Laughing Girl

Had coffee this week at Laughing Girl in Glenferrie Rd (just love their rhubarb plant in the pot outside!).    It was really good to catch up with C.  Funny, isn't it, the years pass, we move from city to city and even from country to country and our lives change, but you can often pick up old friendships as though it was yesterday when you last met!

 

Urban Garden

We were impressed with what can be grown in pots on C's high-rise balcony!  We ate some of the cherry tomatoes and can confirm that they were good.

Agapanthus - going and coming....

New "roll-out" grass has filled the spot previously occupied by agapanthus in a bed a little way up the street.  One of the people working there said the costs had been met by the owners of the house facing the nature strip at this point, but the Council had agreed to the work.   

Seems that if you have the money, the Council will allow you to have your way.  But I guess if we're talking about agapanthus, the end may justify the means? 

I had hoped that this might lead to a lessening of the number of agapanthus in the area.   But no, just down the street, there's a brand-new planting!    Such is the wisdom of the Council: what the Council allows to be taken away, the Council gives back....?

Hakea

A couple of years back, we replaced the front fence and started again with the garden.  It took a while to get the approvals (that's another story), and the work itself was fairly traumatic. 


One of the new plants is a hakea, which has done quite well and is now rewarding us with some attractive flowers.

Tiger Lillies

We were given some tiger lillies (thanks, Julie).  They were just emerging from buds, and they lasted very well.   As they mature, their perfume becomes apparent.   However, it took over a week for them to pass through the "pleasant" stage and get to the point where they were "overpowering", so we had lots of pleasure from them.

Autumn colour

I know I've already posted some images of the colour in some of the nearby streets, but here are a few more from around the area!  

Daylight savings

I have to concentrate so as to remember which way the clocks move at the beginning and end of daylight saving.  Yes, I know the saying, "Spring - forward; fall - back", but it's still an effort.   At least this year there seemed to be sufficient reminders about the need to change the clocks (sometimes the event appears almost not to be mentioned), although the fact that the mornings are darker and we're beginning to get some nice autumn colours helped.  

Agapanthus (3)

I've previously commented on the proliferation of agapanthus in our society!    We've got a lot in our street, as a result of plantings by the council over the years.   
But earlier this week, a team of workmen spent a day or so removing a whole bed of them.  I hoped that the Council may have seen the error of their ways. 


 








 However, on further reflection, my impression is that the motive may only have been to change a driveway (or perhaps to improve visibility at the intersection), as there are still a great number in other locations close by which have remained untouched! 

Better Homes & Gardens

A couple of free tickets to this exhibition came our way, so we thought we'd go along to see if we were missing out on anything.


In short, our conclusion was, no, there was nothing at this exhibition that we needed to add to our lives!
Perhaps I was expecting more nurseries to be represented with a range of plants.  A couple of nurseries did have stalls, but the range of plants was not great (although there were, in addition, a number of stalls with seedlings and the like). 

There were several stages, including one with a cooking demonstration and another in the "garden and pets" area.  In the latter, the presenter seemed to be engaged in a monologue about his life!  However, given that I watch little TV, perhaps he was well-known to the audience who therefore might have been interested in the information.

Other stalls had a variety of "homemaker" items, such as gutter protection, artificial grass, BBQs, power tools and the like.   There were also craft stalls, various food stalls (including a stall with a range of vinegars)  and a wine tasting.    So yes, there was indeed a range of exhibits, but overall we thought it was a bit "ordinary".  Perhaps the fact that it was a hot day contributed to our feeling.  However, it was nice to see the Exhibition Building being used.

Lillirie Garden

Courtyard

Lillirie Garden isn't far away, so when there was an Open Day there, we took the opportunity.  This is an older style garden, and so has a number of well-established trees, including an oak and a coral tree, both of which I liked.   However, the drought took its toll, and there are a number of newer plantings which seem to be doing well.   

Loquat

The owner admits that she prefers to over-plant rather than to have any bare earth showing. A great number of different types of plants are represented, with many different foliages, including camellias, hibiscus, magnolias and others.

At the back, there's a big old loquat.   There's a pool in this area as well as room for children to play.   Vegetables are mainly limited to pots by the pool - but most of these seem to thrive in their sunny position and (we were told) daily watering.

On the side of the house, past a row of aspidistras, is a private courtyard, with a wisteria overhead.
I think one feature of this garden that I liked was the way in which the different spaces had been used:   the rather formal front area, the utilitarian back area and the secluded courtyard on one side the side of the house.

Open Gardens

The post about the nearby vegetable garden that was open to the public reminded me of the "Open Gardens" day in Lucca.   I originally commented on this in my earlier Overseas blog, but this time I'll also post some pictures.

When we were in Lucca, our attention was caught by a garden that we passed, and we discovered that  very day was open gardens day in Lucca. Six historic and quite different private gardens around the town were open for inspection. A couple of these were close by, so we visited them.  There was no charge and volunteers were on duty (encouraging people to enter), all apparently in the interests of civic pride.

 

The first two were were amazing oasis's of green and order in private courtyards, surrounded by the narrow alleyways and buildings of the old town. One thing led to another, and before the afternoon was over we had visited all six gardens,  all  within the walls of the old town.   Many had histories extending over centuries, and one was quite large, with an expanse of lawn as well as hidden walkways through the bushes. One of them was said to have some unusual plants, which I think was intended to refer to the callistemon and grevilleas!   In the course of the day we walked for kilometres around town but it was worth it as we felt privileged to have had the opportunity to see a side of Lucca that we hadn't appreciated existed.

.

The Food Sanctuary Garden

Chook pen (it extends behind the plants, too)

There was a sign on the fence of a nearby house that there was an "Open Garden" day.  The house was quite small, but once inside, the display was indeed impressive.   True, the yard was not large, but it was packed with plants.   The information stated that 90% of all the plants were edible.   There were passionfruit, a fig, various beans, corn, tomatoes and rhubarb, but in addition there were a number of plants not known to me (and, apparently, not often found in Melbourne).  These included Queensland Arrowroot, Taro, and New Zealand Yam.  Other plants included perennial capsicum, lemon grass, a couple of young grape vines and a little water garden.   

Mixed in with all this was an old Hills hoist and a chook pen with two bantams.

I enquired about the whereabouts of the irrigation system.  No, there's none!   The garden relies on rainfall and run off from the house (the garden slopes away from the house) - and LOTS of mulch.    However, during hot weather, apparently a lot of hosing goes on!

All this in a compact area, overlooked by the neighbours but a world apart from the busy street outside.

Edna Walling

We've stayed at the same house at Lorne for many years, but this year for the first time I noticed that one of the books on the shelves was A Gardner's Log, by Edna Walling. This was first published in 1948, and is a collection of her articles from Australian Home Beautiful. The edition here was actually published in 2003 with a number of fresh photographs (as well as photographs from the intermediate editions, especially the 1985 edition).

The book is blog-like!   Of course Edna Walling is from another era but many of her notes, made in the course of the seasons, are still of interest.   They include suggestions under heading such as “Plants for Rock Gardens and Other Places”, “Garden Steps”, “Plant Hunting”, "April in Victoria" and “Roadside Beauty”. However, under these various headings there is a wealth of information about various plants and associated matters.

Just a few quotes at random: “I …. always feel that the part of a garden near the entrance should give the first sensation of rest to those returning home to those returning home. There is nothing very restful about masses of annuals, conjuring up, as they do, hours of labour, and much expenditure on seed, fertilisers and water.” (These displays, she thinks, should be kept for the rear of the house).

“After the architect and the interior decorator have finished with the client, the garden designer starts the battle of trying to achieve a fitting garden with what is left. The client is still there, but the funds, alas!”

“How to become a Landscape Gardner – Walks into the country provide the best lessons on landscape gardening. Notice how the trees are naturally grouped, how the ground-covering plants grow in drifts of different species round their feet, how boulders help to make up the natural scene, and how little tracks, made by cattle perhaps, wander about in lines that are never straight.” 

"I decided this morning that as there is neither the time nor inclination to trot around holding the hands of those plants that look up at you and gasp. "Water! I can't stand this heat another minute", I would take an inventory of those ground-covering plants that can take it."

"...[Q]uite often ... owners  [of flowering climbers] are puzzled as to manner in which they should be pruned and trained.   It is all very simple, the general rule being the same as for flowering shrubs:   prune immediately after flowering."    

Garden hose

I was given a new hose reel and hose at Christmas.  The hose reel had to be assembled, which as usual was something of a challenge.  However, we got there.    The bits are on the left, the assembled product is on the right.

The instructions that came with the hose were interesting.    It was said that, before putting it on the reel, it ought to be laid out flat in the sun for a day or so, on the basis that - "This will help release the 'memory' retained by the materials to make [the] hose", and thus make it easier to manage and reduce kinks.   Hmmm, I did this, but the jury is still out as to whether this has been effective to "de-kink" it.

Agapanthus (2)

AGAPANTHUS

You see them at holiday

houses, blue agapanthus,

standing by gateways,

reflecting summer skies.

One is struck by their sturdy

independence. Expecting no

pruning, fertiliser or

fussy programs of gardeners

they quietly do all that

is required, surviving dogs,

boys, salt, wind and January sun

– almost bluer for our neglect.

Showing no weakness, they

provide no soil for our caring.

This is why there are no

societies of agapanthus lovers.

                        William Rush

 (Reproduced with the very kind permission of the poet.  Much more eloquent than my blog on the subject a little while back).

Lorne's floral emblem?

It's been a good year for agapanthus.   I guess there have always been a lot of them around Lorne, but this year they're very noticeable because they're all in flower:

Then I noticed these signs.   Seems agapanthus aren't popular with everyone!

Hawley House wetlands

As previously mentioned we stayed dor 2 nights at Hawley House while in Tasmania (see http://www.hawleyhouse.com.au/index.html)  .  Much could be written about this property, but of particular interest is the wetlands that have been created there.  On the website, it's stated that the gardens have been literally scraped from the bedrock, but they now include some impressive wetlands with associated vegetation (said to have a National Heritage classification).   Wandering through parts of this, with only the noisy croaking of frogs at all times of the day, you could imagine yourself to be miles from the rest of the world.   

Other parts of the gardens have a range of exotic plants from cool temperate through to sub-tropical plants.   There is also a 20 acre vineyards and a 350 acre wildlife reserve.

Within walking distance are large fairy penguin and muttonbird rookeries, although we didn't get to these.

Looking out to sea

Hawley Beach (not part of the wetlands, obviously!)

Gall Wasp

Everyone who has a lemon tree probably knows about the citrus gall wasp (Bruchophagus fellis)(EDIT - but this doesn't apply to Perth-ites.  Cane toads have reached WA, but not the gall wasp).   Although it's an Australian insect, it has only relatively recently moved south.  It apparently originated in in coastal Queensland and New South Wales, but it is certainly now prevalent in Melbourne.  It causes lumpy growths on the younger branches.  Apparently the wasp itself is only about 3mm long, and the adult lays eggs in young citrus growth in spring. The larvae hatch within three weeks and start feeding inside the stems, causing galls to form.   
The recommended way of controlling the gall wasp is to remove all the galls from the tree (and burn them, or throw them out in a plastic bag).    Our local nursery also suggests sticky insect catchers, in the hope that the wasps will be killed before they lay eggs,   I try and do both, but it's very hard to find and remove all the galls from a mature tree, and I suspect that the insect catchers are far from fully effective.  

The Dandenongs

I don't know how many years it is since we spent any time in the Dandenongs.   I can recall lunches at The Cuckoo a long time ago.    And more recently, we've been a few times to both the Kurunga nursery in York Road and the Elmswood Estate winery at Seville (amongst other Yarra Valley wineries), but I'm not sure that these excursions are really in the category of "visiting the Dandenongs"!

Anyway, we had a spare Saturday, so we headed off.   A walk in Sherbrooke Forest, a surprisingly satisfactory lunch at the cafe at Grants picnic ground, a wander through the Cloudehill Nursery followed by coffee on their deck and a browse through the shops at Olinda - a full day.   And we came home with the realisation that there were so many more things that remain to be done.   Perhaps our next visit won't have to wait so long.