... and one of these ...
... and some very late clumps of these:
If I were a real gardener's bootlace, I would have planted them all in the proper way at the proper time, in carefully considered positions with carefully prepared soil. As it is, I just whacked them in anywhere I thought they'd look good, gave them a water, and will bung on some fertiliser later on if I remember. By the time they flower, I plan to have got me a digital camera, and will report back.
If they flower.
17 comments:
Last July I was given a pot of red tulips for my birthday and they lasted inside until the end of August. Surprise today when I walked past the pot outside, green leaves are shooting. I find my garden thrives on complete indifference. That being said, I saw the pot after picking mandarins and oranges for my breakfast juice.
A rose by any other name would smell as sweet, you know. I've got an entire back yard full of natives, as it happens -- red, pink and white flowering gum, ti- tree, Geraldton Wax, and a few scrubby little numbers whose names I don't know. However, I like European plants as well.
Jahteh, I know what you mean about breakfast juice -- I make a sort of lime tea with fresh limes from the little tree.
They'll grow. You should see our carrots - a whole packet chucked in the ground, drowned, trampled on, stewed, drowned again, thumped with a tennis racket, drowned again. And now we've got carrots. Not a whole packet's worth, but enough. And I read today in the paper that carrots are 'complicated'. Hah!
Hope you're in the garden again today today, PC. Is it not glorious? We've been at the beach, lolling on a rug and reading the papers while the boys run wild. Even saw a dolphin.
Off to buy the citrus trees - apparently, if we don't get it in this weekend it will be all doom and gloom.
I guess this is the best place to mention this... I love Peter Cundell, and have had the utmost respect for him, especially hearig his life story years ago. I used to watch GA fervently, and even collected the magazines. But then I married someone who thinks he's awful, and refuses to watch him, even with the sound turned down. It's a sore point between us, one of our few. And now that BB has started gardening and NEEDS the advice that PC would give him so well, I still can't get him to unbend about it. So sad.
Your garden is going to look even more stunning soon! My snowdrops are about to break out in their hundreds and that's always a cheery time of year.
I too have snowdrops, with their dear little bud thingies just coming along.
I have outed myself at LP over the Garner discussion, @D, so no need to continue with the witness protection program any more. It was starting to feel weird.
I can see how PC (the gardening one, not my alter ego) might get straight up some people's noses, but I adore him.
Sadly, 3C, today is my day for minding the bookstore, but it's a closing-down sale so it may be my last Saturday. Next Saturday, no doubt, it will rain. Tx for reassurance about rough treatment of planty things; the sweet-pea seedlings were certainly looking very chipper this morning.
PS, 3C, re dolphins, have you taken the kids on a Port River dolphin cruise? Costs bugger-all, the boats are really good, you can go downstairs and get warm if it's a cold day, and the dolphins come and escort the boat and put on a show. It's also really interesting looking at that part of town from the water. Not pretty, a lot of it, but interesting.
I am very jealous. I would love to have a garden instead of a little balcony.
Patience, I guess, is the only answer...
I look forward to seeing the pictures.
my snowdrops have started early! that's Sydney for you... not cold enough...
I put snowpeas and sweetpeas in months ago. the snows are a happening thing but the sweets have done nuthin. and they were all beautiful Diggers heirlooms, dammit.
Yes, I've gone completely against everything they tell you about sweet peas: you're supposed to grow them direct from seeds (I bought seedlings) which you're supposed to plant on St Patrick's Day, like, four and a half months ago. But when I saw the darling healthy little seedlings I figured they wouldn't be selling them if they didn't have at least a chance of growing, and bought them on a whim.
Cristy -- I had nought but a little balcony for 11 years: south facing, in inner city Melbourne, ie no sun and a daily truckload of environmental grime.I never really got gardening till I found myself in possession of a whole bunch of dirt.
Canberra's a trickier climate than Austin, Texas - but Cristy, go check out Amanda at Pandagon's shots of her balcony plant display. It's all rather ad hoc with lots of reclaimed/recycled pots and furniture.
Some shots [ here ] and [ here ]
I like the non-sleek look she's got going on.
Some "natives" turn into weeds if they're planted in climates where they don't occur without human intervention.
I win with my snowdrops, Melbourne's chill has made them bloom early and the world's worst photographer has tried to capture them. Posting soon is the one good shot of my waterlily camellia.
I have heard that the dolphin tour has gone up, and now costs $3.
I actually meant plants that are native to the area you reside in. These have lots of advantages. I agree with Lucy, planting natives outside their natural habitat can create weed issues.
(i) They are cheap - can buy from native plant nursaries for a coupla dollars.
(ii) They are good for the environment - encourage native birds and reduce nitrogen load on watersystem since need less animal fertilisers.
(iii) They grow well since they are suited to the soil/climate locally.
(iv) Once you get used to long-flowering natives you won't go back to lolly-pink European plants. The natives look better.
All excellent points, Harry. But I guess I just don't see it as an either/or scenario -- 'eclectic' is my middle name. (And 'Lolly-Pink' is my other middle name. Pavlov's Eclectic Lolly-Pink Cat.)
Interestingly, the brightest plant in the entire garden at the moment is a spectacular, blood-red kangaroo-paw.
I stuck my sweet pea seeds in not long after St Paddy's Day. They are thin and straggly and haven't grown much. I'm hoping they'll take off with spring coming up. Felt superior yesterday pruning roses hard, but after a walk around neighbourhood noticed others had done theirs weeks ago. everything else seems to be coming along well including the vines over back and the wisteria.
The thing I can never get right is coriander. I eat shiploads of it, but can never get it to grow. Anyone got any secrets?
Don't talk to me about &*%$#@ coriander.
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