Greetings dear friends of Hive Garden, welcome to my blog. October is drawing to a close, and I wanted to stop by this wonderful community to share how my garden looks as it bids farewell to October—just before November begins and the Christmas season arrives. In my home country of Venezuela, the most beautiful time of the year starts on the first of next month. I’ve been away, and during that time, my garden didn’t get the care it needed. To make matters worse, my dog caused some trouble—I don’t know why he’s so obsessed with my plants and the stone path I had built to get around and tend to my greenery.

What can I say? I couldn’t find the path anymore—it had completely disappeared. Still, I took advantage of the mess to change the path’s route. The reason? It’s quite simple: my lemon tree has grown a lot, and its thorns were starting to brush against me. Even after pruning it, I decided it would be better to reroute the path—it makes walking more comfortable and adds a nicer aesthetic to the little garden. It was a tough day of cleanup; I gathered all the scattered stones I could find and laid out a new path. Between clearing away dry leaves, pruning, and weeding, it took several days. On another note, I managed to recover the gravel that my dog had scattered all over the garden—that was a relief! Gravel isn’t cheap at all; a single bag costs around $10, and believe me, you don’t get much in one.

I still have some gravel to collect, though less than before. There is also good news in my garden: my desert rose plant continues to recover. It hasn’t bloomed yet, but I’m still holding out for a miracle. My garden is becoming more colorful; new flowers have appeared. I was lucky enough to receive some seeds for a "black" Vinca rosea—to my eyes, it looks more like the color of red wine. It’s beautiful; I had never seen one before. The lady who gave me the seeds also gifted me some seed pods and a small plant of the same species. I was so happy when I saw the first bud, and then, as the plant grew, the first flowers.

The seeds of Catharanthus roseus (vinca) are found in its seed pods; when the pods dry out, they burst open and release the seeds, which are small and black. I sowed them and achieved wonderful germination—the seedlings have grown, and flowering will begin soon. I love this type of plant, so I have collected seeds in other colors as well. A Portulaca grandiflora (often called "bella a las once" or "rose moss") has also found its way into my garden to join the family. I realize now that I need to get some pots, as it will soon be time to transplant them.

My bougainvillea is looking beautiful; I keep it pruned. My snake plant is also growing—it already has several new shoots, and I hope to see many more filling the pot. I was also very pleasantly surprised to see my lilies in bloom. I didn’t think it would happen; in fact, when I first received them as a gift, I even doubted they were lilies—I had only ever seen them when they were already in flower. Mine took a while to bloom, but now they have white petals with yellow centers, and they look gorgeous.

After looking into them a bit, I’ve learned that lilies can take a year to bloom for the first time—and, sure enough, a year has passed since I planted them in my garden.

Gardening work must be constant—it never truly ends—especially if we want to have a beautiful, dreamlike garden. There is still a way to go, but I am glad to have taken some steps toward restoring my garden and making it more lovely with each passing day. I hope to return soon with some good, new updates. This is how my garden bids farewell to the month of October. See you soon!.