Tulip planting time

The weather has not been kind, staying warmish until a week ago and now cold and windy with no rain at all. After all my research last year on tulips I decided this last week was to be planting week.  With the weather staying warm I was afraid the ground temperature would be too high but on measuring found it to be 11° C. Below 14°C is considered suitable. The bed most suitable here and giving most impact is the bed in the middle of the entrance drive. There is no competition and clay at 30cm, the clay is probably fill under the drive but works well for water retention.  There have been pansies planted in this bed for a couple of months (planted from punnets) and wallflower and nigella seedlings volunteering.

Tulip bulbs in position

I decided that despite the wind we would dig up the pansies, prick out most of the seedlings, dig out the bed, plant the tulips and put the whole lot back in as quickly as possible. We combined some organic life and blood and bone with the back fill for good measure and watered and seasoled once it was all back in. We started the tulips up the bed a little this year in case a bus again decides to cut the corner. The pansies in the foreground are the same as the ones now replanted in the rest of the bed. There are some nigella seedlings remaining on the edge further up the bed. So far the replanted pansies and seedlings are doing OK.

 

Ozakazuki and sasanqua

Acer palmatum

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The last of the autumn colour shots I think. An Acer palmatum overhanging our courtyard garden fence and the small Ozakazuki down at the rock pool. The last photo is of the marvellous garden tool that successfully extracted the lamium from around the azaleas. It is an Australian made tool from Victoria called Grandpa’s No. 17 (? the number has rubbed off) garden tool. I couldn’t have done it with out it!

Grandpa’s No. 17 Garden Tool

 

Weeding out Aluminium plant

The squash courts viewed through maples. Azalea hedge is in between

With the removal of the 14 radiatas from part of our boundary an area of garden in the too hard basket has now become a meaningful challenge. As well as the radiata removal we may be repurposing the squash courts  in this area into apartments and so the garden surrounding them has an increased priority. The pile of sawdust in the linked article which is  composted with coffee grounds and veggie scraps is now around the  nearby Magnolia soulangeana as a mulch circle. Aluminium plant Lamium galeobdolon had overtaken three tiers of garden in this area and needed removal. We started with the level containing the magnolia  and are working our way upwards towards extracting it from an azalea hedge on the top level. The Magnolia level has been seeded with tall fescue.

Lamium in the process of being removed from upper level

The second level is now lamium free and we discovered many daffodils emerging. This section is currently mulched with our compost while we monitor for reemergence. The final and most difficult level is underway. Removing the plant from around the base of the azaleas will require some diligence but the end is now in sight! Today I was considering the dry weeding and feeling reasonably confident that it is way too dry for funnel web spiders to be out and about! If that is any consolation.

Billy helping with the weeding

Eastern Yellow Robin hunting insects in the stirred up debris

Smoke and showers

Taxodium distichum, Prunus, Cupressus and Tilea x europaea

The still dry autumn has been ideal for undertaking hazard reduction burns around the Mountain towns. Unfortunately the still air results in the smoke hanging around and the afternoon light has been eerie. It does mean that afternoon photography is more successful with the sunlight muted by smoke. The apricot colour on the Taxodium distichum is especially elusive, often it just looks like it’s dying and with very few deciduous conifers around that is what many people think.  The smoky air helped with this shot.

 

Camellia sasanqua hedge possibly “Shell Pink”

Pink sasanqua hedge above Wisteria and Trachelospermum

Our camellias have begun blooming, mostly the sasanquas at this stage. There is no record of the camellia plantings undertaken here so I have been using “What camellia is that?” by Stirling Macoboy to attempt identification. This pink one looks like C. sasanqua “Rosette” but is maybe not the right colour.

fading hydrangea

 

Our hydrangeas continue to produce blooms as the weather stays warm. This weather  is  definitely affecting some plants. The waratahs have mini blooms and some deciduous azaleas are flowering as their leaves fall.

We have had 10mm of rain over the last couple of days so the smoke has dissipated and the lawns are relieved.

A dry April

We measures only 32mm in our rain gauge for April. Last year we measured 378mm!! Looking at the few years I have been keeping the measurements around 100mm might be expected.

Acer palmatum dissectum “Ever Red”

The garden is holding up quite well because the weather has cooled off a little but we are still watering strategically. Consequently I have a few pot plants in the photos! We have top dressed the lawn in this photo today. The last topdressing for the season. Autumn suits us best for top dressing. The gardens are too much in use in spring.

 

Hoya carnosa

Aloe vera

Dracaena fragrans

The hoya loves our greenhouse and the aloe vera by the pool (in case of sunburn) will soon be knocked back a bit by cold weather.  The Dracaena fragrans flower was spotted by Lexie, the first one we have seen. It’s not quite out yet and we have moved it from Reception to prevent allergy sufferers being affected by it’s strong scent.