I have my doubts because it does not get enough sunlight. In my earlier 'garden' when the mint thrived even from home cuttings, the pot was placed on the balcony parapet. It is no longer an option. So let's see - perhaps the growth hormone will play a role?

Our RAM TULSI (Holy Basil) plant has weathered the fall and is again giving off new leaves and shoots.

And the CUURY Leaf plant is in good condition, too.

This is my house plant diary for now - a way to keep track of their progress or otherwise.

Gardening brings such fun, joy and satisfaction, but a few disappointments and heartaches, too.

day 4 and more

Pin It now!

 This is my progress on Day 4 or rather the 4th night! ... 

Days 1 to 3 - https://tipsaroundthehome.blogspot.com/2022/08/flagging-off-new-project.html

GREEN - This is the colour of prosperity and what better than leaves to convey that symbolism!

I chose my Laurel Leaf pattern 

(pdf .. pattern on page 7 - https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B5MqI5ByadI4cjRaV3h3Qjgyajg/view?resourcekey=0-OQ9HULLWS0raSHIL0dR4Tg - in case it does not open, send the automated request).

The only tweaks made - shorten the bare thread space between rings for a compact effect; and increase the length with 2 additional rings at the  base.

When I finish the leaves, I will show how I intend to arrange them.

Speaking of leaves, here are the leaves from my balcony garden (in no particular order) - we now have 10 pots with no room for any more if we wish to sit and bask in the winter sun, LOL.

Our green chilli plant is finally flowering and there are tons of buds waiting to peep out.

Our new guava plant bought 1 week back. It is a Bonsai from Kolkata and had 2 fruit but the smaller one fell of yesterday. 

An asparagus fern in a smaller ceramic pot.

Have to look up what this ornamental plant is called. And does it bear tiny red flowers? This is the 2nd small ceramic pot. The rest of the 8 pots are 12 inch diameter.

Doesn't this plant need less sunlight to maintain the mottled effect? Again need to research it.

Our Ficus is flourishing, too, and we pruned it a few days back.

These are the fresh new leaves of the Curry leaf plant.

Ajwain (oregano) 

This is the first time our Tulsi (Holy Basil) plant has prospered so much and we had bought this almost a year  back. I used to prune, but then the new leaves would become smaller and smaller. 

The reason is a tip we saw in a gardening show on TV - Nip off the inflorescence as soon as it appears or as soon as you can. Hubby has been diligently doing it and the plant is such a pleasure to watch.

Of course, I do use the leaves in my tea.

Last but not least a portion of our lemon tree. The 2nd oldest lemon ripened and fell off, too, yum! These 2 are the next in line, though it might be well nigh 4-5 months before they ripen.

So this is a stroll through our potted plants in our balcony. Hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoy it every morning.

just for kicks and koels

Pin It now!

 I find myself mired, happily enough, in several tasks and commitments some with a definite deadline. It means that even though I've  been taking pics to share, and collecting patterns to share, blogging might have to take a backseat for a few weeks. I certainly hope there will be a few hours to spare once in a while to publish a post.

Pausing with a few quick shots ....

I don't like to throw away pruned twigs. This morning, when I snipped off a few overgrown shoots from our ficus plant, I put them in a little pot of water. Let's see how long they last.

And I stuck the Happy Hands Daffodil to brighten the greens 😄

Remember I told you how hubby has taken to displaying my lacework? These are a few on the dining table. There are a few more under the bowls. I took this pic over a week back, without proper lighting.

Same day same time, but a slightly different angle. I'm sure you can identify a few of them? 

Over a week back, while exercising in the morning, a female Koel alighted on the tree in front of our balcony. The plumage and beautiful mottled grey feathers were on full display and quite majestic. Unfortunately by the time I went in and brought out the phone, she had shifted. However, she was joined by a male.

I tried to take a good pic, but my skills are sorely lacking.

And in this video, my hands were shaking. 

Last year, we enjoyed the antics of a courting couple! The female would call, the male would approach, the female would hop on to another branch! This ritualistic dance step repeated several times and finally the female flew away leaving a desolate male behind. 

💗💖💗

lemon juice in a jiffy

Pin It now!

I love the tangy sourness of lemon juice - a few drops perk up almost any dish. Yet, laziness often gets the better of me, since it also means taking out a lemon, washing/slicing/squeezing/deseeding. and then storing the rest of it back...yadda yadda yadda.

These are my 2 quick-fix solutions - tried and tested for decades now. Open fridge and voila, no cutting, no seeds, pure fresh juice!

1. Lemon Juice -

I buy veggies for the entire week, lemons included. Here I've gathered the materials I'll need - knife, lemon squeeze, and an air tight container. And lemons, of course! 

Cut each lemon in half, squeeze the juice in a wide-mouth utensil. Sorry, no pics with my messy hands! 

Pour into the air-tight jar. Sieve if there are any seeds. Refrigerate. It lasts easily for up to 2 weeks and still tastes fresh!

2. Lemon wedges/slices - 

When I don't have time to squeeze and store the juice, but need lemon juice immediately ....

Slice the lemon off-center so that the seeded part remains. Notice how I got 4 seedless slices, and I can choose the size of each slice depending on the requirement. Store in air-tight container.

However, seedless is not the only reason I do this. A half-squeezed lemon tends to spoil easily - it might have something to do with the skin being crushed. 

Hence, always store a cut slice that hasn't been squeezed, and it lasts for a long time.

The above 4 slices are for this pictorial. In practice, I simply slice off what I need and store the lemon. It works fine.

What tips do you have to store lemons?

homemade oregano

Pin It now!

It is unbelievable how profusely and quickly the ajwain/oregano plant is growing! Something had to be done. I didn't want the leaves to grow yellow and wilt! And since the cooking experiments with fresh leaves didn't really work for us, drying the leaves seemed a good option. I do it for other herbs, too, but these leaves are thick and have a lot of water and needed a different approach. 

I snipped off a few twigs, rinsed and dabbed them dry on a kitchen towel. And plucked off each leaf.   

Time for the microwave. Placed the leaves flat on a stoneware dish. At 30%, nuke them for 2 mins, flip, repeat. Do it 1 or 2 times more till the leaves are completely dry. Tweak the time as required. Within a few minutes the entire bunch was dry and crispy.

TIP: In fact we can nuke and flip them twice, then gather the semi-dry leaves and after all batches are similarly done, gather all those leaves and give  or 2 final nukes till completely dry and crispy. Saves time and effort.

Crumble and store in air-tight container. I used an empty herb bottle. 

The one on the left is from my previous batch on the hot girdle. I was experimenting with about 8 -10 leaves and followed this Foods and Flavors video on How to make oregano seasoning - https://youtu.be/Zp6k29TSuSo (from 1.00 min onwards) She places each leaf on a warm flat girdle, flipping them frequently. It is fine for a limited number of leaves. But cumbersome for a bunch of twigs laden with leaves.

The colour is darker but would need to be made in small batches; each batch requiring the almost the same amount of time as the mirco-wave ones, along with constant vigil.

I've used the powder in salads, etc. and hubby likes it! Yay!

And this is how the plant is after 10 days! On the right you can see the the snipped twigs, while on the left the leaves are ready for picking and drying.  

serenity

Pin It now!

Yesterday we woke to a beautiful serene sight, unlike today. The teeny tiny barely buds from my earlier post had one bloom! Partially hidden, camera-shy!

But I outwitted this shy lemon bloom and captured it from the front! It has been wonderful watching the plants grow every day.

And this is how much the ajwain plant and leaves have grown. From a small cluster with teeny tiny leaves, in the center of a large pot, they are literally exploding outward and upward.

Besides the visual and aromatic delight, these leaves are supposed to be edible with health benefits. 

I had tried pakoras dipping the entire leaf in batter and deep-frying of whole leaves, but the distinct aroma disappeared. Umm, I prefer spinach.

Next they were julienned and used as garnish on alfredo pasta. Umm, we prefer fresh mint leaves.

So, what to do with this burst of leaves? For now, I've decided to wait and see if they give off flowers/inflorescence and enjoy the calming serene scents.

UPDATE (25th Feb 2022) -

I simply Had to share this sight. 

3 more lemon flower blooms and the change in stamen colour of the first bloom.

And I forgot to mention earlier that surprisingly, the flowers are not fragrant.... considering they are white and from a strongly aromatic plant.

And this is the curry plant (Murraya koenigi) with springtime inflorescence beginning to emerge. There are 5 or 6 such at present. Curry leaves are super aromatic, too, and really spruce up any South Indian dish! And I learned how to manage this plant after a few years of trial and error.

Now we have to wait and see how pollination takes place. When the balcony was open, beautiful butterflies would flit in and out. Remember this caterpillar? - https://tipsaroundthehome.blogspot.com/2018/04/who-when-where.html

calm after the storm

Pin It now!

 Let's say the storm has settled and I am at peace. Enough people in the tatting community now know the 3 sides of the story and hopefully it will dissuade the person from spreading falsehoods. I have no desire to bring an excellent and fair administrator into the eye of that storm, hence have removed the entire post, not merely the screenshots. 

I want to take this opportunity to thank all my well-wishers and friends who either left comments or spoke with me privately, in full support. I am trying to respond to each. You have restored my temporarily faltering faith in the goodness of the tatting community 🧡💗🧡

Now, after many long weeks of extreme cold and no sun, we are basking in the warm sunshine these last few days (and forecast for the next 7 days is similar). These are a few pics I took this morning.

Ajwain ('bishop's weed'). When we bought it a couple of months back, the leaves were very tiny and clustered in the center. Now they are proliferating and enlarging at a rapid pace. And the aroma that wafts out by simply ruffling the leaves is something exotic and calming. 

All attempts to grow it over the years had failed. 

Ficus - the new leaves it sprouted a month back are already quite big, though still retaining some sap green colour.

Lemon tree - this was my hubby's ardent wish because of the aromatic leaves. Lo and behold, the flower buds are already in sight!

From a slightly different angle. This plant, too, has grown splendidly during the cold months, almost doubling in length. 

The reason is the glasshouse effect since we glassed over the entire balcony to avoid pollution and lizards.

Now is this a moth or a butterfly? It was absolutely static for the longest time (hence I veer toward moth). This is as close to the vibrant rust shade and scales as could be captured. 

The moth had landed a couple of days back and was resting on the lower shaded side of the window frame. It was barely 1 to 1.5 cms and the photos are heavily cropped.

At one time I used to be the 'gardener' of the house. It included watering, aerating, manuring, propagating, pruning. This time all watering duties are delegated to hubby. My role is to make sure the pots are rotated every week, 10 days to receive sunlight distributed to each side alternately. We are fortunate to find this excellent plant seller and have decided to call him every few months to manure and buy any new plant we might want. He's already made one such trip.

Now to see how these plants fair during the coming summer months. Hoping for the best...