In my garden

I think Melbourne is a wonderful city to live in.

People poke fun of it, because we have "interesting" weather.

I love it!

Yesterday was hot and humid, 

in fact the last few days have been hot and sticky.

Today is beautiful, 24deg. with a slight breeze.

That is why I love it, 

you know the heat will finish in a few days.

Anyway, I went to dream in the back garden for a while, 

something I try and do if I am feeling stressed, or tired.

My garden will never be neat and tidy,

it rambles around all over the place.

Sometimes people make comments about its lack of order,

but I don't care, it suits me!

I have a passion for vines and things that wander around the garden.

Here I am growing the most flavoursome mint I have ever tasted,

and the sweet potato vine from last year.

No idea if it is making any potatoes, but it is getting very adventurous, even checking out Toffee's digging patch!!!

I am sitting in the shade of "Benji's tree,

a huge elm of some sort. 

So many of the plants are memorials for my animals, 

perhaps that is why I love to sit here on my own.

My garden abounds with the ghosts of ducks and chickens,

piggies, lizards, rabbits, tortoises, cats,

and of course my precious dogs.

Most of the dogs are remembered with trees,

but now I have beautiful Mandivilia shrubs ,

A white one for my gentle "Lucky", 

it has a delicate pink center that gradually changes to gold.

The newest flower is bright red.

with very shinny dark green leaves.

It is a strong determined plant, 

yet the flowers are delicate.

It is my Nacho plant.

Thinking about her still brings tears to my eyes.

One day she too, will settle into my heart,

and only leave happy memories.

I hope the ghosts in my garden are all content!

A Garden Update

I looked at "Midnights Mountain" yesterday, it is amazing how the pumpkin vines have grown.

They have covered the mountain, the path, the garage roof and now they have climbed over the wysteria, the magnolia, the bottle brush and now they are climbing the sycamore.

I peeped through the giant leaves and there is a pumpkin the size of a tennis ball hanging from a branch, higher up 

than my head.

The biggest pumpkin is now the size of a squashed soccer ball, well that is what I am told, 

I cannot see it because it is too far into the jungle.

Here is the latest photo.....

a little hard to see, but it is in there!

My tomatoes are starting to ripen, 

there are dozens on the bushes, but I think the strange weather is not helping them ripen.We might be eating green tomato chutney this winter.

I planted a different variety of egg plant this year,

this is what I found yesterday ----

isn't it beautiful, pale purple with white stripes.

So far I can only see two, I hope more come soon.

As you know, I love taking closeups of my plants,

here are a few I took on Sunday.

a pumpkin flower,

the sun shining through a pumpkin leaf,

tiny toadstools among the strawberries.

I love my garden, I dont get a lot of produce from it,

but just watching the plants growing is magic.

Until next time ----- smell a tomato

AND

hug a puppy!!!

I've made it into print ! .......

Well, at last I have got something in to print!!

"Access Care Southern" is an agency that provides support for me to stay in my own home.
They put out a news letter each quarter and you guessed it, I have an article about my garden in the winter edition!!

I thought I would post it here, to show my feelings about my garden.
Here we go ................................

“To be a gardener you must be an eternal optimist,”

You drop a tiny seed into the ground and expect a beautiful tree to grow.”

Maybe not a mighty Oak, but at least a bean or a pansy!

My garden is very precious to me, and my daughters too,

because it keeps me out of their hair!

When I am out in my garden, I relax, except when chasing those dratted caterpillars.

My garden is nothing like the pictures in fancy magazines.

It is a happy jumble of everything that takes my fancy.

There are pumpkins and pansies, egg plants and geraniums, strawberries and chilies , and flowers of all different colours.

There are of course, my “special” plants, each one a living memory of my four- legged companions.

If you enter my garden, the first thing you notice, is nothing grows in the ground. Everything is in a container of some sort, standing on a milk crate, an old table, or even a kitchen chair.

I do have one beautiful galvanized planter, but the pumpkins and zucchinis do not want to stay in there, so now they ramble all over the ground, making friends with all the other plants.

My garden is also a magic place, ask my grandchildren, they will tell you.

We plant tiny a bean seed, in a few days a little leaf appears and in no time at all we are eating the sweetest beans you have ever tasted. It just has to be magic!

My garden is my refuge from the stresses of life!

There it is,

actually it was quite hard to put my feelings into words.

I love my garden, in all its seasons.

Until next time --- Happy Days!

Its getting colder in Melbourne, I hope more of my winter flowers will cheer you up.