Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Beauty


Beauty persists over time; it metamorphoses with age rather than fades. Youthful beauty is a given. But to retain beauty over time requires restrained elegance. The sepia tinged leaf cannot destroy the glorious perfume of the gardenia. Flowering bushes from an age passed crowd my gardens: gardenia, daphne, lavender, orange jasmine ... the jostled memory lingers.

Sunday, May 24, 2009

Succulents


Somewhere between 15 and 20 of these little fellas sprouted from the mother plant: umbilicalled over the planter edge like a lost platoon. Being an asiduous little green thumb, I unceremoniously transplanted a dozen: whoosh "you can try that finger-hole for size" type of transplant. You know what's coming, don't you. What do I do with a dozen of 'em?


And the one next to (as well as in the centre of) the "the little blighters" is no better. My guess is the mother plant split into 6 of these prehistoric beauties. Mother lode, I guess it is called.

Monday, May 18, 2009

Hold the presses


My hopes and dreams are being realised. Isn't this one of the most delicate things you have ever seen? Here are 3 images of the same spray; in the pot given to me by my little brudder, there are three shoots but no buds as yet.


I cast my mind back to August last year when my dear dear friend Gail gifted me this for my 60th. It just keeps on giving. What a gift!

Monday, May 4, 2009

Suburban olive grove


As I mentioned before, when I was in Italy in September 2006, I stayed on a working olive grove outside Assisi. Upon my return, I bought two olive plants about a foot high in small pots. Two and a half years later, those bushes are about 6' tall and I have high hopes for fruit come Spring.

Sunday, May 3, 2009

Could this be a flower spike


For my 60th last year, I was given two cymbidium orchids - in bloom. To my intense delight, I discovered these shoots yesterday morning. Having googled, I am unable to find images of the life cycle of an orchid.

I wonder ... oooh I do hope so!