Spring 2010

This must be the coolest Spring that we have experienced in Dubbo in the 15 years we have been here. We have had half a dozen days of over 20 degrees and the rest have been 15 to 18. It means that flowers are developing slowly and will probably retain their colour for longer.
My roses are in bud but only a very few blooms so far. The natives have been brilliant and the new beds I planted last Spring have filled out with a huge assortment of well established plants - grevilleas, isopogons, Geraldton wax, eremophilas, hardenbergias, even a leptospermum in pale pink - as well as loads of lovely ONION WEED!

I decided to buy a thermostatically controlled heat pad for faster sprouting vege seeds. It worked well, probably too well, as I set it up in late August with seeds (in punnets) of zucchini, capsicum, Roma tomato and Lebanese cucumber, thinking I would get a head start. I placed it in the laundry and within 5 days all seeds had sprouted. I kept a clear lid on it and went away for a week. When we came home the seedlings had outgrown themselves and had lengthened considerably to the point where the stems were thin and weak. I had to start again and as we were going away again I set them up in the greenhouse without heat and they have since sprouted into normal seedlings ready for the vege patch, once I weed it. I'm sure the heat pad will be useful when I am home to keep an eye on seedling growth.

A new plant to my garden this year has been the Kniphofias - Red and Yellow pokers have sprung up from bulbs I purchased from Garden Express. I love them and even my non-gardening husband commented on how nice they are, so I think I will buy more next season.

Lavenders are brilliant at the moment. I find the Ruffles varieties eg. Blueberry, Mulberry, Strawberry, Peachberry, etc, particularly good out here once established.

My pool yard garden is in dire straits at the moment. The pavers are very mossy after so much rain and the weeds have come up through the pavers so the whole area looks, and is neglected. I think it will be my next priority before the weather (and the pool) warms up enough to swim and use the area. I have 2 Brugmansias (Angel's Trumpets) in there and they were heavily frosted this winter after two nights of -4 degrees. The Tibouchinas survived, surprisingly, and the Chinese Lanterns are in bloom. Time to go and do other jobs so maybe tomorrow can be a gardening day.