TEA ROOM # 24

My goodness, nearly a week into the New Year. I had to move us along again as i cannot do those long walks too often. Maybe a couple of mopeds at the corner for everyone to borrow ?
It is foggy here this morning which should mean a nice day. Yesterday was hot . It was not as hot as it gets in the summer , but I think with so much cold , when it gets warm , it feels twice as hot. The old bod cannot cope as quickly with the changes.
I spent the day getting rid of untidy plants and going mad with the new hedge clippers. Great fun. Cut, cut here . cut ,cut there. The plants see me coming and duck now. I can go along the pathways and just chop my way along. I must admit they were getting a bit overgrown. I like overgrown but not too much.
I also spent a great part of the day doing the begonia house up. I could not get in easily so moved a few things.
My large dendrobium has finally gone outside near the green house. It can chat with the Angels there.
I moved a few begonias and added some rocks . It now looks less like a snake paradise. Today , I will clean up the mess I made chopping madly. i usually take all the bits down the back and scatter around where I can't see them. It amazing what grows down there from the bits.. There is a nice patch of succulent s growing happily with no water there. Lots of marigolds and Honesty too.
I have a space from the removal of a large wallflower. I will plant one of my seedling white Brooms there. Should look good.
Hello to all and I had better get over and put up the sign post in case anyone gets lost . Have a great day Jean.

Nearly forgot to say hello to Chrissy, Steve, Stake, Colleen and Teresa. I'm sure I missed a couple but hello to all.
The sun is trying to come out here now so I am off out to see what mischief I can get up to .
Happy day all. Jean.

Good morning everyone. Beautiful morning here but I think it will warm up later. Hope it's not as hot as yesterday. 40c. The christmas tree is packed away for another year. It sounds like everyone has been madly cutting back and tidying up. Lots of cuttings. I must get out and deadhead the roses again. The white brooms are lovely aren't they,Jean. I also have a yellow, and red and orange one. The latter is faring too well though. needs more water I think. My pic today is my Jolly Bee geranium. Well will catch you later. Colleen

What lovely geraniums!
I must hack mine back this morning ...such giving plants aren't they.
Hubby just copped the first wasp stings reaching into the letterbox ...I poured vinegar over it straight away.They chased me away from under my olive tree last night as I watered ...never mind the red bellied blacks those darned wasps are a menace! I wait until dark and deal with them but sometimes you can't reach the nest.
They have warned us again this morning re funnel webs.
It's going to be a stinker today they have just told us it will get up near 40C even though the forcast was only for 33C ...uh oh ...Sydney is always a few degrees cooler than us ...the last time it was 45C I thought I would kick the bucket! everything burn't off ...so wish me luck because I will need it ...45 is not fit for man nor beast (or plants). I have hand watered everything this morning but it really does not do too much if it gets that hot ...last time I lost the chokos ...even the boges were burn't.
Can you tell that I am grumpy already? ha ha ha I am off to hide until it passes! see you later when the grumps go away.
Have a wonderful day.
Even though it's monday and for many it is back to school and work.
chrissy

G'Day All
Dalfyre that plum tree of yours lends itself ideally to Espalier. You could run two wires along the fence about 2ft apart and select two branches on each side, the branches are already there low down, bend them over and tie to the wire. The legs of old panty hose make good soft tying material. You could also shorten the top of the tree back a bit to encourage growth in the lower limbs, right back to the top of the fence if you feel that way inclined. The branches could be anchored to the fence but I assume you or the neighbour might not like that.
Regards Brian

Photo of my semi Espalier "Goldmine" nectarine, it is 20 ft across and loaded with fruit that is just starting to ripen. Most of the width is made up of vertical growth from the horizontal Espalier limbs, only one on each side at this stage and the upright part of the tree will be shortened back even further this Winter.
Regards

What happened to Tea Room 23?

Did I oversleep?

Hello everyone!

Hi Marlenanne no Jean was distracted and missed one ...you are in the right place ...
How hot is it down your way? ...it's a stinker here.
I think I had better put those garlic seeds in today as they are tropical. I hate to tell you this Marleneanne but those seeds I planted (Datura) ...I thought they were up but it was poke weed with exactly the same purple stems ...after the true leaves appeared I waited because they did not look right ...and lo and behold poke weed.
So either the seeds are still there or they maybe the wrong seed ...are yours up? if so can I see what they look like?
happy gardening

I have a nectarine in a pot waiting to go somewhere perhaps I could grow it specifically to espaliar..Just thinking out loud ,letting the fingers do the talking...
Good day to all of you, its nice to come in to some shade, there is a bit of a cool wind today, thank goodness.. Colleen that geranium is a very pretty blue.
Must go and do something constructive,, I have just ordered some new plants from my favourite nursery so I hope they are avalible.
Fingers crossed. Will be back later for a cuppa with you all.
Lesley

Hello Colleen, Brian, Lesley, Chrissy and Marleneann.
i knew you were lurking out there Lesley, I saw your lovely photos on the other thread. Marleneann, have you been in the kitchen ?There are cake crumbs on the bench.
Chrissy, I have garlic laid on here. Hubby planted some years before we met and the darn stuff just keeps growing no matter what I do. He likes it but I am allergic to it. Can't stand the smell either . I pull plants out, use Roundup, but they grow. I threw a large pile of plants down the corner of the orchard garden hoping they would gracefully fade away. Now there's another garlic patch. I kid you not, it is growing on top of the ground. Cockroach plant.
Pretty geranium Colleen.
It is a lovely day here now. The fog has gone but it has not turned to hot. the breeze is very nice. Sorry Chrissy, you can keep your heat. We will get it eventually. I see us in the future , having summer in July and a white Christmas.
Better go and enjoy the sun. Happy gardening The latest daylily
Jean

Blushing ...I mean't to say garlic vine seed ...
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/155450/
I was lucky enough to get some off Judy and because the weather has been boiling hot one minute and cool the next I was nervous about planting them ...but I have done that now because it needs to grow a bit before it gets cold.

Chrissy... I think the double yellow Datura were old seeds. I only have one come up.
I will take a picture of it. The double purple Datura all came up and are doing well.

I need an answer to a question from our knowledgeable gardeners. My neighbor has a very healthy looking Nelly Kelly passionfruit growing on her fence. When I minded her garden last year it was loaded with fruit. I asked her how they tasted and she said they all just fell off. When I saw them they were quite large and still green.
This season there are lots of flowers that die and fall off without fruiting.
I have seen these grow with no other in the vicinity for any cross pollination I have two to plant out and am wondering what I could do to encourage growth and fruiting for mine .
I told her I would ask on here as there is no problem too hard for all of you. Can anyone help.
Jean.

Hello all, I'm not having tea but am having coffee. Is that allowed? It's only 1:35am here and I'd still be asleep but about an hour ago, I heard Owen fussing with a cat about his not going out in order for the cat's sister who lives outside to come up and eat. She won't whilst here brother is out because he fights her. I do wish I could use the language here that I used with Owen for having awakened me. GRRRRRR!
The nectarines, hydrangeas(?), daylilies, and geraniums look so good. The first makes me hungry, the others make me want to dig in the dirt. We have wild geraniums all over the yard and for people who have a manicured lawn, it would make them very unhappy but for me I think of them as ways of helping the bumblebees, butterflies, and even the hummingbirds out by provideing them plants that produce a little nectar. So, I don't mow them down.
On another thread, I saw the discussion about dill and fennel and as I was telling someone, Jean perhaps, that I grow dill along the fennel for the Eastern Swallowtail Butterfly to use to lay their eggs as both are larval food sources.
Will run and see if I can wake Owen, should he be sleeping in the recliner.LOL but serious. Lee

Hey Jean, regarding you passion fruit, I don't know about Ned Kelly, but our native passionflower( Passiflora incarnata) can fruit without any others nearby and produce fruit. I've tasted the fruit but it's bland, so I just pick them off and throw them down in the woods where new stands grow. I grow them mainly for our native Gulf Fritillaries, as I have sad before.
I hear an owl that is just outside the window here of the orchid/computer room. Lee

Chrissy...here is the picture.
The one small seedling is about three inch. The others are about five inch.

Hello Marleneann, how have you been?

Hi everyone ...Marleneanne that looks exactly like mine but it is a dead set ringer for poke weed seedlings that are popping up ...could you tell me if the stem is hard or soft ...they still may be the ones ...I haven't pulled them out because they are exactly where I planted the datura ...guess I will leave them a bit longer. Thankyou for the pic I will post one of mine tomorrow.
Jean those passionfruit are self ... fertile it depends on two things humidity and bees ...ummm three things if you count an artists brush in the morning while it's foggy (hint).
Lee that passionfruit is not for eating and is used as a triffid rootstock for the "proper passionfruit" that is why Americans don't like passionfruit ...they chomp on the pretty ones. Go to the supermarket and buy an old shrivelled purple one ...put it somewhere to dry out and when summer comes plant those seeds.

Thanks chrissy. Haven't had any proper passionfruit in years and they don't stock any in this immediate area. Wal-Mart might have some at certain times. Will take your advice. Don't know how hardy it will be though in my climate zone. I do like the proper passionfruit, along with papayas, mangoes, persimmons.
Lee

ok here's a question,
why is the hydrangea I gave a liberal helping of hydrangea blue to flowering red & the one that had a good dose of wood ash from the log burner a purple/blue shade?
Are my plants contrary...yes they are!

the red one is grown from a cutting of this purple one...

Hello Lee!
Getting ready for more visitors so I am just about visited out. *G*

My garden is in need of a good lot of rain. It was to have rained last week but it fizzled out.
Owen sounds a lot like Fred.*With the sleeping in the recliner*
What is the area of your garden Lee?

Well Marleneann, it's over about an acre with pockets here and pockets there. Nothing formal, as it wouldn't suit either of us. Owen owns 5 acres but only the one acre is taken care of. the other 4 are 'left to nature'
I do wish I could send you some of this rain. It's been raining off and on for 3-4 days. It's suppose to move on today then turn cold.
The area that we don't maintain is a wood area that is a mix of hard/softwood. Beeches, oaks, junipers, pines, ilex, and a mulberry that I'd love to have removed but the birds love the fruit and seem to eat so much and I guess it ferments in their crops that they fall out of the tree and act drunk. I've saved I don't know how many from the clutches of the cats. I bring them in, put them in a box small enough that they can't flap about and hurt themselves, and when they get better/sober up(?), I release them. Strange that. It's especially the Blue Jays and the Brown-headed Cowbirds that do it. I'm looking at the box now and it has a wash cloth in there.
Let's you and I move in together and leave Fred and Owen to their own devices. Owen can look like a corpse lying there. My bed when I get up looks like an elephant was running about on it but Owen's bed lines are hardly even messed up. Don't know how people sleep and not move much.
Take care, Lee

G'Day
Dalfyre I think your Hydrangea puzzle might be caused by their roots not being where you think they are. Try treating the ground around one plant and see if the other responds.
I knew of a bed of Hydrangeas that the middle of the bed was pink and the edges blue. Our soils are alkaline so they should all have been pink. The edges of the bed were formed from old galvanised iron and as it rusted it turned the soil close to it slightly acid and the plants next to the edge were getting the nutrients released by the slightly acid soil.
77Sunset, two of the most common causes of passionfruit not cropping is lack of pollinisation, which usually means lousy weather and lack of bees at the crucial time. Even self fertile plants need to have the pollen distributed. Or if the fruit has "set" then drops the cause is usually a lack of water or erratic watering.
Better tell Lee that Ned was a bushranger and Nellie the passionfruit.
Regards Brian

Good morning everyone.
No bowl of muesli waiting for me? Is everyone asleep? jean, if you want the bees to do it the old fashioned way, use a bit of sugar in water and lightly spray as that will attract them if they are around..paint brushes do an excellent job though.
This is such an interesting forum. Has anyone bought geranium cuttings from either ebay or the geranium nurseries online? I bought some nice ones from ebay last year and just got little sticks that have not sprouted..too late now for feedback..Tokyo Blossom looked great in their photos but not in my pot..is it too hot and wet here? I was also stung when I bought an orchid..I wanted a big dendrobium..Rock orchid.I have a few and this seemed like just an ordinary seller as the specialist sellers can ask big prices for small specimens..seller said they had cut a massive one in half when it fell out of a tree so I won both auctions..one piece was about size in photo..other was one stalk..neither has shown any sign of growth and I noticed the seller just keeps using the same photo and descriptiion..again, didn't do feedback as I though caveat emptor..I didn't research it enough before I bid. Win some, lose some.
Anyway..got to go and check for other signs of life in the forum. Have a great day all and thanks for the info on low chill fruits. I will have to start looking for some. Cheers, Kat

Hello all . Another foggy morning here, so may be a lovely day later like yesterday. I did nothing much yesterday . I did have plans to get a few things done but the neighbour came down to discuss the water situation so I went over the road to have a cuppa with his wife.
We are having trouble with the water pipe. again. Apparently there was or is another leak
The 4 households on this pipe are going to put a check meter in near our fence to check for leakages. There is a dam down in the hollow where we think our water is leaking. I have no idea how the leak will be fixed if it is in the middle of the dam. These private water lines are a nightmare .
Back to nicer things, I see all the happy faces here .
Hello Marleneann, That is a cute little plant. I like the Datura flowers but I have enough to do with the Angels and Cherubs.
Dalfyre, I have seen lots of gardens where the hydrangeas do their changing color thing . Like Brian , I saw a bed with the odd fellow in the middle , probably due to something in it's immediate area. One had differ ent colors on the same bush. I guess the central flower control could not decide which color it wanted to be so chose both.
My one plant struggles to have a flower. I must move the poor thing one day. The neighbour has a gorgeous blue one but mine is pink when it does flower.
Thanks for suggestions for the passionfruit. I will inform my neighbor . I think it may have been erratic watering that made the fruit drop as they were away for a time when I saw the fruit on it. I have no idea who watered it for them. The present non fruiting could well be the lack of bees. It has been cold here for so long , the bees are probably not around there. I have lots of bees here as I keep flowers going of some sort all year round. I will try and water mine regularly.
Lee, your garden sounds great. How nice to have that wooded area too. I love mulberries. It must be a funny sight to see the birds a bit under the weather.
I have not seen Kat lurking around but I know Lesley is there somewhere.
hello to Sammut and Shelly, also Sue, who will be busy with gardens.
Hello PussyKat. I knew you would be around looking for food. I am not worried about bees in my garden as they are always around. I feed them well with all the flowers.
I have bought on eBay and had a couple of bad buys. On the whole, most people are excellent. I bought some mixed cuttings of succulents once and received a parcel of bits so small they were not worth even planting. I am careful now in what I buy and after a while you get used to who is who on there. If I want a plant , I try and only buy from sellers I have dealt with before. Most are generous.
I did buy online once from a geranium nursery. I received very small cuttings that eventually died.
You live and learn.
How are your turkeys Kat ? Still feeding them epis are you ?
Go in the kitchen and have a cuppa . Please don't eat all the goodies.
I hope you in the north are not being inundated with rain again. Please send it here. Better put out something nice and then get off this chair and do something vaguely domestic.
have a happy garden day and enjoy an old favorite, GingerBread Men
Jean.

You never know what could be down there under the soil even a bit of old concrete will change the PH around it ...the only way you would have full control is in a pot. Very pretty anyway. I like the dried flowerheads too for Autumn vase arrangements.
Kat I am always hacking off bits of geraniums ...I have never offered any because I did not think anyone would want any. They aren't any fancy ones I don't think but flower their heads off almost all the time and really brighten up the winter garden, sing out if you want any (a lot of them are my own seedlings self sown).
I won't be sending cuttings of anything this week because it is a heatwave ...I have just been outside and covered my mature crossed Angels with a sheet because today will be the hottest in two years @#$%^ ...the poor little flower buds are sizzling off in this heat so that is what I have decided to do ...hopefully it won't hurt anything ...41/42C heading this way today Sammut fasten your safety belt it's going to be a hot hot ride.
We are 10C hotter than Sydney today ...whew!
About the passionfruit it has something to do with the humidity too, there has to be a certain amount of it ...can't remember how much but it does not work well in dry heat ...I remember that, hence the hint to do it in the fog ... I also like a nice thick mulch over the roots ...passionfruit don't like fried roots and they are hungry little darlings ...plenty of manure and some potash if flower shy ...good luck with it I love passionfruit.
lee I tear the bed apart too while my hubby sleeps flat on his back arms crossed looking like he is lying in a coffin ...it freaks me out a bit ...
Well everyone off to water some more ...by watering can ...my muscles aren't used to it after all the rain, but it's bushfire weather now so I water a fair bit just in case.I was travelling behind another dope that threw a cigarette out of the window yesterday ...that's all it takes and boy do I see red!
Gee I am an old grumble puss in the heat ...I had better go ...coming into the tea shop always puts a smile on my face ^_^
Have a happy day everyone.

Morning to all',
Had a few busy days not a lot of time to keep up . then I had P.C probs .this morning .
Jean thanks for putting a chair in your shade house for me to sit on ,the shade house is about the size of half my yard I really loved seeing it all . forgot to answer I saw you received the seeds .
Chrissy I dont like the heat it sent me inside to cool of I am eating a bowl of ice cream as I write ,
I know how you must feel when people dont think how easy a fire starts .
To all I just enjoy so much all the beautiful pics. of your plants and gardens .
Lee this is my Nelly Kelly passion fruit ------------Sammut

Lee
This is our Ned .-- the small piture is a copy of the photo taken for the Kelly family at the goal nov. 1880 he was hanged 11 Nov 1880 I will write later with life story

Lee,
Here is a copy of document of the exceution of Eward Kelly and copy of reward notice .
-----------Sammut .

Hi all,
It seems I've missed out on quite a bit??? Have been running kids around with their holiday jobs. Hopefully, I'll be able to have a proper read, later & catch up?
I'm not sure where to post this but....
Hi Jean, I mailed "Parrots" to you yesterday, express. Supposedly next day delivery?
Kat, Chrissy & Shelley, I also mailed some Parrots to you too. I wonder how long regular post will take & if they survive?
I will be looking forward to success stories, but if they are not, please don't tell me!!!LOL!!! It reminds me of a Thai tour guide. She said if you enjoyed the tour, tell all your friends, if you didn't, Please forget about it??Hahahahaha!!!
Better feed the hungary hordes???
Regards Helen

Thanks Helen I held off sending stuff here yesterday and today due to extreme heat ...the "parrots" should feel right at home in this heat. Don't feel bad if they don't make it ...we appreciate your generosity ...I hope like heck we can grow them though.
Thanks again
chrissy.

Hi Honey. I'm home!
Thanks Chrissy for the link to Kalamata.
The decision is made - one to me but I will beat him down a few bucks.
We just love these olives so nothing ventured......
Kat - too bad you are not anywhere near Sussex Inlet.
Before we pulled down the dead tree we removed a Dendrobium from the base that is / was over 2 metres across. I split it into three and placed it around the garden until I know where to put them. It took two of us to move each clump. 2 of the clumps flowered this season. We love them. The dreaded Camphor has one in the fork about 3 metres up. When we bought the house 20 plus years ago the previous owners said "that has been a disappointment, never flowered" It flowered the following year and has ever since. Great to see you all busy. Only 35 degrees by the coast today.
Cheers
Steve

Good evening everyone. Boy has it been hot here today, 42 on the front verandah. I haven't been doing too much today. Just making sure the galahs and chooks had plenty of water and sprayed them down a bit. The plants are looking a bit down but I'm sure they'll all spring back over night. Beautiful flowers everyone. There's some lovely cacti flowers on the cacti site if anyone is interested. Brian and I are going to look at getting some more cacti tomorrow. He's taking his ute, so there'll be plenty of room. Will post a pic if we get any. Well cheerio for now. Colleen

Hello All, Sammut thanks on the clarification to me that Ned Kelly was a person and the name of a Passion Fruit. I know only that Ned Kelly was a person but, I'm afraid, I don't know much more than that.
Chrissy, when I got up at 1:30 this morning, I went in and peaked in on Owen and as always, he was lying in bed like an Egyptian mummy. At least I could see he was breathing.
Will run and check out a few more responses before getting off this thing as Y'day, I had an awful time with it. Not the computer itself, but with trying to download a program. Like chrissy seeing a cig. being tossed out and seeing red, I too was seeing red y'day.
Have a good evening . Lee

Added resonse: Sorry Jean, I didn't look far enough up the thread to see your reference to the 'drunk birds'. This Summer, and yes it will happen as surely as the sun rises, I'll try to get a pic. of the drunkards in the yard for you. Maybe I can get it and have them rescued before the cats get to them. If it's not the cats that get them, it would be a coyote or fox. Lee

Hi Colleen,
Captive Galahs or wild?
We had a galah which we bought in 1972.
We decided to give him a better life so he went to an aviary (five years ago) belonging to one of my clients. He is now shacked up with a five year old (at the ripe age of 37)
He can't fly but the woman who took him has to wear boots when she goes into the aviary as he runs around trying to bite her toes. These birds are so full of personality. I absolutely love their character.
I do miss him.
Steve

Hi Chrissy,
You are very welcome. I took some to the Kongwak market on Sunday. It's a Farmers market. How can I sell plants that need to be kept damp, with water restrictions...DER!!!
Oh, well, I'll try & keep up with cuttings for myself & friends.. I'm on town water, not tank, thank goodness!!
If they are Ok? I will put the word out to others on DG??? Mya, Stake, Budgeiman, & others,???
I must just be lucky with them, in my pergola?
Regards Helen

Lee Ned Kelly was a highwayman ...you know like the guys that would rob Wells Fargo ...in Australia he was considered a folk hero because everyone hated the law and managed to ellude it for quite some time.
http://www.ironoutlaw.com/html/history_01.html
Colleen it was enough to kill a brown dog wasn't it ...the heat was almost unbearable ...over 42C here too! Whew ...more to come! try and stay cool ...I drank so much cold water that it slushed when I walked ... you know like when you shake a hot water bottle.I am not a Summer person and neither are the wasps, they were angrily buzzing around as I watered ...poor animals I felt so sorry for anything in feathers or fur today ...even Kats turkeys ...if it gets much hotter the birds will drop dead, I walked past my garden hose today and it was flat like a ribbon ...now that's hot! I remember back in the 60's just before the fires down south the tar was bubbled on the road and like treacle, railway lines buckled ...the whole works. I love my country but you can keep the summer.
Stay cool tonight everyone (except lee)

G'Day Lee The Kelly story is still a bit confused Ned was the bushranger folk hero.
Nellie Kelly is the Passionfruit. It is a selection of Passiflora edulis and is supposed to be of better performance than just any old passionfruit.
Regards