Gardening

9th January 2016
Despite very mixed weather including snow there is still some colour in the garden - Narcissi, Gazania, Lavender, Lemon Blossom, Osteospurmum and the Orange trumpet plant whose name I can't remember to name just a few...







31 August 2015
In flower - Striped morning gloryBeeBlossomBengal Clock VineCanna Lily and various geranium.  Vine being eaten by the Oleander Hawk Moth Caterpillar


November/December
A mixture of heavy rain, warm sunshine and winds have all had an effect on the garden.  I am now surrounded by Californian Poppy and Morning Glory seedlings and the Gazanias have also self seeded so hopefully will survive.  All the geraniums are looking fabulous including my cuttings.  My rose for one is in full bloom.  The fruit trees, solanums and bottle brush are putting on new green lush growth.  There are all sorts of bulbs sprouting - can't wait to see what they are.

Mid October
The early rains have meant that there are weeds all over the shop including some of the plants that have self seeded like the Morning Glory and the Californian Poppies.  At the moment all the herbs are thriving and the rain has meant that the mint has been given a new lease of life.  We have bought a number of new plants for the various new wooden structures in the front garden so there is a vine and two evergreen jasmines.  I don't think the gazanias or the snap-dragons will come back - they seem to have developed a sort of mould.  The mulberry that Mum gave me has struggled and seems to be going brown from the inside out.  The foxtail lily-type plants we rescued from the field are sprouting as are the narcissi that we got from Mum's garden.  I have taken some geranium cuttings and hope they will take.  The gerbera has been brought into the conservatory.  All the succulents in the conservatory are doing well.

Early September
The garden is beginning to look rather tired and I am struggling to work out how often I should water.  I know now that the dipledenia, agapanthus and Arf plants need plenty of water.  The hibiscus seem to prefer to be pot bound and sat in water.  The morning glory has been, well, glorious but is now coming to an end but I can see that it has formed plenty of seeds so after Vix and Trev have been I will cut it all down and hopefully it will self seed.  The moon flower that Klaus gave me is about to flower and the bulbs we found on the beach in Lara have also flowered.  The ornamental grass which we though Minnie had destroyed has been a picture - we are hopeful that the one Hazel bought us and the one which Caroline from the Herb Garden gave us will fair as well.  The campsis and solanum need no help save a cut now and again.  STOP PRESS our vine cuttings from the UK have had one bunch of grapes - yeeeeee hah!!

Mid August
Some of the plants in the garden are looking a little weary others are enjoying the hot weather. 
Our biggest successes are the Solanums which just thrive with just a jolly good haircut periodically.  The morning glory is stunning as have been the gazanias and the hibiscus. 
The californian poppies are now over and hopefully self seeding.  All but the local geraniums seem to be struggling and the myrtle that Mum gave me has some new growth but lots of brown and crispy bits - I am struggling to work out what is wrong.
The lantana cuttings are doing well and again need little care ditto the oleander.
The bottlebrush thrives and I dont touch that.
My aim is to try and get a healthy and interesting garden that doesn't expect much water - I am getting there!

Mid July
Well I guess anything that has not done something by now did not make the winter and now plants are suffering from the heat and lack of water. 
Fruit Trees - of all the trees the clementine looks the most healthy but then I did cut the dead growth from the top and it has bushed out well - so far, touch wood, it doesn't seem to have succumbed to leaf-curl.  The lime has fairly regular new growth but the lemon is a bit leggy and bald in places - I think that would benefit from a bit of a haircut.
The hibiscus doesn't look much but is flowering well - I am guessing that the short shrubby variety of which this is one doesn't have too many leaves.
The gardenia loves being in the conservatory and I have moved it out of direct sun and it is thriving - we had one flower and several buds which unfortunately never came to anything.
The rose struggles on as before - having moved it from the pot into the ground it continues a cycle of new growth which then yellows and drops off - buds which form and then drop off.
The orchid I inherited from Dad is on its second flowering but the leaves have gone very yellow - I think it is in too much sun.
The poinsettia is also doing well in the conservatory but I understand it needs to go in the dark to put on some red growth - can anyone confirm??
The oleander cuttings I took last year have finally put on growth and one has pink flowers - shame as I had hoped it would be red.
All three morning glories are doing their stuff and the cutting from Marian's passion flower looks to have taken so will be planted out soon.
Constant dead-heading of the gazanias is proving worthwhile as they are flowering and flowering.
The English vine is looking healthy and has a few grapes on it even though it is its first year.
The three tomato plants from Mel and Simon all have some fruit.

Early June
The fruit trees are still doing well.  The clementine had all the dead growth cut off and is looking particularly healthy.
The hibiscus has got leaves but they are sparse and I cant see it flowering this year.
Arf has shot up all over the place and the one Klaus gave me is also doing very well
The frangipani is definitely gone on unfortunately.
The gardenia has been dug up and is living in a pot in the conservatory and has put on plenty of new growth.
The new solanum, polygala and myrtle have been planted and are doing well.
The gazanias, geraniums and californian poppies are doing well.
Kaye's perennial sweet peas have put on loads of growth but dont look likely to flower.
The morning glory from Klaus is flowering beautifully with shocking pink flowers - the one I planted which I thought Chivers had eaten has put on a lot of growth - no flowers as yet.
The poinsettia was cut back and living in the conservatory and has put on new growth.


Early May
All the fruit trees are growing well and the lemon and lime have flower buds
The hibiscus is slowly showing new shoots
Arf was cut back and is beginning to grow
The frangipani is still a stick
The stephanotis has died
We have planted new basil and some oregano
The dipledenia and fulli now have growth as does the plant that we call Mark
The gardenia is all but dead
The gazanias and the snap-dragons are doing well
We have lots of plantlets growing under where we had the hanging baskets we dont know if they have self seeded - time will tell.

Early April
Lime, lemon and clementine have the beginnings of new leaves having lost them all over winter unlike the fruit trees in Emba.
The hibiscus and Arf also lost all their leaves but I can see tentative new growth.  
The frangipani is still an interesting stick but green so maybe I just need to wait.
The stephanotis looks to have had it, even though I have cut it back, as the remaining leaves are pale and brown.
The agapanthus has come back with a vengeance and is growing daily.
The two vines which we brought with us have new growth
Kaye's sweet peas are about 10 inches high.
All the herbs are going fine but we lost the basil over winter which was no surprise.
Other casualties outside were the Crown of Thorns and those orange Crossandra although Mum managed to overwinter the ones she had.
The bird of paradise is alive but not flowering - Savvas's down the road is.
The gardenia has struggled but is still alive
The fulli has lost all its leaves but there is still some green to what remains
The dipladenia lost all its leaves but there is still some green

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