My courtyard is bordering on the split personality: on the one hand, I want it to be productive; yet, on the other, I want it to provide sheer beauty, and tumbling variety. As you know, it is not large, although it is large in context. I cannot think of another apartment which has as much outdoor space as it has indoor space. That is one of the reasons I am paying a kings-ransom I suppose. And I hav just signed on for a two-year lease. But it is everything I could wish for. I need my feet on terra-firma. I like to think that my cat's have an outside available, even though the lazy blighters do not use in anything like as much as they should. Except for Cooper, who is making up for lost ground.
I was going to show you the black bins in which I am growing veggies. You can sort of see it in the shot showing the rhubarb and the capsicum. I need to keep the water AND the fertiliser up to these bins, as most veggies are gross feeders. I will learn from this year for next.
Next week I shall endeavour to show you a long shot, from above, to enable you to orient yourself. Today's shots were taken after the first wave of storm activity. In the first grouping we have Russian-Red tomatoes, then Black-Jack zucchinis. Below them, there is the rhubarb and the (red) capsicum on the left, and a couple of strawberries on the right. Don't know what sort of strawberries. Sorry.
In the second grouping we have Corn-flower blue Lobelias, together with a tumblng succulent. Beside them there is the staghorn and the fig, both of which are flourishing. The staghorn is particularly partial to diced banana skins. Following this are two shots of assorted succulents. I like succulents as they are easy to progagate making them cheap, and they can survive in small pots.
6 comments:
I am really fond of the lobellia. It is such a pretty colour. Your garden is so lush. I wonder if I had a smaller patch whether I could manage the same, but I doubt it. I am not really a gardener just a garden lover.
With all this rain my garden is looking incredible, full of weeds but the structure plantings have never looked better, they are really filling out.
Interesting, that. The difference between a gardener and a garden lover. I guess I am both. I love the act of digging, of sweeping, of trimming, of fertilising, of turning the leaf this way and that to see what is wrong.
For example, I have a very sweet lemon climbing rose (sans trellis, but that is another story). It flowered in early spring and then withered. I cut it all back, and it reshot. I put in in too much shade and it faltered, so it is now in full sun. But it got a white mould. I sprayed it with confidor. I sprayed it a second time with confidor. I was still not happy with it, so I wiped each leaf (each) and sprayed it with white oil. Then it stormed this arvo. I think it will storm again tomorrow. By Tuesday I should know whether the white mould is gone or not. I think I am a gardener.
That is a super courtyard garden and your veggie bins put my veggie patch to shame. I too need to give them more food and water.
You are certainly a gardener.
I am a garden lover who tries to be a gardener every second year or so, and usually fails.
Once, I had a lovely veggie garden, but it only happened once, and never again. I live on the memory of it, however.
Yours is splendid, Julie, and to think of you lavishing so much time and care on your rose makes me ashamed to admit I have a huge green space for Lindy to romp in but not a green thumb to be found.
I always enjoy photos of your terrace garden. No wonder you signed a new lease!
Luv, K
You sound like me - I want a productive garden but a pretty one too.
That's why I throw all my plants in together and grow roses as the border to my vegie patch.
I love succulents too - I like the shapes they make - and most of them flower - I didn't know that til I started growing them.
I think you are so clever to grow your vegies in pots - it's not that easy. Love your Staghorn.
I remember someone stole one of ours once off our camphor laurel tree.
I wonder if I could grow one down here.
And those zucchini are looking good - I didn't have a lot of luck with mine last year. My mother-in-law makes zucchini flower pittai (I made that spelling up - it's probably Calabrese dialect) they are kinda like little fritters.
Hi, I'm back —
Just watched the video of Alannah at the park. I swear I could see the wheels turning as she figured things out, and I loved seeing her put the lid on her little snack container! What a darling she is, Julie.
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