What`s `blue` at Bloomfield

Walking around the garden last week, I was surprised at the amount of `blue` plants flowering at the moment, so I thought I would share with you. Now I know there are not many true `blue` flowers and they are particularly hard to photograph true to colour, so I should say blue and purple flowers. So, here we go...  Lets start off with just a good old Petunia - probably more purple than blue, but oh how pretty

If you need a good ground cover, this is it! Convolvulous `Moroccan Beauty`.It doesn't `wander` like it`s counterparts and flowers for many months in a sunny spot.

This area covers about three metres or 10 foot

This tall and vigorous salvia `Black and Blue` attracts many butterflies.

There are many different salvias here as they are tough and hardy

A spectacular large shrub or small tree - Duranta `Geisha Girl`. She flowers freely throughout the summer months

Always a crowd pleaser - Brugmansia, sometimes commonly known as `Morning, Noon and Night` or ` Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow`

One of my more unusual treasures...Iochroma. Quite a tall and fast growing plant that we treat as a perennial here and cut it back hard each year

Close-up of the unusual flowers - they do make a lot of mess dropping thousands of flowers daily

There is nothing quite like an old fashioned blue Hydranga

     And then we have the dainty little dwarf Agapanthus -`Baby Blue`, always a pretty sight when mass planted

I know, it`s not blue - but these dear little Angelonias were too pretty to be left out

And lastly, the pale blue Plumbago that is hedged along one of our boundaries. I have a love/hate relationship with this plant that attracts gazzillions of butterflies - the down side? It sticks like glue to the dogs fur and even my hair when pruning!

So that`s what`s Blue just now... but looking around today, I noticed A LOT OF PINK things flowering.... hmmm, perhaps next post?

Plant a tree NOW...cause they take forever

When we built our house sixteen years ago, while the brickies were hard at it, I was digging large holes and planting my first trees. I will always remember seeing them shaking their heads, obviously thinking there were more pressing things to be done building on acreage. So while the roofers were roofing, I was still digging holes and planting tiny trees - I knew something that they did not.

 

Trees take many, many years to grow towards their full potential. We purchased a large sloping block that was virtually bare apart from the big brick shed and a massive Turpentine tree that still drives us mad with the horrid woody berries it drops by the millions.

 

So sixteen years on, my trees are doing everything I knew they would. One of the hardest parts of starting a new garden is creating wind breaks and shade to protect tender plants - something that is not achieved overnight. This Waterhousia Lilypily now gives ample shade and protection.

 

 

Most conifers are slow growing. I have used Spartan Juniper as wind barriers. Arn`t they lovely.

 

And then there are the pretty trees, planted for autumn colour or long awaited flowers.

 

 

       `Albizia` has thousands of pink powder puff flowers. More Spartan Junipers are behind in a semi circle as a windbreak.We call them `The sentinals`.

 

 

The delicate flowers of `Cercis Canadensis` come before any foliage in spring. It has lush spreading foliage till winter then loses it`s foliage. It will eventually have a wide spreading habit.

                                                                       

             The pretty flowers of the `Cape Chestnut` look like tiny orchid flowers up close.               This tree was given to me 12 years ago as a birthday present. It`s going to take a few more to reach it`s full potential.

 

Close-up of the `Cape Chestnut` flower

 

 

The `Golden Elm` has struggled this year with drought and now` borer` - a nasty pest here in Australia that bores holes throughout the trunk - what a mess - don't know if it will survive

 

 

 

I love golden foliaged trees - they turn brilliant yellows in autumn. This gently weeping `Gleditsia` is only four years old! It`s branches hit the ground when it`s heavy with rain.

 

 

I havn`t even covered half of the wonderful assortment of trees here - Maples, Crabapples ...........  just remember to GET YOUR TREES IN, cause they take a long time to grow.

 

Salad Days

Look what I picked today..... zuchinni, tomatoes and cucumber - and that's just the beginning.
   

                                                                                                     
I love growing vegetables, fruit and herbs. Have done for over 16 years. There is nothing quite so satisfying as picking your own tomatoes or munching on a snow pea whilst pottering.
I don't use any chemicals or artificial fertilisers either - may as well just buy your F&Veg from a supermarket if you want chemically treated food. I don't get many pests and disease either, cause I don't tamper with the balance of nature

My vegetable garden consists of six large semi raised beds, which are crop rotated seasonally.

It`s the beginning of summer here in Sydney, and we`ve finally had some good rain to get everything lush and productive. Tomato season is always popular here - everyone has a go cause they taste so good straight from the garden and they`re easy to grow in our long hot days. You just have to protect them from some of our nasty pests like fruit fly. I find that simply bagging the fruit whilst on the vine is the simplest organic way. Hanging lures and traps also helps reduce the threat.

 

Leafy greens like picking lettuce (not the hearting kind) and ruby chard (a brilliant stemmed spinach)

are also looking great at the moment. The rhubarb is also big and lush thanks to the rain.

 

 

 

You wont believe how big the zucchini plants are and how much they produce

 

 

 

The vegie gardens are full of yummy goodies - the question is...can we eat it all?

 

 

Lebanese cucumbers

 

 

Snowpeas

 

 

sweet potato (kumera)

 

beetroot ( and a little helper)

 

 

mmm, blackberries

 

 

course, everyone needs a lemon tree. This ones a Meyer lemon.

 

 

Early days for the watermelon

 

 

Oh, there`s lots more yummy treasures coming along like strawberries, nectarines, apples and even pomegranates, not to mention the zesty kaffir lime, mint and lemongrass.

I`ll show you some more another blog time