Summer harvest - Tomatoes & capsicums

These are the latest harvest from the first group of tomatoes put in. This is the first time I’ve planted tomatoes properly (apart from the odd cherry tomato plant) in the garden and I was surprised how easy they were to grow. This first lot came from seedlings from a plant nursery. The second lot are from seed (germinated by friends) and are a different variety.

The capsicums are also growing well. This is also the first time I have grown capsicums. There is so much fruit I have to pick them slightly smaller so that the plant doesn’t bow due to the weight.

Linden Postcard 2011 entry – Staples

It was that time of the year again, straight after new years and soon after the Linden artworks were due. This year I wanted to work with staples and wanted to keep it as minimalist as possible. On white canvas, I used staples to draw my portraits. The Linden website is http://www.lindenarts.org/

Woodend

A day trip to Daylesford we passed Woodend, a small town about 70kms from Melbourne. I went pass a beautiful garden supplies shop which had roses scaling the fence. They were so bright I almost didn’t notice the metal sculptures on display.

Spanish moss

I visited the Healesville Racecourse Harvest and Craft Market and bought a Spanish air plant. I hooked it onto the bathroom mirror right above the orchid. It makes a nice background and softens the hard edges of the mirror.

Spanish moss (Tillandsia usneoides) is colloquially known as “air plant”. This epiphyte absorbs nutrients from the air and rainfall. It loves warm and humid environments, so it should be happy in the bathroom.

New Year espalier

My friend needed some help with espaliering three types of pear trees. We had previously discussed using cement to secure the poles into place but were a bit weary with using such a permanent method. In a recent trip to Bulleen Art & Garden I noticed espaliered apple trees using nothing more than wooden poles jabbed into the ground, bamboo rods and some twine. I took some pics and left the shop much more confident with giving it a go. A few days later, I was trying twine around bamboo poles, hammering large poles and bending pear branches into shape. It was a success!