Organising seeds & plant tags

I spent a relaxing afternoon organising seed packets and plants tags in alphabetical order. I made the dividers to fit snugly in the plastic container. Finally, some much needed order in the garden shed.

Mandarin tree

This is my mandarin tree which I have staked so that the branches don’t snap in the wind. It has lots of fruit – still green with parts yellow and in much need of more sun to ripen. Other plants in the background are a Pride of Madeira (Echium candicans) on the right, lemon grass, variegated thyme and purple sage. On the left are rocket, garlic and Oriental radish (Raphanus sativus var. longipinnatus).

Daphne

When I first saw the speckles of pink poking through on this daphne, I thought it wouldn’t be long till I get the fragrant flowers. Three weeks later, I’m still waiting - but I have been fooled before getting leaves and flowers confused. The developing leaves take on the shape of the flowers before they unfurl. Could this be the week of the big unveiling?

Fuchsia

I love the undulating purple petals of this fuchsia. It’s like a tutu and the stamens are the ballerina’s legs. I have made cuttings and given some to friends. I just wish they would last longer as a cut flower.

Parsley

The curly-leaf parsley seedlings look so cute in these rectangular terracotta pots. They are so slim that they fit nicely on the window ledge. It has livened up the brick/concrete corner. Hopefully they will survive my sporadic watering regime.

J & F's garden

Today I visited my friend, sick with bronchitis and who has been house bound for some days. In the middle of my friend’s lawn sits a giant lemon tree where most people would have a Hills hoist (clothesline). You can’t miss its presence in the backyard. It invites you outside for a closer inspection.

All hail the lemon tree! Its huge three pronged trunk makes it almost unrecognisable as a culinary plant. It is literally ‘a tree’, more fitting to be made into some sort of furniture. I wanted to make sure the fruit were still within human reach. Yes, lemons were obtainable on tippy-toes.

In the picture is the lemon tree in the background and peppers/chillies in the foreground. I have seen bell peppers, spiral shaped, and freaky elongated ones, but I have never seen round ones. These perfect spheres look like cherry tomatoes at first glance. Unlucky are the birds that make the mistake. These peppers would make a lovely garnish when thinly cut to create red hot rings. Perhaps in a Thai beef salad? Yum!

Saffron

This year I'm growing saffron crocus (Crocus sativus) for the first time. I purchased the 3 crocus bulbs from Diggers. Suprisingly, they were not that difficult to grow. In fact I just planted each bulb in a plastic pot and almost forgot about them. Then one day, the leaves poked through and a few weeks later, delicate purple flowers. I dried the stigmas and stored them away for later use.

Jerusalem artichokes

Today I helped a friend trim their olive tree. But before we could start on the tree surgery, we had to harvest the Jerusalem artichokes (Helianthus tuberosus) nearby which would get in the way of the ladder. What a bumper crop this was! A whole box filled with tubers. I love their woody flavour. They will do nicely oven baked with some potatoes.

My friend's garden is such an inspiration. In the garden there are chickens, two fish ponds, fig trees, an almond tree, various citrus, olive, pear, apple, grape vines and saffron. Not to mention the seasonal plantings of vegetables and flowers.

After trimming the olive tree, I watched my friend plant rows of garlic.

Hello everybody!

This is my first post : )

On the left is a picture of my artwork called "Bird", although looks more like a chicken. It is made out of a recycled plant holder and covered in cable ties for feathers. Inserted in the head and tail of the sculpture are pot plants.

I love art and making things. More importantly, I love gardening. In this piece I could combine the two! The sculpture is also enjoyable without the plants. But I like my sculptures to have function.

This blog will mainly be about art, gardening, cooking and other things that interests me. Its purpose is to remind me of the things I discovered, learnt and my adventures through the year/s. I hope you enjoy reading them as much as I have enjoyed sharing them with you.