Africanaussie

I received an e-mail from Mr Fothergills  asking how my seeds were faring.  So I guess it is time for an update. I was hoping to have huge flourishing leafy plants to show, but the weather has been a bit strange this year. These are the seeds I originally received: Climbing snow pea - climbing up the back fence and looking quite healthy - I have successive sown some more seeds about a week ago. Basil seed mat  - doing really well in my herb spiral. Carrot seed tape - I have put these tapes in different areas - alongside the harlequin carrots, and between the tomatoes as they are good companion plants. They look very neat in their evenly spaced rows and are very easy to plant - great for children. Carrot Harlequin - these look very robust and are doing very well - I keep assigning more space to them - in fact all the seeds are now planted out! Parsnip Gladiator - sent to Sunny corner farm Radish beauty heart - I need to figure out why my radishes do not form bulbs!  I just grow r

One of the most tropical flowers is the orchid, but I am a pretty lazy gardener, and somehow orchids always seem a  lot of trouble.  Living here though, I have found myself on occasion being gifted with or even buying an orchid or two.   A while back I moved my crucifix orchid out to the back fence, and with just a few rays of sunshine it began to bloom.  Oh Happy days! Maybe the orchids need more light in order to bloom, although the white one loves its spot under the shade of the lychee tree and this is the second time it has bloomed this year.  I love the white among all the tropical green leaves.   I have a few other orchids hanging from a bamboo stake in that corner.  While walking on the windswept beach after our storm I came across this bit of flotsam - I thought it might be  the trunk of a tree fern, but not sure as it is a conical shape.  I brought it home and it fitted right in between the branches of the weeping tea tree.  The inside is very open and spongy, but the

The bugs are quite prolific at this time of year, and I wonder whether growing Asian greens is feasible.  I grew a type of Japanese cabbage Tokyo belkana- I have no idea what it tasted like because it was just reduced to slush by some caterpillars.  Might be cabbage moth as there are lots of little moths flying around.  I dumped it all into the compost - hope they don't breed in there.. ..  the bok choy is also getting attacked, so I just pick the leaves as soon as they are almost big enough - seems to be working. My garlic and chili spray seems to attract them... sigh. I see cucumbers in our future though -  some ready to eat...  I love to pick them right out in the garden and munch on them while I carry on working.  I might have to research the recipe for bread and butter pickles as it looks as though this is going to be a good crop. I also have rosellas!  I had them once preserved whole in a jar, and you put one into a champagne flute and then filled it with bubbly - ver

This little area has had an assortment of different plants, and then I put in a  few different crotons which have lovely colorful leaves.  No need for flowers when you have colorful foliage.  The grass is still battling here - I think the gardener whippersnips it too close to the ground.  It could also get too much shade, or not enough water, gosh all the different options, it is just a little bit of grass why doesn't it just grow? anyway .............back to the colorful crotons, which seem to be growing just fine.  I just love the colors. and the wavy edges so glad I planted these beauties. I know it is very late but I am linking to foliage follow up for May  here

I was given a  free bale of hay, and you know me - I never refuse anything free!  I don't really like the look of hay in my tropical garden, but laying it out on the weekend I realized it might be just what the garden needed.  We mulch most of the leaves that fall from the lychee tree to add to the compost bin, but a lot of the leaves that fall in the garden stay there and eventually rot down.  That leaf litter can be a haven for mosquitoes, so a light fluffy layer of hay over the leaves might hide them from the mosquitoes .... just a thought.  Probably not.  I do think different kinds of mulch is good as each type adds different qualities to the soil.  This will soon break down and blend in, and more leaves will fall on top of it.   I am always moving things around and now have the bricks against the edge of this garden bed.  It creates a  nice even line, although there were not enough for the whole length so I added some pots on either edge and let some plants peek through the

A couple of kookaburras seem to have a nest in the tree behind our property.  I was out at the potting bench the other day and you know how you get the feeling that someone is watching you?  Well I looked up and saw him just standing on the fence about ten feet away from me.   Isn't he gorgeous? We are getting a bit of rain, and more rain forecast all weekend.  I think my plants will love that good soaking.

We had a long weekend, so that was a great excuse to do some shopping and also gardening.   I picked up some plastic garden edging.  I had originally thought of bricks, but they were out of my budget.  Here is where you enter butterfly alley  and this is where you come out. I think what makes it so lovely is the fact that there are fairly high plants on either side - enclosing you in green. I would definitely recommend doing this in any garden if you can.   I have tried to zoom in and make sure, but I think there is a butterfly just hanging out in the middle of the photo!!!  That particular plant has some little red flowers that the butterflies love. I love to see birds and butterflies hanging out and enjoying the garden. I am so glad that I made this path. :)  The veggie garden is looking more perma-culturish every day. the herbs in the herb spiral  are happy too - especially now that they have a nice layer of mulch.  I am just waiting until the parsley in the lower layer ge

I keep meaning to partake in more simple acts of kindness - this reminds me how rewarding it can be. All of the gardeners I know are totally enamored with Costa, who is now our Gardening Australia host.  A wild looking, heavily bearded man, into permaculture, chook poo and all things earthy :)  I have been following along on his blog and there is a wonderful giveaway open to anyone in the world - just click on this link  .......................link removed.  It looks like a great book - just the kind of principles I like to adhere to in my garden. NOTE:  After reading a comment below from Kristen I am not so enamored by Costa anymore.  It seems that he scrapped the content from  sustainablesuburbia  .  I really thought that he stood for higher values. Isn't it funny that I talked about principles.  I think the majority of garden bloggers are happy to share links and given credit where it is due.  It gives us more time to garden when we are not busy chasing after who is st

Every garden should have them - dependable stalwarts.  Those plants that flower all the time, adding beauty and not requiring anything.  Continually self-propagating.  (fertility alley?)  They are rarely showcased anymore here since they are always in flower, and yet deserve their moment in the spotlight.  In a tropical garden there is always lots of green, but then also colour.  The first bit of colour among all the green, is the geisha girl - it keeps on flowering year round, and is a great butterfly attractant.     Then there are the large pink anthirium, and some of the tiny purple ones below them.  From the two plants I originally acquired I can now count at least 10, and they line butterfly alley.  Red ginger starts out as a small bud, and then the flowers open for a couple of months, one on the end of every branch. I have the red and also the pink. Eventually  the flowers are bowed down by new leaves and aerial roots as the weight pulls them down to to the ground

Linking to  SLOW LIVING - Month by Month April 2012 NOURISH:   I have been trying a new recipe every Tuesday in order to gather together some well tried and tested recipes to make menu planning easier.  I am also trying to have more meatless meals along with Rhonda from Down to Earth.  Last night we just had a bunch of roasted veggies - pumpkin, onions, garlic, broccoli, celery, and carrots with brown rice.  It was totally delicious, and I realized I must not stress about not having a plan for dinner, and just cook what is there.     PREPARE :    I made some comfrey ointment, hoping to have a positive effect on my hubby's sore ankle. REDUCE:   I cleaned out the pantry and repacked a lot of things into glass bottles, reducing the amount of plastic containers.  I took note of the extra items I had that were purchased and then not used again and will plan to use them up so that I only keep a core list in my pantry, not half the supermarket.  GREEN:   Does the fact that I