Africanaussie

One of my favourite areas of the garden is where I have created the stone path, but somehow the edges of the garden on the one side always looked messy.  I had rhoeo growing there, mainly because that is what I had handy when I started the bed.  When we went into town over the weekend I got a couple of pots of variegated mondo grass, and divided them up into many separate little plants, so that I now have a more well defined edge to the bed.  I topped up the stones close to the edge, so they look different, but that is just because they are new.  The left side has regular green mondo, but I thought the variegated would be good in the more shady area.  I am liking the way this area is filling in.  I have lots of ferns there, and have kept my maidenhair in a pot, simply because I cannot believe that what I knew as a very sensitive plant is growing outside in my garden.  I have a few other ferns, and am hoping this variegated fern will fi...

I wandered in to the local orchid show over the weekend, with my grandson.  It was hard keeping him in the stroller, and telling him the signs said "don't touch!"  So beautiful, I just wonder how they get them all to flower at the same time?  How do these orchids know this is the time to be at their best?  I suspect orchid gardeners are different to me.  I like to give the plants  the control.  I try to make them as happy as they can be on natural soil building nutrients, certainly none of my plants get any chemical fertilizers.  Orchids are native to this climate and get their nutrients in the wild from fallen rotting leaves and so grow best in old bark, with lots of drainage, which means that if it doesn't rain they need a sprinkle over their leaves every couple of days.  they do like a foliar feed of seaweed tea. This bat plant was first in the arrangements section at the show - I have just the spot to plant one of these - the...