Hi All,
Sorry, I've been on another planet today. Visitors in & out, phone calls. My son's net is playing up, boo hoo! get a life!!!LOL!!!
Yes, Sue, I think it's wine'o'clock here, right now!! Usually try to wait till about 4 at least, Hahahaha, I'm late today!!!
Mya my Frangi is in full sun, but as the nights are cold, maybe I need to put a blanket over it?? I take it into the shed in Winter & put it out in the day, but still nothing...
Hi Chrissie & Jean, I must have missed the first plate, I only got crumbs, LOL!!
Wonthaggi is on the southern most coast of Victoria, on Bass Straight. I'm near Phillip Island, I've never been to the Grand Prix, though, it's too crowded.
Hmmm, not sure which pic to post? Try this one?
Will catch up again, well things settle down here. I hope the year isn't going to be like today!!???
Cheers Helen
TEA ROOM # 22
Trying again??
You're right Chrissy, bougs have the most stunning displays of outrageous colour imaginable,unfortunately the wallabies think so too.
Helen, Wonthaggi sounds cold ,especially in winter, did a google search and there's nothing I don't know about Wonthaggi,I can't believe that your min temp tonight is going to be 10C, that's usually our min in the winter....so i think you should send your frangi baby to visit Aunty Mya LOL....my husband loves the motorbike racing on Philip Island ,big fan,never raced a motorbike but he's a wannabee........
G'Day, Chrissy 100. Yes the tree is mine but I have to share the fruit with Wattle Birds, Parrots etc. The tree is budded onto a limb of a rootstock called Hansen and another limb has a very late peach on it and another an early nectarine but the nectarine is getting shaded out. You can't really compare the Donut with an Elberta they are different types of fruit but more importantly they ripen about a month apart and both are good. While the Elberta is still a very good peach for the home garden I think a variety called "Flavorcrest" (Spelling correct US variety) is superior in taste, colour and keeping quality but don't grub out the Elberta wait for it to die of old age.
The Donut is a white fleshed dessert peach, whereas both the Elberta & Flavorcrest are multi purpose, eat as much as you can then either preserve or stew and freeze and the rest you can dry if inclined otherwise the birds can have the leftovers. If you have trouble with fruit fly the earlier variety can be an advantage because the earlier the fruit the less chance the fruit fly have to ruin the fruit.
Photo is a closer look at the Donut Peach
Regards
Re: peaches. Yum!!! Lee
Good morning everybody. The sun is shining.!!! It may be a warmer day. We are forecast to get up to around 28C over the weekend. But as usual , as soon as it warms up, a change arrives and out come the jumpers again. I suppose by June , we may have summer. Did the world turn upside down when I wasn't looking ?
I have those Cootamundra seeds soaking Chrissy. I will plant today and hope for little ones. I want to plant them all around the fenceline.
I must get out later and dead head the roses. They have grown quite tall this year , so out with the hedge clippers. sorry to all the traditional pruners, but I just chop, then tidy up the ends later. a lot easier than wading into the thorns with secateurs.
I will only be taking off the tops which will mean lots of nice blooms later in autumn.
I am still watching my Zantedeschias. The flowers are starting to open. I bought them as marked colors but from the look of one I can see, the flower will be a very dark red/ purple not lilac.
Chrissy , yours are doing well but may not flower this year as they are a lot smaller than the others which were large mature bulbs.
i must make a confession too. while I am here. I had a granny moment and lost my list of who asked me for things. If I have promised to send seeds or bits to anyone please D-mail me and I will get them done. I know someone wanted Honesty seeds and I think Valerian. I will make a note when you tell me and pin it to the wall right here next to computer where I will not lose it. I have seeds of the Honesty and some of the Opium Poppies. The wallflowers are taking a while to dry off.
Those peaches do look yummy. Perhaps I should serve fruit in here instead of cakes Ha Ha ,
I can here you all crying now , you sweet tooths out there.
Don't worry Marleneann and Lesley and Kat, I will keep the cakes on.
Hello helen, wine o'clock ? Have you been talking to Steve and Stake ?
Mya you must have some lovely plants there.
Where is Kat, I hope the neighbor hasn't thrown here down in the gully.
Maybe the turkeys have carried her off.
Hello Lee, are you still huddled under your blankets ?
I am doing the domestic thing again and getting the washing done before I disappear into the garden.
Once out there I lose track of time . Yesterday, I finished some chopping and when I looked at my watch it was past 12. poor hubby was waiting for his lunch.
Better put out something nice and move myself.
Chocolate Meringue Cake. Only one piece each now.
Happy gardening, Jean.
Hello everyone, yes, Jean, am out from under the blankets today, lest I overheat as it is 60F(15C).LOL I saw the peaches and they looked so good. Have seen some like that in the stores and bought a couple dozen and they were delicious. Jean, what are Cootamundra? I know I could wiki it but it's always so nice to hear from all of you instead.
Just checking in as I prepare to start my 'gearing down' from the day. Indeed, some wine would be good but am totally out. Even out of the framboise from which I make a framboise custard.
All have a good day and stay cool. Lee
Good morning everyone. Had a busy day yesterday. My son and his daughter came up from Adelaide to spend a few days with me. Such beautiful gardens. I have never seen nor heard of green lavender Jean. I love to walk past the lavenders and rosemarys. The smell is wonderful. The geraniums put on a great show don't they? I have just procured a succulent pelagonium. It only has a small whitish flower. Will send a pic when it gets big enough. My pic today is of my grape abour with my cacti potting bench underneath. The grape is very similar to a sultana but black and really crunchy. I dont know the name. If anyone is interested, there is a section in the cacti and succulent sight that might give you a bit of a laugh. It's called something like, craziest and stupidest things that have happened with cacti. I'm sure that you'll get a laugh. Well had better go for now catch you all later. Colleen
G'Day All
77Sunset when you said you had soaked the Cootamundra seed I assume it is the Cootamundra Wattle. Do you poor boiling water over them then leave them soak over night? That is the method I mostly used on all Acacias but if in a hurry to plant I would hold the seed with a pair of tweezers and wipe quickly across a hotplate on the stove. A question for you all. Why a pair of tweezers and not a Tweezer? Since it is a pair what actually is a tweezer?
Re fruit in the Tea Room why not have some there so the ones who eat too much sweet stuff can have a piece of fruit before the cake?
Photo is some new apricots we were testing. Because I don't like wasting good fruit when tasting the new varieties I would eat upto 50 a day. As you can see the birds like to help.
Regards Brian
This message was edited Jan 2, 2009 7:38 PM
Hi All,
Yes, Jean, fruit sounds good, don't want to have to buy more clothes!!LOL!!!
After a cold night here, Mya, I'm pleased to say we are in for a hot, sunny day.
Buy the way, I haven't forgotton to post to those that wanted to try my "Parrots". The line at the PO has been out the door, hopefully this week?
I'm busy now gathering up things for the Market tomorrow, so will catch up later.
Here is a pic of my Plum tree, full of beautiful fruit~Yellow in the middle, Santarosa?
Have a day day all,
Helen
Sorry, That was meant to be, Have a Great day all. I'll blame the kitten on my knee, Hahaha! The wind has blown the plums off the top of the tree, but still a lot left on...
H
Back inside for lunch. I remembered the time today.
Lee , the seeds are of the Cootamundra wattle. one of our loveliest ones.
yes, Stake , I did pour boiling water over the seeds and am going to plant when I finish on here. I was going to burn them but used Chrissy's suggestion instead.
I no longer have a stove. . When the element went, it was not worth the money to fix it as I do all our cooking either in the microwave or with the George Foreman appliances. I have the large griller and the large roaster. this covers all our needs and uses less power too.
I will add that it is also a lot healthier as all fat runs off. I even did our Christmas turkey in the roaster. All our vegies are steamed in the microwave. How did we live before modern appliances ?
i will try and save fruit from the birds to put in the Tea Room but anyone with any spare can leave it on the table. to share. I do love my fruit but it is becoming very dear to buy and I am afraid we are past the stage of waiting for new trees to fruit . The birds would get in first anyway. I love bananas but I don't think they would like it here though. That's if one could buy any plants. I have never seen any on sale and on eBay the price forthe few I did see was amazing.
I know there are some growing around Melbourne as a neighbor of my aunt had one for as long as I can remember.
Better get out and plant these seeds . The day did warm up but the sun has gone. At least the wind has gone too.
Have a great rest of the day.
The latest Daylily.
Jean.
A bit late but it's the weekend ...family etc
I thought you all may be interested in what I heard on the gardening program this morning re white fly ...@#$%^& ...plant these! I googled after hearing and found this!
http://seedsofknowledge.com/nasturtiums.html
How good does that sound? I remember growing lots when I first came here because there was no garden and I wanted bright cheery things straight away ...I don't recall seeing white fly around here for many years ...my jungle grew up so much I forgot to grow nasturtiums any more and heaps of white fly now hang around ...so for a couple of dollars I am racing out to buy me some lovely nasturtiums ...look at all the wonderful things you can do with them.
Jean jumping up and down with hand up re honesty seeds ...I like to use the pods for dried flower arrangements ...so please put some aside when you harvest them.
Re the callas I sent you ...they are a dwarf variety from Africa and grow no higher than about a 12" ...mine tend to flower at about 10"
I think maybe these are best in a pot or they will be overgrown.
If anyone has watched Vasilis garden ...a melbourne show that shows you unbelieveable food production in average back yards, much of it tropical in requirements.
http://www.sbs.com.au/food/show/vasilis-garden
sorry that isn't the right place I will post later ...
You will see that given the right conditions we can grow lots of things out of their comfort zone ...I emailed the garden clinic this morning to ask about my late flowering frangipanni ...they broadcast my query and said that I am in a cool area ...ha ha ha I wonder what they would make of my "tropical" area. A few fences and lots of brickwork as a heat bank and there you have a jungle.
Colleen remember the song ...
lavenders blue dilly dilly ...lavenders green ...when I am king dilly dilly you will be queen
When I had a cottage garden I had pink,white, green, blue and lavender lavenders ...also the lovely "cotton lavender" all from a place called Honeysuckle cottage
http://www.honeysuckle-cottage.com.au/ ...these days I have ...Jungle!
Have a lovely evening everyone
chrissy
This message was edited Jan 3, 2009 5:54 PM
oops forgot this is for Brian ...
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/31530/
and anyone who has not heard of the Rangoon Creeper
Also for Brian and Steve and all the cacti lovers this was the garden on gardening Australia tonight ...yikes I saw how big mine can grow !!!!!
Great Garden but you would not want one to fall on you.
http://www.cactuscountry.com.au/
This message was edited Jan 3, 2009 5:44 PM
Chrissy, I will save you some seeds. They are just drying off now and some of the seed pods are a lovely pinky color. Probably due to the cold we have had.
I remember that song about the lavender .
Colleen , I had not seen green lavender either but we were out one day in the bush and there was a deserted house there. Well , I had to look didn't I ?
The lavender was thriving with no water so I relocated a part of the plant. I now have 3 and they do grow larger than the usual ones. I did read that it was the original one that a lot of modern ones came from. It is pretty in the garden.
i did move one once as it grew quite large ( about 1m tall x 1 1/2 m wide.) After I moved it a small one came up from a bit of root i must have left. That's the one in the photo.
Chrissy when I said small, I meant that your Zantes were not as high as the others but they are at least 18" at the moment and still growing. I have them in a large pot in the fern house.
i looked at that link to the cacti. I can see the dust from Stake running off to bring them all home. aren't they just great ?
Makes one want to start a cacti garden but I don;t have any room . I always avoid those giant ones as like you, I think they may fall on one.
Better get off and let hubby have his turn. I am going out to say goodnight to the angels.
Jean.
Hello all, am up because the cat that usually sleep in Owen's room woke me at my door. Owen for what ever reason had put him out. I was too annoyed and just got up.
Jean thanks for clarifying. I'll look up the plant. Was looking so forward, this Spring at planting a Tecoma stans, but the head horticulturist at Mississippi State University said it would be a futile undertaking because of our cool, damp Falls and Winters. Don't we usually want the plants we can't grow? Oh well, will just give me a chance in searching the plant catalogues for others. Don't know what yet but will con't to look. Will be ordering a couple of Dwarf Poincianas, which I'm told, should bloom before Fall arrives if not earlier. The plumeria, too, I'm told, is sometime a reluctant bloomer in this growing zone, so I think that's off my list much to my disappointment. Will just stick with the Cestrum nocturnum for it's glorious night fragrance and a couple allamandas and a couple mandevillas. Have ordered my trachymene seeds.
I just realized I'm in the Tea Room. Not awake yet. All take care and stay cool. Lee
Happy New Year everyone!
I'm still here..just had a very slow computer connection before New Year and have been shifting the goods and chattels of first born who has moved out and on! Today is their first day in the new house...an hour and twenty minutes down the highway so we hired a big truck for the move and had a convoy of vehicles. Even though she often spent time away, this time is different. She's gone and will be married soon. Jean..Colleen..Chrissy...you have been through this! The beginning of the empty nest! I've been so busy with them over the last twenty years that it's going to take time to adjust! Who do I watch the chick flicks with? The boys will watch the bleeding and maiming shows..
I potted up some of the hibiscus and one is flowering..the deep hot pink one. I must get some photos to post.
Thank you for the D mail, Helen. Now that we are back to speed again, I will be able to reply. It was timing out before I could do anything.
What a cheerful happy lot you are. I feel privileged to eavesdrop on your conversations. Lee, it sounds wonderful where you live. Steve, your upbeat anecdotes about Sussex Inlet are entertaining. We haven't even had a chance to get to Caloundra..it's the other direction to where the fledglings moved. We have to collect a washing machine from there..we stored it for them as it was going to be tossed (when his parents moved) as the potential buyer didn't turn up to collect and they had to be out of the old house..2 yr old FP so we stashed it up there.
Marleneann and Brical, I hope you got some good rain today..it was so heavy that visibilty on the highway was very poor. Those of you freezing down south, I hope you get some of our excess warmth! Sammut, I love your pictures. Cheers all, Kat
Hello Kat and all, Thanks for saying it's a wonderful place to live. I suppose, I really can't think of living anywhere else except in the Summers when it gets so hot and humid. Too, we do have tornadoes to contend with. During Summers, I often think of how nice it would be to have a little cottage on the coast of Maine. For some reason, I think it would be cooler there. I think, if it weren't for the humidity, it would be more tolerable. Even people who have very straight hair, as I do, can expect some curl or at least frizz when it gets so hot/humid. August is the hottest time for us with temps often 100F(38C) with humidity levels 60-75%. It's like being in a sauna. I suppose that's why people say we Southerners walk about so slowly. Of course we do, lest we faint and die from the heat and humidity. If it weren't for air conditioning, I'd have to move to the Arctic.
Now, though, I can't really complain about the temps as for now, it's 56F(13C) but is to cool back down after the rain is over in a couple days.
All take care. Lee
Hi Chrissy,
I can get some Nasturtium seeds from Sussex Inlet. When we pulled down the dead tree with the climber all over it, as soon as the light returned to the ground, up they came. Interestingly so too did tomatoes and guess what? No white fly. I have attached a pic. Hard to see but there are a couple of plants in the front. This is the start of the native garden but it won't be strictly native.
Isn't the internet a great learning tool! I was painting a wall in the house last week and the colour is called 'Prickly Pear'. As you know when you are painting walls you have a lot of thinking time. I began to wonder how Prickly Pear was spread. Half an hour reading this morning and I now know.
Supposed to be 35 degrees today. Might be beach day.
Cheers
Steve
Just heard on the news of a large earthquake hitting the Papua/Indonesia area with possible tsunami warnings issued. How are all of you in Australia/NZ? Lee
Good morning all.
It is a good morning so far. The sun is out but it is a little cool as yet. supposed to get very warm.
I am going to tackle the begonia house today. It was the first structure we put up. Originally for the orchids , when they decided to sulk, I planted some cane begonias and a couple of ferns, they love it there. I have the Dracunculus in there too . Now that I have taken the tree fern down to the fern house, there is room to move. This shadehouse is only 10' x 7', so is nowhere near as big as the others.
I am going to rearrange the begonias and move the Dracunculus to give it more room to move.
I have some other Aroids in there in pots, plus a Hoya and a Monsteria that I grew from a peice of stem. In the corner is my large Dendrobium delicatum that has to come out. It can go and live in one of the greenhouses, I think.
Chrissy, I have nasturtium seeds everywhere. I just leave them where they fall so there are 100s. The old fashioned rambling one in orange and yellow
I can give you some in with your Honesty seeds. My nasturtiums grow all over the bottom end of the paddock garden and under the willow tree where nothing much else does. They cover a very large area and even when they die off, I leave the plants there to mulch the ground.
Hello Colleen and Helen,
Kat , I was different to you when my girls left home.We were still in Geraldton, WA. One left to live in Perth to go to school and she lived with a lovely lady there. One moved in with friends to share a house and the youngest moved in with boyfriend , now husband . I was glad of the peace and quiet.
I never watched. 'chick flicks' . I was more likely to be found watching things like 'Chainsaw Massacre' with my sons. They are most like me in their tastes of movies.
I haven't changed my tastes much since then either, although, Sci Fi is my first choice.
Hello Steve,, nice to know you are getting your education on the nasty plants. We learnt at school all about the 'helpful' plants imported here. It looks like a nice area for your new garden.
Hello Lee, you sound like you are going to have a very busy spring planting all those plants. It will be a colorful yard.
Marleneann, I like your Stingray plant, aptly named.
No, you cannot be banned from the Tea Room. I like to see all your faces in here. You can eat all the cake you want. My cakes will not make you fat, I promise.
Lesley. where are you ? Noone is cleaning up the crumbs. I actually had a piece of cake leftover..
Hello Dalfyre and Mya. .
I think Stake is out chasing down those lovely cacti from the link Chrissy put up.
Better put some food out , I hear knocking, Probably Kat looking for breakfast.
Have a happy day. Enjoy this and don't say, I haven't given you fruit.
Blackberry Rhubarb Crisp.
Jean.
Good morning everyone.
I love all the fruit pictures. I wish we could grow stone fruit here. We had a peach tree outside the kitchen (highset) when we were little so we were at blossom level and it was heaven when spring came..but the flies infested the fruit. I would love to grow one for the flowers but it is only such a short time and we live in a flying fox flight path as it is. I have loquat trees and heaps of loquat seedlings so if anyone wants one of those, it can be arranged!! Last year (ha..it was only in August!) I bought 2 x Lots'a'Lemons and put them in big self watering pots and, even though I bought the smaller specimens from Bunnings, I was cunning enough to buy the ones that were getting too big and were being replanted into bigger pots for sale at twice the price. I took them home and did it myself. They now have heaps of fruit on them so I am impressed. has anyone tried any of those friut salad tree combinations. I suppose as most of you live on such extensive estates, you just grow the whole tree. See there are things we can't grow here..daffodils and tulips are one use only so I don't bother..stone fruits are no good though I do have one of those thornless blackberries in a pot..it is still alive but not doing a lot.
I noticed Chrissy posted something about the rangoon creeper..quisqualis..it is now in flower here so I should get some photos. The scent is heavenly..as well as the honeysuckle!..and the cecil brunner roses! mmmm!
I was talking with the brother of our late neighbour..the good side..a rellie is living there but the brother must be the exec..anyway..as the side of the gully is so steep and the turkeys are really ravaging it, he is going to plant big clumping bamboo down there so stabilise it all. I must post some photos of the footbridge across. It really is hard to believe that you are so close to the CBD when you are down there. It is even cooler! The gully goes down to the river and is marked on maps as a road but is nothing like that. A lot of it is part of backyards and the last bit is just green space. It is a privilege to own part of it, even if we do have the turkeys. We did have an echidna and used to have bandicoots..and, of course, the snakes! So, we have a lot of our block so steep that you have to slither down using vines and, of course, the trees shade most of our yard except for the clothesline area and now the little patch near "the fence". The man on that side had a bit of the gully and has destroyed his by retaining and filling it in and creating a steep drop..and it is flat with grass and has his water tanks etc..his irrigation and draining pipes are chucked over the edge at our corner and have eroded part of the steep bank under our back corner. A few big trees fell in as the soil was washed away from them..enormous bunya pine went..but that made him happy as he had more sun. Why do people who hate trees buy in places like this? Anyway..off my soapbox for today. Have a wonderful gardening day. Cheers and ciao, Kat
This message was edited Jan 3, 2009 5:53 PM
sorry . Here's the pink statice.
G'Day
Katciao do you know that there are low chill Peaches and Nectarines available that will fruit quite well in your area and if you plant the early maturing ones you can get one jump up on the Fruit Flies.
If you need help with varieties give Birdwood Nurseries at Nambour a ring.
Some Peaches for the Tea Room.
Regards
I agree with you Kat.
People bought the house behind us and began immediately complaining about the Camphor.
The previous people hated it and when we replaced the fence he actually said to me 'ha ha now it has to come down' (there are actually 2 and the smaller one is on the fence line). They also bought with the trees already there. I told him that the fence is going to skew off line and that there is no way I would cut down a mature tree for a fence. They conceded but then cut everything off that extended over the fence.
Anyway I got on to ask everyone if $70 was a good price for a potted 3m Kalamata Olive? I'm guessing yes. What's your advice?
Cheers
Steve
G'Day Budgieman
If the Kalamata olive is nice and bushy at that height $70 is probably a fair price because it is possibly 5 or more years old. However if it is a spindly thing it needs topping to about a metre and is far too dear. Also the size of pot makes a difference? you need to assess if it is growing nicely or is it root bound and in need of a bigger pot.
Regards
Hey Stake,
Over 2.5m above the graft. Grown as a mop top.
This guy is a Greek Aussie. He's grafting these as a hobby but can't sell them to nurseries unless he labels them. That's how we got talking as he asked me if I could print some labels and how much. The pots are about 14in and recently potted up. Maybe it might be a good swap. Labels for olive.
They are growing nicely and some have olives on them.
Cheers
G'Day
Budgieman Mind out with the labels, if you print with an Inkjet as soon as the label gets wet the ink runs. There are special waterproof Nursery label printers available at about $4000 each. I used an old Commodore 64 computer and a dot matrix printer for about 20 years and printed on "Ty-Tag" labels. Some of our labels would be hand written using the above labels and an "Artline 250" Black pen, They are the only pen that I tried that was waterproof, others claim to be but aren't even the "Artline 250" Blue fails. Those pens work well on plastic labels too that's what I use for my plants and seeds. Nuther puzzle for you at the "Whats Flowering"
Regards
what an interesting & varied lot we are...
I love that about this eclectic group - but we do have a love of growing things in common.
I spent some time today digging up narcissus bulbs or at least I think that is what they are...
they are pushing the block wall out of line & just getting too much for a narrow raised bed.
Besides I want more room for roses.
So what to do with a heap of bulbs?
I replanted a few where I won't mind them being messy after flowering.
I have a supermarket bag full of left overs.
I am taking them to work tomorrow to see if anyone wants them.
Otherwise into the skip they go.
How ruthless I am becoming, and shockingly wasteful.
One upon a time I wouldn't rest until every bulb had a nice new home somewhere in my garden.
While I was at it I trimmed some of the herbs that were getting a bit straggly.
I have been busy planting the off cuts of Golden Marjoram & Silver thyme as ground cover/accent plants.
They are just so pretty.
I have Pizza thyme, Orange thyme & Hot & Spicy oreganum as well as common thyme, parsley, purple & common sage & a prostrate rosemary.
I love herbs & have a wish list of lengthy proportions top of which is proper English lavender.
I have French lavender that I like but it is not the same.
Of course I have no idea where I would put any new herbs...
garden is filling up despite my ruthless thinning & pruning.
I am starting to look at the back yard & wondering if I can re do the expensive & ultimately unsatisfactory landscaping out there.
Plenty of space as half the plants died within a year.
It was meant to be low maintenance native plantings...
but really it has just turned out a bit dreary.
No rules saying I can't mix & match.
I need a plan before I start though, don't want to mess about shifting things later.
Oh hang on - who am I kidding - rearranging the garden is all part of the fun!
cheers - Teresa
Hey Stake
My business is printing. We recently bought a printer that uses pigment inks on any stock. We have a synthetic stock we just used for boat fuel tanks. I am thinking the tags only need last until sold because most people take them off and put them away. I reckon I might be able to do a good enough job to swap for one of the trees. Back to work tomorrow. Yuk!
Steve
G'Day Budgieman, If you don't know how to print labels then no one will.
If I were you I would try for two trees for the labels one because I doubt that a Nursery would pay $70 for an Olive tree it is more likely they will pay half that and retail at $70. Trees produced for the commercial growers, while not that tall, sell for around $10 to $15. The second reason is that if you want the tree for fruiting you will get better results with a pollinator, which needs to be a different variety. For Kalamata any of these will do Frantoio, Koroneiki or Barnea. I think the easiest to get would be Frantoio and I think Barnea is a patented variety and may not be available for home gardens. Sound the bloke out he probably has the pollinators unless he is just there for a quick quid.
Some more 'cots for the tea room. Don't eat too many if you're not used to them or you'll get a bellyache.
Regards
That olive will save you a few growing years Steve well done ...I have one huge olive tree and one that is about 8 years old. Don't drown them and they like a little chill in winter ...a sprinkle of Lime (only a light dusting) some chook pellets and a bit of blood and bone is all they need. I love olives and cure my own ...I like to let them ripen until black.
Kat as Brian says there is a lot of work being done with low chill peaches
http://www.burchellnursery.com/sections/fruit_trees/peaches/lowchillpeaches
What variety you may be able to get here in Australia I am not sure ...good luck with that. I love my stone fruit.
Herbs are a passion of mine too ...I once had a huge collection of scented geraniums ...everything you could imagine but that was in my cottage garden in the 80's.
I have a very special hibiscus that I am wanting to strike because I have had it for over 30 years and haven't seen it anywhere for sale in years ...so I looked this up ...after reading about the propagating go to the galleries for a special treat ^_^
http://www.hibiscusworld.com/graft/prop1.htm
See you tomorrow ...
chrissy
Hi everyone, it is nice to see that everyone has recovered from their New Year celebrations and are back doing the things they like doing best.. The weather here has been very hot and exhausting, but last night we had a nice drop of rain, of course it was ver humid today
after that.. I have done a few potting jobs that have been waiting some time. When plants start flowering in the nursery bags when they are long past their repotting date I tend to start feeling a bit guilty and then have to persuade myself to get on with it...Yesterday I spent all day weilding the spade to clear some horrible weeds infesting my driveway. I had tried spraying them and it only partially worked.. Was
absolutely wiped out after that. Only had enough energy left to take a few photos.. Of my flowering Angel...
I have had 4 plums off my yellow plum, tree. That was more than enough I still think they are Yuk totally tasteless. The birds have had the rest, not many as I had the top taken off the tree. Has anyone got some easy ideas for keeping the tree at its present height that I can manage. The only idea I have is to get up a ladder and cut all the new growth back by 2/3rd's. Me and ladders are a thing of the past but
I don't want it getting out of hand again. n Also it's too hard to clean up all the plums the birds send to the ground... Brian you must have some good ideas, please.. For a decrepit not too old bird, that used to cut scrub in her day and now can't even lift a slasher or an axe
or even start a chainsaw..
Sue nice stapelia flower, One of my new ones has about 10 buds on it and a few of the others look to be making a start.. Is there something I can give them to toughen up the growth a bit because the softer ones break apart too easily..
FRangi babies are getting their second set of true leaves so I suppose I will have to start getting them potted up.. Only 6 Adenium seeds have come up so I'm not going to expect anymore. The new Adenium plant I bought is getting 2 new growths where the person chopped off the top and some new branch shoots at the top of the caudex which is interesting as I can't see where any have been removed before
so this is new for this plant.. I must be doing something right.. It is quite nice to be growing something that I haven't a clue about as everything they do is a nice surprise..and I really do have to look after them....
Keep to the shade.. I did read all the posts, very interesting too. What is the donut like to peel, the rest look yummy..
Lesley
G'Day Awchid
I think the Donut would peel easily but I haven't tried I scoff them skin and all. I do with all the soft fruit I reckon they taste better and of course I can eat more in a given time if I don't have to stop to peel them. Some of the real fuzzy peaches need a bit of a rub or wash but I still leave the skin on. Do you know the name of your plum? Perhaps you are eating them before they are ripe. Although if it is a Narrabeen it will be fairly bland. Why don't you try budding or grafting a better variety onto it or several for that matter. I like plums when you can put the whole fruit in your mouth and squeeze the stone out between your teeth, when you can do that they are fully ripe. Other than blood plums they are meatier and need a bit of chewing.
The best way to keep the size down is Summer pruning or what might suit you better turn the tree into an Espalier. If you can select two limbs now that can be bent down and tied to a fence or trellis that will be the start then next Winter you remove the upright branches and let the trellised ones do the growing. You will have to keep the centre shoots under control by either removal or topping. If I remember I'll take a photo of my nectarine tomorrow so you can get an idea of what to do although it would have been better to have a photo from Winter. If you want to keep the tree as is long handled secateurs, and electric chain saws are available at a reasonable cost.
Regards
Thanks Brian, You have come up with the same good ideas that I would have had , The tree is about 40yrs old and is smack in the middle of my little back lawn. it is a nice shade tree, is good for hanging my plants from and is good for putting plants under in their pots.. The fruit is ripe when the skin and flesh is yellow and is Very juicy. there is a red fleshed and red skin version the same but the red has a nicer flavour this is almost nice but rather too bland. I have been told it makes nice apricot jam by the neighbor, I guess bthe colour would be right.. I think summer pruning is the way to go as the growth will be soft enough to use secateurs.. I only have good use of my left arm and
both wrists are shot and right shoulder is a tin one, well actually titanium but it still don't work.. Your idea of grafting on to it is a good one
I have a George Wilson plum that I love and it is sitting in a black rubbish bag trying not to die, I had no where to put it so was going to get shot of it. Reluctantly. Now I think I will find somewhere that I could peg it down, and find a nice one to graft onto the yellow one..
Thanx You were a real help..
I had a huge plum tree out the back, only the dogs loved it.
The plums were very bland but they would gobble up all the fallen fruit then stand on hind legs & eat everything they could reach.
I even found Copper 6 ft off the ground having climbed the lower branches like a ladder.
Wish I had known to take my camera out with me, I cut the branches off to stop him doing it again as I was worried he would fall.
I had the tree cut down - what a difference that has made to how much sunlight reaches the rest of the my garden - and next door's.
There is still one plum tree, the fruit stays green for a long time & then is purple with lime green flesh which goes yellow once it is fully ripe.
The dogs don't wait that long.
Copper has already stripped all the low fruit - he likes crunchy green plums!
The taste is very tart & would probably make fabulous plum sauce.
Between dogs & birds I don't see much of it.
I would love to espalier the tree as it is hard up against the fence.
Why do people plant things so close?!
One of these days I will get the men with chainsaws onto it.
Good morning everyone. I am late putting out the yummies as I had to stop and read all the posts. isn't it great that one has to read so many. I love to hear all about the different gardens with their problems and solutions. So much help given by everyone. I have already been over and moved the Tea Room back to the road , but had to come here and put up the signpost.
I do envy all of you with lots of fruit trees. i am past the stage of growing new ones as I don't want to wait years for any fruit. Hubby planted a lot here when he bought the place . Being a non garden type and not having me around then, the tree situation was very haphazard. He planted what he thought he would like and what he was given by a seller who saw him coming. We have a fenceline of the worst gum trees you would want. Always branches falling over and leaving huge spiky seed pods to break your ankles on. There were also wattles , but not the soft pretty ones. These were in a competition to see how high they could grow without falling down. Thank goodness we were able to have them cut down finally. There are still a lot of various eucalypts that haunt me everytime I look at them. i would like to chainsaw them all off at the bottom , but am way past that age now. I have to bear with them.
The fruit trees were anther disaster. Hubby likes apples and planted 7 of them I have not had one apple from the trees. One was grown from a seed and never fruited, one was some sort of unknown thing which tasted awful, two succumbed to some sort of disease and one just died ( could have been the Roundup I spilled on it, ha ha )
The Granny Smith is still here but never comes to anything and the last was supposed to be a triple grafted but I have only ever seen the Golden delicious part have fruit. The birds eat them as fast as they grow.
We do have a blood plum that is very tasty. I do manage a feed before the birds. There is a peach that has improved over the last few years. I beat the birds to those too. It was a pitiful tree at first but has tripled in size now.
Nectarines are no problem. There was a big old tree here and I have planted several self sown ones from it. They are as big as the parent now and full of fruit. The birds don't touch them at all until the very last and by then I have had enough. We also have the grapes which just go to feed the birds. They are not really good ones anyway. they make a nice green shady area though.
Today will be warm hopefully, after the fog lifts. I am going to plant out a few small seedlings and then relax and contemplate . Better put out something nice. You will notice that i put the wrong number up on the Tea Room sign, but put it down to a granny moment.
I didn't see Lesley or Marleneann out there. They must be off doing important things. kat will be wandering around the jungle and I hope she hasn't slid down that steep gully.
Enjoy these. Bread Pudding muffins
Happy gardening all.
Jean.
Oh goody I am glad we are moving again ...it's getting to be too hot to sit in this crowded area ...you will need a two storey tea room soon. I agree with you Jean I don't grow things from seed the way I used to because I have to stop and wonder whether I will ever see it bloom or fruit (says she who just popped in another ...avacado seed ...awe shucks I can't resist those nice big seeds) ...see you over at the new tea house!