Wednesday, 16 August 2017

Sow and sow ( Part Two )

Around the garden path at Frogpond farm in Winter.



Foxgloves getting ready for spring.




A favourite hellebore called yellow primrose picotee.

We have closely followed the rules for planting asparagus.
First year don't pick any. 
This is to allow the crowns to become large and strong. 
Second year, just pick a few ( that's this year ). After that I think you can pick as much as you like!


Several years ago I rescued three Wintersweet plants from oblivion. They were one dollar each. I have never seen one before but had read that the flowers smell amazing when they come into bloom in Winter. This year, for the first time, they have produced buds....five of them. Viv noticed them a few weeks ago. Two of them have burst into flower. I needed to turn myself inside out to get a whiff but yes, they do smell beautiful. I can't wait to pick branches of them to bring inside.
The photo is not very clear unfortunately.


Bill spotted this brown goshawk out the front last week. Ewwww.


The Rose Garden in Winter.
With a matching Winter sky.


Around the garden path in Winter at Welsh Street.
Camellias, parsley, pink and mauve violets, pink rosemary, jonquils, rhododendron and passionfruit.




And a number of " I wonder what this is...."
A wisteria? Or a grapevine? Or other?

An apple tree? Or plum tree? Or other?


What is the swing tree? 
The girls are hoping it will make a great shade tree for the summer.


Sew and sew
Sixteen blocks of Honeysweet sewn together.


Five rows done and ten to go of Up Parasol.


And something that wasn't at the back of the sewing cupboard, a table topper from this little collection.

In the mail yesterday......I love a new book(s).

Hope I've got some seed growing photos to show next time. 
Maybe even a tulip flower......although that seems a bit early doesn't it!








Sow and Sow ( Part One )

I have never mastered the art of scattering.
I just don't scatter well.
This may be the reason I have never embraced sowing flowers from seed.
Except sweet peas of course ( easiest ever) and hollyhocks ( which sow themselves). Last year I read that fennel plants look great in cottage gardens with their ferny foliage and pretty flowers. So I collected the seeds from the one plant we had and threw them around everywhere. But they all settled in a few blobs without really scattering.
There'll be no scattering going on with this lot.
They are our summer-flowering backyard wedding flowers.


My plan is to sow them in seed raising mix..... hundreds of them.....soon.
That way I'll know precisely where they are.
Can't wait to get started. 

The House at Welsh Street
Amy and Helen received the keys to their house last week. They were desperate to stay there at the weekend before new tenants moved in.
So they did!


Claire and Sara hadn't seen their little cottage before so they came up too.










Before leaving on Sunday, Amy and Helen wanted to pretty up the garden "to make it nice for the new tenants".

Some vegies, herbs, lavender, a daphne bush and a magnolia tree.
They weeded, dug, planted and watered all afternoon.





Bless them.
 I wish I was the new tenant!


Bill sprayed the weeds ( he's good at that) and started cleaning out the spouting (he's good at that too). He also cleaned out the old combustion stove ( one of the many quirky features of this delightful little cottage).

Jamesy was in charge of giving the lemon tree a much needed prune.
It'll be covered in new growth in three weeks time he said.........mmmm.

He also pruned the roses. Thanks Jamesy. The sad thing is we won't get to see what colour they are. 






We celebrated Jake's 11th birthday at Minyip.



There's a new face....! Welcome Jesse.
Nana still goes out to feed her beloved magpies every day.



Family heirloom
The grandfather clock ( or could it be grandmother clock....usually shorter and narrower apparently ) was collected from Joanne's place. It has been in Bill's family for some time and has been passed on to Bill.

It binged and bonged all the way home.
We have popped it in the corner of the lounge room for the moment.

Pilbara babes.
Olive wasn't impressed with her mini me rattle.

Ahhhhh, that's better.







On the other hand, this little man was over the moon about turning five.




Sorry Arch.....only one photo of you this time! Tell Mum and Dad to take more of you!

Seems like I'll have to cut my original post in half.... must have too many photos!  So this is part one.......