I’m focusing on gardening again now that we’re all settled in our new house. I miss having a garden with peppers and herbs growing, so I’ve decided to start small and hopefully level up throughout the year. I just wish it wasn’t so HOT in Las Vegas right now.

When we first moved in, I happily placed my Iris plants outside in pots. Before I go any further, I keep them in pots because they’re family Irises and when I’ve moved around, I’ve taken them with me for the past 12 years. So that’s why I keep them in pots. When I find my forever home, I’ll plant them in the ground. For now, though, they stay in my pots from El Centro Artesano in San Diego’s Old Town. I also placed another two plants outside with the afore-mentioned Irises and an aloe vera plant that was gifted to me by my former neighbor as a going away present.

For a while, the plants did great in their new home. Then, the rabbits came.

The cute little ***kers ate one plant that I nurtured in honor of my mom’s birthday last November. Then, they moved on to a plant I received from a friend for my dad’s funeral. There’s a little of that one left, so I’m working to resuscitate it, with encouragement from Monica, another plant lover. After the rabbits came, I brought the aloe, irises, and the ailing plant inside to keep a closer eye on them and figure out a plan to block out our new furry friends.

The solution could be as easy as placing the plants on tables – but we also have a thriving bird community in our neighborhood, so I figured I’d research a two-for-one solution as I’m planning to plant some fall veggies outside. In the end, I have a few options for keeping out the rabbits and birds, and will also probably pursue the table route for the Irises and aloe. I have a new pop-up garden fence that should come in handy if I plant things the birds like too, that I can add a light cover to in an effort to help prevent them from eating our goods.

So, this weekend, I’ll be dividing my aloe plant, which has sprouted pups since moving here, and showing the Irises some love while getting them back out into full sunlight. The other plant I’m planning to keep inside for a bit, as it seems to be sprouting some new growth and I’d like to baby it.

My indoor plants – a money tree and another hearty green one – are thriving in their new environment, thankfully. I was so scared to move my money tree. I’ve had it since the early 2000s when my mom and I purchased matching trees at our local Chinese New Year festival. It has grown and thrived ever since, but moving it made me nervous because it has gotten so large. Thankfully it survived and is doing great here. (we had to transport it here in my Jeep with the roof off!)

Monica also recently gifted me a baby spider plant that I’m watching closely to make sure it grows strong. I don’t know much about it yet, but plan on making sure I fix that this weekend while I’m tending to my gardening tasks. I’d like to plant some spinach and a few other items in late summer/early fall. If you have suggestions or love the way something grows, I’d love to hear!

One more thing before I go, I also used an electric hedge trimmer and leaf blower for the first time ever! My arms were numb after trimming all of the hedges in our front yard, but it was really satisfying to see them trimmed up so nice and to know that I was the one that did it. The blower, surprisingly for me, was harder to manage, but I think I got the hang of it by the end. My husband and I went down to Harbor Freight in and purchased them, then got to work a few days later. I’m looking forward to honing my skills there too.

Happy gardening.