Tomatoes where? Well I'll be darned...

Yep, just when you least expect it, just when you'd given up all but the most fleeting moments of hope...

I'd brought this plant in from my balcony at the beginning of the winter since it was still fairly young (was basically a cutting from another plant that had taken root too late in the season). I didn't really know what I had in mind to do with it, but I found this little perch for it by the balcony door and kept watering it all winter (albeit from time to time quite sparingly).

Half of it even got attacked by aphids (as you can see, I need to pinch off those dead leaves), but it stayed green all winter, surprisingly! I didn't think it would get enough sun sitting here to live.

But maybe tomatoes have a hibernation phase?

Low and behold, a few weeks ago, the little sucker sprouted some blooms! Once again hopeful and a bit surprised, I gently shook and rattled the branches in a pollination attempt. Guess it worked because....

Now I have this!

indoor tomato, about 2 in. diameter

 I really didn't expect that! And then, more blooms! And this (just noticed today!):

another tomato, about half an inch wide

Am I gonna get an indoor tomato crop? Wow! What a pleasant waiting-for-spring surprise! Not only did I not think the cutting would bloom at all, but it has produced fruit....indoors? I mean, it is at least protected from wind here, and I guess it didn't need quite as much sun as I'd thought.

Inspires me to try some other experiments!

Amsterdam Flower Market (w/ pics)!

As promised, a report of my recent travels!

Despite having lived over here in Europe for over 9 years now and having visited many parts of the continent, there are still a few important cities/areas that I haven't been to yet and are long overdue! Amsterdam being one of them, despite its proximity to where I live! So the idea for a mini-vacation and city-tour was conceived a while ago and finally born last month!

Amsterdam is not only an obvious choice destination for especially young travelers (thanks to its vivid cityscape, red light district, and pot-smoking cafés) but also appeals to the more general traveler thanks to its rich history, famous museums (Van Gogh Museum, Rembrandt House, recently-reopened Rijksmuseum, Anne Frank House, etc.), and world-renowned culture scene (Concertgebouw).

Another highlight, famous to all but a mecca for the gardener, is the Bloemenmarkt! This "floating" flower market is named so due to its location - hover over the canals with some supports on houseboats, totally Amsterdam-style!

As you may assume based on the name, flowers and bulbs are the main focus of this market, but it is a paradise for all gardeners alike - many, many different types of seeds, including exotic seeds, full plants, and even marijuana "starter kits", can be purchased and even packaged for international travel.

Enjoy my pics of the Bloemenmarkt!

a typical flower stand - look at how deep it is, and PACKED with seeds!

seeds, bulbs, more seeds and bulbs

cut flowers for sale, great selection...

...even cabbage blooms sold as cut flowers! pretty!

flowers, palms, and cannabis starter kits

the obvious pick: Dutch tulips...what which to choose?

more bulbs: amaryllis

more bulbs: zantedeschia

and some monster-esque bulbs!

live plants (here bonsai)

the ceiling of this shop at the end of the market was to die for, like heaven - a ceiling of pink (dried) flowers!!!

The Garden - a movie about an innercity garden and the fight to keep it

So...just in time for the upcoming weekend, I have a movie recommendation for all you gardeners out there...

The Garden

Get inspired and feel the strife of gardeners trying to hold onto their family traditions!


The Garden (2008) is a documentary about the demolition of the South Central urban farm and community garden in an industrial area of Los Angeles, CA, and is one of the biggest urban farms in the USA. It follows the story of what this inner-city garden means to the families that work the land and how each family's garden plot is part of their livelihood and family tradition. Due to a terribly unfortunate backdoor land ownership dispute, the state evicts the farmers from this land that they have farmed for years, after which demonstrations ensue in an attempt to save the land. A few celebrities also appear on the families' behalves.

To find out if the farm gets bulldozed or if they get to keep their land, watch the film!

Here's a trailer to see what it's about:

Int'l Garden Show Impressions: Patterns, Colors, and More Pics

Patterns are important to any kind of good landscaping, be it how you lay the stones on your walkway, how far apart the bushes are spaced in your yard, or which patches of flowers go where in your garden. There's patterns everywhere in every day life, too - just take a look around!

I often enjoy photographing patterns...I guess it's just soothing in a way to see structure, symmetry and flow of the individual parts and how they look together. It makes whatever it is you are focusing your camera at seem perfect. It can also be quite interesting to center your picture on the one object or part that is different from the rest of the pattern, an unevenness or break in the pattern, so to say.

Patterns in nature are even more fascinating - how these came into being! You gotta love them! And the colors!!

On that note, please enjoy some patterns that caught my eye at the show, a rainbow of pattern glory:

LOVE that flaming red!

just the blooms floating on water

cacti in the continents exhibit

a sort of random pattern

love these blue hydrangeas!

these hydrangeas almost look frosted, wow!

Lots of colors to whet my palette!

Hope you've enjoyed my impressions and highlights of the IGS!

Int'l Garden Show Impressions: Close-ups

As promised, the International Garden Show part 2! This time some close-ups around the grounds. I think it's nice to feature some of the plants up close and personal as a contrast to the masses of flowers seen in the beds from the last post. I'll just let the pictures themselves and their captions do the talking.

Hope you enjoy!

indoor desert exhibit - check out the size of that root!

a floating plant - look at the "bubble"!

a lotus bloom opened up

...and the lotus seed pod

bonsai succulents!

more bonsai succulents!

there was a nice orchid exhibit

love the color and delicacy of this orchid

love the pattern on this one

and the nice blue color of this one!

scary orchid!

a few schools from the area had their plants on display, which also gave the bees something to do!

cool!

some great looking snapdragons

the monorail they built for the park, which I didn't ride due to the hefty price

my favorite color of snapdragon

a nice lily in the African section

Sorry about not having names for all of these pics, but I did at least have a nice time taking pictures and admiring the beautiful flowers, though!

Check back soon for some patterns from the show!

Int'l Garden Show Impressions: Beds

This will be pretty much a photo post, one of three coming up now, dedicated to the International Garden Show (IGS) in Hamburg, Germany that I went to this past weekend!

I've been looking forward to the IGS basically all year now, looking forward to landscaped beds, gardens, and who knows what else! Although everything was not necessarily as I had expected (or even a bit random), there were some really nice exhibits (like the Hall of Flowers) and some great beds, and all of the plants on the grounds were well taken care of, looked healthy, and were blooming.

I decided to split up my photos so as not to overwhelm you - I've chosen my favorites and divided them up into 3 categories: beds, close-ups, and patterns. Gotta love those colors!

Hope you enjoy my pics and impressions from the show!

succulents with water simulated by colored glass

inside the Hall of Flowers (a few begonias and hydrangeas)

Mums, mums, and more mums!

an uniquely landscaped orchid display

a vertical bed

vibrant outdoor bed

nice color matching of darks and lights

the grounds near the entrance

a bed looking out over the river

interesting mix in this bed

in the World of Continents area...a stone bed

LOVE that flaming red!

one small garden area and hut in the "Small Garden Oasis"

Looking out from the Asian Hut in the "Small Garden Oasis"

...and one more hut with landscaped mini-garden

...uh, algae? In the sustainable food section, kind of a mystery...

bed showing how much water is needed for certain crops/veggies

lots of pretty flowers :)

 Stay tuned for 2 more posts from the IGS!