My favourite place to be is in the garden.
We started with nothing except too much soggy lawn.
An early morning hour in the front garden stimulates the imagination – and is a whole lot of fun.
A tidy up here and a touch of paint there.
If you don’t have water, create it. I tossed a few packets of lobelia seeds in for good measure.
We bought these two delightful blue mushroom solar lights today at Bunnings and added a little more creativity.
Not fully charged yet, but still looks pretty.
Archived in: 🦋 I’m in the Garden
Autumn is still beautiful on the mid-north coast.
Rear corner of back verandah.
From the garden.
and again from the garden.
Another view of the back corner.
Looks like there will be dozens of blooms this year.
This last photo shows the outdoor kitchen divider in front of the clothes line. Next week, I’ll reveal why.
Archived in: 🦋 I’m in the Garden
For a garden that’s now mostly, vegetables, herbs and fruit trees, there’s still a few bright colours to blend with the green.
Archived in: 🦋 I’m in the Garden
If you can find my photos of the elderberry I potted when it just 40 cm high, I would be grateful. It should be somewhere in 🦋 I’m in the Garden archives but I can’t see it. It’s photographed with my other potted herbs. So late last year we re-potted it and it’s growing beautifully.
Now it’s taller than me and covered in blooms. Very strange because it should flower in early Summer. It’s Autumn here in Australia.
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Although I love the rain and warm summer days the high temperatures on the current between days of rain is not quite the Autumn I’m use to. The Poinciana is still covered in green leaves and the water in the fish pond feels more like a hot tub.
There’s one thing that I do enjoy in this crazy weather and that is the variety of green that is seen from, and in every corner of the garden. The birds too a hanging around longer than usual and as for our vegetables, they just keep growing leaving no room to plant winter crops.
I’m left wondering what I’ll be doing in the garden once the season does change.
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The hot weather in March and recent rains has turned our verandah into a high humidity zone.
Everything is flourishing.
It’s a good time to plant something new into some pretty pots I found.
There’s never too many plants.
Archived in: 🦋 I’m in the Garden
It’s finally Autumn and it most noticeable in the evening with the warmth of the day fading with the going down of the sun.
When the phone is useless in this beautiful light
that reflects off the colours in the garden.
but it will all fade by the time I find the camera and set it up.
Maybe another evening when I’m more prepared. For now I’ll just relax in the peace of the garden.
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With a lot of succulents pieces blown off the main plants by the windy weather I decided to do something creative. If you are anything like me as a gardener, I don’t like throwing anything away and these tiny hanging pots came up a treat with a bit of paint.
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A friend is in need of re-thinking her lack of gardening skills. A herb garden is a priority and then a low maintenance rockery around the letter-box out front. While she’s contemplating plans, I’m planting seeds and seedlings as well as striking succulents from cuttings. I’ll update as changes occur.
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With January being the hottest month of the year, it’s often difficult to choose the right day – a cooler day, to mulch the front garden and the garden that runs the length of the carport. Most other seasons don’t work with the front garden and after the Christmas lights a packed away for another year, it really is the best time. For us anyway. We started laying mulch this time from the rear of the drive and worked forward to the front of the house. We did this simply because we always run out of mulch for that far end of the drive when we do the front garden first. However, just as we finished along the drive it began to rain and continued most of the day. Good for the garden but not while gardening. At least it gave us a break and some time to plan how to tackle the front garden.
We started early to avoid the heat of the day and the rain that threatened to change our plans yet again. Overcast but not to hot, not to cold. The rain held off long enough to complete the whole front garden. We even had time to go to Bunnings for a few extra shrubs to fill empty spaces along the white picket fence. I also rehoused the new gnomes we bought on a clearance pallet just after Christmas. I’m quite pleased how it all looks now.
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It’s great to see the sunshine and feel the warmth of Spring mornings again.
Nice enough to choose where to have breakfast.
Archived in: 🦋 I’m in the Garden
Sorry this is blurred. I took the photo from inside the back door with my phone. We put up the Lorikeet box just a few days ago. This pair actually put their head inside but were more interested in eating. We’re hoping a second visit will happen soon but not perhaps one of the many other Lorikeet pairs who visit the garden will find this new house to be so tempting they’ll move in.
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Last night Norm relocated my big screen PC to the dining room table where I am able to maneuver around better in the wheelchair. This morning I looked up from the screen to see between the verandah railings and palm leaves, ….
the bulbs I had planted in previous seasons were blooming. I promptly sent Norm around the garden with the camera to see what else I missed. I’ll look through the photos later today after church.
Archived in: 🦋 I’m in the Garden
I upgraded the wheelchair and I have more flexibility and freedom.
It’s so good to be in the garden. No changes needed to the driveway or kitchen-diner.
Archived in: 🦋 I’m in the Garden
With the next 5 weeks of non-weight-bearing, I thought I might start painting some of the garden ornaments in time for Spring. I’ll begin with the larger items and work down to smaller items like the fairies and smaller gnomes around the pond.
Mother duck held up well this winter but her bill and feet are in need of a touch-up, as too the mushroom stool and larger gnomes in the front garden.
At present this is the only part of the back garden I can see from the wheelchair. I’m hoping with some slight rearrangement of items at the side of the house, I’ll be able to sit in the outdoor kitchen diner but for now I’m content to enjoy the verandah and the recovery of myself and of weather beaten garden favourites.
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I was finally able to visit the front garden. While Norm weeded and dead headed I took a few photos of the late winter flowering lavender, Azalias and Gazanias. Even the Bougainvillea climbing the wall is bursting with colour. A few extra cottage garden plants need to be planted when Spring arrives.
The tub of pansies and zinnia potted daisies needed to be relocated temporarily for the ramp.
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The colours are as bright as the sun at the front of the house. There’s been some sunny days but the temperatures go down when the sun goes down. I really hope the weather warms us up soon.
Even the sunflowers are making an early debut.
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We knew about this before we bought our home back in December 2019. It’s finally happening. The noise can be annoying but at least there’s no workers or machinery on the weekends and before 7.30am and after 5pm in the evenings during the week… and when it’s raining.
The photos above were taken while standing on a step ladder on the verandah. Below are the scenes we see at floor level and at the bottom of the steps that descend into the garden. Hopefully the new houses won’t appear above the fence. We’ll just have to wait.
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It’s been a lot easier to sneak up on these adorable birds. They don’t seem to mind the camera either. This pair is one of four pairs that come in for a feed throughout the day. They all have their own colour tones and preferred times to eat. An interesting lot.
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Retirement can be challenging but there’s always something to learn and do, especially when it comes to the garden.
Well done, Norm. You’re never too old to learn new skills. 🙂 I can’t wait to see what other species of birds will visit the garden.
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Another sunny afternoon enticed us outside to watch the birds.
Archived in: 🦋 I’m in the Garden
In addition to yesterday’s post, Midday Shadows our front garden, home to our friendly gnomes, is soaked in sunshine every day in winter – except on cloudy and rainy days of course.
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According to Google, June 21st 2022 is the shortest day of the year for Australia.
Over the next two weeks, we may just spy the shadows beginning to creep back the other way back to greet the Spring.
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Two of our parlour palms brought with us on our move in December 2019 and at less than two foot high, have grown ridiculously on our back verandah where I had created a little tropical atmosphere of sorts. Here’s the photo of one. Both are about same size.
If you have been following my I’m in the Garden category on Riverside Peace you will know that the garden space is minimal. But we did it. Or, at least I pointed and directed and Norm did it. 🙂
With the two big potted palms relocated we then reorganised the verandah plants before enjoying a bottle of 2017 Sangiovese. Two neighbours also joined us with their wine glasses filled with their favourite whites.
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It’s a much wetter May this year making the garden soggy and keeping us out of the garden.
Photos by Norm.
Archived in: 🦋 I’m in the Garden
All this fuss over one apple.
Well, I can’t complain that we don’t have birds come to our garden. Two years ago I would never have thought it was possible.
Archived in: 🦋 I’m in the Garden
There wasn’t much room to land but they kept coming.
Focusing got more difficult no matter how many photos were taken.
Norm almost missed the confusion of take-offs.
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My dear neighbour and friend across the road kindly let me have her fairies, toadstools and gnomes that have been out grown by the grandchildren. “The Pond” has been overwhelmed by more fairies, little gnomes and fairy houses. One fairy has now become the centre piece of the birdbath which has inspired me to set aside a quiet day to sit and imagine before placing everything in different places. We have a young blue tongue lizard that roams my garden, and the neighbours, that bumps the poor little fairies into the pond. Some might say I’m a little crazy with my gnomes garden out the front, and now The Fairy Pond, but no one has yet disliked it. I think if I ever do get dementia, I’ll be happy in my garden. 🙂
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Archived in: 🦋 I’m in the Garden
Click on photo to view complete.
Archived in: 🦋 I’m in the Garden
Seriously though, we have not witnessed so many birds in our garden since we began creating it in January 2020. We were so engrossed in the birds flocking to the top of the water tank that we didn’t notice the usual three or four on and in the blue bird feeder on the back fence until they flew off leaving the the bird feeder bouncing and shaking. There is one photo that was way to blurred for here that showed at least six birds in on and around the owl bird feeder. Like it was stacks on.
Click on each photo to view entire photo.
These photos were just the ones Norm manage to take on my mobile phone. I’ll check the photos on the Canon EOS 650D while we are on a week’s holiday, starting tomorrow, up the coast. I was busy trying to keep the tablet focused, and without falling off the back steps, so our 9 year-old granddaughter could see them via messenger video call we had been on for ten minutes when the birds came down. She was calling from a very wet and soggy Sydney where her family, like thousands of other families, are still cut off by flooding rivers. Bridges have been under water now for ten days. She’ll be back at school on Monday. Not sure about anyone getting to work on the other side of the river though.
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Spinach seedlings replanted to replace the spinach I planted 2 years ago – originally in polystyrene banana boxes. It’s seems a life time ago now. I’m hoping these will also yield multiple times throughout the next year or two. The seedlings I grew from seed. You may be able to see more seedlings sprouting in the 3rd photo below in a 2nd grey rectangular pot.
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Archived in: 🦋 I’m in the Garden
Kangaroo Lane has made progress. Plants are thriving and the grass is green.
Finally the high temperatures of the past two weeks of 35 plus (Celcius) have dropped to a much more pleasant mid 20s. This evening, a gentle rain cools hot surfaces.
Archived in: 🦋 I’m in the Garden
Click on Photos to see complete pictures.
Archived in: 🦋 I’m in the Garden
Click on photos to see total pictures.
Archived in: 🦋 I’m in the Garden
Click on photos to see the complete pictures.
Archived in: 🦋 I’m in the Garden
As suggested by one one my favourite bloggers, we set about looking for an outdoor mirror for the shed door. Norm finished fitting it today between heavy showers we have been experiencing on and of for two days.
Archived in: 🦋 I’m in the Garden
We bought him when he wasn’t much more than a stick. After his growth in Spring and Summer 2020 he grew to big for his pot. We had to re-pot him to his forever home during last winter. We have read on various websites that poincianas flower some time between 5 and 10 years after it’s first Spring.
Archived in: 🦋 I’m in the Garden
If you regularly follow my “I’m in the Garden” posts you would have seen that whatever we put in our front garden it’s usually unsuccessful which is why we resorted to growing gnomes. Since Nemo graduated to the Hilton, Nemo Moves into the Hilton we decided not to waste the pot in which he’s been thriving in for over 12 months.
Archived in: 🦋 I’m in the Garden
Archived in: 🦋 I’m in the Garden
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We were so busy watching a beautiful sunset that we almost missed the golden reflections in the garden.
New house rule: Unless we take the camera with us out of the house, it stays in readiness near the back door.
Archived in: 🦋 I’m in the Garden
These two Rosellas have visited the past four evenings. I think they just might be regulars now. I’ve been so looking forward to photographing birds in the garden.
Photos by Norm & Chrissy Siggee.
Archived in: I’m in the Garden
Too much rain lately but the heat is still causing growth in all areas of the garden. Pumpkin vines are weaving their long arms around and between the vegetable plots. Yesterday afternoon the air was steamy creating a haze throughout the garden. The new arch is beginning to blend into the back and foregrounds of a lot of the photos.
The Poinciana has finally come out of it’s winter’s rest. It’s branches are thickening up after it’s 2nd year in our garden pots. We won’t be re-potting again. I think this one will be big enough. 🙂
Archived in: I’m in the Garden
After two years of creating our garden, we finally found the perfect arch.
While taking a photos of the arch something caught my attention.
I have been waiting for a year and a half for birds to come in to the garden. We sometimes had minor birds that we would shoo away but at long last the bird feeder is finally being visited. 🙂 I’m so happy.
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We returned after almost a week of traveling and catching up with family after the long Covid-19 lock-downs to find the rain, sunshine and the heat had created giant blooms in the back garden. The vegetables, well I forgot to photograph those beauties. We had enough greens for us and most of the neighbours.
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Archived in: I’m in the Garden
Archived in: I’m in the Garden
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