Blogger's Bloom Day October 16th

I missed the Blogger's Bloom Day post last month and am a little late this time too. But here is what is flowering in our southern hemisphere garden this 16th October 2010. Why I make the hemispherical distinction I don't know because we don't have a northern hemisphere garden!
The first images just has to be of the new puppy "Ergo" in the Forget-Me-Nots. Ergo is 10 weeks old and clearly loves gardening. his name came from the fact that we needed a box for his bed and the most suitable box we found had the name "Ergo" branded on it - therefore we called the dog Ergo.

We have the first Sugar Snap peas. Hurray!!!!! Janice and I love all the fresh veges we harvest from our garden (I sowed more radish today) and l love cooking too.

And the last tulip

Blueberries in flower. I just can't wait until the summer. These plants are at teh top of the orchard in heavy clay soil and exposed to a fair amount of wind. They do surprisingly well. As with all fruit however we have to be sure to beat the birds to them.

Then there are the native trees that love to flower at this time of the year. This one is a Pittosporum specie of which there are many.

And this is a tiny Sophera microphilla which is sporting late flowers no larger then my fingernails. It's the first time this plant has flowered since planted some 6 years ago.

The dogs also like gardening among the bluebells. The damage you see on the leaves of these was because our older dog, Kaz, made her bed on top of them until they became too uncomfortable.

The fish and the delphinium are being threatened by the rose and the honesty. Never let honesty threaten you. It's always the best policy.

Ask Johnny-Jump-Up! This one is tiny growing in front of the what's its name?

This Wisteria Amethyst just loves the garage.

And I'll finish as I started, on a blue note, with the first aquilegia flowering in front of the forget-me-nots.

No, no I won't, Heres the view down from the top of the orchard. Getting rather colourful it is but just wait until next month, the colours will all be changed.

There's lots more happening in the garden although its mostly backbreaking weeding and mulching work and the planting of seeds and plants. There's heaps more to be done.

Cheers for now

Terry

Fine weather

At last, the garden is sufficiently dry to walk in without sinking up to my armpits. There is no sucking "thwup" noise when I turn over a sod. There's a large, round, yellow apparition floating across the sky and my back warms when I'm facing away from it. OOoooh tis lovely, and warm enough to suggest I wear a long sleeved shirt. No, not to protect from the cold but to keep my tender, youthful (Ha!) skin from burning. What a joyful day in the garden. Don't Gazanias and lettuce look good together in the sun? Oh yes they do!

The major task yesterday was to weed a couple of vegetable beds that I've been unable to attend to for a few weeks due to the wet. Boy, were they weedy and unruly! The job took longer than anticipated because when I planted the peas I didn't also plant the netting although I did plant carrots and radish. Here's a before and after:

And when I planted the onions I didn't leave enough room to get a hoe between the rows - really dumb! Here's another before and after only this time the before is looking in one direction and the after is looking the other - just to test you.

 I was trying to save space and cram them in. We have shallots, spring onions, red bunching onions, Ishikura (a white bunching spring onion) some small, round fella's who's name escapes me and red onions. Yes, we love onions. We love herbs and spices and plenty of green vegetables too and this year I aim to grow heaps of them for use in cooking and salads. Oh yes, I picked the first radish today too, two actually, long red ones. and that means it's time to sow a whole new lot of veges...tomorrow. Evening. If I'm not working.
Then again I might weed the orchard seen here above the azalias:

Last week I showed an image of our granddaughters preparing to pull up some stocks. here's what they planted in the freed up space:

One of the delights of owning a dog is that if you fence your vege garden off they will find a space to lie in the flower beds. I haven't seen her there but I sure saw the result.

The bad weather of the previous few weeks held most growth back but just a few days of warmth and sun has kick-started the garden big time. Now that the vege garden is weeded I have to tackle the orchard and with luck I'll find a few hours in the evenings during the week. Nursery work is full on because, like in the garden, the cold and fierce winds held growth in check and now that the breaks are off everything has to be done at once - so I might be pushing it to crib time in the orchard I guess.

If you ever wondered what a large hedge of trees looks like when exposed to westerly gales in the spring wonder no longer. Note the battered left side and the rampant right hand side:

Have a nice week.

Cheers

Terry