Sunday, October 13, 2013

THERE'S BEAUTY IN OUR GARDEN IF YOU LOOK HARD ENOUGH

It has been said, and quite rightly so, that our garden is a bit of a wilderness.  These shots were taken in our front garden this afternoon (the back garden is even wilder).  Had to use my walker to keep my balance but I enjoyed searching to see what I could find out there.  Thought I'd share them with you:




and in amongst it all I found these:

My chameleon rose doing her best to look beautiful.  We've moved the 3 pots out the back so we can sit under the patio and enjoy them while we have a cuppa, and they'll get more sun too.



Some pink and red geraniums (I didn't plant the red ones, they just grew):



Daisies of different colours (all self-sown each year):



Some ixias or are they spraxias (we didn't plant these but up they come every year):


A wee daisy ground cover that has spread at the end of the front verandah (I am wondering if this is the same species that River has just planted.)  It appears to have both pink and white flowers.  Do they perhaps change as they age like Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow?  Darn, I forgot to take pics of YT+T):


Another dainty ground cover that I am hoping will spread in time (no idea what it is as the tag has been lost):


My favourite bottlebrush (Callistemon citrinus); I love the colour, it seems to glow.  It's a late flowering species and does it have a citrusy smell?  I've never got close enough to find out.  It flowers after the King's Park Special and others have reached their peak:


The very last camellia in a tiny crystal vase on the mantlepiece.  The large bush has been covered with dozens of flowers this year and when they drop they make a very good mulch.  Sorry it's a little out of focus:


The flowers on the weeping peppermint (Agonis flexuosa)  (it was very windy and they are a bit out of focus).  I didn't plant this weeping peppermint tree.  It just came up and strangely enough it is multi-trunked and after 2 years is now about 4 metres high and 2 metres across.  It gives lovely shade to the finches cage during summer. That's in the back garden:


Here's a picture of what the flowers should look like that I stole from a website somewhere.  They do look a little like Geraldton wax don't they, but they're not.


I have no idea what this plant is called.  We've had it for years now.  It was in a large pot which was for some reason popped over in the corner of the front garden behind another weeping peppermint (also self-sown) and it has grown up to about 4 metres high and spread out a lot as well, and it is still in the pot! If you look at the third picture of the front garden you can see the mauve flowers of this plant and how high it has grown up around the peppermint.


And last but not least is the lavender.  I had planted one lavender bush near our front door in 1974. That bush is long gone but since then we've had lavenders popping up here and there and have never had to buy another one.  The bees love them.


Obviously the plants that come up by themselves see something in our garden that they like. Perhaps it's that they know they are not likely to be pulled up if they are 'out of place' so feel safe here.  As long as it's not a weed it is welcome at our place.  Trouble is the weeds think they're also welcome even though I tell them they're not!!!!

17 comments:

  1. If your yard is a wilderness, then it's my kinda wilderness. Some people look at wildflowers and see weeds; I look at them and see special gifts of flowers. I'd be delighted if God planted some more in our yard.

    I love lavender, but haven't had any luck growing it here. The temperatures get too darned hot. Yours must make your whole yard smell wonderful.

    Thanks for sharing!

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    1. lavender is a mediterranean plant and thrives in the heat, loves a full sun position, the trick is to baby it a little with watering for at least the first two summers until it is established. But don't drown it.

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    2. Glad you enjoyed our wilderness. River is correct when she says lavender is very hardy. I planted some outside our front fence 'cos there wasn't anywhere to plant in in the garden and it seldom gets watered and is still growing well. The blue coloured foliage also means it is OK near the ocean as well. We have daytime temps in Perth as high as 40ºC (104ºF) and above and quite often several weeks of above 30ºC (86ºF) and it never looks like wilting. I'd try it again and plant during cooler months to get it established. Good luck.

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  2. There is a LOT of beauty in your garden. I love wilderness gardens where things are allowed to find their own place. And would love to spend time in yours.

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    1. Thanks EC and I'd love for you to spend time in our garden too. Our back garden is a little the worse for wear but we're getting there. Just need inspiration and it does get quite hot out during our hottest months.

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  3. I am fond of volunteer plants; they want to live. I gardened commercially for many years and my work was formal, but I always enjoyed coming home to our wild garden. Norma has been its governing influence. I just help keep things from climbing on top of themselves. You have a beautiful balanced garden.

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    1. I tend to agree with you Geo. I drive past formal gardens and they are very nice and spick and span and then I come home to our front garden that looks like a miniature park where you can sit in the shade during out hot summer days and enjoy the sea breeze. Thank you for the compliment but maybe our garden looks better in photographs??

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  4. It will be a long time before I see life like that in our garden....thanks for sharing yours.

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    1. There was nothing growing here apart from the cotoneaster (which is now so old and worn) in 1974 and now I am in trouble (only joking really) for planting too many things randomly. I think we are now getting it under control and it doesn't cost us a fortune to have Ron do a bit of pruning every few months.

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  5. Your garden is beautiful, thank you for sharing it with us. Your little daisy with the pink and the white flowers is the same as mine, called Erigeron and more commonly known as seaside daisy. Your unknown purple flower reminds me of Clematis which is usually a vine, I don't know if there is a bush type.

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    1. I thought the daisies were the same. This is the one that has spread 2mx1m and it's so very hardy too. It is in part shade and gets morning sun only. It is beginning to 'climb' on to the verandah but it's easy to keep in check.
      I've looked through 'pages' of mauve flowers on the internet but can't find this particular one. There's a lady that does a garden show on 6PR and I may just send her an email and ask her if she can identify it for me. Hopefully she will reply via email as I often miss hearing her show. It's definitely not clematis as it doesn't climb but just sort of grows taller and taller with the help of the weeping peppermint.

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    2. Google purple rather than mauve and certainly email the picture to the gardening lady. I'm curious now as to what it is.

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    3. I did try purple as well but to no avail. I'll see if Sue still does that gardening show and try to contact her as I too am intrigued and it has been there for so long you can be sure the tag will be missing, that's even if we could find the pot now. lol

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  6. What a fabulous garden, must smell beautiful to. I can imagine you sitting out here with a cuppa and a biscuit. xxx Rae

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    1. As said before, I think it looks better in pictures than as a whole. We do sit out there quite often but of late more out the back for some reason. 'He' feels the cold so it's a case from which direction the wind is blowing.!!

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  7. Looking good Mum, Spring is such a wonderful time in the garden. xxxx

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  8. Thanks love. Ron does help keep the front garden up to scratch for us but I'm not sure the back garden will ever be as we would like it to be. Too much work for two old people now. xx

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