Southern Spring

21 Oct '07 5:04 pm

Thanks for the complete description of the trees and shrubs in the picture, Jack. Like Faith, I'll have to enlarge it and really study the picture to pick out each one!

Cheers!
gordonf

22 Oct '07 9:39 pm

I took over 200 pictures this weekend. I've downloaded them but not yet glanced at them, let alone selected for posting... it was a glorious day yesterday, sunny but never hot. I spent over three hours fertilising the roses -granular, so it goes quickly, - and have still not finished. I should have counted them whilst I was about it... but there must be over 500 now.

I mentioned rain stats earlier: we have had rain 21 of the past 28 days, totalling 158mm. What a start to the season!

Later: did I say over 200... make that over 400!! I don't know where to start editing...

23 Oct '07 2:33 pm

Hi, Jack- Your seeds are in the mail! Don't know how long it'll take them to get there, so please let me know when they arrive!

-gordonf

23 Oct '07 4:07 pm

I'll keep a watch out for them!

26 Oct '07 8:09 pm

Right. Another week has passed. We are on half term, so I am not at work today. Life has been hectic, and we now start winding down the year - 6 weeks to go! Ouch!

I've hardly touched last week's pics. And today is cold and wet, 2nd day in a row of continuous soft rain. So the dogs think it's heaven. Luckily Doubly, by far the largest, is not a couch potato!

26 Oct '07 8:28 pm

Gordon I've moved our conversation here - we've rather taken over Faith's home turf!

I loved your description of your TWO protective dogs. Hope you've woken safely and now feel lighter! Just as well I sleep up a ladder - imagine my lot on the bed with me.

When Monty was a pup, and my folks - strict disciplinarians with ther kids and dogs in their day, were leading astray my poor animals (my mother actually feeds Taubie from the table SHOCK Shocked

HORROR

), I bought them one of those little handpainted garden signs that have become so popular here. It read "Spoilt rotten dogs live here". Monty-pup chewed at it in the first day...

26 Oct '07 11:01 pm

At last I start, rather randomly, to share my stock of recent pics. The first is a walk up into the arboritum on Saturday morning quite early, where I discovered a ravishing sight: my favourite weigelia (we have 6 variations at a quick count) coming into bloom, its ruby flowers and lime-green leaves set off by the purple Japanese maple behind it. I think I've found a name for it: Weigela 'Briant Rubidor', syn. W. 'Olympiade'; I don't remember either names from the label, but got these from an internet search.

Surprisingly there are a great many Camellias in happy bloom! They usually flower between May and early September, many being lost to winter frosts.

Next I take a look at the roses in the arboritum. They were all selected because they are above all survivors. 'South Africa' has been a phenomenal success - now its early season overlaps with the mollis azaleas. What a surprise!

Before going to check out the waterlilies - I've been glancing at them as I pass on my way to work evey morning, but more often than not getting home after dark... - I look across to the big house. I am pleased the cannas have been divided and copiously fed, for they have been deteriorating. However the careful circular groupings of the different leaf colours that I worked so hard on 5 years ago, is lost. They seem to have been bunged in any old how. Oh, well, I suppose they were mostly not in leaf yet, so I can't expect miracles! I count the waterlilies - there are 25 pink ones (Mrs Richards) in bud or in flower. The yellow one also has buds; I am pleased with it, for I did not expect it to survive the cold winter as it is, judging by its smaller flowers carried a little above water level, a tropical hybrid.

Then I double back to walk up the Long Border which stretches from just above my parents' dam along my entrance road to the public road.

27 Oct '07 3:31 am

Jack, your garden is a perfect dream garden. I can only imagine how hard it is for you to leave it each day to work. That view down to the "big" house from the Arboretum is fabulous and I am very envious of your water lily pond. I made an attempt at planting waterlilies in my small pond when we first moved here, but it goes completely dry at least once per year and moving the waterlilies and trying to keep them in buckets of water was just too much trouble. The larger pond out back usually keeps most of it's water (except in extreme draught periods like the one lately) year around, but I don't think the horses (or ducks) would leave the waterlilies alone. I guess I will just have to enjoy the photos of yours. Please post more when you can.

27 Oct '07 3:36 am

There are a number of roses here, mostly grown from cuttings, including the green rose we spoke of recently. Mostly this area contains some of my finest foliage plants, although it was originally intended as a 'Rainbow Border', with seven sections in which the colours of the rainbow were displayed... didn't quite work out that way!

Then we make our way back and across to the overflow. I take numerous pictures of the stream flowing happily among the ferns and flotsam, but none are worth showing you. I'll try again!

And from there we return to the waterlilies to catch them at their morning peak. By now we've been at it for several hours...

27 Oct '07 6:46 am

Here are a few more I want to show you - they didn't fit in to the narrative...

And then there is the pamphlet for the open gardens... half the pictures were taken by me, mostly in my garden. How many of them do you recognise Razz

Southern Spring

Update coming

Seeds

Thanks Gord

Half term

Dogs, communes, Gordon - not necessarily in that order!

Last weekend at last

Dream Garden

Continueing up the Long Border

Odd pics