Your Garden

[Aemma]

Annuals are filler. I use nasturtiums, poppies, impatiens, zinnias, marigolds, ageratum, and the like. As for centerpiece annuals, tithonia or Mexican sunflower, and this annual vine, which no one has gotten yet on the Botany quiz.

Ohhh, this is that other thread! I finally stumbled upon it! LOL

Uhmmm you're up SuuTie in the Botany Quiz thread (methinks!)

Great thread SuuTie; I can't believe I've just found it now. But anyway...

Well our garden is forever in a state of flux as my philosophies on gardening and life in general tend to evolve. With a big thanks to Lodd, I've become a fan of Michael Pollan's which in turn has propelled my interest in food security issues to new heights, not to mention new labour initiatives around the home (much to hubby's chagrin, I'm afraid to say ).

This year I'm resolute in finding new homes for most of the plants that are merely decorative and not serving at least another purpose, either being edible or staving off pests (preferably both!). The sole exception to this rule is the keeping of my three lilac trees/shrubs, the peony, the Persian somethingn or other and the Turtlehead plants in the veggie bed. They stay. It would be sacreligious to get rid of my lilacs! This means that a rose has been dug up and will find a new home in the front yard, making way for yet more vegetables. And the herbs themselves will find a home in a huge pot (as they do every year). They only overwinter in the actual veg bed so I can keep them for the following year. I've already used some of the chive and spicy oregano this week! Exciting, I know! ()

I'm a huge fan of container gardening as well. Provided you have the right size container and great soil and that you are diligent in watering, container gardening is the cat's meow! I usually grow spring onions in pots (Number One son likes to pick these to put in his omelettes); they take up no room and are the easiest thing to grow. I also have pots full of herbs, as I've mentioned. I usually sow green bush beans in a huge pot; these have always worked extremely well for me. And of course tomatoes in pots! It wouldn't be a normal year without seeing a monstrous Sweet 100 in our backyard. Oh and lettuces in pots!! Can't have enough of that either, the cut and come again kind and mesclun.

We plan on purchasing a cherry tree as well this year, a Lapins variety which is upright and can fit compactly into a small yard and garden. Next year, I plan on purchasing a plum tree for the front yard (lawn-B-gone!). These are great fruit trees for small yards since they are self-fertile. I also hope to invest in some Colonnade apple tress one day.

As for other containers that I plan on having this year, container zucchini, peas and melons. I've never tried these before so we'll see how all of that goes. I'm also tempted to grow potatoes in a sack of some kind (youtube has interesting videos regarding this type of potato growing). We'll see.

Oh and I just unearthed my strawberry hanging basket this week as well and the plants seem none the worse for wear. We'll see how it manages.

This year we've also bought and planted two currant bushes, one red and the other black. I've been wanting some currant bushes for a while now and they are doing extremely well already...wee fruit is starting to develop! Oh and I just bought a rhubarb plant this week as well. Finally, I will be able to get my own!

Hmm I think that's it for now...

Again, nice thread SuuTie! Thanks!

[Loddfafner]

This year I'm resolute in finding new homes for most of the plants that are merely decorative and not serving at least another purpose, either being edible or staving off pests (preferably both!).

Merely decorative? Don't underestimate the importance of the decorative in nourishing the soul.

[Aemma]

Merely decorative? Don't underestimate the importance of the decorative in nourishing the soul.

Wrong choice of adverb I guess. I meant simply more so than merely. I find ALL plants decorative in their own right so my purpose is to zero in on double-duty plants as best as I can. As I said, I am keeping my lilacs and peony and turtlehead and Persian aster where they are in the veg bed. I do recognise the importance of such things, dear Lodd. I just don't have acreage to be able to do everything I'd love to do here: my backyard is only 20X30--and a chunk of that is eaten up by gazebo and garden shed and small deck off the back patio doors.

In the end, all of it nourishes my soul. This is why I can be found lazing around in my gazebo most of the summer (day and night), just sitting and looking around and thinking/daydreaming, or reading, or listening to the birds and watching them eat and bathe from the feeder and birdbath, respectively, or I can be found hanging out amongst the plants and weeding and watering. And yes I do watch bug life doing its thing as well: my favourite is watching bees get lost in the depths of snapdragon flowerheads. They open the door, close the door, do their thing and then, I'm quite sure, thank their hostess for the lovely nectar and are on their way to the next neighbour for a social call. It's all such a civilized community.

I'm not just a "veg barbarian", really I'm not. It's all good, Lodd. Really, it is.

[Loddfafner]

Here is a shot of my broken tulip next to a tulip of the kind it was supposed to be. As a Rembrandt tulip, ironically it was bred to resemble one broken by the virus, but then it got hit with the real thing.

[Brynhild]

Urine is a great fertilizer if you can get past the odor!

It's also a great weed killer. I noticed after my son had urinated in one particular spot a few times.

I've focused mainly on native plants at this stage, but a vegie garden would be great to do at some point. In the meantime, here is my wee garden:



I bought the majority of these plants at the end of last year from the botanic gardens, where they allow home owners to buy up to 50 plants each year at dirt cheap prices.



One of my favourite natives - a type of Grevillea.

[Arne]

It's also a great weed killer. I noticed after my son had urinated in one particular spot a few times.

I've focused mainly on native plants at this stage, but a vegie garden would be great to do at some point. In the meantime, here is my wee garden:



I bought the majority of these plants at the end of last year from the botanic gardens, where they allow home owners to buy up to 50 plants each year at dirt cheap prices.



One of my favourite natives - a type of Grevillea.

Archontophoenix is also native Australian palm, so why do not plant a Palm tree if the Climate allow it ?
Plant tomatoes,Aubergines,Paprika and Aubergines if you like it..

As long my part is not ready for showing.. overgrowed.with weeds
This i will able to show..two weeks ago..
There´s not mucht to present, only wet soil

Originally Posted by bloodeagle View Post
Urine is a great fertilizer if you can get past the odor!

I missed that

[Brynhild]

Archontophoenix is also native Australian palm, so why do not plant a Palm tree if the Climate allow it ?
Plant tomatoes,Aubergines,Paprika and Aubergines if you like it..

Actually, I do have a native palm - just not in the photos. Besides, I'm not planting any more until I've prepared the yard some more. It's too cold and there is bugger all sun at this point. Around August/September is a good time to get back into the swing of it.

[Arne]

Some Ferns out of my Collection and a terracotta pot with sedum plawnts.

http://img64.imageshack.us/gal.php?g=bild1234555004.jpg

[Svipdag]

Sorry I have no pictures, but my garden is doing well. My weeping cherry tree has already shed its blossoms, but they were lovely. My azaleas are flourishing, contributing a blaze of red colour. I have two others which will bloom later, one white and one orange. The lilies-of-the-valley are trying to burst the boundaries of their plot. My day-lilies are not in full bloom yet, but, already they are as tall as maize plants. Already, there are tiny buds on some of my rose bushes.

[Bloodeagle]

The last of the snow has melted and I have 2 more weeks till our last frost. Then I can set out my 10 flats of Brassica's.
I will also plant sweet peas, lettuce, carrot, radish, and a few others directly in the soil.