Autumn/May 2019

After quite a long absence from blogging I had to have, I am back, maybe with new vigour, may be...The garden in May looks lush. Summer 2018/19 was very dry and uninspiring.

7 AM early morning sun in the Living room; 7/may/2019  

 

The kitchengarden provides Basil to make  a tasty Pesto. I used for this one  Tasmanian walnuts instead of Pine nuts.

A highlight are always Alamanda flowers, on top A. Caramel and A. Cherry.

We do not get snow but we still get Snowflakes. Euphorpia leucocephala






A highlight every autumn  are the Tree-dahlia flowers winking from
 above high stems.

In the fruit growing season now
citrus are ripening and providing fine juices. Soursop is bearing fruit and Pinks Mammoth were really huge and delicious.



Custard apples



The earliest very large Mandarins.


Daily native visitors in the garden.
Wonga Pigeons and the smaller crested Pigeons and the ever so naughty, lively rainbow lorikeets.




Simples; recycling at its best. Kintsugi (Japanese) embraces imperfection
and minimises  waste.

...and now,

"Be like a flower and turn your face to the sun."
- Kahlil Gibran

October, vibrant and lively.

Visiting birds;

There is always a cute Galah couple visiting the food bowls. Most of the time they are to late as the greedy Lorikeets have already cleaned up.





Colourful King Parrots.

September snaps...from the garden

African daisies

Dendrobium Orchid

Rhipsalis salicorniodes lives in a very big hanging pot on a window to prevent birds flying into the window.

The blue box  on the wall is home to tiny native bees/Tetragonula.

Tillandsia

Leptospermum, abundance of flowers.

Leptospermum is a genus of shrubs and small trees in the myrtle family Myrtaceae commonly known as tea trees, like the Melauleuca.

Orange Blossoms, the garden is perfumed, as soon as the last fruit has been harvested the tree gets back to produce these sweetly scented flowers and  the next wonderful crops.

Photos September 8. 2018

It was time to get out of hibernation and plant some vegetables, as  green smoothies are a must have every day. Also beetroot smoothies are on the menu every second day. 

Green smoothie, generally I add what I grow in my garden, peppermint, Tarragon, Rosemary cucumber if ready to use, leaves of anything leafy growing in the garden, like Broccoli leaves, lettuce, beetroot leaves, cabbage etc plus Banana, or apple, lemon when I have some! A teaspoon of honey and a tiny bit of salt, add water or milk or anything preferred.

Beetroot smoothie similar just add a whole, small beetroot or half a beetroot plus half an apple and some beetroot leaves, herbs and honey.

Benefits:
Feel great, 

Enhanced Nutrient Absorption. 

Green vegetables like kale, spinach, collard greens, and lettuce are nutrient powerhouses. ...

Increased Energy. ...

Improved Digestion. ...

Boost Your Immune System. ...

Healthy Bones. ...

Heart Health. ...

Get that Glow. ...

cheers.

©Lavender and Vanilla Ts all contents. 2018

July, gives a hand to June and August.

😏

2/July/2018

The kitchen garden is quietly producing...

The "White House" it is benign, not  like the real one!

Cabbages in the making.

Soon, Broccoli;

Borage for the busy bees.

Sellerie greens for soups and herb salt.

No garden without salvia, the bees love it.

Lemongrass; Neighbour's horse hangs over the fence to nibble on it.

Some of the Valencia oranges end up as Marmalade. Made in the Thermomix 5 is quick, easy and makes a very nice marmalade.

Next task, pruning and fertilizing the roses.

6/07/2018
Heavy rainfall over night. Nearly 60 mm

“The rain to the wind said,
You push and I'll pelt.'
They so smote the garden bed
That the flowers actually knelt,
And lay lodged--though not dead.
I know how the flowers felt.” 
― Robert Frost

 One row of potato bushes look a little harassed. I dug one plant out to have a look, this morning. I did not expect a crop. Alas here's for a few lunches or dinners.



..and a little stroll around the garden; a very mild day today. There might be more rain on the way. I am always to lazy to look at the weather patterns. My motto, if it it rains it rains, if it doesn't it doesn't, I can not do anything either way.😏 Just getting a bit dark now. glad did the wash earlier using the sun power on the roof.



Camellias are always a highlight in winter. They are so self sufficient, glorious flowers and tough as old boots.



I did not expect this Hibiscus to flower through the cool season.  I made a cutting many years ago and it flowers now the second time. I had no name for it, so I called it "Flamenco"

Bromeliad past flowering, still pretty with its red capsules, maybe seed.

Billi's and Lulu's resting place and many others never forgotten.

Brillantaisia has woken up.

The common name of Giant Salvia appears to be the most widely used common name is a misnomer as this is actually a member of the Acanthaceae family and the true Salvias are in the mint family or Lamiaceae. 

Bromeliads generally get fed from falling leaves and small twigs.

Hoya cumingiana lives in this tree since 20 years or longer, flowers 2-3 times a year. 

Bobbie enjoys to eat a few of the small leftover tomatoes.

22/07/2018

That's it for today, folks, see you around

© my garden Photos and text Ts Lavender and Vanilla

June dear June...

It is better to be a young June bug than an old bird of paradise. Mark Twain

The scratches on the flower are made by the nectar seeking Bananabirds.

15/06/2018
Cool day; photos early morning.

Tree Dahlia

27/06/2018 morning 8.13 AM
It is raining today. June is nearly done and dusted, I felt a bit blog tired. 
Here is one of my favourite poems by Shelley.

"The Cloud" is a major 1820 poem written by Percy Bysshe Shelley. "The Cloud" was written during late 1819 or early 1820, Originally published: 12 July 1820

Author: Percy Bysshe Shelley

I am the daughter of Earth and Water
And the nursling of the Sky; 
I pass through the pores of the ocean and shores; 
I change, but I cannot die. 
For after the rain when with never a stain 
The pavilion of Heaven is bare, 
And the winds and sunbeams with their convex gleams 
Build up the blue dome of air, 
I silently laugh at my own cenotaph, 
And out of the caverns of rain, 
Like a child from the womb, like a ghost from the tomb, 
I arise and unbuild it again. 

©Photos mygarden +some text/Ts Lavender and Vanilla