Anne’s Garden
God made rainy days so gardeners could get the housework done.Archive for July, 2008
Monster in the back of my car!
While shopping for some cheap annuals to fill some gaps the other day, I came across a Malabar Climbing Spinach / basella rubra. I picked one up, knowing that it likely won’t last more than a few months, yet intrigued with the lush edible leaves. The plant, along with my cheap annuals had to sit in the back of my hot car all afternoon and night while I was at work.
At about 3am, I left on a break to go and get coffee and had a bit of a shock when I looked in my rear view mirror. The plant had grown several inches in the ten hours it had been in my car! I know this because I had been very careful to put it in the trunk and mentally took note of the height. So anyways, in doing a little more reading about this plant, I read that in the tropics it is known to grow up to a foot day!
Here’s some more data:
Basella rubra
Malabar Spinach, Ceylon Spinach, Indian Spinach, Red Vine Spinach, Vine Spinach, Pasali, Pu Tin Choi
Basella rubraNative Region: Old world tropics
Zone Range: 09-10
Preferred Climate: Humid Tropical
Harvest Date: Monday 10 October, 2005
Description:
This tropical vine grows rapidly in the heat of summer, and thrives in hot humid climates. The shiny red stems will twine around any support and will grow fairly rapidly in the summer heat, if supplied with sufficient moisture. The thick fleshy leaves are edible and a popular vegetable in the old world tropics. Plants can attain 30 meters of growth in a year in the tropics, but are considerably more restrained in temperate gardens, growing 3 to 4 meters in an average summer.Notes:
The leaves may be used like spinach in many recipes, and are particularly good if quickly stir-fried with a little chopped onion and red or hot peppers, depending on preference.Cultivation:
Sow seeds indoors in the spring in pots of sterilized potting soil. Good humidity is essential for healthy plants. Plant out when all danger of frost has past, and night-time lows do not drop below 10°C (50°F). Grow in moderately fertile soil.
In other news, I also bought two blueberry plants and popped them in the kitchen garden. Hope they take as well as the bluberries at out old house.
Mid-summer blooms
What’s blooming in your garden this week?
Gardeners, Plant and Nature lovers can join in every Sunday, visit As the Garden Grows for more information.
Tag, you’re it!
I have been tagged by an Laura over at What Grows Here, so here are the rules.
The Rules:
- Link to the person who tagged you
- Post the rules on the blog
- Write six random things about yourself
- Tag six people at the end of your post and let each person know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog
- Let the tagger know when your entry is up.
Hmmm, 6 things about me eh …..
1. I have forgotten the name of this plant at least five times today (having to ask my neighbour once (then hubby called her a second time), then a friend, then hubby a few more times. Before I forget once again, it’s Crocosmia!
2. I really don’t want to go to work tomorrow, I would much rather pull weeds and drink beer.
3. We got to paint in the Roberts Creek Mandala today and it was super cool. Here’s what my four year old daughter, Magda (family from Poland) and I collaborated on:
4. I went to see The Dark Knight last night (because it was the only movie playing in town and wanted to advantage of visiting family to babysit) and I actually liked it, even though I am totally not a comic book fan and I hate Christian Bale.
5. Horses creep me out.
6. My hair is not naturally curly, I perm it.
Hmmmm, now who to tag?
- Loving Life and Laughing
- Tracey
- The one and only Blogwhore
- The Stewart Clan
- Vanessa
- One of my favourite fellow garden bloggers, Water When Dry
Sunshine Coast Botanical Garden Society
I’ve just added the Sunshine Coast Botanical Garden Society website to my resources list. It’s full of great local resources including an ‘In The Garden This Month’ section which I know I will be referring to on a regular basis.
Here’s what they say needs to be done this month:
Yikes, looks like I’m going to be busy!
Lilies make a debut!
Finally, the lillies have started to bloom!
I’m actually going to try and visit some other GTS bloggers today. I’m usually too busy with the kids / garden or working to spend time on the internet but if I get a spare hour, I’ll be here seeing what’s new with everyone else!
What’s blooming in your garden this week?
Gardeners, Plant and Nature lovers can join in every Sunday, visit As the Garden Grows for more information.
Sandbox complete!
Crosspost from my private blog:
Our driftwood sandbox is finally complete! I hate it when a project takes weeks longer than planned. We still need to scrounge up some more free gorgeous white sand from Thormanby Island to completely fill the sandbox but other than that it’s done:
Here’s how we made it:
- Scrounge driftwood ($0 and a workout for Bart)
- Remove turf and dig down six inches, stack turf for compost (workout for Anne)
- Lay newspapers and landscape fabric
- Lay driftwood
- Secure driftwood ($12 hardware)
- Sand driftwood
- Fill with sand ($0 thanks to Duane and his boat)
- Use an old lattice frame as a cover ($0)
So there you have it. A gorgeous sandbox that fits in perfectly to our garden and when the kids grow too old we can fill it with soil for a raised garden bed.
There’s fruit a coming!
I’m busy today thinking of all the ways I can bake with and preserve all this fruit!
First week of July
I slept most of today away as I was recovering from night shift, but I was able to spend a good three hours working outside. Also, my parents are visiting for a few days so we had a lovely dinner in the front yard, built a poor man’s firepit, then had a soak in the hot tub. What a great Sunday!
Our poor man’s fire pit built out of an old tire rim we found in the garden when we moved in. I still want a grate and maybe some sort of surround. It’s not pretty and not kid friendly but it will do the job for now:. Any suggestions on how I can tart this up on a budget?
Some hens and chicks that I stuffed into a driftwood border:
A flowering stalk.
‘Upon maturity (usually around 3 to 4 years old) the plant will send up a single stalk that can reach 5-15 cm tall. The head of the stalk is a cluster of star-shaped flower buds 1-2 cm in diameter, which range in color from dark pink to yellow and that flower for several weeks. After blooming, the plant will die. Usually by this time it has produced many offsets (‘chicks’).’
What’s blooming in your garden this week?
Gardeners, Plant and Nature lovers can join in every Sunday, visit As the Garden Grows for more information.
Strawberries!
Why do I keep buying those tasteless US strawberries when we have the sweetest, most juiciest berries in our own backyard! Here’s Cailey with today’s harvest, and that just from one bed!
