This is an example of the poor planning that defines my sporadic gardening. The strangely paired bedfellows in this pot most surely do not belong together. The red flower is a hippeastrum. I got a stack of bulbs from my friends Donna and Andrew who had an excess growing in the garden of their newly … Continue reading Plant Crimes
Category: Gardening Fix
It Sprummer – but don’t put your blankets away.
So according to Dr Entwisle's review of seasons in Australia, t is Sprummer - a changeable cross between spring and summer and a time when there is a second burst of flowers. My banksiae rose did exactly that. Finished flowering at the end of August and then flowered again in October. Through September both the mango and … Continue reading It Sprummer – but don’t put your blankets away.
You can eat Nasturtiums!
When I was at boarding school we laughed at the weird girl who ate the wild nasturtiums. What nasty teenagers we were as well as uninformed. As you know, I plant things at the wrong time and in the wrong place all the time. When I go to the Fernvale Markets I try and try … Continue reading You can eat Nasturtiums!
My War Against Wildlife
I love wild life. Honest. I just don't like it when it eats my garden. It is quite devastating to see mangoes on the tree and think - they will be perfect tomorrow - and find the next day that something - possum, parrot or phantom has come in the night and taken a bite of … Continue reading My War Against Wildlife
We’ve got our seasons wrong
Australian seasons are all wrong. In the third week of July, I thought, Spring is in the air. 'Technically' it was actually the middle of Winter. The application of the traditional four seasons too much of Australia can be questioned. As a kid, I was fascinated by the idea of the English trying to establish … Continue reading We’ve got our seasons wrong
In which zone? What to plant when
I am on a mission to pin down which climate zone I live in. The devil is in the detail (as always). The simple climate zone on most seed packets will say we are subtropical. Gardening Australia has a lovely interactive map which is fun to play with. Click on the region you live in and the … Continue reading In which zone? What to plant when
Reliable Lavender
I have never met a person called Lavender. I suddenly feel quite bereft. There is, of course, Lavender Brown with her particular interest in divination, a crush on Ron Weasley, and an untimely death at the claws of werewolf Fenrir Greyback. Lavender Brown was a bit ditzy. The lavender in my garden is a solid performer. Low … Continue reading Reliable Lavender
Beetroot Pride
I seriously grew this beetroot. Pictured next to cherry tomatoes (which I also grew) so you can get the perspective of its sheer ordinary wonderful size. I have grown beetroot a number of times (unlike this year's first foray into ginger) but they were always puny in comparison to this normal sized beetroot. I only did one … Continue reading Beetroot Pride
Ginger Queen
Ginger Queen - seriously, that is a great name for a fairy, or maybe a ginger haired pole dancer. I will tuck that away for later. Meanwhile, I have grown some ginger. Here is the journey. Spring : A couple of knobs of ginger in an old bee hive box with some potting mix and … Continue reading Ginger Queen