Plant cuttings

I have gone cuttings crazy and have filled two containers full of rosemary and lavender cuttings! What are they for? You will find out much later.

Flapjack plant

As it gets cooler, the leaves of the flapjack plant (Kalanchoe luciae) are slowly turning red.

Melbourne at night

There is something magical about fairy lights in trees. I love the twinkle, the romance and the vivacity it gives the tree which would otherwise be ignored in the dark.
Just a few steps away from the Town Hall was this florist. Not only was it fabulous to see a florist open so late at night but also lovely to see eager customers.

Variegated spider plant

I adore spider plants (Chlorophytum comosum)! Why? I love how easy they are to propagate, thrive on neglect, quick growing and “clean” the air. My favourite is the variegated type with it’s striking leaves.
Spider plants have also been shown to reduce indoor air pollution in the form of formaldehyde, and approximately 15 plants would neutralize formaldehyde production in a house. See the link - http://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=19860066312

Once these cuttings are strong enough, I will use them to create a mini vertical garden.

Geranium

Speaking of geraniums, here is a beautiful flower glowing from the dark corner of the garden.

Red Salvia

Here are the cuttings from the red salvia. As you can see, they are progressing well. I was surprised by how easy they were to strike – just like geraniums.

Australian native citrus

Here are pics of some Australian native citrus. I had only seen them in selected nurseries, but I was thrilled to see them at Bunnings. I will consider buying them in the future, in particular the finger lime.

Sorry about the fuzzy pics – it was raining and I was in a hurry.

Al's indoor‏ plant

My friend Al has the cutest indoor plant growing inside a curved rock. At first I thought it was fake, until I took a closer look.

Coffee plant

As winter approaches, my friend’s coffee plant is moved undercover on the porch. Placing it near the wall means less wind and frost damage. The plant also receives the reflected heat from the wall throughout the day also.

Autumn colours

It’s almost winter (two weeks to go!), so I thought maybe it’s time I took some pics of the autumn colours before they are gone.

Discounted pots

I went to Bunnings (discount warehouse) on the weekend just to browse. I spotted some discounted (half price) pots for $7.51 and $1.99 (the green ones). I plan to re-pot some of the dwarf citrus tree when the right time comes.  

Pansy

A nice surprise when I saw this pansy growing in the pot. A seed must have been left behind when I pulled them out last year.

Citrus

Here are some pics of the various citrus trees in my garden. I have an orange tree (still green), mandarin (all ready to pick), lime (still small), and dwarf lemon tree.

Apricot tree trim

I want to keep this apricot tree low for easy picking – like all my fruit trees. I wanted a chalice shape to bring sunlight in the centre of the tree to ripen the fruit faster and for the tree to grow horizontally - my desired direction of growth.

I removed the main branch leader/trunk to redirect the energy into a branch, twig or buds rather than the trunk increasing in height. Even if this tree does not fruit this year, I’m sure the flowers will be as delightful.

Lemons

A friend’s lemon tree has yielded a bucketful of lemons! And that’s just from one day’s worth and there’s plenty more left on the tree.

Al’s spring onions

My friend Al has window boxes filled herbs which gives a beautiful view when looking outside. To grow spring onions, Al plants the full grown version from the grocery store, chops the leaves off and plants them directly. Al has also planted wine corks into the ground! Apparently, the corks will soak the excess water in the soil.

Baby’s 1st Birthday

During the weekend I attended a 1^st Birthday party. Here are some pics from the day filled with fun, games and a giant chocolate cake!

Pumpkin

Some pumpkin seeds mixed in with the compost grew over the summer. I let them take over as a natural mulch/ground cover to protect the ground from the baking heat during those extra hot days. With autumn here, the leaves are slowly fading away and some little pumpkins have emerged. It was a nice bonus to receive with no effort required.

Salix Restaurant at Willow Creek Vineyard

I recently had lunch at Salix Restaurant located at Willow Creek Vineyard, Merricks North - www.willow-creek.com.au

Whilst taking a tour around the vineyard, I spotted this succulent plant in a tin can….cute!

Black Taro flower

On of the motivating factors for me to get back into blogging was finding this black taro flower. I had never seen a taro flower in the cool regions of Melbourne. I was putting my washing on the line (those rare occasions when I was outside) when I saw it. That was when I realised how long it had been since I shared such discoveries with others. After much neglect, I hope my garden welcomes me back.

I’m back!

It has been over a year since my last blog post so apologies to my followers.

You know who you are!