I'm sitting here enjoying the afternoon sun and looking through the plant catalogues. I had come across a post in a Spanish newspaper online. The header starts with the important parts of a Spanish garden fruit trees and plants. Many people in Spain garden exclusively on their balcony.
When the writers Clodagh & Dick Handscombe mentioned you could grow strawberries, citrus, peach apple, pear, pomegranate 
Fruit trees offer many benefits. Flowering in the spring then filling with fruit in the summer and finally the colors of autumn. The fruit trees are truly a multi season plant to not only bear fruit but color your yard. And it's just perfect for a small yard or balcony. Imagine home grown kiwi
I've had fruit trees but always grew them in the ground. Never ever thought of putting them in containers. So as I sit here I'm looking at fruit trees in the plant catalogues online.
Peaches grow really well in this part of Texas so will see which dwarfs will grow well. Also will need to look for some sterile trees as the odds of finding another fruit tree to pollinate will not be really good odds. I've grown strawberries in a field and in one of those strawberry barrels. I could fit a strawberry barrel next to the bouganvilla. Lemons also are a good choice.
Olive trees
All in a gardener's day,
Photo courtesy of Dr. Zsolt Zátrok
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As I've mentioned in an earlier post on wildflowers, living in Texas has given me a definite appreciation of the beauty of wildflowers and how they brighten up the landscape. I came across this paper dragonfly for people who also love wildflowers.
The dragonfly is made of specially designed paper with wildflower seeds placed in the paper. Originally conceived as a wedding favor, I see this idea could be used by businesses who want to promote themselves supporting the environment.
What better way to do that than giving customers some seeds to plant. The dragonfly is planted and blossoms come spring. What a great way to improve your corner of the world! It sure beats having some pen that never writes.
You can find out more information for using this to promote a business or to use as a wedding favor at Once Upon A Favor
All in a gardener's day,
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Gardening without pesticides or limiting pesticides in gardening can mean an adjustment in the way some of us gardening. I found some useful tips in an issue of the Caledon Citizen newspaper. (Caledon is located outside of Toronto and according to Maclean's magazine is the safest town in Canada to live.)
When you look at the tips they're really about common sense gardening. Native plants have learned to adapt to their environments. So often when we choose a plant we do so because we find a picture we admire or hope to duplicate in our own garden. Sometimes it works but often the plant doesn't make it.
Mulching is always a good way to keep the moisture in the soil and prevent weeds from overtaking the garden. In addition mulch decomposes to make rich fertilizer. I'm always amazed at how composting and mulch can make a difference in the soil.
When I started my patio garden not quite two years ago the soil could have passed for chunks of broken cement. Though I still garden in containers, the base soil is becoming enriched with the mulch and compost I spread on the ground.
The pothos left in an old pot by the previous owners has now moved out of its pot and is trailing the length of the garden. It makes for a lushly green ground cover. Just shows what a little water, mulch and natural fertilizers can do.
Take a moment, please and share your tips on how you've decreased the use of pesticides in your garden. Thanks in advance for sharing.
All in a gardener's day,
Photo courtesy of 
Mateusz Stachowski
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