The cold days continue here in Germany. Some mornings are frosty, but compared to November and December, we’ve had more bright, sunny days, which is a relief. On the balcony, I haven’t been doing much except for quickly harvesting a few herbs for cooking or taking a sip of tea before retreating to the warmth of the kitchen.
When I took my camera outside, I noticed that some bulbs had started sprouting. If they were early bloomers like daffodils, I wouldn’t be too concerned, but these look more like Japanese irises... 😭 They’re still fine for now, but the weekend forecast predicts the first deep freeze of the season, with temperatures dropping below -10°C. I can't help but worry.
With such low temperatures expected, I started thinking about bringing my citrus trees indoors. It feels like the bulbs might have reminded me just in time. Lately, even when temperatures dropped to around -2 or -3°C, my lemon tree seemed fine. In fact, under its fleece cover, new shoots have started to emerge.
The baby fig trees I started growing after Hive Fest are also doing well outside. However, with the severe cold approaching, I plan to bring them indoors for the weekend. At first, they seemed quite fragile, but now they look like proper little trees. I’m excited to see how they grow in spring and summer!
Last week, I wrote in my garden journal about how my shungiku (chrysanthemum greens) were growing on the balcony. Since I had already sown all my home-collected seeds, I searched for a place to buy new ones in Europe. I found a lovely organic seed shop and ordered some. When they arrived, I was delighted to see Japanese writing on the package!
With things slowing down on the balcony, I remembered @friendlymoose, host of the Cycling Community, wrote a post about indoor plants. Inspired by that, I gathered my houseplants in one spot and took a "family photo", which I do every few years inspired by my friends. Being surrounded by these little green friends makes me so happy.
When the weather warms up, the small heart-shaped cactus in the front (or is it succulent?) is supposed to grow lots of tiny heart-shaped offshoots. I’m looking forward to seeing that and sharing the baby plants with friends and neighbors!
For now, our main goal is to survive the -10°C weekend. Stay strong, plants ☺️
Have a nice week to everyone and happy Gardening!
ドイツでは寒い日が続いています。霜が降りる日もありますが、パキッと晴れる日が11月や12月と比べて多いのが救いです。バルコニーでは料理に必要なハーブをちょいと収穫したり、お茶を一口二口飲んで寒くて台所に戻ったりでほとんど作業はしていません。
カメラを持って出ると、球根の芽が出て育っていて・・・・・・・水仙など早咲きのものであればいいのですが、これは菖蒲っぽい 😭 今の所無事なのですが、週末の予報は今季初のマイナス10度以下でさすがに不安です。
ここまで下がると、柑橘系は家の中に取り込まなくてはならなさそうだなあと考え始めて、はたと球根が教えてくれたのかもと思ったのでした。ここ最近のマイナス2、3度はレモンも大丈夫なようで、フリースの下では新芽が出ているほどです。
Hive Festを経て育てているイチヂクの赤ちゃんたちも外で元気にしていますが、さすがに週末は家の中に取り込もうと思います。芽が出てからかなり長い間頼りない感じでしたが、すっかり立派な植物で、春夏の成長が楽しみです。
先週、春菊がバルコニーで育っていることをガーデンジャーナルに書いて、自家採取した種を全部まいてしまったので、ヨーロッパで種を買えないか探したら、いい感じのオーガニックの種苗店を見つけて、春菊の種を注文しました。パッケージに日本語が書いてあってなんともうれしい気持ちになりました。
バルコニーはこんな感じでスローなので、先日、Cyclingコミュニティーを運営している @friendlymoose さんが家の中の植物について書いていタノを思い出して、久しぶりに家の中の植物を一箇所に集めて家族写真を撮りました。いい子たちに囲まれて幸せです。
暖かくなると、手前の小さなハート型のサボテン（多肉植物？）がたくさんハート型の子供をまわりにつけるそうで、その姿を見るのと、子供たちを株分けしてお友達や近所で分けるのが楽しみです。
今週はマイナス10度越えの週末を乗り切るのが最大の目標です。がんばれ、植物たち。
Happy Gardening!
What a nice set of indoor plants! I think they might get company of your balcony plants when the temperature goes to -10 🥶
Or will they be able to survive that outside?
Interestingly, some can survive even under 30cm snow. Coriander, celery etc. But sure I take trees inside 😉
And thank you for your post. It inspired me to take plant family photos after a while. My indoor plants might be happy too 🪴
Despite the cold weather, the plants look alive and beautiful. Here in Turkey, the culture of growing plants on the balcony is very common. It is usually done for hobby purposes. People get positive energy from these plants and flowers. I understand that you also feel positive energy. 🙂
Same here, German people are good gardeners. I'm happy to be here or the gardening culture took me from Japan to Germany 😉
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Thanks! How nice it is 🥰