May is for - darling buds

I'm writing this late due to having a well-deserved holiday at the end of May, and that makes it all the stranger. We're 3 weeks into Winter, and we're yet to have a frost. Traditionally our first frost here is around ANZAC day, and yet here we are at the Winter Solstice, and I haven't even had to use my woollen driving gloves on the way to work yet. Tonight is the longest night of the year, and from here the days will grow longer again. I'm not complaining personally, I hate to be cold and I wouldn't mind if we never get below 2 degrees again. But what seems like a small convenience to me makes a huge difference in the garden.

My apple finally finished flowering (strange enough), but both are still tightly holding their deep green leaves. I can't wait for them to be bare so I can give them a prune and tidy-up. The apricot at least has the good grace to turn a few leaves yellow to convince me that it's not still March.

The tomatoes and chillies are still flowering... and even ripening.

 

Out along the highway, the wattles have begun their end of winter celebration. The 'darling buds of May' that usually refer to a Northern Hemisphere Spring? Perhaps...

I do find it slightly concerning, and I know many fruit trees will not flower properly without enduring enough 'chill hours' to convince them winter has come and gone. When the flowering is erratic, there aren't enough flowers open at once to adequately pollinate each other, and fruit set is low.

My fingers are crossed that the worst impact will be higher fruit prices next season.

Photo of the week - Spring has sprung?

 

The weather this year has been so strange, with a mild yet dry Summer, finished off dramatically by truckloads of rain. Understandably, some of my plants are a bit confused. This is my lovely Pink Lady apple tree, which seems to have been tricked into flowering in Autumn instead of Spring. I won't ever complain about having too many flowers, but I'm slightly concerned that it won't flower in Spring now after using its flower buds, and maybe I won't get many (or even any) apples. Most fruit trees begin to form flower buds many months ahead of time, and may not do this again until next growing season. Add to this the fact that I need 2 apple trees to pollinate each other, and we find that if this tree doesn't flower again, my Granny Smith apple won't have any fruit either! Thankfully we have a Spring every year, and hopefully the weather will be more stable next time around. In the meantime I'll make sure I appreciate the flowers for what they are, not just what they could have been!

 

July is for... shedding the old leaves

Winter is such an interesting time in the garden- as much as I hate the cold, I love the brightness that come from seeing the deciduous trees back to their bare bones and the extra sunlight that finds its way through. Not to mention the free mulch you get if you collect up all the old leaves! They are absolute gold and should never be wasted by throwing them in the bin or the burn pile!

This month has been a big one for me, as I have done some shedding of my own and resigned from my job of 4 years working in a display garden nearby. As sad as it has been, I know it's just another season in my life that needed to make way for what is to come next. I'll be doing work that is closer to my heart, at a nursery that sells nearly all native plants to home gardeners, farmers and some bigger revegetation sites of old coalmines and farmland. I'm really excited to get to know better all the plants that grow naturally around the area, what their needs are and how they can be best used. I am happiest when I'm learning something new, especially when it's contributing to the bigger picture of conservation and rehabilitation. And driving to work past the mines and power stations makes me glad to be helping the environment in my small way.

So be prepared to be introduced to the lucky plants I bring home to our little patch of earth, I always struggle to control myself around interesting plants and now I am surrounded by them every day! oh dear!

As if I needed any encouragement- a few weeks ago I picked up a couple of dwarf apple trees to plant- a Granny Smith and a Pink Lady, which should pollinate each other. They are lovely bare skeletons at the moment and I can't wait to see them burst out in spring. Maybe the anticipation of spring is the best part of winter!

This month was also my birthday, and I was lucky enough to be given a beautiful weeping Grevillea bipinnatafida. I haven't decided where to plant it yet as I'm not sure if it can be next to the pool fence or not, but I will take a nice picture when it finds a permanent home.



The veggies are pumping and the first snow peas will be ready within a week, we have been eating carrots, kale and silverbeet regularly and the broad beans, broccoli, fennel and sugarsnap peas are making good progress. I can't wait to sink my teeth into them! The first asparagus spear also came up this week- a sure sign that spring is not far away!

P.S. I upgraded to a better camera this month, so if anybody actually noticed the better quality photos, I'd love to know!