Because weeds are flowers too



 

I've studied a bit of weed science and have always found it funny that it's near impossible to define a weed beyond 'a plant growing in a place it was not intended'. The dandelion for example, is a plant with edible leaves, bright flowers that attract and feed insects, and a strong tap root that helps to aerate compacted ground.

Not to mention the joy it brings to children (and adults like myself), blowing the seeds and making wishes...

What a thing of beauty! Such a shame that we chase them out of our gardens...

And don't get me started on clover chains.

 

(PS I say this with full disclosure that I sprayed my Bindiis a few weeks ago, but they are a whole other creature).

 

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Photo of the week - celebrating Spring!

 

My favourite sign of Spring - the generously fragrant Jasmine. 

 

And from the native garden:

 

Hardenbergia violacea

 

Lechenaultia biloba 'Big Blue'

 

Homoranthus decumbens -  first flowers!

 

Rhodanthe anthemoides

August is for - taking new ground

It's the first day of Spring, and I'm SO excited. We all know that winter is not my thing, which might be part of the reason I haven't been motivated enough to write the August post until September... oops. But that doesn't mean nothing is going on!

We've been up to our eyeballs in snow peas and sugar snap peas, with plenty of kale to go round as well. Cabbages and broccoli haven't matured in the strange winter weather, so I'll give them a bit more time to see if they do anything, and probably throw them in the compost to make room for summer tomatoes.

The veggie beds have benefited from the compost, with a scattering over followed by a good layer of Lucerne mulch to keep in the moisture and hold back the sneaky spring weeds. The last few weeks have brought some great rain and everything has grown beautifully.



Earlier in the year we added the new native garden, and I loved the effect but felt it just didn't sit quite right in the yard. The square edge jutted against the lawn and it seemed like there were so many different areas that didn't connect. Our solution was to extend the garden to meet the pool area, with a large curve that swept around the clothesline. Here are the before and after shots:

Pool corner

 

 
Garden corner

 

 

I can't believe how much it's grown!

 

 

 We sprayed the grass and built up a layer of garden soil from the landscape yard after it started to yellow off. The plants are similar to those in the native garden, with a few new favourites and some from the pool area to tie the two together. Think more Poa, Westringia, Brachycomes and kangaroo paws. Hopefully they come up as fast as the others, and it'll be a complete garden in no time!

 

Photo of the week - Winter rose

The cold snap has come... maybe all it needed was some teasing from me? In any case it has bitten with a vengeance and the apricot and nectarine trees are bare, the apples are finally starting to look a bit shabby.

 

I won't pretend to like Winter, and I'll admit to a touch of melancholy on cold dark days. So when I find a reason to celebrate the cold, I'll cling to it.

 

This is the beautiful Hellebore, or Winter Rose. I planted a few of them on the shady side of the house and almost forgot they were there. One was just a slip collected from the garden of a friend, and I doubted it would survive. Now it has grown incredibly, and has plenty of lovely, delicate flowers. I love the way they hang upside down like lanterns, but the inside is lovely too.

 

 Helleborus sp. 

 

As they grow and multiply, I'd love to pick a handful and float them in a bowl of water inside... but I might need to grow some other colours for a real show (there are black, white and all shades of pink and purple to choose from...)

July is for - breaking down the barriers

It's winter, and for me that means woolly beanie and gloves on the way to work in the morning, and wrapping up on the lounge in a blanket at night. Hopefully at least one of the cats will join me as a living hot water bottle. The real struggle for me comes when I have a day off - though it sounds exciting or relaxing, or both, often it isn't either. The house is just too cold during the day. I'm all for getting out in the garden to warm up, after taking the dog for a brisk walk (often with a bacon and egg roll stop) and maybe painting the walls for a while. But there's really only so much tea you can drink, and so many warm things to do.
The main issue is the house design, as there is only one window on the northern side (where all the sun is at this time of year). We are hoping to add another window in the bedroom  when time and budget allow, but for this season we have simply made better use of the one window we have.
Without boring you with the details of our strange house layout, let me just say that the living room is far too small and entirely the wrong shape, and along it runs an equally unusable and oddly shaped 'bedroom'. I'm sure you COULD fit a bed in there and my neighbour tells me that many years ago two young brothers shared it (a lesson in making do, if ever I needed one).

 

 

After taking a climb on the ladder into the roof, we confirmed that the wall separating these two 'rooms' wasn't loadbearing, and took to it with the nearest tools.

 

 My hammer hardly made a dent, and we discovered that it was composed of 2 layers, with thick gyprock covering horsehair plaster at the top, and plywood on the bottom half. Progress was slower than we expected, but the light that began streaming into the dingy living room was wonderful. Now at the centre of our house is a large, lightfilled room. 

Let there be light!

  Unfortunately, the walls and ceiling of the two rooms don't quite match up, so there is more work to be done disguising the join or at least making it presentable.

 

 

But we don't care. At the moment it's just nice to sit in a sunny room, have a read and a cup of tea. By summer we will hang some curtains to keep it cool, but that can wait. Before then there are floorboards to sand and polish and walls to paint. At least now our precious sunshine isn't wasted on that funny little side room, and we have a lounge room that can actually fit our lounge in it. How luxurious!

And here is a sneak peek of what we have planned for next Winter:

Photo of the week - friends in the garden

We visited the Hunter Region Botanic Gardens last December, and bought a few plants on the way out. A definite favourite was Guichenotia macrantha, with velvety purple ballgown-shapes flowers, and brown fuzzy seed capsules. This one has grown beautifully in the garden ever since, in a dry sunny part of the new native garden. It's now covered in these stunning flowers, and insects like this friendly spider are hanging about in it. What a winner!

When life gives you green tomatoes

The late yet abrupt change of season has left me with pile of green tomatoes that may never ripen... luckily I'm a fan of pickles in general, and green tomato pickles in particular.

We used Sally Wise's recipe from her book 'A Year in a Bottle', which worked wonders 2 seasons back when I reluctantly pulled up unripe tomatoes due to a garden bed being removed. It seems this recipe comes in handy when I'm harvesting against my will - the ultimate comfort food in times of horticultural heartbreak. Nothing like a cheese and pickles sandwich to brighten your day.

Loved ones - we have a few spare jars, so let me know if you'd like one - first in, best dressed!