It seemed to be a slow start to summer proper this year, but the heat over the New Year period reminded us gardeners that although we have been blessed with lots of rain, the summer heat is not to be forgotten in the garden. I hope with the easing of water restrictions that you haven’t gone back to the bad old days of sprinklers left going for hours and driveways hosed down instead of using a broom! My sole concession to the increased moisture in the soil thus far, is to replant the red cannas that have been languishing in a pot for years.
I had a lot of work to do in the garden just before Christmas. Many of the annuals that looked so good over spring were finishing and needed to be removed as they were smothering neighbouring plants. This included all the poppies, sweet peas and the love-in-the-mist (Nigella sp.). I really must thin them out next year so only a few grow to maturity as when they die they really do leave a hole in the garden bed. Weeding has been a never ending priority too in a way I have not seen for over a decade. The compost bin has been full to overflowing with prunings and weeds. I am amazed at the smokebush Cotinus ‘Grace’ as it has not stopped growing since spring. It seems each day I spot another whippy growth reaching for the sky. These I have shortened as they have appeared and then several shorter growths are produced with alacrity. I am also considering giving the purple berberis a haircut as it has grown nearly 500mm all over since spring!
I thought I was going to lose the white plumbago during the big wet as it didn’t grow very much; what little growth it produced had blackened and withered tips and its leaves turned yellow. However it struggled on and is currently covered in flowers although still with yellowish foliage. The dwarf white agapanthus that I have planted along the street frontage also looked like giving up the ghost before the drought broke, but the clumps have tripled in size and are currently in full bloom.
In the vegetable garden the sweet corn that I planted in November is almost as tall as me already – I don’t think I have ever seen corn grow so fast. My tomatoes are growing well and I have harvested my garlic – both the Tasmanian type and the Russian or elephant type. I am also starting to harvest my brown onions. I am so proud of this crop as it is the first time I have ever successfully grown onions! They were sown from seed in situ which I think is a big plus and I only fed them with a phosphate based fertiliser as well as a sprinkling of lime as onions love lime. I bought 4 seedlings of Waltham Butternut pumpkins at the Woodend Farmers Market and these are beginning to grow really well, so I am hopeful of getting some pumpkins this season as I got not one last year!
In the native Australian garden the annual everlastings (Bracteantha sp.) that I planted as seedlings in May last year have formed large plants covered in fiery orange flowers. These close up on dull or rainy days and look quite awful but on sunny days the flowers open wide and make a great blazing show contrasting well with the purple flowers of the brachycome daisies. The Victorian Christmas bush (Prostanthera lasianthos) put on a great show too. My bush is almost 3m tall and this is the tallest of the mint bushes. The lomatia has doubled in size and is smothered in flowers. This plant was really starting to struggle towards the end of the drought and I thought I was going to lose it. The kangaroo apples (Solanum sp) are covered in purple flowers too and I have spotted the odd seedling popping up around the garden. These are short lived large shrubs or small gangly trees so it is good to see a few replacement seedlings coming on that I can easily transplant to a suitable location. I hope we have welcomed in a great year for gardening and perhaps a return to the ‘normal’ weather patterns pre the 1990’s. It has been great seeing the growth in the garden due to the drought breaking and I look forward to the future with interest.
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Monday, November 28, 2011
Garden Opening and other things
So what was the stand out plant at the garden opening that everyone wanted to talk about? Well the ‘Cobalt Tower’ echiums drew a lot of comment standing well over 3m tall. The striking fuchsia pink flower spikes of Beschorneria septentrionalis also drew a lot of comment – seeing as it was at the front gate it grabbed everyone’s attention. And the carpet of pink Erigeron 'Elsie' also drew a lot of comment. But many people were curious about the turquoise flowers of Ixia viridiflora (seen left) just coming out in the Fairy Garden. This South African corm produces a flower in such an unusual colour it always invites lots of comments.
The garden is so full of growth and so full of colour! Flowers everywhere, bees buzzing madly and the honeyeaters and blackbirds sounding their alarm calls when the currawong comes to prowl. It’s still such a joy to be able to dig a hole and see the soil is moist all the way down! And so much easier too. However the work is never done and after the opening I went around lightly pruning some of the excessive growth on such things as the smoke bush Cotinus ‘Grace’ and pulling back the poppies from smothering the aster. Euphorbia characias wulfenii needed its spent flower heads removed to let through the new growth. The bluebells have long finished and need their spent flower heads removed although it doesn’t really matter. The sweet peas are still flowering their little socks off and I pick a bunch to bring inside and perfume the house every second day.
In the vegetable garden I have planted my tomatoes, sweet corn and basil. Seeds of pumpkins, zucchini and cucumbers are popping up in my little greenhouse as well as several different types of lettuce. The rhubarb is going gangbusters as is the asparagus patch which I have just fertilised and mulched. I have also thinned the apples and fertilised the olive trees and citrus trees which are covered with flowers.
Have you noticed how full and leafy the trees are? A year of regular rainfall has obviously encouraged trees of all kinds to put on a huge amount of growth. I particularly noticed this as I was driving up the hill from the petrol station out of a neighbouring town. The street trees seemed to be shading the road much more than before. It makes you realise just how drought stressed they must have been. I certainly noticed how vigorously the weeping elm at the railway station was growing, after thinking in years past that its end was nigh. I nominated this tree for significant tree status earlier this year but was knocked back. If we could find out who planted it that might help with a reapplication. I worry that the bitumen that has been laid right up to its trunk will not be good for its long term health.
Do you know in Victoria that anyone can nominate a tree for significant tree status for any tree, anywhere? Just go to http://www.nattrust.com.au/ and click on Trust Register scrolling down to Tree Nomination Form. You must supply a map and photos with each nomination. You need to read the questions carefully but it’s pretty straightforward. There are ten categories including such things as horticultural value, particularly old and particularly weird etc. If you think the tree doesn’t warrant National Trust nomination, try nominating it to your local Council/Shire. This places it on the planning overlay making everyone aware of the tree and its importance.
Another thing I have noticed is how well the bottlebrushes (Callistemon sp.) are flowering this year. This genus is such a hardy one able to cope with drought once established but then making a wonderful comeback when it rains. I have seen some amazingly vibrant colours around the town – pink, yellow and purple as well as red. Cut back hard after flowering and they will put on a heap of growth. Don’t forget now is the time to be mulching your garden. I bought a tandem trailer load (I½m) of mulch from the shire depot the other day for $31. We might actually get to enjoy our gardens over summer. It looks like we may not have much watering to do!
In the vegetable garden I have planted my tomatoes, sweet corn and basil. Seeds of pumpkins, zucchini and cucumbers are popping up in my little greenhouse as well as several different types of lettuce. The rhubarb is going gangbusters as is the asparagus patch which I have just fertilised and mulched. I have also thinned the apples and fertilised the olive trees and citrus trees which are covered with flowers.
Have you noticed how full and leafy the trees are? A year of regular rainfall has obviously encouraged trees of all kinds to put on a huge amount of growth. I particularly noticed this as I was driving up the hill from the petrol station out of a neighbouring town. The street trees seemed to be shading the road much more than before. It makes you realise just how drought stressed they must have been. I certainly noticed how vigorously the weeping elm at the railway station was growing, after thinking in years past that its end was nigh. I nominated this tree for significant tree status earlier this year but was knocked back. If we could find out who planted it that might help with a reapplication. I worry that the bitumen that has been laid right up to its trunk will not be good for its long term health.
Do you know in Victoria that anyone can nominate a tree for significant tree status for any tree, anywhere? Just go to http://www.nattrust.com.au/ and click on Trust Register scrolling down to Tree Nomination Form. You must supply a map and photos with each nomination. You need to read the questions carefully but it’s pretty straightforward. There are ten categories including such things as horticultural value, particularly old and particularly weird etc. If you think the tree doesn’t warrant National Trust nomination, try nominating it to your local Council/Shire. This places it on the planning overlay making everyone aware of the tree and its importance.
Another thing I have noticed is how well the bottlebrushes (Callistemon sp.) are flowering this year. This genus is such a hardy one able to cope with drought once established but then making a wonderful comeback when it rains. I have seen some amazingly vibrant colours around the town – pink, yellow and purple as well as red. Cut back hard after flowering and they will put on a heap of growth. Don’t forget now is the time to be mulching your garden. I bought a tandem trailer load (I½m) of mulch from the shire depot the other day for $31. We might actually get to enjoy our gardens over summer. It looks like we may not have much watering to do!
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Open Garden
Well another opening done and dusted. About 100 on Sat - the weather was glorious despite all forecasts and I even got a little sunburnt. Then it rained all day Sun - not heavy rain - more like a continual fine mizzle (mist/drizzle). It kept everyone away and only about 30 visited. As the day wore on we added more and more layers in an effort to keep warm. Even had to put up the gazebo to protect the gatesitters! Oh well you never can predict the weather so one good day isn't bad I expect. Its just that I still have a lot of plants to sell.....
Saturday, October 29, 2011
Garden Opening
Its rained all night and I have taken 5 minutes to write this. We've had 16mm and there are pools of water sitting everywhere but I'm hopeful that will be all the rain for the present. The gates open in 45 minutes and we are busily doing all the last minute things necessary - including baking muffins to keep the gatesitters going!
Second listing on the Open Gardens website:
http://www.opengarden.org.au/regions/vic_calendar.html
I have lots of plants for sale - or should I say the 12 year old is selling plants. Part proceeds to BreastWest - helping the women in the west with breast cancer.
The bees are buzzing the honeyeaters are darting about, there are ducks on the dam and my heart is in my mouth! Wish me luck!
Second listing on the Open Gardens website:
http://www.opengarden.org.au/regions/vic_calendar.html
I have lots of plants for sale - or should I say the 12 year old is selling plants. Part proceeds to BreastWest - helping the women in the west with breast cancer.
The bees are buzzing the honeyeaters are darting about, there are ducks on the dam and my heart is in my mouth! Wish me luck!
Saturday, October 22, 2011
October in the Garden
It’s amazing how much the garden grows during spring! Over winter it just sits and sits and as I walked around checking progress in the middle of August I thought it would be looking pretty bare for my opening. But of course the warm weather and welcome rain has done its stuff and the garden is bursting at the seams! Just one week until my opening as I write this and the sound of buzzing bees fills the air – they particularly like the echiums – and the wrens and honeyeaters are darting from bush to bush.
Unfortunately a wretched rabbit has taken up residence in my garden and evidence of its appetite can be seen in the bare stalks of love-in-a-mist, the chewed roses and little scrapes at the base of the cedar hedge. For 20 years no rabbits have lived here and now suddenly there is one and I feel quite murderous towards it! I wouldn’t mind if it munched quietly on the back lawn but its targeting my plants – and the ones at the front of the garden beds to boot! It doesn’t help that daughter number 2 squeals “how cute” whenever we spy it scampering down the driveway. Now I know how Mr McGregor felt!
This year as an experiment I have planted seedlings of the giant red mustard as an ornamental in my ‘red’ garden. I saw it once in another garden and was blown away by the enormous bronzy-red leaves. The seedlings have taken off and are obviously too hot for the slugs and snails to chomp on and each plant looks amazing and has grown half a metre high. I’ll be interested to hear what people think of it. Another experiment was to sow the seed of a bronzy-red form of an annual millet. The seedlings are tiny but all green and I don’t know whether they will change colour as they grow. Never mind its fun to watch and wait. The soft-leaf buffalo lawn has responded well to some fertiliser and the warm weather and looks fantastic.
In the vegetable garden I have been harvesting the kohlrabi. We have eaten this curious cabbage relative both raw and cooked. Raw it has a great crunchy texture and is good for using for dips because its mild flavour does not overpower. Cooked it is acceptable – a very mild broccoli flavour that goes nicely with butter and salt. I have also been harvesting broad beans and will eat a bowlful for lunch soused in a little olive oil and crushed garlic (don’t come near me afterwards!) I planted the potatoes on the 24th of September and the wet weather since then may have caused some of the tubers to rot because I have a few spaces in my rows.
In the Australian native section of the garden the everlasting daisies (Bracteantha sp) planted as seedlings last autumn have formed large plants and are about to flower. The seed sown pink everlastings (Rhodanthe sp) have flowered and flowered but are susceptible to drying out and the depredations of the slugs and snails. Alyogyne ‘West Coast Gem’ is in full purple bloom contrasting nicely with the fluffy yellow balls of the clay wattle Acacia glaucoptera. Some of my grevilleas are blooming and the possum banksia B. baueri has produced enormous, fluffy and very cuddly looking cones that look like a family of possums clustered within the bush.
Twelve months of rain has done wonders in the garden and already the memory of the drought is dimming although not forgotten. In this wide brown land drought is never forgotten.
Unfortunately a wretched rabbit has taken up residence in my garden and evidence of its appetite can be seen in the bare stalks of love-in-a-mist, the chewed roses and little scrapes at the base of the cedar hedge. For 20 years no rabbits have lived here and now suddenly there is one and I feel quite murderous towards it! I wouldn’t mind if it munched quietly on the back lawn but its targeting my plants – and the ones at the front of the garden beds to boot! It doesn’t help that daughter number 2 squeals “how cute” whenever we spy it scampering down the driveway. Now I know how Mr McGregor felt!
This year as an experiment I have planted seedlings of the giant red mustard as an ornamental in my ‘red’ garden. I saw it once in another garden and was blown away by the enormous bronzy-red leaves. The seedlings have taken off and are obviously too hot for the slugs and snails to chomp on and each plant looks amazing and has grown half a metre high. I’ll be interested to hear what people think of it. Another experiment was to sow the seed of a bronzy-red form of an annual millet. The seedlings are tiny but all green and I don’t know whether they will change colour as they grow. Never mind its fun to watch and wait. The soft-leaf buffalo lawn has responded well to some fertiliser and the warm weather and looks fantastic.
In the vegetable garden I have been harvesting the kohlrabi. We have eaten this curious cabbage relative both raw and cooked. Raw it has a great crunchy texture and is good for using for dips because its mild flavour does not overpower. Cooked it is acceptable – a very mild broccoli flavour that goes nicely with butter and salt. I have also been harvesting broad beans and will eat a bowlful for lunch soused in a little olive oil and crushed garlic (don’t come near me afterwards!) I planted the potatoes on the 24th of September and the wet weather since then may have caused some of the tubers to rot because I have a few spaces in my rows.
In the Australian native section of the garden the everlasting daisies (Bracteantha sp) planted as seedlings last autumn have formed large plants and are about to flower. The seed sown pink everlastings (Rhodanthe sp) have flowered and flowered but are susceptible to drying out and the depredations of the slugs and snails. Alyogyne ‘West Coast Gem’ is in full purple bloom contrasting nicely with the fluffy yellow balls of the clay wattle Acacia glaucoptera. Some of my grevilleas are blooming and the possum banksia B. baueri has produced enormous, fluffy and very cuddly looking cones that look like a family of possums clustered within the bush.
Twelve months of rain has done wonders in the garden and already the memory of the drought is dimming although not forgotten. In this wide brown land drought is never forgotten.
Friday, September 23, 2011
Asparagus Pea
Last autumn I planted the seeds of the asparagus pea Tetragonolobus purpureus available from Erica Vale seeds. The seeds came up and grew slowly making little mounds of slightly furry green leaves. A few flowers appeared before winter set in and I picked half a dozen pods from about 6 plants. They stopped flowering over winter and I wondered how frost tolerant they were. They turned out to be very frost tolerant and they grew and grew and grew. Last week when I took these photos the plants had reached knee high and had spread twice that width. They were covered with their little maroon flowers and I was finally able to pick a bowl full of peas. I steamed them for a minutes and then doused them in butter and a little salt.
Now the big question is - did they taste like asparagus?!? I don't think so. In fact they didn't taste very much of anything at all! Would I grow them again? Probably not. I would need a lot more than 6 plants to produce enough for the family and the pods are very tricky to find amongst the foliage. Also they have to be picked when only 1 inch long (Gen Y read 2.5cm) any longer and they are tough and fibrous. Quite pretty though.Here is a link to a website which talks about growing them in the Carribean where they appear to grow only 6 inches tall.
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Routine Jobs
I remembered to prune the roses a few weeks ago and also sprayed them with some smelly lime sulphur to kill any overwintering fungal spores that cause powdery mildew. I also sprayed my dwarf peach with the lime sulphur and this will stop it getting peach leaf curl. Other routine jobs I have done include cutting the ornamental grass miscanthus off just above ground level and chopping it up roughly to add to the compost heap. I have been weeding madly leaving some of the poppy seedlings for a spring display. It is quite amazing how closely the seedling of a milk thistle resembles that of a poppy! You really have to look closely before yanking anything out. I cut back the ‘Nanho Blue’ buddleia (better late then never) and the stalks of golden rod Solidago canadensis. I have pulled all the old shrivelled leaves off the silver astelia which I swear has doubled in size over the last 12 months.
This weekend I hope to go and collect a trailer-load of rotted horse poo which I will use as a surface mulch around the garden. For once I am not concerned about applying mulch too early and stopping the rain from getting through to the soil. This spring I hope the soil critters have the moisture to do their job of incorporating the horse poo into the soil. I also have to move my rose ‘Graham Thomas’ because it is crowded by shrubs all around it and it struggles to get enough sun during the day. Roses really need at least 5 hours of direct sun every day or they will just elongate and succumb to every beastie and disease going.
The vegetable garden is looking a little empty with many of winter’s crops harvested and summer’s crops have not gone in yet. The asparagus peas have grown really well and aren’t frost sensitive at all. Each plant has grown about 30cm high and twice as wide and they’re dotted with little maroon flowers. I’m hoping as the weather warms these will be pollinated by the bees and I’ll start to get peas. The pods are a bit weird looking with frilly ribs running down the outside and you pick them when they are quite small – about 3cm long but they really do taste mildly of asparagus! The rainbow chard finally came good after all my trials and tribulations in autumn but I know it will be going to seed any day so I should plant some new seedlings to replace it. I dug up the rhubarb and separated it and replanted some crowns after mixing a bag of horse poo in the soil. Rhubarb LOVES to be fed and watered – I remember my dad digging loads of manure into our rhubarb bed at home and being rewarded with lots of long red stems.
In the Australian native plant garden the scarlet wattle Acacia leprosa ‘Scarlet Blaze’ is in full bloom and the seedlings of pink everlastings that I sowed in autumn are budding up. The pin cushion hakea has finished flowering but the grass-leaved hakea Hakea multilineata is covered in pink flowers. The wilga Geijera parviflora and pine-leaved geebung Persoonia pinifolia are still alive – haven’t killed them yet! Various correas are flowering as is the tree violet Hymenanthera dentata – its fragrance wafts around the garden on warm days.
The soft-leaf buffalo ‘Palmetto’ lawn that we laid 10 months ago has come through the winter really well. It is supposed to be the best soft-leaf buffalo for holding its colour through the cooler months and while it is not an emerald green it is green enough for me. Trevor spent some time with a daisy weeder going around pulling out the few clumps of winter grass, poppies and flick weed that had come up and I plan to fertilise the lawn this weekend. Then it should be looking great for when my garden is open over the last weekend in October. This is advance warning to all you gardeners out there that you should plan to stay home that weekend as we have not just one or two gardens open here but three! See the Open Gardens Australia guidebook for details.
http://www.opengarden.org.au/
This weekend I hope to go and collect a trailer-load of rotted horse poo which I will use as a surface mulch around the garden. For once I am not concerned about applying mulch too early and stopping the rain from getting through to the soil. This spring I hope the soil critters have the moisture to do their job of incorporating the horse poo into the soil. I also have to move my rose ‘Graham Thomas’ because it is crowded by shrubs all around it and it struggles to get enough sun during the day. Roses really need at least 5 hours of direct sun every day or they will just elongate and succumb to every beastie and disease going.
The vegetable garden is looking a little empty with many of winter’s crops harvested and summer’s crops have not gone in yet. The asparagus peas have grown really well and aren’t frost sensitive at all. Each plant has grown about 30cm high and twice as wide and they’re dotted with little maroon flowers. I’m hoping as the weather warms these will be pollinated by the bees and I’ll start to get peas. The pods are a bit weird looking with frilly ribs running down the outside and you pick them when they are quite small – about 3cm long but they really do taste mildly of asparagus! The rainbow chard finally came good after all my trials and tribulations in autumn but I know it will be going to seed any day so I should plant some new seedlings to replace it. I dug up the rhubarb and separated it and replanted some crowns after mixing a bag of horse poo in the soil. Rhubarb LOVES to be fed and watered – I remember my dad digging loads of manure into our rhubarb bed at home and being rewarded with lots of long red stems.
In the Australian native plant garden the scarlet wattle Acacia leprosa ‘Scarlet Blaze’ is in full bloom and the seedlings of pink everlastings that I sowed in autumn are budding up. The pin cushion hakea has finished flowering but the grass-leaved hakea Hakea multilineata is covered in pink flowers. The wilga Geijera parviflora and pine-leaved geebung Persoonia pinifolia are still alive – haven’t killed them yet! Various correas are flowering as is the tree violet Hymenanthera dentata – its fragrance wafts around the garden on warm days.
The soft-leaf buffalo ‘Palmetto’ lawn that we laid 10 months ago has come through the winter really well. It is supposed to be the best soft-leaf buffalo for holding its colour through the cooler months and while it is not an emerald green it is green enough for me. Trevor spent some time with a daisy weeder going around pulling out the few clumps of winter grass, poppies and flick weed that had come up and I plan to fertilise the lawn this weekend. Then it should be looking great for when my garden is open over the last weekend in October. This is advance warning to all you gardeners out there that you should plan to stay home that weekend as we have not just one or two gardens open here but three! See the Open Gardens Australia guidebook for details.
http://www.opengarden.org.au/
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