So this was September in the garden at ‘Tranquility’…

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Now for a little more detail…

 

The Iris Garden

After a few years of neglect, the Iris Garden has had a make-over!  It took both of us, working together, almost a week to get it back, but we are really very happy with it.

Believing that very few of the iris’s had survived, we set about leaving them untouched and carefully weeded around each one.  However, it soon become obvious that they had survived and they needed to be lifted and divided.  Nothing is named, and previously I had just loved the random mix that I had created – most having travelled with me from our previous property.

This garden has a magnolia in the centre – it was well established when we arrived.  I had then planted 6 yellow roses – delbard ‘Cote d’Azure’ and 6 white roses – David Austin ‘Tranquility, alternatively around the magnolia, and four lavender ‘Violet Lace’.  While the roses had just survived, the lavender bushes that had survived had become large and straggly, so were removed.

When finished the bed has the central, trimmed Magnolie surrounded by the existing roses and a nice variety of iris’s, which I am hoping will be in full bloom in twelve months from now.

I couldn’t help including one or two photos of the distraction that we were afforded while working – old military aircraft flying in formation above.

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Sleepout Garden

This garden has had little or no attention, though that is about to change!  I have plans.  But for now, these beautiful azaleas are putting on a show.

Spring Bulb Garden

While the daffodils were finished, or eaten by slugs and snails, and the iris’s that were in place, were just coming into bud, the beautiful Spanish Blue Bells were putting on a show.

Indoors

I was so excited to finally see this beautiful orchid, another gifted to me by my beautiful sister-in-law, Lyn.  Dendrobium Canary Bird #1.

It was so difficult to view it at it’s best, but then I realised that given that I had planted it in a flat sided vase, I could lay it on it’s side and was able to admire the beautiful flowers day after day after day…

The Terrace

When planting out bulbs earlier in the year, I planted many into pots and the urns on, and leading to, the terrace.  I was dutifully rewarded with beautiful splashes of colour which could not only be enjoyed when outdoors, but also provided a beautiful happy sight to be enjoyed as I was working in the kitchen.  The colour of tulip ‘Chato’ was almost electric, while the shape and pattern of ‘Timeless’ was beautiful and classic.

Laundry Garden

The garden just outside the laundry window and beside the clothes line almost looks after itself now.  The snapdragons were planted twelve months ago and have been allowed to sprawl, and having flowered right through winter,  I think it is time to start cutting some for indoors.

I am loving that Dutch Iris ‘Angel Wings’ has started to multiply, the colouring of this iris is so delicate with the beautiful lemon complemented by the faintest of blue.

Woodland Garden

Every year the Clivia put on the most magnificent show.  There is a cream plant at one end (nearest the terrace), and I noticed that the plant at the other end (nearest the spring bulb garden) is much more vibrant in colour – I am not sure if it is a different variety or if it is just because of where it is situated…  When the sun shines on this area it almost glows orange, lighting up a normally darker area of the garden.

The beauty of the Quince Flower

I’m always raving about the beauty afforded by the flower of the quince tree!  And here I go again.  Seeing this beautiful old tree in bloom always has me snapping pics – unfortunately there is a huge codling moth problem and given the age and structure of the tree, I find it almost impossible to control, so a lot of the fruit are wasted.

The Veggie Patch

Broad beans, snow peas, chard/silverbeet, rhubarb, and broccoli are alcoming along nicely.  I have managed to salvage some carrots and the parsnips, while not huge are also providing some tasty options for our meals.  One of the simple sides that I love is mashed carrot and parsnip, seasoned with salt and pepper and brought together with a nice dob of butter.  This is not a puree it is a rough mash.  I have tried it as a puree, but I believe that the texture of the rough mash allows the individual flavours to come through much better.

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The fruit trees are blossoming, and I am eagerly watching for fruit formation.  Earlier this year some of the trees were a little confused and went into full flower in February, so I was a little worried that there would be a lack of flowers now.  Fortunately I was wrong.

Other plants are providing a show of colour, the orange of the calendula is looking fabulous with the blue of the borage, and the towering mizuna ‘red streaks’ has been allowed to go into full flower for the wee winged creatures in the garden.

Of course there is on-going weeding happening to keep everything healthy and happy!

A tomato fetish!

OK, I know that I have a thing about tomatoes, always have, and now even more.  As a child I loved eating all things tomato.  Now as a gardener, I also love growing tomatoes.

This year I have planted quite a few varieties (see the list below).  I decided to chance it and plant just three seeds of each, which I did over a few days.  Fortunately germination has gone well, with just one variety failing.  There was one where I only managed one plant, a few where there were just two, but the majority have given me three.  So I am really happy with the progress and looking forward to sharing my tomato plantings and hopefully the colours and flavours of the crop and what I do with it all.

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• Tomatoes
  • Amish Paste – 4 September 2022 (germinated 10 September)
  • Ananas Noir – 4 Septebmer 2022 (germinated 10 September)
  • Andy (seed saved by our neighbours of a home ago.  Andy had a fabulous garden and every season I was gifted beautiful baskets of tomatoes which I made into sauce, and we ate in salads.  Andy’s wife, Lucy, saved the seeds for me, and I have been growing them now for some years – we didn’t know the exact variety, so I chose to call them ‘Andy’) – 4 September 2022 (1 seed germinated 11 September)
  • Big Beryl – 4 September 2022 (germinated 10 September)
  • Big Rainbow – 4 September 2022 (germinated 12 September)
  • Black Cherry (old seed) – 4 September 2022 (germinated 12 September)
  • Black Plum – 5 September 2022 (germinated 11 September)
  • Cherry Roma (old seed) – 5 September 2022 (germinated 11 September)
  • Costoluto Fiorentino – 5 September 2022 (germinated 11 September)
  • Cuor di Bue (old seed) – 5 September 2022 (germinated 12 September)
  • Eden (seeds saved from locally grown tomatoes purchased when in Eden, from memory, it is a smallish tomato 5-7 cm across, red skin and orange flesh, delicious) – 5 September 2022 (germinated 12 September)
  • Green Zebra (old seed) – 6 September 2022 (germinated)
  • Koenig Humbert (seed saved and passed on by a local gardener earlier this year – 6 September 2022 (germinated 12 September)
  • Lecase Di Apulia (old seed) – 6 September 2022 (germinated 13 September)
  • Oxheart (Eden) – (seeds saved from locally grown tomatoes purchased when in Eden, from memory, it is a smallish tomato 5-7 cm across, red skin and orange flesh, delicious) – 6 September 2022 (germinated 12 September)
  • Palmwoods (old seed) – 7 September 2022 (did not germinate)
  • Periforme Abruzzese – 7 September 2022 (germinated 12 September)
  • Pineapple – 7 September 2022 (germinated 14 September)
  • Purple Cherokee – 5 September 2022 (germinated 12 September)
  • Red & Black – 7 September 2022 (germinated 13 September)
  • Roma (old seed) – 7 September 2022 (germinated)
  • Rouge de Marmande (old seed) – 7 September 2022 (germinated)
  • San Marzano (old seed) – 8 September 2022 (germinated)
  • Sweet Berry Truss /Strabena – 8 September 2022 (germinated)
  • Yellow Pear (old seed) – 8 September 2022 (germinated)
  • Yellow Stuffer (old seed) – 8 September 2022 (germinated)

Seeds planted:

Apart from the tomatoes, the only other seeds that I planted were peas, bush variety, which I tend not to have much luck with, hopefully this time will be better…

•  Peas
  • Green Feast – 7 September 2022