may 21: fighting with fuchsia

One of the things I'm most excited about with this garden is hanging out with neighborhood pollinators like this little guy!

Hopefully I'll be able to ID insects better as the season rolls along. For now, photos will do.

A bee friend visits the vibrant purple cathedral salvia

I made the mistake of buying a fuschia plant on one of my trips just going out to get some "supplies." I put that in quotes, because somehow, I always come back with a plant in need of a home.

And here was a fuchsia in a 12" pot, so enchanting when I saw it hanging above eye level at the store, and now a full-grown monster taking up precious space on my balcony.

The (relatively) monstrous Fuschia x hybrida

A close-up of the beautiful blooms

I had asked one of the nursery workers if he thought it would be feasible to divide the fuchsia into four sections. Though I had already Googled the answer a minute before, I wanted to get his take on it.

His answer confirmed my guess - that it should be fine to divide it. It would be a little shocked, sure, but it could handle it.

Looking at how big of a plant it was, and how healthy it looked, I had guessed it should do fine. He further advised me to divide it directly into four sections and to not even bother with untangling roots and such.

So at home, onward I proceeded with the task at hand!

One of the four divisions I made of the original fuchsia plant, ready to go into its second pot

These fuchsia blossoms have purple ruffles almost like ball gowns

Today was a full day of planting. Midday fuchsia wrangling gave way to potting up an african violet to give to some dear friends of mine.

Link candy and a new african violet friend await discovery on my friends' doorstep

The end of the day - western sun filtering in through our dining room window and lighting up my herbs. These nasturtium aren't the healthiest, foliage-wise, but their round forms and graceful, long stems are still beautiful, especially backlit.

Light and shadow play on the nasturtiums