Gardening Update

I've been very busy in the little garden of my townhouse - busier than I normally would be at this time of year. Usually, I do all my work in Winter, when all my plants have gone dormant, and have gone to 'sleep'. But with this Coronavirus around, I've been working my butt off to get my garden ready for a lock down - one where I can't leave my house.

Or one where I'm not allowed to go out very often.

I'm not leaving my place often anyway, but that's just a preparation for not being able to leave at all.

Well, I've been dropping tomato seeds into pots, and they're growing well. And birds are eating the growths. So, I've had to put plastic bags over the top to protect them and make them grow better - even in the green house. 
I've  got a butterfly chrysalis and it's just lost its translucency and turned a dark green colour. I've never watched this transformation before - it's so fascinating! 

Now, I've got my herbs growing again and it's going really well. I'm hoping to repot my spinach, but I'm kinda worried that if I do, it'll die off. So, I'm leaving it alone for now. 

I think I've said in a prior post that I've frozen some of my veggies and I'm hoping to do more freezing when the time comes around. 

So, what are you up to in your garden? I did score a second lime tree and some good pots to repot the Tahitian Lime - which went well - and I potted up the 3 feet of small leaf jade I found that my neighbour cut off out of the front garden of my town house. It's going really well so far too. 
And I have a new addition to the garden in the way of a bargain buy from Bunnings: a $10 Frangipani! What a little beauty it is too! It was getting too big for the pot and I potted up into a bigger one and now it's happy and starting to lose its leaves - can't wait until next year when it'll get lovely white flowers with pink tips. Well, until next time, happy gardening.  

April 2020 and the Coronavirus?

Well, isn't this a change for the new year? 

We all get told to stay home and us gardeners are in heaven - right? 

I am.

But I wasn't home for long in December - about a month actually - as I was off to my brother's house to house sit for 6 weeks; and dog sit, when this virus hit on a global scale.

Well, when I arrived home, I had a lot of work to get done in the garden... there was so much clipping back, weeding, and repotting to do, that I just couldn't wait to get to Bunnings and collect what I needed.
But it's not that easy anymore, is it? There's restrictions on when we can go out, what time to go out who can start shopping; and social distancing as well. 

So, I've been working on my garden, and it's been great therapy for me. I just hope I can let it go for a few weeks until the next time I go back to Bunnings - if they're still open to the public. 

Anyway, I hope your garden is going well in these uncertain times around the globe. Take care of yourselves and happy gardening.

Cooler Days... Let's Hope!

Well, after the dreadful heatwave last week, and over the weekend of Australia reaching over 40C, we're all breathing a sigh of relief to have a few days of under 30C.

But I know it's not going to be very long until it heads towards that dreadful heat again.

Well, while I was on holidays at the coast, I had some neighbours care for my garden, and they did a great job! I finally have new lawn coming through - finally! And now, all I have to do is keep the damned cat from a few doors down away from it - from crapping all over it!

And this where Cayenne Peppers come into play. A good friend of mine told me about this need little trick to play on cats. You see you sprinkle this piping hot peppers where you don't want a cat, and they come over and burn their feet, butt and nose and never come back. I know, I know, you're gonna say: 'But this mean!' However, a cat's pee and poop destroys your lawn and kills your plants.

So, this is my last resort in keeping them out. I tried 'Scat' and I tried vinegar and water in a spray bottle. Neither of those worked. So, the Cayenne Peppers is going to work this time around. It's a spice, it's non-toxic and birds won't go near it - they can smell it's too hot for them.

Also, my garden is going so well! The Hydrangea is almost ready for planting into its new pot, but I think it's best to put it over at the back fence, instead of the side fence - seeing the leaves are getting burnt already. 
I have so many herbs, I don't know what to do about them all! And the Agapanthus are thriving! However, I don't have any flowers on any of my Franigpanis... now that's curious... and weird. 

Well, until my next post - which may well be in the New Year - I hope you have a wonderful Christmas and Happy New Year. Take care and I hope you get into your garden, no matter how dry it gets here in Australia. 

End of the Year

It's been a few months since my last post, but I haven't forgotten about you.

I've been busily trying to keep cats out of my garden. Yep, they've been shitting in my yard, and turning it into their own personal kitty litter. The problem has been that I haven't been able to figure out which cat has been doing it - not until the past few weeks. I did talk to the neighbour who owned the cat and told them to keep their cat inside and away from my house. 

Well, as we all know, that's easier said than done... and when I came home from the coast the other day, there were big lumps of cat crap in the yard; which I had to clean up. 

It looks like I'll have to get out the big guns of my deterrent.... yep, I'll be going to the Spice Mart and buying Cayenne Peppers to sprinkle around the lawn to keep the cat out. This not only burns their paws, but it burns their butts too. I'm trying to grow lawn, not cat shit.

Anyway, while I was away, I got another neighbour to look after my yard, and he and his girlfriend did a great job. There were some good storms and so the containers filled up with rain water and I could use some of it with the green house plants when I opened it up. And did the herbs grow? You bet they did! I've got a lot of Oregano. The Basil has really come on and so has the Mint! 
The Hydrangea is looking wonderful! It's going to be repotted before New Years Eve; and the water will be kept up to it so it does take to the new pot I'll be getting over the next week or so. 

I've yet to mow the lawn this Summer, but we just haven't had enough rain - storms yes, but good solid rain, not as yet. The bush fires really did a number on the country. And to think our government really didn't think about it when they stopped back burning our national parks. I hate to be political about this, but it's been done for centuries by the indigenous people and suddenly we stop it for some stupid reason, and our country goes up in flames. 

Oh well, that's how things go, right? 

Anyway, the Lime Tree has been attacked by the caterpillars and I've been spraying it with some good white oil and then I have been looking at the Agapanthus too... they've been going well. My Frangipanis have yet to flower - but then, there hasn't been enough rain for them to flower as yet. Give it time, they'll get in and flower. So, how's your garden going? All good and beautiful? I hope so.

Yesterday

Yesterday, I went out to Bunnings and scored myself a bag of potting mix for the Tahitian Lime Tree, a bag of 'Snow White' stones for the front garden, some Command Hooks for the home office and a box of Munns blue lawn seed to put out on the lawn.

Yesterday, I got everything unloaded from the car, and sorted out before the stinking heat hit us... and that included putting the stones into the front garden.

Also yesterday, we were hit by a huge storm here in Brisbane, and it was a right hum-dinger! It wasn't the first one for the season, but it gave us some much-needed rain! I'm thankful I didn't put out the lawn seed, it would have been washed away!
But the storm was a great light show, with thunder and lightning playing the game of give and take as it normally does. Wind howled around the place, and rain poured from the darkened clouds!

Today, though I put out the lawn seed - which is blue to stop the birds from eating it. It's got a coating on it so when the birds eat it, it tastes bitter and they spit it out. It's not poisonous and it'll stay where it's supposed to (in my yard and not in a bird's stomach) and I'll have a good lot of lawn this year. 

So, how's your garden going? All good? I hope so!

October

It's Spring - I think it is anyway!

Over the past week, we've had Summer and Winter within 48 hours. So, who can say what season it is?

Anyway, it's been stinking hot, freezing cold and raining - along with some thunder rolling overhead. Yeah, our weather doesn't know whether it's coming or going - and that's Spring in Australia, right? Yeah, it sure is!

I'm not well at the moment, and am in the process of losing my voice - I'm always the last to catch something,  but I'm not fussed. Anyway, today, I got to catch up with what's going on in my garden.

I moved a few things around and made room for the new pot I'll be buying in the yard for the Tahitian Lime Tree - as it's really wanting more space. Then, when I moved my Ficus, I found it needed a new pot too! So, I'm up for 2 new pots. But the Lime Tree needs it more than the Ficus; mainly because it's putting out fruit - or it's doing its best to do it. and it's got long branches. So, yeah, I'm going with the citrus first. 

Anyway, I moved the massive pots first and some of the smaller pavers out of the way, and then shifted the metal steps to where the large pots used to be. 

I looked at the big black pot that the large leaf jade is living in happily and almost pulled it out... but then, realised: no, not a good thing to do that to a happy plant. I shifted it to where it was going to live and left it well alone.

The Dracaena Plant next to it and then shifted everything else back into place. 

I put the Ficus on a large piece of paver to stop it from pushing another root into the ground and reorganised the solar lights again. The other Frangipani was shifted next to the fence - and I realised it needed a new pot too - and then I added a third pot to the list of pots I'll be buying before Christmas.

Yep, this is going to be something I'll be organising in my garden. Big organisation for me today - and over the next three months - because I'll need to. So, how's your garden going? 

Spring At Last!

Well, at long last, this season of rebirth is here! I know that sounds weird and kooky, but really it's a great circle of life in the world of nature.

I've been looking forward to Spring, as it's when the bees come into the garden to pollinate the budding flowers. Then the Rainbow Lorikeets go crazy over any berries and food on the Moch Orange - and they have too - which is sitting around. Every morning for the past week or so, I've seen these lovely, noisy and crazy birds have a go at the two shrubs in my back yard and they're just gorgeous little guys! I've also had a pair of very shy and illusive Fig Birds enjoying themselves too. 

Well, the garden is looking great now too - even after the dust storm and the bush fires which followed. And early this morning, I woke to rain, and more rain. I really do hope it sticks around for not only us city-dwellers, but also the farmers out west who really do need it more than we do. 

But over the Winter, I've been just maintaining the garden looking after it. And it's been looking great! I still need to repot a few little plants, otherwise they're looking wonderful. 
The discounted herbs I found in the past week or so have begun to grow back in the greenhouse. They look great! The Basil and Oregano are looking lovely too - they're bought herbs though. It's all looking great. My cuttings will take time to get their feet, but I've got faith in them. And the bees have found the flowers in the greenhouse - and I spotted a few happily enjoying them.

In the next week or two, I'll be getting some lawn seed for the back yard. After I put down Dynamic Lifter, and prepared the lawn for Spring and Summer, it's absorbed the rain and any water I've put into it lately, and now, it's a matter of adding more cheap potting mix and Dynamic Lifter and then lawn seed to get it growing for this Summer and - hopefully - it'll see through next Winter better than it did this year. 

So, how's your garden growing? Mine is getting better on its first year after its facelift. I hope it gets better and better. Well, until my next post, happy gardening!

August

Well, Winter seems to not want to leave us just yet, and this has given me a good chance to get in and do what needs to get done around the yard that I forgot to do.

The Agapanthus have been taken from their original pots, separated and put into their new pots with Brunnings Garden Soil - and after a bit of rain, they are happy little plants. They're sitting up and enjoying the afternoon sun when it touches their leaves at around 2pm onwards.

My Lavender flowered early, and so I took the flowers off to encourage it to bush up more - and it's going really well. And the Verbena Ka-Pow is going very well too! The possums just don't like that plant very much - and I'm glad I'm getting flowers in the middle of the colder months now. 

The Tahitian Lime Tree has been getting some great growth on it lately. But the damned grasshoppers found those tender little leaves yesterday! So, today, early, I sprayed it with Yates 'Nature's Way Citrus and Ornamental Spray' to keep those little bastards at bay. I'll spray the plant again before the day is out; then do it again tomorrow morning. I have found 4 flowers on the tree this year - I may yet get limes on it by Summer. 

However, a damned cat has been crapping in the middle of my yard - and I mean right where I walk! So, I pick up the poops with a little shovel and throw them over the fence to show where he/she is allowed to poop. And today, I mixed up a strong bottle of vinegar and water and sprayed that everywhere - as I've heard cats hate that smell - and tied up a warped paling where that cat has been getting in with a strong length of wire. 

Well, everything is going so well right now. However, the greenhouse really needs a good going over... as my herbs aren't looking great. 

The goals I need to get set by October are:

* Solar garden lights - need not be expensive ones.
* New herbs for the green house.
* Lawn seed and 'Feed & Weed' to work the lawn up for Summer.

Yep, just those three things... and my garden will be ready for Summer. Like I said at beginning of the year, it's a maintenance year - and I really haven't spent a lot of money on the yard this year; which is great. So, how's your garden going? Until my next post, happy gardening!

Budgeting

I've been budgeting for this month - and the next and I'm going pretty well. And I've found a great little nursery not far from my place which is far cheaper than Bunnings too! 

Well, I have a large bag of Brunnings Garden Soil - which for $7.95 is an absolute steal! And I'll be buying more bags of that for this next month of July. Then, I've recently bought a 'forever pot' for the Dracaena plant and have recycled the black stones from the rose pot I pulled from the front garden and put them in the bottom the new pot; in preparation for next month. 
The massive ants nest in the Dracaena plant is gone now - where I don't care, so long it's not there anymore! And this will make it far easier to get the plant out without being attacked by a nest of angry ants.

Then, I've been looking at bringing back birds to my garden; so have bought a bird house to attract at least one family into the garden. And in the past two weeks I've had a few birdies looking into living in it. Now, isn't that cute? I think so. And with the platter of water nearby, it's a real attraction too.

Now, the little nursery I've discovered is called Chadwick Nursery. It's about a 10 minute drive from my place and the plants are a quarter of the price they are at Bunnings and the pots are far, far cheaper than at Bunnings too! So, I ended up buying a pot there (a terra-cotta one) for $13.00 with a plate for $8.00 and it saved me about $10.00... now that's great. It's such a quiet place and it's got all kinds of soils, statues and every plant you'd ever want to have in your garden - and the place doesn't sell bamboo. They consider bamboo a weed, and they don't grow weeds. How cool is that? I could totally relax in the place due to my allergy to bamboo.

Well, that's what I've been doing with myself in the garden - besides feeding my plants just on Winter with dynamic lifter. Otherwise, life in the garden is well and truly slowing down with this cold snap happening around South East Queensland; and the snow at the border of New South Wales. Until my next post, happy gardening!

Winter Comes Early

Well! Here comes the Winter months - and I'm happy to say that I love this time of year simply because of the cold, and that I can get into my garden so much.

Right now, here in Brisbane today, it's raining; which means I can get in and do planning instead of running out and buying things. 

But so far, there's an extra bag of Brunnings Garden Soil, I have almost finished with the pavers in the garden, and I've yet to buy a large 'forever' pot for the Dracaena plant... then I'll get in and divide the Agapanthus up and it'll look great for next Summer.

I'm looking outside right now at the chilly day and am pleased to say that I'm happy to stay inside all rugged up and away from the rain. Yep, I've had a big week of shopping, op-shopping, cleaning out, donating unwanted goods and vacuuming the house.

So, chilling out and having a day to myself is in the cards today - oh yes, and planning my next move with the garden. 

What are you doing with yourself this Winter? Planning your garden for next Summer or saving up for something big in your garden? I'm hoping to also save for few new seats in my garden too - you know park benches to replace the ones I have already which aren't looking too healthy. I want my place to look classy. Until my next post, happy gardening!