Still bubbling away at Kurnell on Botany Bay for all to see and dip a finger in – or spit in if that’s your inclination – this is the very creek from which, for 8 days in April 1770, Captain James Cook drew his drinking water. Admittedly not a monumental historic site (nor a skilled photograph of it) it is nevertheless still bubbling away 254 Aprils later, despite being surrounded by more than 5 million people.
April 2024
My cheerful chives manage to thrive regardless of drought, storms, neglect, predators.
My basil, sage, coriander are long gone. Mint and thyme are struggling.
But chives? Ever reliable. Ready to be clipped and scattered on baked spud/sour cream or a bowl of gazpacho year round.
March 2024
When my house was built well over 100 years ago, it seems the rules about setback were different. Because of this, my house is extremely close to the fence line on one side. This tub of ferns does a good job of greening up the resulting void.
February 2024
The flowers of my recently planted zucchinis are all dropping off. Have I got a pollination problem? Google reassures me the first zucchini flowers to appear are often all male. Let’s hope that’s the case. Otherwise the problem is the alarming lack of bees in my suburb (thanks, fence-to-fence Mc mansions) in which case I’ll have to go back to buying zucchinis at the supermarket.
January 2024
Is there such a person as a hydrangea knapper? If so, my unfenced front garden in the Blue Mountains is a goldmine just waiting for him to pounce. Plenty of choice – a profusion of mop heads and lace caps, a full range of pure colours – deep blue (pictured above), pale blue, pinks, white. Every bloom just gorgeous. And the current price for a 4-head bunch at my local Sydney florist? A stratospheric $66!
Happy Christmas.
December 2023
Old clothes never die in this household….torn jeans, out-of-style cocktail frocks, canvas shoes….all are destined to be recycled as gardening couture. Set off with a dab or two of sunblock, of course. And what a sight for the neighbours.
November 2023
I have always called brunfelsia bonodora (flowering recently in my neighbourhood) Night and Day because it has deep purple and white flowers on the bush at the same time. But I have just learned its common name is actually Yesterday Today and Tomorrow. This better reflects that the flowers start as purple, fade to mauve, then to white – or is it the other way around? I can never quite remember.
November 2023
These bluebells were a standout at the recent Leura Open Gardens Festival. And they are not just a pretty face. Such density means minimal weed invasion – every gardener’s fervent hope.
Decorative. Territorial.
October 2023
Rescued these dendys last month. They were overrun with weeds, hadn’t been fertilized or watered (by me) all year – yet look at them now. Great little Aussie battlers.
September 2023
