Anne’s Garden
God made rainy days so gardeners could get the housework done.Archive for My Plants
Movin to the country gonna eat a lot of peaches …
Last year we gave our peach Espalier a hard prune and it barely produced any fruit. This year we have HUNDREDS of peaches and they are almost ready to harvest. I didn’t get around to thinning them out so I’m hoping with lots of water and a another week or so of warm weather, we’ll be able to harvest most of them.
In other garden related news, we’ve been enjoying a lot of our fresh veggies in our cooking: zucchinis, peas and blueberries that last few weeks and the runner beans are covered in thousands of red flowers and a few beans are ready to pick. The apple trees and heavy with fruit as are the pear and plum trees. We’re in the midst of a record breaking heat wave and a regional water shortage so keeping everything watered has been challenging.
View from above
The other day my husband, uncle and his wife took a float plane tour of the Sunshine Coast and he took this neat aerial photo of our property. You can see most of the property, all except for the back yard (off to the right) where the view is obstructed by some larger trees:
Few new plants in memory of my dad …
It’s been a while since I posted for a few reasons. We were on holiday, and then my dad passed away from cancer, just last week. Family came up this week and we spent a few days relaxing, taking in some local hikes and sitting in the garden. We also took the opportunity to plant a few things in memory of dad.
This peony tree was given by two friends. We planted it in a sunny spot in the front court yard, right next to where dad used to sit:
I finally got my Ginkgo! Mom and Dennis generously contributed to the purchase of this Ginkgo biloba ‘Autumn Gold’ and we planted it in the ornamental grass bed also in the front courtyard:
We also planted some new new grasses, Japanese Forest Grass aka Hakonechloa macra ‘Aureola‘:
We buried dad today, so it seems rather fitting that we also planted a tree in his memory. Miss you dad!
Grass anyone?
Not THAT kind of grass!
I need to weed the pebble covered courtyard at the front of the house. It’s covered in tiny little weeds … and also this lovely grass which seems to have seeded itself from a nearby decorative grass bed. Mom suggested I pop them individually into small pots and baby them all winter then come next year I’ll have plenty of new plants. Not that I’ll have any room to plant them.
Speaking of which, if someone is willing to come over and help dig out and split some overgrown grasses, you’re welcome to help yourself to a few clumps!
A chill is in the air
Yesterday I mowed the lawn in short sleeves and sat outside most of the afternoon. Today was the first time I thought perhaps flip flops weren’t the most appropriate footwear and started to wonder about jackets, hats and mitts.
Malabar Climbing Spinach in bloom:
The cheap annuals I bought on sale are thriving. I’m wondering if they might even survive the winter:
One sad little pumpkin not likely to make it. I think I’ll be plotting a little pumpkin fairy visit for the kids:
My daughter positioned the stepping stones we made right next to our neighbour’s fence so that she can stand on them while chatting back and forth with her friend (note the playhouse broom, she’s out there every day sweeping off the dirt):
The pampas grass has returned with a vengeance:
and finally, the never ending rose bush at our front gate:
Mums
A friend gave me a lovely pot of chrysanthemums which I have popped outside the front door for all to see. I love the sunny flowers but I can’t help but be reminded that fall is approaching. I think these will go well with our front door Halloween display:
Not so glorius gladiolus
How sad. Was it the late planting, my sporadic watering or lack of staking … or all three?
Silk tree prettiness
I looked out my daughter’s bedroom window this morning dismayed with the grey skies. My dismay lasted only until I noticed sweet little blooms all over the top of my silk tree. I’d been looking forward to this show since we moved in almost a year ago.
I wasn’t able to get a very good photo of the flowers and maxed out on my zoom (because they are so high) but here are a few pics:
Here are some buds lower down on the tree. I’m hoping that the warm weather continues until these develop:
Some info:
Albizia julibrissin is a species of legume in the genus Albizia, native to southern and eastern Asia, from Iran east to China and Korea. Albizia julibrissin is known by a wide variety of common names, such as Persian Silk Tree or Pink Siris. It is also called Lenkoran Acacia or Bastard Tamarind, though it is not too closely related to acacias (Acacieae), let alone tamarinds (Caesalpinioideae). The species is usually called “silk tree” or “mimosa” in the United States, which is misleading.
Albizia julibrissin is a small deciduous tree growing to 5 – 12 m tall, with a broad crown of level or arching branches. Persian Silk Tree is widely planted as an ornamental plant, grown for the leaf texture and flowers. The broad crown of a mature tree makes it useful for providing dappled shade. Its leaves slowly close during the night and during periods of rain, the leaflets bowing downward as if the tree were sleeping.
Identify me!
While picking beans today I noticed that one of them had climbed up what I thought was a weed, but I don’t think it is:
It looks like onion and garlic, but don’t those live under the dirt?
Here is my first harvest of runner beans (well actually second as my mom picked some last week). I plan on celebrating this harvest with a plate of beans in cheese sauce and a glass of red wine for dinner tonight.
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.
