Daffodils and fitness

2/9/10

Here are some photos of my daffodils. Today I planted a groundcover, Iberis sempervirens-candytuft, which is described as an evergreen, spreading, herbaceous perennial. It is supposed to be a v. good edging plant. Should be pruned back by 1/3 after flowering to maintain its compact habit and it should be fed annually. I also planted Argyranthemum marguerite daisy 'rum and raisins', which is a lovely dark pink.

Instant hedge

26/8/10

I wish I could remember to take before and after shots-yesterday I transformed a blob of sea-side daisies into a hedge and I am v. happy with the result. I planted hydrangeas grown from cuttings on one side and begonias grown from seed on the other.

Tonight we had chicken seasoned with chilli, kaffir lime leaves, lemon grass and coriander all from our garden.

Post-holiday

24/8/10

Since my last post I have passed two Bar exams and failed one. We also went on a driving holiday to Adelaide. The Hay Plain was green and studded with ponds-an unusual sight.

I have neglected the garden due to studying and travelling, however on Sunday night we harvested some broccoli and cavalo nero, which I cooked and tossed in a little olive oil and lemon juice. Here are some photos.

Rain

6/6/10

Weeks of heavy rain and the garden is happy. In my garden, there is a thin layer of top soil covering red clay, so when gardening yesterday my Sloggers were big globs of clay within minutes. Sunny yesterday and today, so I did some weeding, pulling out winter grass and oxalis and bastard grass out of the front garden beds. My strawberries arrived and I planted all ten of them. They have already started getting leaves.

The broccoli is still being eaten by bright green, very pretty caterpillars, but I am reluctant to spray more Confidor, so I am inspecting periodically and squashing them by hand. The frangipani has shed almost all its leaves, as have the maples.

I had placed pots of pineapple salvia, hydrangeas and mint beside the front steps of the verandah, but the salvia was becoming very leggy and the hydrangea leaves yellow, so I removed and pruned them back.

More beasties

30/5/10

I didn't get around to finishing my last post about all the lovely plants I got for my birthday and the tags are still sitting on the coffee table in the living room, covered in dirt. The last plant is an argyranthemum aka pink daisy. The first daisy so far.

I haven't been gardening as much lately because I have decided, on T's suggestion, to go to the Bar. So I have spent some days sitting in the Bar Association Library, reading Ritchie's Practice and Procedure in NSW or at home reading ethics and evidence.

My lovely mother-in-law was very generous on my birthday as well and I have ordered more plants from Digger's Club:

BLACK KNIGHT BUTTERFLY BUSH BUTTERFLY BUSH WHITE CLOUD WHITE LADY CHERRY PIE BLUEBERRY 'NORTHLAND' STRAWBERRY 'HOKOWASE' 10 STRAWBERRY FRAISES DES BOIS CLARY SAGE 'VATICAN WHITE' Kath gave me a lovely orange tree. I planted it next to the Kaffir Lime tree, maybe a bit too close, we'll see. This morning was the first day of no rain for ages, so I weeded for half an hour and planted out more broccoli, lots of leeks, chives and some curly parsley. The broccoli already in the garden is being eaten by caterpillars, so I sprayed with confidor, but I am going to get a cheap blender so I can make up some chilli and soap spray and use that instead. That way I can hopefully lessen the impact on good bugs. Here are some photos I took this morning.

Tired but happy

9/5/10

Big day in the garden today. It's my birthday next week and yesterday T and I went to Swanes and T bought me lots of beautiful plants. It was a perfect autumn day today and I wandered out to the garden, gardening basket in hand, to plant the first of my presents, a blushing pink iceberg standard. The growers notes say, 'Blooms best size and colour when formed in cool weather...flowers have an exquisite pink blush, painted as if by hand. Occasional flushes of white blooms during the summer or when flowers are forming in hot weather'.

It has taken me five years to refine how I plant. The soil in my garden is clay-very dense and usually I have to dig the clay out completely and replace it with potting mix. I used to dump the clay in a pile absent mindedly and then have to put it in a bucket and take it to the compost. Now when planting I have two big flexible buckets, one empty, which I fill with dug out clay or poor soil and another, full of potting mix. I also soak the plants in another bucket or weak seaweed solution before planting as this is encourages strong root formation. I keep a bale of sugar cane mulch near my compost heap and once I have dumped the clay, I fill the bucket with mulch and mulch all around the newly placed and well watered in plant.

T bought me three David Austin roses, 'The Prince', 'Sharifa Asma' and St Cecilia.' 'The Prince' is described as a short, bushy plant with 'rich, royal-purple, full rosette flowers and a strong and delicious Old Rose fragrance'. 'Sharifa Asma' is medium size with upright growth. It has 'Delicate, blush pink flowers with a delicious fruity fragrance'. 'St Cecilia' is a medium, bushy shrub with 'Beautiful, slightly open, rounded flowers of pale apricot pink. Very strong and delicious myrrh fragrance'.

I planted 'The Prince' in the front garden, beside the rosemary and the burgundy/white iceberg standard. I planted the other two in the back garden. I pulled out 'Othello' because it has never flowered, I put it in a pot. If it doesn't flower in spring I'll chuck it. I planted the two new David Austins in a bed with a pomegranate and 'Marie Rose', which is a lovely, tall bright pink rose with a strong, musky scent.

T also gave me a daphne, which I planted under the Japanese maple, with the blueberry bush on one side and an azalea on the other. They like free-draining, acidic shade, warmth in winter and protection from strong sunlight in summer. I am hoping I have planted it in the perfect spot.

I will continue later, dinner is on the table.

Globalisation

1/5/10

In 2007 we visited Istanbul. I ventured to the Grand Bazaar twice, it was so big and the spruikers so insistent that I navigated perhaps 1/10th of it before slinking away, defeated. Even so I found the most beautiful ceramics, the colour of jewels, glossy as melted chocolate. I carted them back to Sydney, feeling smugly that they would be unique here. Today I ventured to Orange Grove Markets in Rozelle and what do you know? My dazzlingly coloured exotic ceramics were displayed for all to buy. That's globalisation.

I also bought a chilli plant and some punnets of Cos lettuce, which I planted this afternoon. I went to the markets with a dear friend and on the way home took some cuttings from succulents in her courtyard. I love looking at plants in my garden knowing they come from a friends house, it's like having a little piece of them. However, plants, unlike animals, often are not a reflection of their owners. My friend grows the hardiest of plants that withstand complete human neglect, but she is the most delicate of exotics, requiring tender love and gentle handling. Everyone deserves tender love, however some are more robust than others. I wish those that were more robust would be more empathetic towards those that are not. I am reminding myself of this as well.