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Annuals Barbie's garden Bugs & Pests Gardening Home page features

What’s Hot and What’s Not

At every turn, you can find a gem of a flower or you can hit a gremlin!! Today was my day! I stuck my head out on this cold day and to my surprise found lots to photograph! So my post today was suitably named “What’s Hot and What’s Not!” Let me show you what I found …..

WHAT’S HOT: Lemon season!! Love them for salad dressing and for Lemon Cordial!

[one_half]WHAT’S HOT: Lots of lemon blossoms!![/one_half]

[one_half_last]WHAT’S NOT: Lemon tree leaves are yellow![/one_half_last]

WHAT’S HOT: MY first peas are coming out!! I have sweet peas and mange tout!

[one_half]WHAT’S HOT: Beautiful Spinach[/one_half]

[one_half_last]WHAT’S HOT: Delicious Broccoli[/one_half_last]

[one_half]WHAT’S HOT: More peas – mange tout![/one_half]

[one_half_last]WHAT’S HOT: My first potato!![/one_half_last]

WHAT’S NOT: Argh!!! Ahipds!! Tons of them! They seem to be just sitting on my Artemesia! I thought that this plant was a pest repellant! Perhaps it is acting as a trap crop – is this possible??

[one_half]WHAT’S HOT: Blue berry blossoms![/one_half]

[one_half_last]WHAT’S HOT: Borage about to bloom.Growing wild![/one_half_last]

[one_half]WHAT’S HOT: Almond blossom! This year a crop?[/one_half]

[one_half_last]WHAT’S HOT: Bees!!![/one_half_last]

[one_half]WHAT’S HOT: More blossoms with a lil’ visitor![/one_half]

[one_half_last]WHAT’S HOT:More bees!![/one_half_last]

[one_half]WHAT’S HOT:Love my lavender! Bee friendly![/one_half]

[one_half_last]WHAT’S HOT: Calendula-great medicinal flower![/one_half_last]

WHAT’S HOT: My JoJo Tanks are FULL!! So I am happy that I have enough for my summer!!

[one_half]WHAT’S NOT: Totally overgrown! Needs a trim![/one_half]

[one_half_last]WHAT’S NOT: My Leopard Tree is not looking its best![/one_half_last]

So my garden is as active as ever before. So much happening! Love to see the bees!!

PLANT A BEE-FRIENDLY PLANT THIS SPRING!

Happy Gardening xxx

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Annuals Barbie's garden Bugs & Pests Gardening Home page features

Essence of my Winter Garden

I love the softness and the coolness of a winter garden. After a harsh summer, it is a pleasure to see so much green. The mist envelopes the mornings and everything looks magical – the spiders webs look like jewellery. I hope you enjoy the walk through my June garden……..

Lets see whats happening in the front garden

[one_half]The front grass bed[/one_half]

[one_half_last]The front of the house[/one_half_last]

[one_half]Chasmanthas in my raised bed[/one_half]

[one_half_last]Raised beds very textured[/one_half_last]

[one_half]Cleaned rose bed[/one_half]

[one_half_last]Overworked wheel barrow[/one_half_last]

[one_half]Grasses with spider jewellery[/one_half]

[one_half_last]Tanks filling up[/one_half_last]

My beautiful Leopard Tree!

[one_half]My Artemesia – Powis Castle[/one_half]

[one_half_last]Such a fragrant and beautiful bush![/one_half_last]

[one_half]Always a bucket to catch more rain water[/one_half]

[one_half_last]Always fun things welcoming you to the garden[/one_half_last]

Lets see whats growing in the winter veggie garden

[one_half]Tamsin’s (my grand-daughter) Garden Peas[/one_half]

[one_half_last]Red Butter Lettuce! A new variety![/one_half_last]

[one_half]Italian flat and curly parsley-snail deterrent[/one_half]

[one_half_last]Broccoli with chives-companion plants[/one_half_last]

[one_half]Kale-well used in all green juices![/one_half]

[one_half_last]Thyme-natural bug repellent near brassicas[/one_half_last]

[one_half]A flourishing Yellow plum tomato[/one_half]

[one_half_last]Self-seeded tomato-clay pot for frogs[/one_half_last]

Another home in the Grenadilla Vines – a spider?? It looks like she strung up glass beads around her front door! Nice styling there!!

The old chicken coup is now a garden shed!

What’s happening in the back garden??

[one_half]Winter colours setting in[/one_half]

[one_half_last]Quince tree turning golden[/one_half_last]

[one_half]Back deck is well lived on[/one_half]

[one_half_last]New cosy couches to relax on[/one_half_last]

[one_half]New seedlings for the veggie garden[/one_half]

[one_half_last]Summer deck not in use![/one_half_last]

[one_half]Pepper Tree hanging over[/one_half]

[one_half_last]Coup area still a feature-sans chickens[/one_half_last]

Thanks for taking a walk with me around my garden………

Happy gardening xxx

 

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Sunflowers from sunny Cape Town

Hi all gardening friends!! My year started off very busy work wise and the summer has kept me more outdoors than in! We are experiencing a heat wave in Cape Town these past few days so 32 to 38 degrees is the average!! Whew!! Hot in Philly!! I have to show you my beautiful Sunflowers that were all over my garden this summer. They are now going to seed, but were spectacular this summer.

[one_half]The geometry of nature[/one_half]

[one_half_last]The chickens will be happy!![/one_half_last]

[one_half]Sunflower seeds packed beautifully[/one_half]

[one_half_last]The bees were busy on the sunflowers[/one_half_last]

[one_half]Love this photo![/one_half]

[one_half_last]They stood over 6 feet tall[/one_half_last]

[one_half]So many heads per stalk![/one_half]

[one_half_last]Golden yellow sunshine!![/one_half_last]

Lots has been happening in the garden as well so in the next posts I will be sharing with you all the stuff we are changing and moving and adding and subtracting!

Hannes and I have decided to redesign the garden and home to make it more water wise and energy efficient in 2014. This is the theme that will include using grey water and harvesting rain water and including solar water heating and recycling. Lots of new ideas to go GREEN!

Glad to be back and will be sharing our experiences with you!!

Happy gardening in 2014!!!

 

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Annuals Barbie's garden Gardening Home page features Perenniels

October clean up

It is always a good idea to have a family visit to motivate you to get the garden looking great! This got me energized and I have enjoyed the manual labour! Got all the muscle groups working! I ordered bags and bags of compost and bark for mulch and got my act together! It might not look like much from the photos but the whole garden was tackled!

I also have some really beautiful blooms to show you!

My roses are finally blooming!

Apple blossoms all over. I can’t wait for these to become golden delicious apples this year!

Love my Irises – the white are my favourite!

My little broody Tara – I can’t snap her out of this! There are NO eggs and she sits and sits on the nest! So I have closed the door – but this makes me more sad! She sits on the balcony! What to do!?

[one_half]Apple blossoms![/one_half]

[one_half_last]Fuchsias are looking so pretty[/one_half_last]

[one_half]Rose bush full of roses! Fab![/one_half]

[one_half_last]Buckets of Lavnder[/one_half_last]

[one_half]Wild corn flowers[/one_half]

[one_half_last]Chamomile are in bloom-Tea anyone?[/one_half_last]

Tea Tree bush is also in bloom

[one_half]Love the mix of peas with nasturtium flowers[/one_half]

[one_half_last]Chives in bloom[/one_half_last]

[one_half]Blueberries en masse[/one_half]

[one_half_last]Peaches growing! Yum![/one_half_last]

Angel’s fishing rods! Dierama – I love them!

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Favourite Figs for summer!

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[one_half]Everything composted and mulched![/one_half]

[one_half_last]Cut and cleared! lots of work[/one_half_last]

[one_half]Attention shows its colours![/one_half]

[one_half_last]First rose in the rose patch[/one_half_last]

What I see is so many more flowers than I planned for when I originally started my vegetable garden. However, they are all linked. Every bloom gives a treasure or a pleasure – they are all welcome now in my part of the world!

Happy spring gardening xxxx

 

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Annuals Barbie's garden Gardening Home page features Perenniels

Garden Bloggers Bloom Day in October

My joy to see some sun and that the garden is looking springy for the first time this Spring. It still needs some loving care from the gardener, but in essence it is looking colourful and fun. There are areas where Mother Nature has used her own initiative and gathered a few seeds from last season and made a fabulous display! I spent less at the garden nursery these past months and used what I had – dividing and transplanting – leaving bulbs in the ground – and letting flowers self-seed! I have to admit I am more impressed with this type of gardening because it’s fun and costs nothing! Especially the Irises! They will eventually take over the back garden – how wonderful!!

Here’s what’s blooming in Barbie’s garden in October 2013

This Fleabane was a transplanted shoot – now already a small shrub!

 

Sweet dew drenched peas – love the delicate flowers!

A great companion – Nasturtiums. I plan to have lots of them growing! Great re-seeders and a marvelous salad addition!

Gentle blossoms of the quince tree!

Borage, dietes, sage , feverfew and blueberry blossoms in my bee patch!

A wild bunch of corn flowers – self seeded.

An unusual air plant – only blossoms this time of year! Found it at the back all dried out Now look. Just starting.

This raised bed is full of buds and seeds from last season – Ixias, Sparaxsis, Calendula, doing there own thing! Love their design!

Some more self-seeded flowers – Calendula! They can grow everywhere in my garden because of there wonderful healing properties! I am making tinctures and oils this year! In the middle of making my own facial products. Will keep you posted!

So very excited!! My very first passion flower – I missed the bloom! But I will get the next one! This grenadilla vine has been perking up now! I look forward to it climbing up this arch!

The back garden is looking colourful with the irises in the foreground – the bright yellow flowers of the Chinese cabbage and the bright orange of the nasturtiums. The quince tree in the back is so pretty with all the blossoms!

OK – my hubby needs to get cracking on the pool – needs a good clean and we will be ready for the warm weather! Just a bit of work in the garden still!!

About Garden Bloggers Bloom Day

Join Carol and friends over at May Dreams Gardens to see what other gardeners around the world have blooming in October! And if you haven’t joined yet and have some blooms you’d like to show off, please join in the fun of showcasing your blooms! We’d love to see what YOU have blooming in your garden right now!

Thank you for joining us!

PS: Please join us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter – we’ll be so happy if you do!

Happy gardening xxx

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Annuals Barbie's garden Gardening Home page features Perenniels

Garden Clutter

Ok – so now I am back in my garden and all I see is clutter and mishmash and an overgrown, totally out-of-control garden. Well, that is not so bad because I don’t particularly like too much order in my garden! They say that weeds are plants that haven’t learnt to grow in rows! But a happy companion growth is good!! All I decided to do today was record the, aah-hem! mess! I’m feeling less and less energetic! But I know that this is my weekend in the garden – I have earned it!! And if I don’t get the veggie seeds planted, I’ll have nothing to show this summer!  I have been sketching and drawing and planning and have a new vegetable patch design – I will post it to show you how I spend rainy days – I still think of my garden! And this design is all based on good companion planting!

Ok – here is the BEFORE photos ….. just to let you all know my garden gets really, really wild!!

[one_half]Peas in the Potato Patch[/one_half]

[one_half_last]Peaches in this jungle[/one_half_last]

[one_half]Lots going on here[/one_half]

[one_half_last]This is my FIRST almond!![/one_half_last]

[one_half]Lemon juice for Africa!![/one_half]

[one_half_last]What!?  Figs again!?[/one_half_last]

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[one_third_last][/one_third_last]

[one_half]Veggie patch going wild![/one_half]

[one_half_last]Chamomile growing wild with weeds[/one_half_last]

[one_half]Veggie patch needs lots of work-whew![/one_half]

[one_half_last]Wow! Front garden looking savage[/one_half_last]

[one_third][/one_third]

[one_third][/one_third]

[one_third_last][/one_third_last]

[one_half]How sad-needs some love![/one_half]

[one_half_last]Back garden chicken demolished![/one_half_last]

Wish me good luck and I will most definitely show the AFTER photos!!

Happy gardening xxxxx

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Back in my Garden

Well I guess you all thought that I left the country!! Well, I did! I travelled to Germany on business and also to visit family. During this time, my hubby stayed home and said that the weather was cold, wet, very wet and miserable!! I had a fabulous trip and took lots of photos, so I will have to do a special post on my trip. My garden looks forlorn and totally drenched! I was so surprised when I took my camera and found a few blooms for a delayed Blooms Day! Here are the sunny flowers that managed to put a smile on my face! Hey!! We are supposed to be in Spring!! But we really don’t feel very Springy yet!!

[one_half]Almond blossom[/one_half]

[one_half_last]Borage-a favourite here[/one_half_last]

[one_half]Potato Plant just flowering[/one_half]

[one_half_last]My sweet Tara-Barred Rock[/one_half_last]

[one_half]Nasturtium’s all soggy[/one_half]

[one_half_last]Really pretty wild flowers[/one_half_last]

[one_half]Love the bell shape Dierama[/one_half]

[one_half_last]Lavender looks great![/one_half_last]

[one_half]Water everywhere![/one_half]

[one_half_last]Dietes – always a winner[/one_half_last]

[one_half]Allysum tucked away[/one_half]

[one_half_last]Broccoli in bloom[/one_half_last]

[one_half]Ixias in bloom[/one_half]

[one_half_last]Calendula – bright orange![/one_half_last]

[one_half]Chrysanthemum[/one_half]

[one_half_last]Can’t wait for the Jasmine[/one_half_last]

[one_half]Something new – Lupins![/one_half]

[one_half_last]I really like them![/one_half_last]

[one_half]Azaleas about to bloom! A first![/one_half]

[one_half_last]Bulbine plant[/one_half_last]

[one_half]Peach blossom – looking sad![/one_half]

[one_half_last]Feverfew[/one_half_last]

[one_half]So excited! My confetti bush![/one_half]

[one_half_last]Blueberry blossoms-not so happy[/one_half_last]

Even though the blossoms are not all bold and bright, I am so happy to have the few there is. The ground is soaked and alot of plants have literally drowned. I have so much work to do and I look forward to a sunny week ahead!

Glad to be home and will be happier when I am in my gum boots!

Happy Gardening xxxx

 

 

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

What’s eating my parsley?

Hello my gardening friends! I need your help with something. I just don’t know what is eating my parsley!! I have looked for insects and have looked for caterpillars and I don’t think it is a fungal infection. It is definitely a biting insect! HELP!! I am losing both my parsley bushes and they take so long to grow.

Look at the stalk of the parsley – it is being chewed!

[one_half]There are small holes and yellow spots[/one_half]

[one_half_last]Every leaf is affected[/one_half_last]

If this bush is so damaged, surely I should be able to see what is eating it? Or could it be a night-time nastie??

I would really appreciate your help on this – I just don’t want to spray without knowing what I am treating!!

Thanks my gardening friends xxxxx

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Annuals Barbie's garden Gardening Home page features Perenniels

Growing up revisited

Just a quick post to show the new seedlings growing. I can see the difference between the kale and the chinese cabbage now with the second set of leaves (I am sure they have a more scientific name) coming through. I am excited about the kale – I saw a recipe with kale and it looked so scrumptious!  With so much nutritional value, it can only be a great addition to any plate! I also harvest a variety of lettuces daily for our lunch salad! No more red, juicy tomatoes, but I do have the small yellow Blondekopf tomatoes. Very sweet and there are always lots of them!

Here we have the kale

[one_half]Kale[/one_half]

[one_half_last]Chinese Cabbage[/one_half_last]

[one_half]Rocket[/one_half]

[one_half_last]Rocket in the raised bed[/one_half_last]

[one_half]Ok – I think this is more cabbage[/one_half]

[one_half_last]Potato plant emerging[/one_half_last]

[one_half]A necklace of Blondekopf tomatoes[/one_half]

[one_half_last]Some lettuce in a bald patch[/one_half_last]

[one_half]Oak leaf lettuce[/one_half]

[one_half_last]Rosemary[/one_half_last]

 

What else is growing in my garden that I haven’t talked about for awhile?

[one_third]Passion Fruit Vine[/one_third]

[one_third]Fennel[/one_third]

[one_third_last]Lemon Tree[/one_third_last]

[one_half]Bulbs in the raised beds-must be Sparaxis[/one_half]

[one_half_last]Ixia with Lupins[/one_half_last]

[one_half]Birdies love the birdbath[/one_half]

[one_half_last]Grasses are still attractive[/one_half_last]

[one_half]Fairylights in the Leopard tree[/one_half]

[one_half_last]Black pod of the Leopard Tree[/one_half_last]

[one_half]Powis Castle Artemesia in the rose bed[/one_half]

[one_half_last]Rosemary & fennel in the veggie patch[/one_half_last]

Lots still happening in my garden and as I can see, there is still a basketful of goodies I can collect from the veggie patch!

Have a Happy Gardening week xxxxxx

 

 

 

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Annuals Barbie's garden Gardening Home page features Perenniels

Garden Bloggers Bloom Day in my winter July 2013

I did not want to miss another Bloom Day! There is always something blooming here and wanted to join in again, so no one will think that I have closed my garden gate. Even though there is not a lot to see, I love the blooms that are coming through now – my favourite Borage and the sunny Calendula daisy. The worst of winter is passing and the days are getting longer. We’ve had soggy days and sun-drenched days – bone-chilling days and balmy days!  Winter days are for wrapping up warmly and watching the garden sleep. But I can even boast growing a few seedlings! I look forward to visiting all the summery gardens this July Bloom Day!

Here’s what’s blooming in Barbie’s garden in July 2013

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[one_third_last][/one_third_last]

[one_half]Chrysanthemum[/one_half]

[one_half_last]Gerbera[/one_half_last]

[one_half]Potato Bush[/one_half]

[one_half_last]Euphorbia[/one_half_last]

[one_third][/one_third]

[one_third][/one_third]

[one_third_last]
[/one_third_last]

[one_half]Borage[/one_half]

[one_half_last]Snow Drop[/one_half_last]

[one_half]Fuchsia[/one_half]

[one_half_last]Barrow of blommies[/one_half_last]

[one_half]New Lupins[/one_half]

[one_half_last]More calendula[/one_half_last]

About Garden Bloggers Bloom Day

Join Carol and friends over at May Dreams Gardens to see what other gardeners around the world have blooming in July! And if you haven’t joined yet and have some blooms you’d like to show off, please join in the fun of showcasing your blooms! We’d love to see what YOU have blooming in your garden right now!

Thank you for joining us!

PS: Please join us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter – we’ll be so happy if you do!

Happy gardening xxx