Mini Rock Garden

Rocks are considered as one of the hardest surfaces. If a person is like a rock, it means that he or she is reliable, trustworthy, and exceptionally stable. It is described in the cliché, “solid as a rock.” We’ve been through a lot since the beginning of the year, but we remained hopeful and resilient throughout the crisis. We know that we will get through this hardship and “it shall pass.” My family and I must be solid as rocks to withstand any storms that will come our way.

I’ve been working in the backyard garden for the past week and I accomplished some of the small projects I planned for the summer. I finished all of the cleanings and decorating in our backyard patio. I planted vegetables, flowers, and herbs, and some of them are ready for harvesting. Most of the days are warm, so we’re out doing barbecue, playing some games, sipping cocktails, and just simply hanging out while enjoying the sunshine.

A few days ago, I posted on my blog with a post called the "Mini Herb Garden.” My mini herb garden is growing more now, and I’ve been pinching some of the leaves to use it for my cooking and making smoothies. It was very rewarding to see my plants grow and thrive, and there’s always something to harvest in my little garden, like strawberries and kale. Because I was inspired by it, I decided to do another project, which was the rock garden. I’m fond of making mini gardens, and I made blogs about them in the past. There are a lot of things that you can use for your garden. They just depend on your imagination and creativity, or you can decide on a theme. That way, it will be easy to gather your materials for your garden.

The other day, I went to Rite Aid, and I found a huge container on sale, so I had this idea of making a rock garden. I collected garden decorations throughout the years, and I just added more that I found on sale from the store. Since my goal is to have mixed flowers and vegetables, I chose cucumbers, cabbages, morning glories, and some other flowers. I even bought a solar rock decoration, which would be the focal point of the garden. We also have small rocks on our patio, and I used some of them to put on top of the container. Then I put metal trellis on the back of it so that vines could grow on it. I didn't have a particular theme for my rock garden, but I suggest using common things that you can find in a garden. Examples are fairies, dwarves, a bird’s nest, and a fountain. Overall, rock gardens are a nice addition to our backyard patio.

Mini Herb Garden

“Herbs are nature’s own medicine and has highly healing compounds. Drinking, eating, smelling, and using herbs in different ways can get you more balanced, de-stress, sleep better, and improve overall health.”

—Law of Positivism

During the Quarantine period, people are finding ways to survive it. Since most places were closed, and we can’t go anywhere, I tried to stay sane by working in my backyard garden. With all the news going on about the pandemic, people dying, and recently, the riots and protests, I got stressed out and started to feel anxious. So, I focused my attention on a small project. I found an old barrel planter laying down in our yard, so I got the idea of making it an herb garden. Buying herbs was kind of expensive, and I didn’t get to use all of them. But planting them in my garden and pinching some of the leaves would be useful for my cooking ingredients. After leaving the herbs alone for a while, they will continue to grow. Then, when winter comes, I suggest drying the leaves or freezing them. They will last until next summer. Overall I mainly use herbs for my cooking, baking, and tea-brewing.

About two weeks ago I went to the gardening store and bought a variety of herbs. I included some vegetables, too, like kale and sweet potatoes to complement them. Also, I gathered some garden decorations that I collected over the years and incorporated them into my garden, as well. Since it was hard to remember all the names of the herbs, I used small labels to identify them.

For soil, I used one that was organic. Then I got a mini trellis and used it as a sign for my small garden. I gathered a lot of small pots and planted the remaining herbs since they all didn’t fit in the barrel planter.

Over the years, we’ve been mostly planting flowers on pots, but I never thought of incorporating vegetables and herbs onto them, too. With the prices of food rising today, I discovered that this is one way to save money and support sustainability. It is actually a great way to start your day looking at your garden and it brings you joy and happiness after seeing your plants grow!