gardening | Time to ACT

Spring is well and truly happening. My wonderful yellow rose is trying to flower.

The bottlebrush is just showing the first flowers, but I think the main display is a few weeks off.

The lawn has flowered magnificently much to Stuart’s dismay! Known as Cape Daisies, they make up much of the lawn.

And my lavenders are in full bloom. The grape vine is a mass of leaves and buds.

The apple, apricot, pear, quince and still unidentified soft fruit with a hard stone (most likely peach or nectarines) have all had their sudden flurry of flowers and are now starting to leaf (or grow more in one case, out leafs before it flowers).

The Jasmine is probably no more than a week away from full flower, but already smells heavenly at night when it is still. The family of weebills are raising yet another brood in it again but this year have made no attempt to hide the nest.

We’ve moved some of the agapanthus from deep under a pine tree where it was really struggling from lack of water, to under the 2 main bedroom windows. It still gets little to no water but it is where we empty our grey water to and where I’ll be planting courgettes and squashes very soon. We keep on getting warmer and warmer spells but each weekend it drops again back to frosts overnight. So, this week started with the fire lit on Monday morning because it had been only 3°C overnight, but by Tuesday it was 26°C and yesterday was 33°C. The forecast is for another 3°C again on Monday morning, so we’re not yet out of the woods or no longer needing it when it comes to planting out my seedlings into the veg plot or to no longer requiring a fire!

The only thing that is definite is that water is going to be a very precious resource this year. We’ve had very little rain through Autumn, Winter or the start of Spring and the water table is very low.

I’ve found a lovely unknown and unidentified flower at the bottom of the garden, hiding behind both quince trees.

All I know is that it is a succulent so I may try to transfer some of it to the stone circle in the front lawn.

We’ve been having some interesting weather but usually without rain. It’s happened elsewhere as in these 2 pictures taken a day apart on my daily walk to the letterbox.

And one of my chickens had taken to joining me when she can!

I have even met her at the road but she always follows me back home again at a brisk run.

We did spot water on Lake George on one occasion, but otherwise it remains dry.

A sharp comparison to when we first moved here back in winter 2016.

Other photos I have added include some sunrises

And a few shots of flowers at a roundabout in Canberra.

Otherwise I’ll leave you with this wonderfully atmospheric shot of a sunrise a week ago.

I’ve been watching the plants & trees in the garden over the last few weeks as they have slowly started to flower and come into leaf. We have a huge number of fruit trees and some well established roses. One of the roses in particular has my attention because the flowers start off yellow and quite quickly go scarlet red before going an even deeper red. The result has been that we have a rose bush that is multi coloured.

Elsewhere in the garden, there is a beautiful rose with a delightful scent that is covered in tiny yellow flowers.

The various, as of yet, mostly unidentified fruit trees had flowered and are now starting to form fruit. Most flowered before coming into leaf but one did the opposite.

At the bottom of the garden the red hot pokers flowered quietly, largely unnoticed.

One tree I think I have identified is an almond tree. Currently we have green almonds which are apparently considered to be a delicacy though I haven’t worked out why yet. Saving any from the cockatoos or rosellas which we hard work.