| Author |
Message |
    
Greth
| | Posted on Monday, April 24, 2006 - 11:00 pm: |   
 |
Taken on the right day, just took a while to get online.
Front garden, left bed -
Front garden right bed. The ceanothus is the dark bush near the goosy thing
Front bed, scented geranium hedge on the right, rosemary hedge on the left
side bed, nothing really exciting here, but for the sake of completeness
Looking down from the top corner, scented geranium hedge again
Here we have the chookhouse and rustic compost bin in all their rusty glory
and here is the charmingly named septic veggie patch - a new project
Now looking uphill at the septic veggies, with shadehouse in the background. The little shiny shed houses our solar batteries and stuff, and powers the computer (most importantly)
Inside the shadehouse we see lots of pots with plants
And at the other end there are more of them
Here is the retaining wall beside the driveway, and my son trying not to make funny faces
And the last photo is titled - what the heck can we do with this awful corner? We are cutting down the tree - it shades the solar power. The ground cover is a feral weed in my opinion, it apparently was a medieval salad veggie, but the goats won't even touch the stuff. Hubby is thinking of doing a retaining wall around it, any ideas, folks?
Greth
- South Australia,
Zone "?"
|
Gardenfiend
My Weather
| | Posted on Tuesday, April 25, 2006 - 02:32 am: |
|
The scented geranium hedge is wonderful! It must be lovely to linger and brush your hands through the leaves.
I'm looking forward to seeing it all after the winter rains when everything is in flower.
No, wait! That will be winter here! Not looking forward to that!
Gardenfiend
- Germany,
Zone "7a"
|
Greth
| | Posted on Tuesday, April 25, 2006 - 06:49 pm: |
|
Actually, it probably looks better during our winter than during summer. That's why I hide out in the shadehouse over summer! The right front bed is full of jonquils, which are just beginning to sprout now, and they will put on a show from about June. I have sweet peas growing along the side garden fence, they should do well too.
The scented geraniums are stock plants - I sell lots of them grown from cutting, so I've put them together in the garden. So far I have - Lemon scented 'Mabel Grey', Citronella, two peppermint ones - small and large leaved, Chocolate leaf, Rose scented, Lemon Rose, variegated nutmeg and plain nutmeg, lime, lemon crispa and variegated lemon crispa, and apple cider.
Greth
- South Australia,
Zone "?"
|
Sunnyday2day
My Favorite Photo
My Weather
| | Posted on Tuesday, April 25, 2006 - 08:31 pm: |
|
I'm familiar with some of these names...ceanothus...that is a nice one. Wow, you have some wonderful scented geraniums. I think I'd have one of each if I could!
Sunnyday2day
- Michigan,
Zone "5"
|
Greth
| | Posted on Tuesday, April 25, 2006 - 08:55 pm: |
|
We have a very dry summer here - total rainfall for the three months would be about 2 inches, and my garden gets almost no watering - only a watering can for the few beloved things that are struggling. The geraniums are one of the few things that manage to look green and nice in the scorching heat. Lavender and rosemary survive, but don't flourish. Surprisingly the elders are doing very well. Wormwoods think it is heaven, roses and carnations survive. Borage and the clary sage manage to selfseed, I'm not sure how.
The septic veggie patch is planted where the septic tank overflows - the ground is always moist and full of nutrients. And the place is in full sun, I have never had things thrive so well in this climate. Now I'm planting my most special herb stock plants in there, I know I won't lose them and they will be vigorous. My son visits the watermelons daily, but it is late in the season, frosts will start hitting them, and I'm not sure they will ripen this year. Next year we will plant summer veggies sooner, and we should be inundated with produce.
Everything is mulched with pea straw, we get it very cheaply from a local farmer. I love the stuff, it improves the soil, holds water, and the worst weeds that come from it are pretty field peas. I can pretend I planted them on purpose, if they survive to flower.
Greth
- South Australia,
Zone "?"
|
Sunnyday2day
My Favorite Photo
My Weather
| | Posted on Wednesday, April 26, 2006 - 07:48 am: |
|
Greth wrote on Tuesday, April 25, 2006 - 08:55 pm:Everything is mulched with pea straw, we get it very cheaply from a local farmer. I love the stuff, it improves the soil, holds water, and the worst weeds that come from it are pretty field peas. I can pretend I planted them on purpose, if they survive to flower.
This stuff sounds like a gardener's goldmine. :)
Sunnyday2day
- Michigan,
Zone "5"
|
Greth
| | Posted on Wednesday, April 26, 2006 - 08:05 am: |
|
The local farmers plant field peas in rotation with their wheat or whatever. Peas are legumes, so add nitrogen to the soil. They harvest the plants and sell it as peastraw. It is very nitrogen rich, of course, but even without that it makes an excellent mulch for gardens, and as I say, the worst weeds you ever get coming up from it are quite pretty peas. We get a big round bale for about $45, the chap sells ordinary square bales for $2.50, but down in town they cost $7.00 each. You can just see our current round bale in the first photo at the left.
Greth
- South Australia,
Zone "?"
|
|
