Tag: gardening

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Annuals Barbie's garden Gardening Home page features Miscellaneous Recipes

Garden on a plate

Wow – that was some storm we experienced over the weekend. I was so worried that the hail storm was going to ruin my veggie patch and when it rained cats and dogs, it was going to wash everything away! Glad to report that there are only small pools of water and the garden has survived. So much so, that I could pick an amazing lunch salad from the greens all around my garden. Take a look at the colourful plate of goodies – even edible flowers.

This collection of greens makes for the most delicious salad. I have experimented with edible flowers and include the peppery nasturtium flowers and the cucumber tasting borage flower. I have also added chamomile fronds and these are so delicate and have their own unique flavour. This is why I garden – to create beautiful plates of food. All it needed was a drizzle of olive oil and a squeeze of lemon (from my lemon tree!) – nothing more! The flavours speak for themself.

The beautiful borage flower is also packed with healthy goodness.  This is called the happy plant, historically known to bring comfort and joy! It is said to be mildly antidepressant. It has anti-inflammatory properties and used by the pharmaceutical industry for its oil (this contains gamma-linolenic acid). Borage is used for its leaves, flowers and seeds. What a marvelous plant – also used in the garden as a green fertilizer! Multi-tasking at its finest!

Did you know that Nasturtiums is known as “Mother Nature’s Antibiotic” because it is packed with Vitamin C? It is great in assisting fighting colds and flus by assisting the immune system. The leaves, flowers and seeds are all edible! It has a fresh peppery flavour so a big must in any salad! And the colours are eye catching, brings a simple salad to Master Chef level!!

The salad greens are a variety of seedlings I bought – oak leaf, curly red, cos and butter lettuce. The rest were sown from seed, such as the english spinach, broad been shoots, fennel  shoots, tender celery tips and new swiss chard leaves.

My first ever attempt at growing Baby Chinese Greens – tatsoi (a spinach mustard), Mizuna (a lettuce), Arugula (we know it as rocket) and Bok Choy (also known as Pak Choi – a chinese cabbage). What you see here (above) in Bok Choy. It is the tender new growths that I use. I am busy thinning, so it is a great way to use these in salads.

This is, for me, the the joy of gardening! My edible garden! What makes you happy about your garden??

Enjoy xxxx

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Barbie's garden Design Gardening Home page features Perenniels

New patch plantings

Hi Chris – I know I mentioned this to you last week already, but I had little time to get the photo’s done and up for you to see. I know I keep telling you how I love your Nandina, well I have now bought some as well as azaleas to go in my shade patch in the back garden. Everything else I have planted here has died; either ripped out by chickens, or rotted away or just simply faded into nothing. It is such a focal position next to my back deck. In summer it is the only real shady area in the back garden and all the birds flock here for warmth in winter and to cool off in the summer. It is a watering hole and it’s also where the chameleons and bees hang out. I have created a rock pile for my frogs and lizards and the bucket just for fun! There is a yearly arum lily that comes up in winter… look you can see it popping out of the new stone path. I’m going to keep it because it has been there ever since we moved into the house. I remember putting the big tree stump on that area one year and it still managed to push through, so I love plants that love to be here, no matter what the circumstance!

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Here are the white azaleas and the nandina pygmaea-Dwarf Bamboo – planted behind the Tea Tree and the Pineapple Sage. These shrubs will give shade in the intense afternoon sun in summer. I also have a few Irises I cannot wait to see flower in spring. I have a few Lilium bulbs too. The Arum Lily that comes up every year is Zantedeschia, a genus of herbaceous flowering plants in the family Araceae, native to southern Africa from South Africa north to Malawi.

[one_half]Nandina Pygmaea[/one_half]

[one_half_last]White Azaleas[/one_half_last]

[one_half]A thatching plant but not Cape Thatch[/one_half]

[one_half_last]I have pruned the Pineapple Sage[/one_half_last]

[one_half]The yearly arum lily plant[/one_half]

[one_half_last]The Shady Patch corner at sunset[/one_half_last]

I really hope that this will be the winning combo. I am looking at a more perennial garden patch here with lots of flowers and little work. A bushy, flowery area with nice colourful foliage. I love the Nandina now – the reds are so beautiful. I selected white azaleas because I wanted something neutral as perennial and I can add colour with bulbs and other annual flowers here and there.  I am now going to sit back, water and wait!

The weatherman says storms ahead, so I guess the weekend will be spent in front of the fire with a good book!

Happy reading….I mean gardening xxxx

 

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Barbie's garden Gardening Home page features Miscellaneous

What’s this?

While I’ve been cleaning up my garden and planting seedlings, I have been watching these two strange “weed” bushes developing in the corner where the old conifer tree was. I wanted to see what they would eventually become, but I am now curious to know what the dickens these are!

The first bush has a very familiar looking flower – similar to a tomato and the actual potato plant!

[one_half]The plants are in this corner[/one_half]

[one_half_last]Here’s a closer look[/one_half_last]

[one_half]Here is the leaf structure[/one_half]

[one_half_last]Leaf and a flower from the side[/one_half_last]

[one_half]Here is the flower[/one_half]

[one_half_last]Full plant again[/one_half_last]

Any clue??

Then, right next to this plant is this alien looking thing! Quite a scary looking horned-pod head!! The rest of the plant is unassuming and quite small. No flowers anywhere. I would love to know what this is!

[one_half]Look at this weird thing! Any ideas?[/one_half]

[one_half_last]Let’s take a closer look[/one_half_last]

[one_half]Here is the leaf structure[/one_half]

[one_half_last]Here is where it is[/one_half_last]

I hope one of our gardening buddies can help solve this mystery!

Happy Gardening xxxxx

 

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Annuals Barbie's garden Gardening Home page features Perenniels

Meadow update

Hi Chris, remember my back garden meadow I want to create? I spread the seeds at the beginning of April and the last two weeks I have taken photos of the progress. I am still not sure what flowers will come out so it will be fun to see how the whole area will develop. I can recognise marigolds and that’s about it! Oh yes – I also see clover and a few weeds, but thats all in the nature of a wild meadow. I really want to see some dandelion and milk thistle. These are great medicinal plants … and it would be nice to have a meadow of useful and beneficial flowers. Right now, I don’t know the difference between the grass, flowers and weeds. The first two weeks they just shot up, but week 2 there was little change.

The Day I Started

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Week 2 – 14 April

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Week 3 – 21 April

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You can see patches of lawn that have always been there, so hopefully this will fill out and become a colourful carpet of flowers and new grass.

It is a kind of “wait and see” experiment that will be fun to watch grow.

Can you identify some of my seedings?

 

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Barbie's garden Gardening Home page features Miscellaneous Perenniels

Grass Feature Patch preview

Hi Chris! I have been off the radar this past week with sinus troubles! I am certain they are spraying the fields around us with chemicals. Argh! Not good! The wheat farmers now grow grapes in the area, and I know that they spray these! I have had to go on antihistamines and nasal sprays and it has knocked me a bit sideways! I will have to investigate this further!

But in the meanwhile – I want to send you a little note and a photo that I will be doing a post on my Grass Feature Patch soon! This is just a sneak preview! It has really over-grown and my Panicum Virgatum is looking so amazing!

[one_half]BEFORE- June 2011[/one_half]

[one_half_last]AFTER- March 2012[/one_half_last]

I did a Grass feature revisited post in September – so it’s good to see what’s been happening.

What I will do is what you suggested, do a close up on each grass in the patch. I will label each one on the main photograph and then do a close up!

Happy Gardening xxxxx

 

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Barbie's garden Gardening Home page features Perenniels

Lush green for March

I am looking forward to cooler breezes and that crisp morning air in March. Christine shared her garden lovelies in Autumn in Cape Town and I have to say, just taking a walk around my garden today I can see that the lushness of green is predominant in my garden at the moment. The last of the great harvests are behind me and the preparation for the March sowing will begin this week – if work allows me to.

[one_half]This patch brings a cool corner to the back deck[/one_half]

[one_half_last]Patchwork patio is brimming with herbs[/one_half_last]

[one_half]This patch is a work in progress[/one_half]

[one_half_last]The great rosemary bush offers cool shade[/one_half_last]

There are now empty areas and beds that need a compost top up and care for the next seasons plants and edibles. Shady patches and sunny areas have been earmarked for the appropriate sun worshipers and shade lovers. It also seems to get easier which plants to select. Hmmmm….. sounds like I am no longer a beginner at this.

[one_half]Beyond the fig tree is the guava tree[/one_half]

[one_half_last]My tree is full of small guavas-a bumper crop?[/one_half_last]

Not much colour, but it doesn’t matter. I am glad my garden came through the heat of the summer and recovered well. I now know which areas get the most intense heat and where I can plant hardier and heat-tolerant plants for the next summer season.

Happy gardening xxxx

 

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Barbie's garden Gardening Home page features Miscellaneous

Big clean up!

Today was a go go go day! I had my fabulous hubby as keen to get the garden in great shape. It has been looking shabby and dry and all the spent vegetable plants needed to go. I want to make way for my March planting and get the soil ready for this. I am totally exhausted but so happy that we managed to do the whole garden – every inch was checked and fixed!

[one_half]Here we start – bright and early[/one_half]

[one_half_last]Cleaning the protea bush – hard work![/one_half_last]

Ok – enough of the ugly stuff. I didn’t bother to take photos of the before because it is really not a pretty sight! Let’s go straight to after shots! We’ll start with the front, move around the side and then to the back of the house. Then the chicken run!

[one_half]Front grass mowed and beds cleaned[/one_half]

[one_half_last]Grass patch needs little work – just some water[/one_half_last]

[one_half]Fuchsia cut right back so roses have room[/one_half]

[one_half_last]Roses deadheaded and fed with Sudden Impact[/one_half_last]

[one_half]Front garden neat  – awaiting stones for path[/one_half]

[one_half_last]The protea bush cropped just before I mowed[/one_half_last]

Ok, now for the side garden – the veggie patch area.

[one_half]Weeding took forever but worth it[/one_half]

[one_half_last]Front view of veggie patch[/one_half_last]

[one_half]Looking back on the veggie patch[/one_half]

[one_half_last]Oops! Still need to plant these salvias[/one_half_last]

Ok, now we are coming around to the back garden where I have my fruit trees.

[one_half]Area raked and fruit trees mulched[/one_half]

[one_half_last]Fig tree got a real good haircut[/one_half_last]

[one_half]Potato (bush) tree bed all clean[/one_half]

[one_half_last]Looking through Potato bush bed into garden[/one_half_last]

[one_half]Beds cleaned and grass mowed[/one_half]

[one_half_last]Chicken run cleaned up too[/one_half_last]

Whew. Thats it! Gonna hit the sack now. Tomorrow i’m going to order the stones that we want to put around the house. Ok, that’s a whole new post.

Happy gardening xxxx

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Barbie's garden Gardening Home page features Trees

Death of a tree

It was a sad day today to see my splendid conifer tree fall. After the post I did on the heat of summer, it was inevitable that the big conifer on the corner of our plot was not going to survive the summer. I know that this majestic tree is a common site in the northern hemisphere. I have a feeling that the heat here in Philly is too intense. I was also told that they have a life span of 5 years or so. Is this true?

[one_half]Takes years to get to this height[/one_half]

[one_half_last]How quick it is to take something down[/one_half_last]

[one_half]Thats all that is left behind -a stump[/one_half]

[one_half_last]Everything was dry and dead[/one_half_last]

After we had cleared the area of all the dry branches, I watered the patch and immediately I had visitors. The local Butcher Bird family (Fiscal Shrike) came to enjoy the sprinkler. They were having a ball and my mood brightened to know that I can make this area and my new tree stump a real feature to attract the birds and bees! Oh yes…. the bees were also all over this tree. The sap was oozing out and the bees were going mad.

[one_half]Amazing – there were hundreds of bees[/one_half]

[one_half_last]They were dancing and battling with each other[/one_half_last]

Well, the wonders of nature shows me that the death of one majestic tree gives life to so many other creatures.

I will honour this tree by creating a special feature here. Watch this space!

Happy gardening xxx

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Annuals Barbie's garden Gardening Home page features Perenniels

Summer Heat getting to me

Summer is getting intense! We have had days of nonstop high temperatures and I can’t protect my garden from it. It has been close to 40 degrees here with no letting up. In the early mornings I take this time to water as much as I can as well as early evening – I’m watering twice a day! But the damage is done…. I am devastated by the damage to my huge conifer tree (I don’t know what this type of tree is called). It looks like it has been burnt! And the protea bush next to it looks like it has some kind of disease. All my delicate plants have withered and died and I’m trying to rescue what I can, but watering is not always helping.

[one_half]I am overwhelmed by this heat – so destructive[/one_half]

[one_half_last]It started with this one branch – is it the heat?[/one_half_last]

This was once a beautiful, lush green conifer tree – now it is destroyed beyond repair. It happened instantly – within a week it just seemed to have died! I’m shattered.

The rest of the garden is looking untended, overgrown and debris that needs to be cleared and weeds that have popped up overnight! It is just too hot to do anything in the garden. I am grabbing all the edibles and storing them – well, what I can anyway! I am sad to show you all the ruined plants… some might bounce back, but I think some won’t!

[one_half]The Fuchsia needs cutting back[/one_half]

[one_half_last]Some of the grasses are patchy[/one_half_last]

[one_half]Sunflowers are spent – need to harvest the seeds[/one_half]

[one_half_last]My stevia wilted but might just bounce back[/one_half_last]

[one_half]Totally upset with my barrel flowers – all dead![/one_half]

[one_half_last]Even the waterwise plants can’t take the heat[/one_half_last]

[one_half]Fruit trees are struggling – my poor apple trees[/one_half]

[one_half_last]My strawberries are holding up, but just barely[/one_half_last]

[one_half]Roses need deadheading and cleaning up[/one_half]

[one_half_last]Even in the shade there is no escape! My evening primrose struggling[/one_half_last]

This is the toughest thing I have had to experience as a gardener. It is soul destroying, but everything has a season and we have no control of the elements. I take my hat off to you all in the northern hemisphere during the harsh winter days. Now I know what it feels like.

Oh well, I should be looking forward to the autumn and cooler weather and the ability to start afresh.

Happy gardening xxxxx

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Barbie's garden Bugs & Pests Gardening Home page features Miscellaneous Perenniels

Heat of the Summer

The heat of the summer days does take its toll on the garden. It is usually 2-3 degrees higher here than in the city of Cape Town. So if my friend, Christine, says its 30 degrees in her garden, than its usually 33 degrees here. A few of my plants are now dropping leaves and flowers – notably the fuchsia, but my neighbour was very surprised to see it still blooming, so it lasted well.

The crickets are out at night and I hear the lonely high-pitched sound of the mating frog. In the hot afternoon, you hear the cicadas and the grasshoppers stake their claim on large green leaves. The sun is high and the air is dry. The garden waits for its daily watering …

[one_half]This grasshopper lives on the corn-stalk[/one_half]

[one_half_last]An old skin shell of a grasshopper[/one_half_last]

[one_half]My grasses are doing well in the heat[/one_half]

[one_half_last]They are now growing and filling the spaces[/one_half_last]

But they do need watering regularly.

[one_half]My Miscanthus growing tall[/one_half]

[one_half_last]But some are feeling the heat[/one_half_last]

In this early morning shot (8am) – it was already 25 degrees

[one_half]The Leopard Trees are strong and resilient[/one_half]

[one_half_last]But everyone needs a drink of water[/one_half_last]

Summertime is for lazy days in the sun and swimming in the cool pool. I know most of our friends are in winter, but I hope that we can spread some sunshine your way.

Happy gardening xxxx