Feeling Cheated

I admit I feel cheated.

For two lovely days, despite the heat, I have been working in the garden, and following the Boxing Day Test Match. (Memo to non-Australian readers – a game of cricket against South Africa, due to go over five days).

I also admit I am a fan of the longer game – five days of following the twists and turns of a test, while gardening, is my idea of heaven.

And now it looks like it will be four days and a couple of balls tomorrow and it will be over.

Blast – I shall have to resort to playing CDs. Not nearly as much fun.

At least today I got my first ripe Roma tomato.

And the garden is almost covered in a mulch of the smoke from the Smoke Bush.

And a lot of the weeds are under control.

Even if the Australian Cricket team is not.

Getting New Bed

Well, it is almost like getting a new bed. Can you see the Lime Tree at back right in this pic???

Well, for a lot of reasons, that Lime Tree had to go. And moving it was not an option.

So, this is what that bed looks like now:

That bed is mostly clay, spread out on top of the soil years ago from the footings when an extension went in. I have worked on it on and off over the years, but the time has come now to get serious.

I don't think I will get a crop in there this season - I have to get the Oxalis out first, amongst other things.

But the Lime Tree isn't shading the other beds now, and I can get a clear run at it. It never successfully fruited - had hundreds of tiny limes that always just dropped off.

Out with the compost!

And my first Tiger Lily came out today. But gosh, the garden is dry.

Christmas in the Garden

What is Christmas in the Garden???? I have been thinking about this, as there is something very like Cherry Plums out on a street tree I have spotted. They cannot be real Cherry Plums, as those trees are huge.

And years ago, they were the Christmas fruit. Every house had a Cherry Plum tree, as they were so easy to propagate. Just grab a seedling from under someone's tree.

And they came into fruit right at Christmas, and were just the right colour. I knew a lot of oldies in the bush, who knew Cherry Plums as the Christmas fruit.

The others are the flowers. For some, it is they must have a bunch of Hydrangeas in the house for Christmas. For some - Lavender, which is at its peak too, and wonderful everywhere in my garden.

For some it is Agapanthus, which are at their peak now - here are mine, which are a wonderful, deep blue. Surrounded by self-sown Larkspur.

Must move them - They were stuck in the Veggie garden as a sort of intensive care, to make sure I kept them when I got a small clump. But there are enough to divide now, and I need them to go somewhere else. Maybe along the back of the veggie garden, where it is too dry and shady for veggies.

Gardening with the Angels

Yesterday, my beautiful Mother-in-Law, who loved her garden and her pot plants as much as she loved her sewing, went to garden with the Angels. Flo was 92, and even up to her 90th birthday, she was still tending her garden. After that, I would go to the home where she was, and she and I would garden there.

I am taking a little time off, and will be back after Christmas.

Merry Christmas

I won't be blogging again until after Christmas - so I hope all my readers have a wonderful Christmas - even full of rain! (Looking at the blogs in the USA, I could not bear a white Christmas, where you don't have access to the garden for months because of snow).

The Christmas Lilies are out - may the Peace and Joy of the Season be with You All.

Pandorea

This is for Googs (who I have just enjoyed a real lunch with)

This is the Pandorea jasminoides at our place. My main problem with it being similar to your plant is that no matter where I look, it only has three leaflets along each leaf (and one at the end), never four like in your picture.

But I still think this is somewhere near what you have - it may be you have a cultivar of this growing in ideal conditions, whereas ours is hot and dry.

This is half of the seed capsule - they make lovely little boats:

Anyone got any idea about Googs' plant?????

Introducing Spike

It is blowing a gale out in the garden - but the Lavender is coming out and the Christmas Lilies are just lovely. And the Gladiolis too.

And I have spotted Spike. Or his brother or sister. Spike can occasionally be found in my garden, I think from the block next door - although they are not usually common in urban areas like ours. This one was just down the road

From experience, you avoid these (it is a Spiny Echidna, for those overseas), as if you hit one with your car the spikes will flatten your tyres. Ask me how I know. Which makes them a bit different to the Wombats which are a little more common on our roads. (Translation for those overseas - Wombat = large boulder on four legs. In the bush can suddenly jump in front of your car at night with no warning. Ask me about Hoop Snakes some time).

When at all alarmed the Echidna just rolls into a ball, and presents spikes on all fronts. They are really very timid little animals.

Here is Spike a little closer, looking for ants in the table drain at the side of the road.

You were asking....

Someone out there was asking about the Tree Onions - here they are, in close-up:

and in even closer-up:

I have been told the trick is to grow from the tops one year and the bottom the next, tops the year after that etc. It apparently gets you more of the little onions on the tops. I sort of follow that, but not exactly. I put in both each year, and always have lots, not matter what they come from.

I will have spare little tops for anyone who wants to have a go at growing them - they are fun, but not an increadibly good onion - they are small and have a dry stalk up the centre.

And here, just for my father, whose birthday it would have been today, is a Dahlia. He loved growing them, and I haven't grown them for years, but I was given this one, and just stuck it in a corner. These were his favourites - dinner plate size.

And the first Christmas Lily came out today.

(Sorry I cannot remember who asked for the closeups. I really appreciate the comments, but with the speed of my life at the minute I am not getting a chance to respond to them - but believe me - I do read them. Soon I might get to go back and check for any questions)