Category: blogging

Looking around in Spring

September 3, 2020

The first tulip

In Australia they say to plants tulips around Mother’s Day. This year that was the 10th of May. It just so happens that this pots of tulips will probably be flowering perfectly on Father’s Day. Here that is September the 6th.

This tulip has just popped up. The timing is perfect. It’s the very start of Spring. I guess it has warmed up just enough.

and some blossom from the fruit tree

The fruit trees are also just starting to blossom. Every year it seems to me that just when the trees are at their showiest, it rains. For us that’s a blessing, but it always seems to knock the blossom off. Apparently we get most of our rain here in Spring, so that would explain it.

This is my peach tree.

Waiting for it to bloom.

September 2, 2020

My pink daphne ready to bloom in Spring.

Taken on my iphone SE (2nd gen) f/1.8 1/20 sec ISO 640

I took a few shots of this flower. Against the darker background the flower seems much more dramatic. With a white background the flower seems more delicate. I didn’t plan the shots, I was just experimenting. Next time I take a photo, it will be a much more conscious consideration.

The white background was taken indoors. I lit it up with my iphone. I am finally realising that it is worth the effort to get out the tripod to get a crisper photo! I’m still working on my focusing skills. I should have persevered and taken more.

Taken on my Canon EOS 600D 55 mm f/5.6 1/60 sec ISO 400

For Cee Neuner’s FOTD

Last day of winter

September 1, 2020

Busy, busy, busy.

How can I remember to label my seedlings? I’m not sure what these are. What’s worse is I have lots more of them, these are the left overs.

I vaguely remember saving one of my last tomatoes. They grew well and produced tomatoes over a very long season. I remember extracting the seeds and leaving them on kitchen paper to dry out by the sink. Then I forgot about them. When I found them they were dried up and I had little hope that they would grow. But, I scurried out to the glasshouse and dumped them on some seed raising mix. So, they may be tomatoes. But there’s a chance that I might have put some capsicum seeds in, so they might be peppers. I guess time will tell.

I’m trying to become more organised. I always think I’ll remember which are which, but I have resorted to labels.

This is my latest project. It was very overgrown and it was decided to plant a post amid the mess. The post is for another project. I decided to cut back some old lavender and daisies. I got carried away and now have some space for something new.

I finally found a purpose for these rusty old wheels. Hopefully the succulents will be able to withstand the summer hear. We’ll see.

I have some tiny hollyhocks growing in the glass house. I think I’ll run some string along between the two posts and plant them there. They should grow to be a tall backdrop.

Between starting to clean up the garden and finally getting back to it, soem Californian poppies have popped up, self sown. I’ll leave them there and see how invasive they are.

Ferreting

August 30, 2020

Am I the only person who has never had any experience of these strange little creatures?

I have Spring frenzy. A balmy Spring day saw me spending my day working in the garden, too busy even to be taking photos of my progress. I’ll do that tomorrow.

I wondered if anyone might be interested in last weekend’s activity on the farm. We had visitors arrive with their ferrets and ferreting gear, hopeful that they might catch a rabbit or two. These ferrets are all being raised for the purpose of chasing rabbits out of their burrows. They all have names and are extremely well loved and trained by the family who care for them. Snowball, Queenie and Snowwhite all had quite different personalities.

My only experience, or lack of it, with ferrets led me to believe that they were vicious, nasty animals. Far from it. Though I’m too nervous to touch them, the kids who raise them, cuddle them and claim that they make great pets.

In this case a net was quickly erected around the burrow. Then the ferrets were let loose. They disappear into the burrow and a little while later the rabbits will emerge stressed and frantic to escape. They head straight into the nets and get tangled. They are extracted from the nets and put into cages. They can be used for food or fed to the dogs and/or ferrets.

This area on the farm will be growing lucerne again after some rain. However, during the winter the rabbits have invaded and created some extensive burrows. We are reluctant to use poison on the rabbits, so we are using other techniques try to reduce their numbers.

It’s a win for everyone except the poor bunnies. Over 20 were caught. Sadly for us, that doesn’t make much of a dint in their numbers.

Native Hibiscus

August 28, 2020

This is an Australian Native Hibiscus (Alyogyne huegelii), some times called Lilac Hibiscus. It has been claimed that it thrives in the most desolute of places (Simpson, A.G.W. (1982) Bush Garden Handbook, Rigby Publishers, Australia). That goes a long way to explaining why it grows so well in my garden.

Actually, I managed to kill off the original one in my ‘garden’. This one self seeded and thrives on the bank of the lagoon, literally just on the other side of the property boundary. I guess it left home.

For Cee Neuner’s FOTD (Flower of the Day) challenge.

Shades of brown

August 27, 2020

I don’t know what happened to these two plants. The weather can be harsh here. It is winter and we’ve had some frosts. My gardening care is sometimes lacking. It’s a famine or a feast, over watering and under watering. I can’t strike the right balance. It comes from love and a sense of guilt. If plants look a little seedy, (excuse the pun), I rush into action often making the problem worse.

I suspect that this time I sprayed some sort of magical horticultural product on their foliage and, well, observe the result. It was supposed to feed them and promote lush growth. Maybe they’re in shock. The first was a lovely lily. It was just past its best, but sadly has been going downhill for a while. Its beautiful white flower, (only the one), developed these brown stains on both sides. I think it is still beautiful in its own way.

But, my potted gardenia seems to be suffering more. It is so finicky. It doesn’t take much for it for it to threaten death. Until now, it has recovered.

I did feel a pang of guilt and stupidity when it last turned up it’s toes. I realised last summer than the air conditioner was pumping out hot air and it was in its direct path. That combined with the general heat was too much for it. I apologised to it, moved it away and nursed it back to health. This time I’m not sure of the cause, maybe the liquid fertiliser spray or maybe the frost or it might be under attack from bugs. Whatever; no flowers this year.

I should probably throw them away and replace them. But, I develop a strange attachment to my plants, so I will persevere. Hopefully, I will be able to put up some photos of them post recovery.