It’s September, and it’s spring!
The garden is slowly come to life, the bulbs are beginning to flower adding splashes of colour here and there, leaf buds are slowly beginning to burst presenting the new leaves for the new season, and in the veggie patch the fruit trees are blossoming too! Yes spring is certainly here.
In one of the front gardens there is a Japanese Maple planted in a central round garden bed. I’ve always envisioned this area planted with all things blue, purple, burgundy and white with an occasional pop of red! These things take time, last year I planted purple miniature bearded iris along the edge of the maple bed, they are multiplying beautifully and are always early flowering. This year two lilac trees given to me by my sister, Sonnie, one for my 50th birthday and one for my 60th, were planted along the front fence – we all adore lilacs, they remind us of home and our parents. In addition to the lilacs a clematis, another gift from Sonnie, was planted.
Earlier in the year, after spending far too much time scrolling through the tulip pages of online plant stores, I decided on, and ordered, five different tulips – I was so restrained! I planted groups of Bokassa Tulip ‘Saigon’ and Lily Tulip ‘Saigon’ underneath the maple, and Double Tulip ‘White Heart’ in mini pots to sit on the brickwork surrounding the garden. To add that pop of red, Triumph Tulip ‘Spryng’ was planted in between the two lilacs along with, what I think is one of my most favourite, daffodils, ‘Ice Follies’.
Finally just before you enter the garden from the rear of the property, you pass by a seated arbor and then under an archway. It was here that I placed a large pot planted with the most glorious tulips – red with a splash of yellow, the Darwin Hybrid Tulip ‘Ad Rem’.
While there is still much more work to be done here, it has been such a joy to see it come together, particularly now that the drought has broken and the rain has been plentiful. With the garden coming to life, the front gate had, sadly, seen better days! So Gary got to work… The gate is now repaired, painted and swinging beautifully!
Under the threat of hard rubbish, the uncomfortable, tired and shabby pod chairs have been re-purposed and relocated. Looking for something to train, what I believe to be, the rootstock of old roses, one of these chairs was relocated to their new home in another front garden. With the help of some electrical ties pilfered from Gary’s shed, the long, unruly canes were slowly brought back to order and tied into and around the hanging basket of the chair. Covered in buds, I can’t wait to see it in full bloom.
The woodland garden, while new, is providing splashes of colour. On the edge, the clivia were in bloom, though not as stunning as in previous years, when the sun hit them they glowed! While the Spring Starflower (Ipheion uniflorum) bulbs have clearly found their place, filling in a gap, and flowering. Hopefully, in time, they will naturalise and call this little corner their home.
Dwarfed by clumps of Basket Grass (Lomandra longifolia) and Native Morning Iris (Orthrosanthus multiflorus) the pretty little bells on the Spanish Blue Bells (Hyacinthoides hispanica) made me smile whenever I walked by.
Spanish Bluebells hiding at the back of the the spring bulb garden…
In the laundry garden, elegant Dutch Iris “Angel Wings” stands tall and elegant, while the bright colourful freesias, not only provide pops of colour, their perfume while we hang washing on the line is sublime.
And on the back porch, a few of the orchids are flowering.
September has been such fun, a discovery of colour, the excitement of finding something new in bloom, or watching the transformation of a flower from first bud to the falling of the last petal. It truly does feel as if the garden is waking from its winter slumber, stretching and producing the beginnings of a palette that I have been planning for each area… I just cannot wait to see what happens next.
Until next time…
Happy gardening.
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Beautiful garden and treat for my eyes since we have put everything to bed for the winter in my part of the world.
Thank you so much Bernadette, I am so happy that you enjoyed my garden update, and that it provided a little bit of happiness and colour as you enter the winter months. I love the seasons, and the way the garden transforms with each.
What a pleasure to see all the flowers as your garden comes to life.
Thank you my beautiful sister, as we know, being outdoors it is my happy place, and seeing the garden come to life is such a wonderful treat. 💕
I agree with Bernadette – it’s so lovely to see Spring in your part of the world beginning to sprout just as our gardens go to sleep. 🙂
Thank you so much, it is fascinating as I read peoples writings from the Northern Hemisphere, to see that they are writing about, and experiencing, the opposite to what the seasons are offering here. That being said, I gain so much inspiration for the seasons ahead from my readings.😊
I agree, Southern Hemisphere inspiration is very welcome in the winter months. 🙂