Easter in my garden

17 Apr '06 11:16 pm

It has become a tradition that Tamla,Tobyn and their parents come to me for an Easter egg hunt; usually I invite other friends as well - yesterday we were 9 people for lunch. What a lovely day!

On Saturday we finally completed the Anniversary Garden, in time for my parents' 52nd-and-a-quarter anniversary when they return to the farm at the end of the month. Its been a 4 year project, and several times it nearly got me down. The highest pillar of the pergola is nearly 5m tall; because of the odd shape and the odd slope there are some quaint compromises in this essentially formal and symmetrical garden...

But I sat down on the built in bench and looked across the garden, contained and introverted despite its strong interrelation with the rest of the garden and the setting in the valley, and knew it was a job well done. Now of course it needs to be maintained and refined...

This morning I took a last few holiday shots of the garden - The Embarkment was going to be called Annie's Landing, after a rather high maintenance friend who first suggested the idea of a large jetty. But then she threw down the phone in my ear before it was completed and I decided not to call her back. Calling it Annie's Departure would have been too cruel..

Now, as soon as this is posted, I start preparing for the new school term which starts tomorrow. Sad

How jealous I am of the recently retired Evil or Very Mad

17 Apr '06 11:39 pm

I mean the "Rhapsody in Blue" and the "Embarkment" photos!! The "Embarkment" is like a painting! My!

As for the kids photo, what more special to enlighten one's heart with tender joy?

Thank you, Jack!!

20 Apr '06 7:09 pm

Though a mammoth project, you persevered and did well! Your parents will be very pleased!

I love your stunning rhapsody, sprinkled with dew drops and your embankment shot is awesome!

21 Apr '06 8:14 am

This is a remarkable rose - what a lovely colour! jack, can you tell us the breeder? Possibly it's only the gardeners 'down under' who haven't seen it before.

Hope your working term has settled down well. May your teaching inspire your students just as much as your garden has inspired all of us!

22 Apr '06 2:22 am

I'll check on the breeder of 'Rhapsody in Blue' at home, Moosey. Have you seen my Nicotiana langsdorfii pics posted under General Chat - 'Why so shy?' I've survived the first week at school, although tomorrow will be taken up with a pupil in the finals of a major Rotary public speaking competition in a town 200km away.

Meanwhile here is a repeat of my very first pic - well more or less: the view from my lounge, looking off to the side up the valley. Not quite as atmospheric as the original, but quite a bit brighter!. I have also looked at your original 2004 autumn leaves entry - and have one more major (And logical!) explanation to add to why one year might be better than the next: because the trees have grown. Somewhere in my archives are pics of meter high trees in a sea of green grass and shrubs with a few autumn leaves - today they are big and impressive!

Autumn on autumn, this year is not quite up to last year - less intense reds (although I think it has been colder) and more wind - leaves are falling faster.

23 Apr '06 5:50 pm

Lovely Nicotiana pictures! you have managed to make them look the most wonderful greenish colour. Which they are!

We are having warm temperatures and warm winds, which doesn't really get the autumn leaves colouring up very much. The wind blows them off, too. I have oak leaves to rake up and bag in the pond paddock, and today it was about 23 degrees - again. Stephen (who comes originally from the Prairies in Canada, and knows stuff about proper autumn and winter weather) says we should be having frosts by now. Apparently these are what the trees need to kick into some real fiery autumn colour changes. Ha!

24 Apr '06 1:57 am

That, Moosey, is the plant breeders name for Rosa 'Rhapsody in Blue' - but who is FRA? Never seen this before. But the web is amazing and as an (admittedly retired) mathematician, you will enjoy the 'science' in the following article on the link
http://www.separationsnow.com/coi/cda/detail.cda?id=485&type=Feature&chId=4&page=1

Here is an extract: "The second approach is the more traditional one of cross-pollination, which is more like real horticulture. Using this methodology, an amateur plant breeder from the aptly named Derbyshire village of Breedon-on-the-Hill, UK has produced a rose with flowers that are dark plum in colour. As the flowers age, the colour shifts to slate blue (83B on the RHS colour charts). However, in the shade, the petals appear to be blue.

Frank Cowlishaw named his rose Frantasia and it has since been renamed Rosa Rhapsody in Blue. Although it is clearly not a blue, it seems to be the nearest that a rose has come to being blue. Nevertheless, the plant won the Rose of the Year award for 2003 in the UK, awarded by the British Association Representing Breeders (B.A.R.B.)." From Google bits it would appear that the rose is/was available under RinB in Australia - so good luck: you might well be able to trace it!

Another wonderful rose, planted next to RinB in the Anniversary Gdn (an idea stolen from the cover of the Ludwig's catalogue, my chief supplier of roses!) is an immensely willing golden orange known as 'South Africa' over hear. Find it! KORberbeni is the breeders code name.

Easter in my garden

Easter in my garden

What adorable marvels!

Congrats, Jack!

Rhapsody in Blue

More autumn stories

FRAntasia