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What a wonderful world

Category: my garden | Posted: Wed Mar 31, 2010 2:00 pm

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I find it amazing, in this warm temperate climate, to think that in the northern hemisphere many plants have the tenacity to grow fast and furious all springand summer, get snowed under in winter to emerge once again like true survivors come spring. And the concept that many plants are treated as annuals, to be grow again from scratch the following year. In Melbourne (south eastern Australia), one can grow a fair variety of plants from alover the world. (sadly, so far less so in my current home of Perth in Western Aust but look out sleepy city I'm going to garden this state if it kills me). I do find it amazing that different countries, in this context of all things botanical, can have so much in common and yet be so incredibly diversified. It is one reason why i love this site and I also find it so inspirational to know so many people put so much love into their passion of nuturing green life

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garden path

Category: my garden | Posted: Tue Mar 23, 2010 5:40 am

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This is a little path from the back verandah steps to the compost bin. The slope is treacherously slippery with the pebbly rocky rubble on top, so between the steps are spreading groundcover thymes, mints, with also a few compact dwarf clumping dianthus, armeria, some ajuga repatns and also some lippa and dryandera. Every bit I plant out will a) look better, b) stop the slope washing away, and c) be one less surface for the millions of weeds to colonise. It will look like a funky patchwork when they finish spreading. To the left of the path we will build vegie boxes on poles, a terraced arrangement to the ground so you can lean over the verandah to pick or reach from the ground. We have to keep the middle area, to the right of the path free, as it is the only access are for earthmoving or other machinery to the back yard.


garden path ( photo / image / picture from brombear's Garden )





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My Garden- the Beginning- and the quandary

Category: my garden | Posted: Tue Mar 23, 2010 5:31 am

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I have lived almost 5 months in Western Australia now, having come from temperate cool, changaeable, damp and botanically diverse Melbourne, it is quite different and my green fingers and thumbs are undergoing some profound and subtle adjustments. I had an idea I wanted a gorgeous, 4 seasons amazing, full of colour, texture, tastefully stunning, sculpture filled, mini botanical gardens with a composition of mixed natives and introduced plants. But having been here all summer, through the three months of no rain to the tempest passion that unleashed across the skies last night- with 12 hours of blackout, 5 hours of storms, non stop thunder, lightening and Gods full flush of water, - a storm up there with the best of them to herald the first wet down of summer- I am having troubles denying, as the bush surrenders in grateful supplication the sweet rich damp fecund smells of life and decay, that which has been slowly and insistently rising up through my consciousness. That this unspoilt bush just wants to be left alone with it's kangaroos and kookaburras and snakes and termites and really doesn't welcome any of those staturesque european trees or plants. I had hoped to find a compromise. So far I have concentrated my planting out the front, which has been kept strictly native and largely indigenous species. They provide a home for the communities of wildlife that belong here, and are of the only things that would survive out here without artificed intervention. The soil here is red, hard, pebbly, rocky, clayey, ph 5.5-6, high in iron and aluminium and low in most else. THe topsoil often isn't, as with the slope it washes away too readily. So far in my garden we did some summer vegies- the season is long enough to get two seasons out your annuals, as well as herbs ongoing and lettuce and rocket, watercress, basil, thai basil, oregano, coriander, dill, lemongrass, parsley, mint and vietnamese mint, chives, spring onions, etc. I have put quite a few natives in the driveway and front garden, we have stayed native and mostly indigenous here. they provide habitats for the communities of wildlife that frequent our home, and without artificed intervention, are of the few plants that would survive here. I will stew on it.


the nursery, cuttings, potted up tubestock, plants waiting to go into ground etc ( photo / image / picture from brombear's Garden )





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