RSVP Blog

Spring time the most wonderful time of the year. I love hanging my laundry, the scent of the flowers are so sweet makes my chores done effortless. I dont have a green thumb however my friends the birds and the bees take care of these for me. Nature has its own way of growing the garden for me. How wonderful!

Posted by: susieqtpie at September 30, 2009 10:17 PM

I just ate my first home grown cherry tomatoe today! It was delicious.

This is my first time growing tomatoes so I'm rather pleased with it all. I've planted basil in with the tomatoe to look after it.

The garlic is growing really well too.

Sadly there's a range of creatures that are enjoying the baby spinach and basil but I'll figure that out - would love some tips.

Posted by: creativegirlme at September 21, 2009 7:27 PM

Can someone suggest to me which type of lawn grows best in perth?my house needs a makeover with grass being a priority.cheers

Posted by: tradesmanlike at April 10, 2009 4:52 PM

Perth, I suggest you keep a close watch on your tree, this mean spitited tree hater may try to inject it with Glyphosate (roundup) so that it will mysteriously die. That has happened many times before, I find it almost incomprehensible that any home owner would not be thrilled to have a mango tree leaning over their fence especially one that produces fruit!.
hmmm I also suggest that many people will be looking to produce their own fruit and vegies as this recession bites harder and thats jolly good too, lets get back to basics teach our kids how to be self sufficient.

Posted by: down2earthdame at April 10, 2009 7:06 AM

Posted by: iaminperth at March 28, 2009 6:07 PM

Be sure there is a physical barrier between your mangos and any cattle you may own!

Your mango story reminded me of a weekend about 20 years when by Saturday evening we had harvested all the strawberry mangos from 6 mangos trees on our property. We loaded the tray of our utility with our produce in preparation for an early Sunday morning journey to The Channon markets where we intended to make a "small fortune" from the sale of our mangos.

Imagine our disappointment when on Sunday morning we discovered that overnight, our hereford cattle had helped themselves to the mangos and all that remained in the overflowing ute tray was a mushy mango smoothie! Prior to then, I wasn't aware cattle enjoyed munching on mangos.

Posted by: bellibone at April 7, 2009 2:13 PM

Yay, I have my first eight mangoes and they are absolutely delicious. They are sitting in the kitchen on the bench at the moment and making the house smell delicious. I am so pleased as it has been very windy here for a few days and I was worried they would be wrecked, but no, beautiful mangoes to munch on for a while !!

Posted by: iaminperth at March 28, 2009 6:07 PM

Hi Amber. Stressguard is good in the winter, it helps prevent burns from the frost. I love Seasol and I also like Powerfeed. I mix the two together in a spray on and give the plants a burst about every two weeks. It works wonders for good foliage and it seems to strengthen everything. i think the Seasol works wonders in the winter as well. My roses at the moment are unbelievable, don't know what happened, but I have roses flowering like mad all over the place and then winter bulbs coming up between them. I have a rather confused garden I think, with lemons all over the tree and mangoes on another and then I have azeleas flowering as well. Oh well, I enjoy it and it's so relaxing to potter around. I would be lost without it. I have the most amazing hoya growing as well. I have had it for years and it has never done anything but now it has sprays of flowers that look porcelains and each spray is about the size of a tea cup. The flowers are a smokey grey with a deep burgundy centre and each one is about the size of a five cent piece and they all bunch together in this beautiful spray. It has just started flowering and it's such a treat. I also have cyclamin starting to grow and I am hoping to get some beautiful flowers. They are just the bulbs from ones my elder daughter murdered last year and I tipped them in my garden and now they are growing beautifully. I am also about to inherit a flowering chilli which was a present to her partner and they have just about murdered that as well. Oh well, a lot of my plants are 'dead' ones purrchased from nurseries though. I have never purchased a full price gerbera in my life but they always grow. Bit of love and care and patience is all that's needed, much like people I suppose, lol.

Posted by: iaminperth at March 24, 2009 11:28 PM

Probably potassium Perth, as that is what helps plants flower and fruit.
There is a Yates one, Thrive Flower and Fruit (I think it is called) which has more potassium and less nitrogen that you can use in the watering can.
There are others as well, of course that have more potassium to help boost flowering.

Yes, seasol is great and I never thought to use it much this year. Might do that this week. Good idea. Might help things be more resilient over winter. Especiallywith the frosts we get.
I recently read that the "stress guard" type of protectors can also help protect against frost damage, so will have to try it this winter.

Posted by: amberlight58 at March 24, 2009 10:20 AM

I have a whole load of cymbidium [sp] orchids lining my back fence and apparently now I have to fertilize them every two weeks to get them going. Apparently it is not so much nitrogen they are looking for but something else and I cant remember what it is. As they are in such an awkward place I really need a hose on type fertilizer so have to work that one out. I sort of inherited them from someone else and, although, it seemed like a good idea at the time, I'm not so sure now.

Posted by: iaminperth at March 23, 2009 11:10 AM

I had my tomatoes growing in pots on my balcony when I lived in Mosman in Sydney. A couple of large pots and voila, away they went. I had lettuces and spring onions in a long pot in the middle and had a lovely salad garden going most of the time. Inside on my kitchen shelf I had smaller pots of herbs, so it was all good, kept the unit fresh and I always had nice fresh produce. I think gardening is strictly for people who really want to do it as it is either part of you or it's not.

Posted by: iaminperth at March 20, 2009 8:38 PM

Yes, there is a lot of info in Yates website, including how to grow tomatoes and herbs. Thanks! I think many things can be grown as strong, vigorous, colourful and lasting as a garden. :0) The most vital part? Choose the seeds of those that one wants to grow and enjoy along the way in the garden. That is where one can find the safe arms of ones life long utopia, I am sure. Have faith and good luck!

Posted by: ahappyending at March 20, 2009 4:22 PM

Hi all, Just to let you know that there are community gardens in Sydney and Melbourne, whats more there are gardening groups, it is a great way to stay fit and grow your own produce, it is also very good relaxation, believe me without my garden I would be quite of my rocker!!.
if interested I suggest you google in your home state, if there isnt one in your area pehaps approach your local council,and suggest they allocate a parcel of land, it doesnt have to be large, Herbs and small vegies are perfect for growing in strips of otherwise unused land.Purchase a Yates garden Guide (no I dont work for them) and it will give you most of the info you need, when and how to plant, etc.

Good gardening,!

Posted by: down2earthdame at March 18, 2009 10:30 PM

No, that is not crazy, Perth, it is about being passionate. Once I finish my study (dont ask me what I am studying, as this is a public forum), which will be very soon, I will have a lot of time to do something about my balcony. I like those pot climber roses you mentioned. But I wont do the fruits yet, as I am not sure if I will be moving later. How did you grow tomatoes and lettuces on the balcony, Perth? Can they be grown in pots? Did you grow them from seeds or grow them from smaller ones? I may not blog for a while, so thanks in advance, Perth, if you have time to answer. I think a relationship can really work, if a couple can care about each other with a passion as that we have in growing and caring our plants. :0) Now, am I crazy, relating everything to relationship? :0)

Posted by: ahappyending at March 17, 2009 4:40 PM

I like my garden as well Happy and it is always full of life with new shoots, new colours, smells and shapes. Even when I lived in a high rise in Sydney I had a garden and grew fresh tomatoes and lettuce on my balcony. I think it is something you either love doing or you don't. I have always been fascinated by colours and textures and, of course, wonderful fragrances and also my love of animals has helped my outdoor experience as well. i just potter around in my garden appreciating all the lovely colours and smells with my little furry friends wandering around with me and life seems not so hard and not so harsh at times. All of us go thru bad patches in life and my garden helps me to recover and rejuvinate and get on with it all again. Even a pot of a windowsill is a nice addition I have some lovely gerberas on my kitchen window when I lived in my unit and they all had names. I'm sure my friends thought i was crazy at times !!

Posted by: iaminperth at March 17, 2009 12:23 AM

So nice and so full of life, your garden, Perth. Ive never had a garden. Always living in tall buildings with balconies. So only have small plants, which are always half dying, as I always forget watering them --- it is half a joke. :0) But they did almost die last year. Guess they are the reflection of my state of mind.

So, I dont know much about gardening. Wish I had a garden like yours, Perth, with fragrant and colourful plants. Of course it is even better to have fruit trees. And I love the idea of self-sufficient, too, as I also love fruits, veges and all other garnishing plants, like parsley, shallot, coriander, etc, etc, oh, and chilli. I can eat things very hot. But my look of eating spicy food? Oh, dont even imagine it. :0)

But I doubt it if I can do so well the gardening as you do, Perth. And the bees buzzing around? Oh, I have to say I would rather they dont come to my balcony, but they do, so I just hide inside. :0) Yes, I know I am not good at a lot of practical things. And guess when I have a full garden like yours but the fruits and vege never grow, I think I would say: Oh, I wish I did not have this garden, so much hard work and no fruition; and I better just buy the fruits and veges from the market. :0)

-------Blogging is really a way of putting smile on my face. :0)

Posted by: ahappyending at March 16, 2009 8:27 PM

I also have another beautiful red climber but I don't know the name of it. It is quite flat with only about four or five petals and a large yellow centre. It is fragrant and also grows like a weed. I have it in a large pot and it's growing like mad. I know it is a very old rose. The blooms are large and because there are so few petals and it's flat, when the sun shines thru they almost glow. So many people have asked what it is but I can't tell them. I suppose I should take a flower into a nursery and they will identify it, but it is certainly one to look out for in a very sunny open spot and attracts a lot of comments as people don't realise it is actually a rose. When I retire I am going to go mad with the plantings and have great fun doing it. I want a complete vege garden as well and plenty of fruit trees and hope to become almost self sufficient. It's something I have always had an interest in. I'm not a huge meat eater so would have to get fish etc and hope to have a few chooks for eggs. What a laugh! When we lived in Qld our chooks used to die of old age if they ever passed on and always became very tame after a while. I don't kill anything, for meat or otherwise. We still have boofer visiting every night and we still don't know what he is, but he is big and fat and healthy and alive so he's fine and it's a bit of a treat. I think he's a big rat but other people say he some kind of marsupial. I don't know, he's friendly and he's nice and he visits, so that's good enough. I think maybe that he may have been someones pet at some time as he seems very tame or maybe that's just the food. I have been told to take photos of him but that would necessitate the use of the flash which I am sure would frighten him so we'll just leave that alone and continue to feed him and everyone's happy.

Posted by: iaminperth at March 15, 2009 12:53 PM

Hi Amber and Happy, Yes I like my roses and now enjoying trying to grow fruit trees. I don't know why because my garden is far too small for all these experiments but it's good fun anyway. The Don Juan roses I have are climbers but the actual blooms are huge and beautifully perfumed. It is one of the easiest roses I have alongside iceberg. They are so hardy and I have never seen so many blooms per plant. You can cut them for house flowers also as the stems are long enough and they have a beautiful perfume. I also have a weeping pinkie in the backyard which grows like a weed and never needs much done to it at all. That sites alongside the mango tree which still has loads of lovely fruit. I'm pretty pleased this year with the goings on in my backyard and I love pottering around outside. I am locked in an office 5 days a week and would go nuts if I couldn't escape to the garden, and my furry friends of course. My cake is a funny cake as you melt the butter and then throw everything in a large bowl and beat it up together. When it's taken out of the oven and still warm you pour this beautiful syrup you have made out of the oranges and lemons over the top and then let it stand for a day. It's beautiful and moist and so easy and everyone loves it. We did a charity day at work a little while ago and lots of people took cakes in and they were sold by the slice and the money went to charity, we raised quite a lot that day ! No good for the waistline I know, but hey, it was fun and brought people together also, asking questions and sharing recipes. Makes a change also from the inevitable chocolate cakes which I am no good at making, although can make a ripper toblerone cheesecake. I think everyone should have something they are passionate about and then try to do it the best they can. Doesn't matter at all what it is, so long as it is something and they try to do it well. Same with children I think, doesn't matter what you chose to do so long as you enjoy it and do it well. On that note if I don't get out of bed and get moving nothing will get done around here, it's 920 here in WA at the moment and I am usually well and truly up, out and about by now but feeling a little lazy today. I am a huge believer of Seasol for summer plants and when we had the over forties here I sprayed them every fortnight, even all my ferns down the side of the house. I think it did really help and seemed to make them more resilient to the heat. I think what has helpled my garden this year is the proliferation of bees. I seem to have so many bees buzzing happily about, more than any other year. I am going to purchase some more bee attracting plants as I do think it does wonders and a very cheap alternative to purchasing loads of products. I can actually hear them buzzing when I get up early in the morning and they are having a lovely time going from tree to tree. I don't know if that is helping but my garden is certainly doing better this year even with the atrocious climate changes we have had recently.

Posted by: iaminperth at March 15, 2009 11:20 AM

The Don Juan is a climbing rose and honestly grows like a weed. Over here in the West roses are everywhere and they grow relatively easy. We have this weird soil, or rather sandy stuff and you can't water it as the water just runs off so that can be a problem at times, but apart from that roses grow very easily. Fruit trees are pretty easy also but with the sand everywhere, not a lot else does ! It's interesting though and I am getting extremely interested in fruit trees as I find them a lot of fun. My garden is a bit of a mixture but it is pretty and has a huge jacaranda tree on the front lawn as well so it can look nice next to the dozen or so ice berg roses up the driveway. Quite spectacular at times actually and not a lot of fuss as the tree just grows and the icebergs just do their own thing so long as they are cut back hard each year. I think I would go nuts without my garden as I love pottering around with my little furry friends, all chattering away to each other. My kids also bought me a new pair of Felco secateurs for my birthday so they are pretty spec. as well.

Posted by: iaminperth at March 14, 2009 9:58 PM

Sounds wonderful Perth, I haven't heard of Don Juan roses in SA (but the name sounds very relevant on this RSVP site!).
Went and had a look at some pictures on some blog sites, they look lovely.
I notice they are available in nurseries in your state, but not in SA (maybe they are a bit "fickle" in SA?)
I love the sound of your garden, it seems like it would be so serene.
Hopefully one day my "baby" garden will look the same.
Most of it has survived the summer so far (touch wood).
I have a Red Pierre in a pot waiting to plant once the weather settles more. I have an archway ready to install along my front path.
I am hoping to get a Larmarque rose to grow on the other side of the arch and a Zephirin Drouin to grow along the verandah.

That cake recipe sounds yummy, I'm sure there would be a lot of us who'd love to try it (though not all of us are good cooks though!)

Posted by: amberlight58 at March 13, 2009 11:41 PM

Posted by: iaminperth at March 10, 2009 4:11 PM
How nice! Thanks for the read! What a beautiful picture! I am sure you will meet a gentleman who loves life and knows how to enjoy life as much as you do. When I say life, I dont mean a life of sitting and doing nothing, but mean a life of working in a job that one likes and also enjoying a pastime that gives us good feelings.

I never understand why a person would ever feel bored and empty in his/her life. But I do think a life is much much better and sweeter if being able to share with a similar soul.

Have a good weekend, Perth.

Posted by: ahappyending at March 13, 2009 10:38 AM

I’ve just bought a new mower.

She is a beauty.

Performs better than any woman I have ever known.

Pulse start and all. Just have to press the right button and away she goes. Doesn’t stop till you turn her off.

I’m in love already.

Posted by: tuesisbinnight at March 12, 2009 1:00 PM

I went nuts with the confidor and my little tree is looking brighter already. Also did the blood and bone and the seasol thing so hopefully it will pick up. The lime tree next to is looking okay, but they are both very tiny at the moment. My mangoes are coming along so well and will really have a small but good crop soon. I also have climbing Don Juan red roses all over the back fence and they have huge blooms absolutely blood red and a very nice perfume. Such an easy rose to grow and very prolific. The roses grow on long enough single stems to be able to cut them for house flowers as well. Lemon trees grow like weeds in Perth so will have hundreds this year again and I take buckets into work and also eat heaps ourselves. I'm very popular at work in winter as I make cakes and stuff just to get rid of them. Have a fabulous recipe for an orange and lemon cake which is so moist with a crispy outside and people love it for morning tea/lunch/afternoon tea/supper, they just pinch it all day long actually. It's amazing how much better people work and how much more productive they are when you give them food, lol.

Posted by: iaminperth at March 10, 2009 4:11 PM

I agree Perth - and Ive had plenty of ppl tell me that the best investment for Buddy would be a ten cent bit of lead... But ten years down the track Ive still got him. Marco is different though. Hes a great riding horse. We go flying through the red gums with cm to spare each side and hes just wonderful. But three horses are just getting too expensive by myself and its easier to sell a good horse than a bad horse. Plus its easier on your conscience for both horse and rider.

Posted by: willow29 at March 6, 2009 7:38 PM

Willow be very careful. horses have seen wasps nests all their life and I would suspect it has nothing at all to do with his behaviour. Sometimes you can have a good rider and a good horse but they simply don't match up. Most of what horses do is learned behaviour and extremely difficult to get them out of that behaviour. Unless he excels, really does well at something necessary might be time to look around as the match doesn't sound good to me. I apologise if you think I am being a know it all here but you could get badly hurt and it's really not worth it as there are a lot of really good willing and able animals out there who would love to be looked after.

Posted by: iaminperth at March 6, 2009 3:55 PM

A bad horse costs the same to feed as a good one.........I know what I would be doing.

Posted by: iaminperth at March 6, 2009 2:56 PM

Easier said than done! My g/f said there's a european wasp nest near to where he threw me - so we're suspecting that's what set him off. Hes normally such a lovely creature.

Although saying that, he broke Flea's (dog) foot yesterday....His cousin that I used to have in Darwin, killed a turkey for daring to share his food. Anyone want to buy a horse?

Posted by: willow29 at March 6, 2009 10:30 AM

Centre of gravity Willow, think about the centre of gravity, doesn't matter where he goes, keep your eye on the level and stick with it, you'll still be able to see between his ears with your peripheral view and as soon as the head starts to dip get it back into view, quietly and instantly and push him forward, no fuss, no pats, no praise, just push him thru it. He'll forget after a while and stop and you will be the boss, yay !!!

Posted by: iaminperth at March 5, 2009 7:47 PM

Still moving in a vertical motion from over 2 metres off the ground and being projected into the dirt. Yes, I think even rodeo riders have yet to master that :)

Posted by: willow29 at March 5, 2009 4:23 PM

Well, thanks Perth! Willow's fruit trees are in good hands, and I did push a barrow of fertiliser for her at least once! I think I might have promised her a couple of citrus trees from my nursery actually, better follow that up. In her defense she tried to teach me to ride a horse, but while she is a great teacher I came up short in places - walking ok, trotting not so good.... I did stay on the horse though (Willow is yet to pass on her skills in getting off the horse while still moving....)

Posted by: journey2407 at March 5, 2009 2:00 PM

Gosh Journey, Just had a peek at your profile after all that info. Hasn't Willow got any fruit trees that need a bit of sprucing up, a bit of tlc so to speak. You are a very nice looking guy, I'm sure you could use a little horse poo on your trees or something. And Willow, what's going on here, how come you are not teaching this guy to ride a horse or something ? or deciding to plant a few trees around your house, what's going on here !

Posted by: iaminperth at March 4, 2009 4:10 PM

No Benjamin, Pooch hasn't been peeing on the tree, she is a lady pooch and does her pees in private around the other side of the house. I am sweet on lots of things and would like to be sweet on a nice guy too if I could find one. I have a real commitment problem though and freely admit it, like my independence too much.

Posted by: iaminperth at March 2, 2009 2:02 PM

Thanks for that guys. I have Confidor, in fact I have most gardening gizmos in my garage. I am never sure which one to use for what as the directions and uses are usually so confusing. I can't see any aphids and there are no sticky bits but there are little lines running thru the leaves. I have this also on my lemonade tree so I might give everything a good spray and see what happens. It is such a little tree and does have a bit of a struggle but looked like it was just starting to come good. I will Confidor tomorrow as it is raining here today and a little bleak.

Posted by: iaminperth at March 2, 2009 1:59 PM

Had a message from Willow suggesting I could help here... I work with citrus, and this sounds like a common problem....

Perth, there are several possibilities but lets eliminate the most likely ones first. It sounds like an insect pest to me - maybe aphids, but you'll see them on the young shoots, or more likely leaf miner, which you may not see immediately. Look on the back of the leaf, if there are "tracks" where the very small larvae have tunneled under the leaf surface it is leaf miner - they cause the new leaf to be distorted. Mandarins are particularly susceptible to it.

Generally on a mature tree commercial growers don't worry about it, but in nurseries and high value trees we will treat with Confidor (available in small packs from Bunnings etc). A greener control is weak summer oil sprays about every 2-4 weeks in Summer (to protect the new growth flush).
It is at it's worst this time of year, and is not usually a problem when it gets cooler.

Good luck!

Posted by: journey2407 at March 2, 2009 1:00 PM

perhaps the pooch has been peeing on it.
Then again it probably just feels unloved.Is there anything other than the pooch that you are sweet on?

Posted by: benjaminbutton at March 2, 2009 11:21 AM

Thanks Happy, That's a lovely compliment and glad you enjoy the posts. I think the puppet thing came about as it assured attention for the person calling me that. It continued for ages and then as people became bored with it he started to drop off as he wasn't the centre of attention any more. Since then his posts do not read true at times and he is now not the centre of attention. There is also another person who always sides with the puppet calling mode so for the sake of all I decided long ago not to respond at all and said so on the blogs. much easier I think and far less tedious. It's cool and rainy here in Perth with a chill in the wind. Last night it was so humid and now we have the wind and the rain. It's not like a summer day at all, more like the start of winter. I think Perth winters are particularly cold mainly because we have the rain and the cold and the wind all at the same time and seeing it is the second windiest city in the world, umbrellas are definitely out, or rather up up and away !

Posted by: iaminperth at March 2, 2009 10:28 AM

Ha ha Marcus, More dope for the dopes ! I have a small mandarin tree which is shooting at the moment but the little new leaves are curled and not happy looking. Does anyone know what causes this. I have a little lime tree next to it and that looks happy so the same fertilizer soil etc. I can't see any bugs, but I suppose there could be. We are going to have quite a few mangoes this year though and living in Perth it's not that easy I can tell you. They are beautiful though and are great giveaways. I am not a big mango eater at all, bit too sweet for me.

Posted by: iaminperth at March 1, 2009 2:39 PM

And Marcus, I like your postings, too, which, most of the time can put a smile on my face, like I have said before, except when they are a bit negatively skewed in your opinions towards women. Paths in our life journey can not be smooth and straight all the time, but I guess they more likely can be, as we grow wiser and choose more wisely. You may not agree? But it is quite ok.

Posted by: ahappyending at February 28, 2009 2:13 AM

Said I enjoyed Perths postings, which was not merely a compliment. They shows her love and appreciation to the nature. They are like an oasis in a desert. Never understand why she was thought to be a puppet, when her postings have a soul, a mind, a stand, fairness and strength, and enthusiasm to the nature and to life.

Posted by: ahappyending at February 28, 2009 1:35 AM

I love the home grown veges bit also, the taste is so much better than anything purchased. And the herbs in the pots that are so fresh are a wonderful addition to just about any meal. I particularly like fresh basil and the different varieties available at the moment are spectacular. I am happiest when I am messing around in the garden.

Posted by: iaminperth at February 26, 2009 7:54 PM

I am definitely a "growing my own vegies" kind of gal. Nothing beats fresh gardens herbs and fresh vegies when cooking.

Posted by: minimeee at February 26, 2009 10:07 AM

Poochesinperth February 25, 2009 9:09 PM
Community gardens are alive and well in this area of Melbourne. We have a couple nearby along the creek that have been going for yonks.
One of the favorite community gardening exercises here is guerilla harvesting. This is a tradition among some in the inner suburbs, Brunswick particularly. They drive around the back lanes at night with a torch in February/ March and when someones home grown dope is spotted over the fence, among the tomatoes and corn, they would jump over and harvest it for them.
Markus

Posted by: laughsandtalks at February 26, 2009 1:24 AM

In England they lease out vacant council lots for residents to tend and grow veges in. If you do not develop your community plot it is taken back by the council for someone else to use. I think it's a great idea and really benefits as people share and swap their crops. I don't think it would work terribly well in Australia because of the climate but it's a great idea. They do it in New York as well and there are garden plots grown on vacant blocks around the city.

Posted by: iaminperth at February 25, 2009 9:09 PM

Could I just say that I am a member of the Guerilla Gardeners Network.

In England, Guerilla Gardeners go round sleathily in the dark of night and bomb seeds into vacant Council allotments.

But in Australia, with an anti authoritarian past and convicts and bushranger history, we are more risqu�. WE wait till the Rangers backs are turned then go into State Forests and National Parks and mow the grass.

At the moment we are having a major recruitment drive in Victoria in time for the next bushfire season!

Posted by: tuesisbinnight at February 25, 2009 8:06 AM

I love fruit trees and have quite a few at the moment close to the pool. I have a mango tree also, just a little leftover from my years in Queensland. Red climbing roses adorn the brown fences and the colours blend beautifully when everything is ripe. The blue water of the pool looks spectacular and I thoroughly enjoy my garden. I also have a couple of large trees where doves nest and galahs sqwark from time to time. The doves strut around in the courtyard next to the house right outside the back door. They seem to be very tame almost like pigeons and my dog takes no notice. My daughters cat takes off upstairs and then peeps to see if he might get eaten or something and my cat takes no notice at all preferring to roll around on her back telling everyone she is very pretty. I feel really comfortable at times when all these furry/feathery creatures interract, it's nice to see and so relaxing. My lemons are really green at the moment and there are literally hundreds of them and my roses are really red. It really looks pretty, not set out pretty, just homely pretty. I also have lemongrass, chilli, basil, kaffir lime leaves and golden tomatoes growing. I like to use these when cooking and it's great to be able to wander out and pick fresh. I have about four different varieties of chilli growing and they go from warm glo to blow your head off. In the winter I like to cook curry and have friends over for a curry night. We sit in the courtyard with a heater going, it's great fun, lots of good food, lots of laughter and a good drop of wine, what more could you want.

Posted by: iaminperth at February 23, 2009 8:45 PM

I have to come to this blog because I love gardening. I seem to be able to grow things but to plan and lay out a garden is something I have never done from scratch When I retire I am looking forward to doing this as I would like to have a smaller house, quite a bit smaller and a larger garden. I want my garden to be a place to meet and a place to entertain and a place just to sit and relax. My house will have all the necessities and quality appliances but it will be quite small and the whole back will open onto my garden. I have it all worked out in my mind, just need to retire now to get it all done.

Posted by: iaminperth at February 23, 2009 8:35 PM