The cool and wet season that lasted two months (March and April) was just over. Now, the hot and dry season is back and I think this will last until mid-August.
I dread it. Everyday, when I wake up, I see the sun and I reckon most of us are starting to dread it. The heat is unbearable for both humans and plants! I had to make it a point to water my plants more often – the wet season earlier had made me a lethargic and lazy gardener!
The community garden that I lead currently looks quite good, judging from the pictures I took yesterday morning. The amount of great dedication that my passionate community gardeners has for their plants shows in these photos. To me, happy plants equate to happy gardeners and this is what I am looking for in my community garden.
Regular watering must be done during this time and must be done at least twice daily, once in the morning and another later in the evening. Fertiliser was also given to the plants on a weekly basis. Edible plants are quite nutrient-hungry and any lack of food will show up quickly via the manifestation of slower than normal growth!
On the ornamental plants side, the Yellow Bells tree, affectionately called “Mrs Lim’s Tree”, is covered with golden yellow blooms now and the surrounding cannas are also looking at their best, without a trace of rust or fungus on their leaves. The Japanese honeysuckle hedges are also picking up after their recent hard prune.
The garden, viewed from the entrance.
The garden, viewed from the back.
The vegetables grown in the beds behind are also doing amazingly well as growth is now quite fast. Thanks to the fertiliser and water that are regularly supplied to these plants by my gardeners and not to forgetting to mention, the incessant sunshine that is now available.
The lady’s finger plants, at about 1 and half months old, have started to flower and set fruit.
An unidentified Brassica relative, a popular leafy cut-and-come again vegetable in community gardens here. It grows upright and never seems to blot! The self-seeded amaranthus plants in the same bed are also doing exceptionally well!
A bed of lush Chinese Spinach – many of the gardeners cannot bear to pick them for food!
Up, up and away – the climbing French Bean vines are climbing their way up the strings. A couple of vines have started to flower.
