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Category: my garden | Posted: Sat Jul 24, 2010 5:45 am

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Well haven't been spending as much time in garden as I would like as time and of course money as per usual a bit limited, but the vegie boxes are moved into a better position to get more sun. Last spring I had only just moved here and it was a frantic rush to get food crops in before summer hit. I have since realised that the summer is so long here that if there is enough water, can do an early and a late crop. We're on a very steep slope, so everything is a bit of a drama.

I'm sick of the 'weeds' which are infact probably indigenous grasses but come end of summer, the seeds are EVERYWHERE! including in all my plants, pots and beds, so I'm on a ongoing mission to outgrow it and relegate it to the surrounding bush areas where it can grow all it likes. The lizards love it, and the kookaburras love the lizards, but I don't love the rapacious weed infestation. Many, many hours of manual weed removal. (don't use chemicals). To stabilise the slope, I am growing now and strawberry lawn and a rocket lawn. I can supply the local organic vegetarian cafe with rocket which will be very cool as they are lovely people and I like to support my local. So I get delicious strawberies, prevent weed growth, contribute to my local eatery and stabilise the slope. win win win win.

It's one garden bed at a time here.. starting from a big blank canvas, so the latest is the inception of my mini native rainforest area. Well, semi native.It coems largely down to availability here. I've got native rainforest trees such as eleocarpus reticularis (blueberry ash I think it is called, the native frangipani (hymenosporum), lilly pillies (syzgium), schefflera, and indigenous treeferns (cyathea), with an understorey of native grasses like balloskian, lomandra as well as ferns, impatiens, tassel plant, spathyphyllum. The spaths have flowered continously for 4 months now. I will put in couple of tree dahlias also for the first couple of years, they grow massive in one season here so I'm hoping it will provide foliage cover over the area to help maintain humidity and provide shade while the trees and tree ferns grow bigger. I'm also making a fallen "tree log" out of metal rods, chook wire, netting, leaky hose, irrigation felt and compossted bark that will grow lots of bromeliads, tillandsias, native orchids (dendrobiums) and ferns on to provide a bit more of a jungle feel and also a bit more height in the visual dynamic. Before spring I'll also put in a small shall rock pond that will also create a bit of humidity. It all looks a bit sad right now but I'll post a photo up soon, will be good to see how it grows.

Well enough talking, I've finished my coffee and i'm off to garden now. The weeds are calling.


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