orchid wonderland

Stuff and cuteness

Pot of greens - Lebanese cress, red-veined sorrel, perpetual spinach and salad burnette.

Orchid magic!

A surprise in the vase of long finished roses.

Bing! String of pearls, at it again.

New pots

Freezing here but couldn't resist a bit of under cover potting in the cold, planting out the succulent snippings I pinched (literally) from mum's garden. My new favourite DIY planting invention are cuboid tins made into hanging containers using a couple of nail holes and some wire. I've also been busy with the ceramic drill. And I found something to fill the weird, tall, metal planters I found at the op shop. Photos are dodgy (gloomy/ cold hands) but I'm pretty pleased with how it all turned out. 

backyard moments

We had cake for breakfast out the back today. Serenaded by the strange sounds of nexdoor's washing machine/dryer (?!) it was delightful nonetheless.

Brighton Rock

I'm rubbish at growing things from seed. But I've been trying to get better, mostly in an effort to reduce the number of plastic pots I chuck away. So I always check out the seed shelves when I'm at a nursery. A coupla years ago, at Bunnings, I grabbed a promising looking packet of speckled snapdragon seeds, an old, presumably English variety called Brighton rock. I'd certainly never seen anything like them in the ready to grow punnets so I figured, for a couple of bucks they'd be worth a go. 

I managed to raise some in the fishtank-come-greenhouse and I planted them out into the garden where they did, absolutely nothing. For about a year and a half. Now, all of a sudden they've put on a burst of growth and begun to flower. Glorious, pink-specked yellow clusters of funny little dragon faces. Turns out they were totally worth the wait.

hanging gardens

My new blue/green hanging pots. Chain of hearts and misc. grey succulent in one. Mistletoe cactus and string o pearls in t'other. 

Plants are cuttings and snippings. Cactus from Heathcote holiday house and grey succulent from Carol, the keenest gardener I ever met. Pots from typo. Originally strung with UGLY white, cotton rope, restring w recycled gear cable by handsome husband. Wish the pots came in pink or yellow or orange but otherwise perfect. 

this guy

i heart pickles

Botticelli sunrise

Expecting to see Venus riding in on a clam shell at any moment...

occasional verse #7

Equinox has come and gone,

Days are shorter, nights grow long.

Apple pancakes, golden hours,

Pomegranates, dahlia flowers.

Tis winter in a little while,

But Autumn mornings make me smile.

occasional verse #5

Watering the orchids and what do I see?

New, green flower spikes,

One, two, three!

Wait a moment, here's one more...

Altogether, that makes four.

Best of all, way down low,

One orchid flower, smiling hello!

First day of Autumn

Popped down to the plot today to do some staking of late tomatoes and tomatillos. And got some nice surprises. Aphids have plagued summer broccoli, but luckily the calvelry flew in and the little buggers are being gobbled up by some good tempered ladybirds and their offspring. 

The tomatoes and eggplants are kicking on, tomatillos are flowering their heads off, the sunflower heads are ripening and there are all sorts of self seeding surprises popping up - cucumbers, more tomatoes and teensy, baby love-in-the-mist. Quinces are swelling on the tree and all in all, Autumn is looking promising.