I like blue flowers in my garden. I also like flowers that look after themselves. That’s why, last spring, I flung the contents of a packet of forget-me-not seeds in a bed in a dull corner of my garden. At this stage, those of you who are familiar with the plant’s behaviour may be recoiling […]
In my garden column: October 2021
It’s such a beautiful day here. The temperature is a mild 18 degrees and it is sunny with a gentle breeze. I appreciate this even more than normal after the showers, storms and even hail we had this past week. I’ve spent the morning in the garden, observing what’s happened, weeding and flinging some seeds […]
Talking about tulips
I could never successfully grow tulips until we moved to a cooler climate than Sydney’s. I followed all the tips about storing the bulbs in the fridge until planting but they never flowered. All I have to do here is plant them in the ground in May and they flourish. I’m thankful for that since […]
Visitor plants
Visitor plants often pop up in my garden. They are usually self-seeded and arrive unexpectedly. Some are generally regarded as ‘weeds’ because of this but I admire their will to live. Several of these Corydalis plants have popped up recently but I didn’t know what they were until I used the PictureThis app to identify […]
In my garden column: September 2021
As is normal in September here, some days and nights are cold while others are warm. It’s noticeable that the season is changing, with blossoming trees in all the streets and gardens. The crab apple in my back yard is in all its blossoming glory (look at those colours!) yet the one in the front […]
In my garden column: August 2021
It’s a beautiful winter’s day here – sunny but with a cold breeze. Perfect for inspecting the garden and noting how much work needs to be done! Tackling one section at a time seems to be the only way to not be totally overwhelmed. Focus Erica, focus. 😀 This is one of my rhododendrons with […]
In my garden column: July 2021
We’ve had such horrible, cold winds this month and that’s limited the time I’ve spent outdoors in my garden. I’m gazing out the window now and see blue sky and sunshine yet, at midday, the temperature outside ‘feels like’ 0.9 degrees. I find these ‘feels like’ measurements handy. As I scurry inside, they allow me […]
Garden inspiration from Elizabeth Farm
Several years ago, I visited a Spring Harvest day at Elizabeth Farm in Rosehill, NSW. Let me tell you a little about that place. It was the home of John and Elizabeth Macarthur, who arrived in the colony in 1790 on the Second Fleet. The building commenced in 1793. It is the oldest existing colonial […]
Do my plants talk about me?
I read an article recently that outlined how trees communicate with each other to warn of danger. It focused on the work of Suzanne Simard. To quote from the article:“Chemical alarm signals generated by one tree prepare nearby trees for danger. Seedlings severed from the forest’s underground lifelines are much more likely to die than […]
In my garden column: June 2021
Aah, June – that month when winter finally arrives. We’ve had a blast of cold air this past week and some long-term locals even started talking up the possibility of snow. That didn’t happen, thankfully, but I wouldn’t rule it out as the season progresses. There’s lots for me to do in my garden this […]