Latest additions – sugar plant, black taro & dragon fruit

These are my latest additions to the garden ordered from Diggers Club http://www.diggers.com.au/

(left) Dragon fruit (Dragon Fruit Pearl Hylocereus undatus) - https://secure.diggersgardenclub.com.au/p-603-dragon-fruit-pearl.aspx is a climbing cactus ideal for hot climates. They bloom only at night, and usually last just one night where pollination is necessary to set fruit. The edible fruit is red with white pulp and small black seeds. I’m not sure where to place this plant as I am running out of space in the garden. I was hoping to place it by a wall (out of the way) so it can get as much radiated heat from the bricks.

(middle) The sugar plant (Stevia rebaudiana 'Bertonii') - https://secure.diggersgardenclub.com.au/p-1865-sugar-plant.aspx is 30-40 times sweeter than sucrose with no calorific value and an extremely low Glycemic Index. Eat straight off the plant or make stevia powder by grinding the dried leaves.

(right) Black taro (Colocasia esculenta 'Black Taro') - https://secure.diggersgardenclub.com.au/p-1437-colocasia-esculenta-black-taro.aspx has leaves up to 40cm long and edible roots. My plant will be housed in the bathroom for ornamental purposes rather than for food. Plants grown in containers need to be re-potted on a yearly basis or at the end of the growing season.

Chicken pie

Decided to make chicken pie and roast vegetables for dinner tonight. I got the recipe from http://www.taste.com.au/ an used herbs from the garden.

Oriental Lily

This Oriental lily was purchased last year at a market for about $5 because the flowering season was ending. I let it die down and when it grew back again this year, I fed it with whatever manure I could get my hands on. I guess it was well worth it – the flowers are huge.

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.