The dates are almost ready to be harvested, these aren’t really for eating as this variety is one of the first to be ready. They tell me they’re not even fit for animal feed, but the birds absolutely love them.
This year all our palms don’t seem to be carrying much and I know why. The reason is because the birds have been feasting on them day and night! We don’t mind. We love birds. Dates you can always buy!
Have a wonderful Friday and weekend my friends!
Do I need to say more?
What a wonderful bed. I don’t know what these plants are, well I might know a couple, but this gives me ideas for what I can convert yet another patch of lawn to. If only they actually grow in Bahrain. I must find out.
I came across this lovely tree at the Gulf Hotel a couple of days ago and fell in love with it. Just look at those flowers!
I most definitely NEED this in my garden. It doesn’t matter than I don’t have the space, but I NEED it!
If you do know the name, PLEASE let me know.
Here’s how the full tree looks:
I bought a Caesalpinia gilliesii from The Garden Nursery this morning, it’s a lot smaller than this one obviously, just a barely meter high twig, but is healthy and I think I have the perfect place for it in my garden.
Here’s a picture of the full plant in the nursery:
More information about this plant is available here and here.
No sooner that I have written about the beauty of some Caper bushes found in desolate waste ground, I find while passing the site at around 6am this morning that the local municipality has sent a bulldozer to clear the ground completely!
Imagine my sadness, when coming back a couple of hours later, I find that the grounds were completely cleared, and only this pile of rubbish remain.
Not a single bush was left, not one!
Honestly, I don’t know much about orchids other than they are some of the most beautiful plants in existence. You might remember how I fell for them and went semi-crazy and bought a whole bunch of them during the recent Bahrain International Garden Show, brought them home and gave them some TLC. At least, I thought I gave them some TLC; alas, according to a fantastic book I bought during my recent visit to New York’s Botanical Gardens, Orchids Growing for Wimps
I treated them a little better than cactus. Just spray them every few days. The warning bells finally came on in my head when a lot of them lost their lovely flowers and some started to turn yellow. That’s when I thought I’ve got to spend some time and at least read the book a little to find out what is going wrong, and sure enough, these plants like being soaked in a tub of tepid water for 10 – 15 minutes every couple of days. So a little spray here and there – even with a fertilizer – is not enough.
Beware; however, that not all orchids require this soaking, so please do read about your specific orchid before dunking it. I will most definitely not be responsible if you kill it!
It pays to research your plants a little. They will give back an awful lot of joy to you if you treat them well. I just hope that mine will jump back to their former glory before long…. I’ll keep you informed.
I received an exciting announcement this morning which was the inauguration of a Farmer’s Market in Bahrain for the first time. It is very much hoped that this event will become a regular seasonal market with facilities that will promote local and seasonal produce and will support small scale growers and producers in Bahrain.
The organisers bill this event as:
A great day out for the whole family.
Lots of fresh local produce as well as handicrafts, entertainment for the kids and a tasty Bahraini-style BBQ lunch. It doesn’t get better than this!
Don’t miss out on this fantastic event. Enjoy a chance to reconnect with the land and the produce of the season.
Entrance fees will be charged at BD3 for adults, 1.5 for children but free for those who are under 2 years old.
It’s going to take place on Saturday the 12th of April, 2008, next to Jassim Agriculture (this is the “old” Jassim’s) between 10am through to 5pm.
If you are interested in having a stall for fresh produce or local and hand-made items (such as bakery items, preserves, chutneys or handicrafts) or sponsoring a needy person who produces such items, please fill in the contact form and I shall be happy to forward it to the organisers. Please include your contact details.
It promises to be fresh, fun, local and friendly!
The particulars;
I’ve just received an email from the Garden Club informing me that my garden won the first place in the New Garden category! This is fantastic news and a fantastic start to the day!
Yipppeeeee…
I wish you all an excellent, fulfilling, peaceful 2008 and may anything and everything you attempt to grow through it to bloom!
![Cuttings border [before]](http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2143/2037040627_e7872b7930.jpg)
The first phase of the new “cuttings border” is now complete. I’ve spent most of the day clearing the grass and preparing the area for planting. I mixed in 4x 50kgs bags of cow manure and 350 liters of peat moss for good measure. This are is part of the front garden and it receives the sun throughout the day regardless of the season. So I wanted to make sure that there is enough stuff in there to keep the moisture.
There are a couple more things I need to do to make it completely, other than planting of course, but on the structure side. I need to put in the drip lines throughout the area and put in the fence I bought this morning from Manazil.
I think as I intend to use it to grow flowers for cutting, one additional feature might be some paving tiles to create a simple walkway. I’ve got a few of those left over from other projects that I might use. I will also create a red-brick border to prevent the grass from creeping in again from the lawn.
What are the plants I want to put in there? Bulbs and various other flowers that could be cut and put in vases all around the house!
Optimistic? You bet! I’ve got nothing to lose and a lot to learn. So if you know any specific flowers which lend themselves to the task and can grow happily in Bahrain, please do let me know.
Mahmood’s Den
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