For those of us for whom our gardens are special, or for whom our gardens aided in our recovery whether physical or emotional, post your photos of your garden that bring you joy.
Cassia fistula (Golden Shower Tree)
Delonix Regis (poinciana)
Every afternoon these trees are visited by lorikeets and other nectar feeding birds.
What a difference 2 months and 391mls of rain for the month of December in northern Australia makes. A Wet Season is an experience! The change is stunning and startling.
This photo was taken in late October 2020. Our garden was showing signs of stress and our bore (our only supply of water for all household and garden use) was beginning to be "tasty".
This is the same spot today, 07 January, 2021. The bush has "greened up". The boab tree is in full leaf. I could wander through the sparse undergrowth two months ago, now I need a machete to hack my way through. The aquifer has been recharged, the lawns need mowing almost daily and our bore water is "sweet".
Our driveway in mid December after a 50ml downfall in 20 minutes. The mud was ankle deep. I got "bogged" walking out to my sewing room that is to the left of the palms and there is now a "Road Closed" sign on our road just before our gate.
Yep, Beer. Works a treat. Only problem is, you need to tip the dead snails out every morning as they do tend to smell after a bit. Unfortunately, my french bulldog was quite taken with the smell of beer and the container was dug up and chewed to bits. I need to put in a pottery one next time.
The vegie havens were converted from our huge avairies. When my husband designed the avairies drawing out the layouts on graph paper he overlooked the fact that one square equalled one metre!
The avairies were part of our garden for nearly twenty years, full of birds that bred continually and then were given away to give joy to someone else. They were a King's Palace for birds. There was even a pond and a park bench inside.
Sadly along came BC coupled with a lung disease and the upkeep of the birds and avairies became all too much and the joy in keeping birds was passed onto others. However a silver lining emerged and they became excellent structures for me to "potter" around in. The park bench is now in the garden, but a milk crate suffices.
As to snails and wine. A waste of a good bottle finding out!
There is nothing more disappointing than to discover that pests have decided to dine on carefully nurtured vege seedlings.
A suggestion for your snail problem. I learnt my gardening eons ago from my dad and grandfather. They were excellent vege gardeners.
Their solution to snails was beer. They would tip a glass of beer in a container buried level with the soil and then place an upturned pot with entrance holes cut into it over the dish. Apparently snails are attracted to the yeast in beer, take a dive and "pickle" themselves. The sozzled little sods were then fed to the chooks. Grandad swore that the resulting eggs were the best!
The remainder of the bottle of beer dad and grandad drunk together, sitting on a jarrah log down the back by the old shed. And of course the snail's beer just had to be changed every day in the late afternoon after work. They knew how to do it.
Snails are the one thing I don't have in my Kimberley vege garden - grasshoppers (huge ones), bobtails, snakes, bungarras who undermine everywhere, snakes, frogs and a variety of munching creatures who make regular assaults on my leafy greens, but not snails.
This is how I grow my veges, in wicking beds made from polystrene packing boxes in an enclosed vege house to keep Mr Bower Bird out.
There are now three vege houses, one for tomatoes, one for leafy greens and one for cucumbers, zuchinis, capsicums, chillies and egg plant. Only watermelon, rockmelon, pumpkins and snake beans are grown outside the vege houses. We converted our previous avairies into these enclosed areas.
Thank you :) My vase was on my dining table which gets a bit of direct sunlight. I look forward tp picking some more and trying again because they are so beautiful.
Yes - this is my third vase of Irises inside from my current flowering. I haven't had drips from the Iris but I have had from the Banksias and Red Hot Pokers. I always put them in water and then cut the bottom again before arranging. I keep mine out of direct sunlight when inside.
Hope this helps - From Google
Display the flowers in a position where they are protected from direct sunlight, breezes and intense heat. If they are bearded irises (Iris germanica hybrids, USDA zones 4 to 10), keep them on an easily washable surface rather than an expensive tablecloth because their blooms may drip a sap that can stain.
With the right care, iris should last for 5 to 7 days. Upon arriving home, follow a few simple steps to get the most out of your blooms: When you get home, stand the wrapped flowers in water so they can get a good drink while you're getting the vase ready.
