Just realised it has been nearly 6 months since I last raved on about the garden. Time does get away. After the big January dry we have been getting small amounts of rain fairly regularly - enough to keep things from drying out too much. I did plant some snake bean seeds rather late in the season and managed to get a couple of meals worth before the cold set in. I will definitely be planting more next season so we have a plentiful supply. In fact I was in Sydney for the long weekend and discovered a nursery that sold snake bean seeds, so I just had to buy another packet.
The Roma tomatoes have been absolutely amazing. Fruit fly got a hold in February and I should have pulled them out then and killed off the flies, but I didn't get around to it. Since the fruit fly succumbed to the cold, the 4 plants have bloomed and fruited a dozen times over. I must have picked at least 10 kg of tomatoes and despite the recent -3 frost, I came home yesterday to find even more partially ripe ones to be picked. This would have to be the last lot, surely - it's mid June!!!
My sugar snap pea seeds have finally emerged from the ground, but I think my English spinach seeds have been moused, judging by the little tunnels dug through the patch. I discovered, in an old gardening book, that you can grow seeds in a plastic garbage bin, which I hadn't thought of. By keeping the lid on until the seeds had sprouted, it would not only prevent tunnelling mice, but also keep the seeds warmer for sprouting. Think I will give it a go.
The flowering parts of the garden aren't doing too much at the moment. The daylilies have been frosted off, hopefully to re-sprout in spring. The roses are blooming their last blooms. They have had great colour this autumn with no bugs to eat them and no hot sun to burn them. The camellias are just coming into bud. I can't wait to see the beautiful maroon flowers of my Grape Soda and the pink and white ruffles of the Volunteer. The tibouchina is in full bloom despite the frosts, as it is in a sheltered part of the pool yard. I just bought a grafted Qualup Bells for an exhorbitant price hoping it will grow well here away from humidity. It will be a challenge, so I may try it in a pot first. Hellebores are re-shooting after being cut back. I just love the muted colour of their nodding flower heads. One of my Gymea Lilies produced it's first flower spike this year. It hasn't bloomed yet, but I'm waiting as patiently as I can. The other four are still spikeless. I think It may be that I put a stone down the throat of the one about to flower. Apparently that induces flowering. So far so good.
The Autumn colour has been excellent this year. The Japanese Maple has put on it's usual brilliant red display, the Golden Chain Tree was a brilliant yellow, the Manchurian Pear was a wonderful deep red, but the best display again came from my Smoke Bush, Cotinus something. Really brilliant shades of orange, yellow and purple, and the spring flowers of huge purple feathers are also stunning. Can't wait.
