It's Finally Summer: Or Is it? Garden Journal Early December
It's a beautiful morning as I write this post over a coffee. Before long it'll be too hot out there and we will be hiding indoors, but it's lovely to have a quick assessment of the garden. The sun cuts through low, casting it's magical light on things. Officially, a few days ago we hit summer, and although this weekend is suitably hot, it hasn't been - it's been wet and cold, unusually so. A heap of factors including the Tongan eruption has caused this strange weather pattern, and the garden is reacting accordingly - I haven't seen anything like it.
The artichokes are at their end now, but I will let a few bust into spectacular purple flower before I tidy them up. They haven't been affected at all by the strange weather - in fact, I got a great crop this year, probably due to the extra water and the horse poo I scattered around them.
The herbs seem fine too, hardy things. There's chamomile popping up in the paths from last year's seeds, the ubiquitous calendula, and the lemon balm, horseradish and elecampane are going great guns. The elecampane is flowering for the first time and I'm excited to see it happen! In this part of the garden we have a resident blue tongue hiding under the wicking tubs, which I love.
In the back garden I'm constantly looking out for small holes in which the doe places her young - if I can get to them before they grow into big breeders, I can help prevent a plague perhaps. A losing battle. The yarrow and other flowers grow safely behind chicken wire - for the first year, I'm enjoying them and wish I'd done this earlier. There's small apples on the Cox's Orange Pippin tree - I need to net before it's too late.
Other fruit trees aren't doing so well. I'd love advice on how to deal with what I THINK is black soot on this plum. I've never had this issue before. Like the black spot on the tomato plants, it's a new one, brought about by heavy rainfall.
I mentioned to @minismallholding I wasn't good at growing things in pots, but I made an effort this year, partley to decorate the back door area where there's an old slab of concrete. The pots take the edge off the ugliness. I am enjoying some flowers and natives in these tubs and just make sure I water them every day.
Funnily enough, an avocado has started growing out of a pot. I was just telling @jonoudyer that we can't grow them down here - clearly that's a lie. It's grown from a seed in the compost, and apparently they take ages to fruit if grown this way and grafts are better. But I'm going to repot it and see how it grows. Cool huh?
Elsewhere the borage, snowpeas, hops and comfrey are all a tangle. @thebigsweed will know the hops drama. Great plants, but spikey and they can take over. Still, I do love the hops flowers.
@artemislives, I'm afraid my mulberry is much less attractive than yours. And it seems to have some kind of blemish on it - again, this bloody rain is ruining everything!
There's other pretty suprises too from some natives. I love the bright yellow on this west Australian grass related to the famous kangaroo paw.
The glut of lemons is nearly over, and the rhubarbs spotted about the garden are giving me stewed fruit for muesli. The raspberries are nearly done and have been delicious with mangoes and coconut yoghurt.
This one is a grass tree. I had it int he front garden for years but it was too dry and never flowered. It clearly likes it's new home and is a spectacular native. @lizelle, I'm thinking of your architectural cactus - this is on par, no?
Well, whilst I could talk for days about all the goings on, I don't want to bore you. The afternoon, where I picked up the writing of this post, is very hot and I'm sitting inside with the air con on and having a mineral water with white wine and iceblocks! I've been down for a swim in Mum and Dad's pool, tidied the house, and am thinking about how to manage the garden for the rest of the week plus do all the other things I need to get down, including going to Melbourne and having house guests. How I manage it all I don't know.
Chatting to Hive gardeners is a lovely relief in the busyness of it all. Did you know it's #gardenjournal week? Pop over to Hive Garden and see the pinned post there and join in if you can.
Happy Gardening!
With Love,
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I think you are very plant lover , flowers have their own unique vibe
I love gardens with such natural beauty
White wine with iceblocks? I have an opinion about this hahahahaahha
But wow the garden stuff looks strong and powerful like it is ready for expansion. Also the stuff in the pots still, you did a good job even though you were away for a while. #iwanthisclimate
I know it's sooooo wrong lol.... It's almost embarrassing to write that. But it makes sense if it's hot and your wine is too warm to drink and you need water at the same time. Don't knock it til you have tried it one day 😂😂
You got a lot of plants in your garden! I wish I had those lemons in my backyard growing. Used to add in water with some 🍯 .
Avocado, will surely take years before it will grow and have fruits but time flies!
They say if you don't plant a 'x' tree, in twenty years time you won't have e 'x' fruit! I don't hold out much hope though 😂😂🥑🥑🥑🥑🥑
Haha, hoping your avocado would grow!
We have it at home but I don't know when or who planted it
It has been there since I was a kid 😁
I like the lemon trees in the garden
Me too 🍋🍋🍋🍋quite common in Australia!
Wow. What a creative way of writing. This is just so engaging to the readers. I want to read more. 😍
The lemon, if only I'm there nothing will be wasted. Here in Philippines it cost expensive. I love to drink water with lemon. It's good for diet.
The amazing garden ignites everybody to love gardening even more. Honestly, I'm not fond of gardening but as time goes by I already have a passion on it. It's fun and beneficial.
I think it's something you enjoy more as you get older.
Here lemons are expensive too but the wierd thing is lemon trees are in everyones gardens!
That's amazing! I have planted lemon in our front yard but unfortunately it never survived. I like to plant another lemon again.
Lemons are good sources of vitamin C.
How have you been my friend, a lot warmer than I am would be my guess. Despite some of your stuff not doing as well as you would like, too much rain, your garden looks great. You sure do have a lot of different stuff growing.
We have never grown rhubarb but last year our friend gave us a bag full, all cleaned with just the stalks ready to go. @farm-mom made a rhubarb pie. To sweeten it up our neighbor suggested mixing in a package of frozen strawberries, it was absolutely delicious.
The grass tree is very unique looking, I've never seen one. It's funny how things can thrive when they're planted in the right location, good call moving it.
The mineral water and white wine with ice blocks sound like the right call to beat the heat and relax. It may sound strange, but in the summer I will add a few ice cubes to my beer, each to their own.
Thanks for the mention and do try to keep those hops under control.
Don't tell @karinnxl you add ice cubes to beer, she will have a pink fit 😂
Oh rhubarb and frozen berrys of any kind is PERFECT. A little orange juice is good too, and honey. I guess it's harder to grow if it snows?
Thanks for your comment about the garden. Sometimes it's easy to focus on the bad without noticing the really good stuff!
Love to you and @farm-mom!❣️
Looks cracking, so nice to see an abundant garden. Will have to smash out a post on mine been doing work slowly but all part of the big picture so doesn't look a whole lot different right now. Just moved things around
Oh yeah smash it out please!!!💚
Coming it coming 🙏🏽
The garden is beautiful! I loved seeing the borage. I would love to grow some in my own container garden!
Oh yes borage is great! I don't know how it does in containers but it's everywhere round here!
I'm going to just have to try it and see what happens!
Beautiful, makes me feel envious that you get all this so early. Since I'm surrounded by trees I have to wait a lot more into the summer to start seeing the plants really bloom
It's a trade off sometimes isn't it. It's so nice to be surrounded by forest but you need to take into account shade. We are planting more trees every year but the sun shines enough on what needs it. Thanks for stopping by, nice to see you in the Hive Garden.🥑🌱
We are in the same conditions @riverflows , it is also summer here. I correct myself: we are towards the end of spring but the temperatures are summer. We have almost reached 40 degrees
Quite torrid days, very hot despite the fact that the calendar marks the beginning of summer for December 21.
I have to water the plants at night to keep them moist for a sufficient number of hours. Already at 10: AM the earth is dry.
With the aggravating circumstance that, in the city, the walls that generally surround the gardens and orchards concentrate an even higher heat and for this reason many plants die.
I have had bad luck with the tomato seedlings, almost all of them have died. However nature is wise. When this year I already thought of not being able to count on them, they began to be born on their own, autonomously throughout the garden.
Surely they have arisen from the compost that I make every year at the beginning of autumn when I bury all the plants and dry leaves of the previous season.
Being born late now they are suffering the consequences of the heat and I must protect them because they still do not have the necessary strength to resist the high temperatures.
Cheers.
Where do you Live? It is certainly hot! A shame about the tomatoes....it's hard work being a gardener sometimes!
Argentina, in the center of the country, in the called Pampa humeda. Estamos travesando unos dias de altastemperaturas, a pesor de que el verano oficially todavia no empezo. Where do you live?
Great update on your garden @riverflows 😊
Cute to see the little avocado tree. Let’s see how that one goes 🍀
Thanks for sharing.
Have a great new week 👋🏻☀️
I'll keep you all posted. I'm going to transplant it today!
Great 😁 thanks!
I can't believe you can grow artichokes, that's awesome. I love them.
I keep trying to find an angle to post a #garden #journal but we are all frozen here, do artificial poinsettias count,
I use them outside to decorate for Christmas.
Your garden looks great, good luck with your growing season.
Haha wait til the comment challenge on Wednesday, I think it might be just for you...
Not sure what or where to find this challenge, tag me.
Wow! you have a lot of plants in your garden @riverflows but I my attention got struck by that lemon tree. It is really good for cough and we are just adding some honey with it. Hopefully I can write about my garden too soon.
I do not know how you do it all either!!!
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Nature's amazing architecture indeed, that grass tree is stunning. The Australian Grass is very pretty as well!
Gardening really is balm to the soul, a lovely time of the year, at least for now but...from mid January to beginning of April, we can't wait for winter!
Happy gardening @riverflows 🌻🌻🌻
Oh yes I much prefer Autumn through to Spring! Summer is so HARD!!!! I'll shoot you a pic of the grass tree when it proper flowers...