Hola,
I don’t know if you have figured it out by now, but I love to research anything and everything about plants, well, nature in general. When I come to my conclusions, it’s not based on one source but many different sources. After purchasing the fiddle leaf fig, which I never thought I would have, by the way, as I like leaves to look almost perfect, and the fiddle leaf fig is a plant that does not have perfect leaves. It can often have brown marks on the leaves caused by a number of different factors: underwatering, overwatering, too much moisture, too little moisture, pests. It’s basically a fussy plant, and I am not usually a fan of fussy plants, but I felt compelled to purchase one.
After purchasing, I did my usual research, and to my surprise, not only does the fiddle leaf fig make you feel better emotionally just by its sheer presence, it also has benefits for our physical health. The fruit (which you are highly unlikely to have indoors due to it needing a fig wasp), leaves, and roots have antimicrobial and antibacterial properties. It also has flavonoids and phenols, two powerful antioxidants. Because of this, it can help with digestive issues, inflammatory issues, cardiovascular and respiratory issues. Not only that, it can help to reduce cholesterol and treat liver fibrosis. After researching herbs and outdoor plants, I knew that many had healing properties, but I didn’t think for a minute that some of the plants in our homes could too. It has made me eager to explore the possibility of just which houseplants can help with our physical health. I will, of course, share any findings on either my membership site or brief findings on my social media accounts.
I attended a gardening club garden show last weekend. My grandad or grandma used to take me to them sometimes when I was little. Both of my grandads were keen gardeners, and I wish I had spent way more time with them than I did. I was just as inquisitive when I was younger, asking many questions. My grandad would get a little annoyed, so I would end up writing poems about the things that I saw in the garden.
At the garden show, I was given a beautiful bouquet of dahlias that a man chose not to show (he won second place with the ones that he did). He had travelled from Evesham, which is about an hour and a half from where we live, so that is some serious commitment to competing. Garden shows are where you will meet very serious gardeners who know their stuff, having been at it for many years. I didn’t realize how much of a competitive streak I had until I was there, as I really wished I had entered quite a few of the different categories. There is another one locally soon, and I think I am going to compete in that one, so wish me luck.
I did see my friend Bernard there, who I met through Facebook Marketplace. We have swapped plants. Bernard is extremely gifted with plants especially fuchsia. I did see the biggest begonia that I had ever seen in my life at the show, which won Best in Show. I got chatting with the chap who gladly shared his growing tips with me. We exchanged numbers as he said I could go and visit his garden, and we would do a cutting swap of begonias. He also told me where he purchases his plants, so I will absolutely be purchasing from them. If you haven’t been to a garden club gardening show and you are a plant lover, I highly recommend that you attend your local one. You can purchase a lot of the show items for a donation if the growers do not want to take them home, which raises vital funds for a chosen charity. You might even choose to become a member yourself after meeting some of the members, and you are guaranteed to gain gardening knowledge from very experienced gardeners.
I listened in on a conversation, which my son Ollie told me off for because it’s rude, but I had to listen to how one man had grown onions as big as my head. It took him three years to grow them to that size by allowing them to flower and cutting the flower head into a shape so that the plant thought there was something wrong, resulting in more growth at the root. Another man said that the onions wouldn’t taste of much and that vegetables are far better being smaller as they have way more flavour. So there is another tip for you, well, a few. I pulled one of our carrots earlier, which was indeed small. They have been grown in a pot that is too shallow really, so I wasn’t expecting them to reach a big size. I just washed it and ate it raw and can confirm that it was full of flavour. I laugh when I eat carrots because I hated them as a child, and my grandma would force me to sit at the table until I had eaten them, only years later to find out that she didn’t like carrots and didn’t eat them. I like them now, kind of, as I know that they have nutritional value.
The old wives’ tale that you won’t see in the dark if you don’t eat them is, in fact, true, as they do help with our eyesight as well as our skin and weight.
I hope that you are well and that you are enjoying your gardening, be it indoor or outdoor.
Muchos love x