Category Archives: 🦋 I’m in the Garden

Our first real garden

Cooler Days

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A few spits of rain
made the air humid.
The vegetables barely survived.
We had to rely on tap water
from hoses and watering cans.
At least the grass stayed green.
Our resident blue tongue lizard.
Strawberries, blueberries and herbs struggled.
A cool breeze is just what we need.


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.

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More Random Photos around the Garden

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Click on photos to see total pictures.

Bird Bath with fishpond in the background
Blue berry trees and Strawberries
Entrance to Vegetable plots
Potted Herbs
Alfresco Dining
Garden work space. Work bench hidden in upright storage trunk
Approaching our last month of Summer.
Greenery in Alfresco area
Kangaroo Lane – New project. More photos to come.
Another view of the back garden
Fairy Island
It’s hot work some days but very rewarding.

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Random Photos Around the Garden

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Click on photos to see the complete pictures.

Friendly old-fellow returns.
A second smaller work corner for the dirty work. Trolley bin hides the bags of soil.
A new owl adds even more colour.
Missy the new plastic molded possum just hanging around.
Butternut pumpkin, 3 variety of lettuce and cucumbers we are enjoying these past weeks. A 2nd crop of tomatos, spring onions and leeks are thriving too.
And… the latest corner I’ve been working in. The grass path leads to another path that leads to the front of the house. It all gives us plenty to do.

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Poinciana Growing Up

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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.

August 2020
January 2021
January 2022

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Latest Garden Project

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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.

I’ll add more plants as I get them.

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Nemo moves into the Hilton

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First we placed, reshuffled
and put mulch around the perimeter
before the pebbles arrived.
This is how we left it late on Dec 29th.
The fairies moved to a pond side location on Dec 30th
and Nemo moved into his new home.
We brought home 3 new friends for Nemo who are yet to be named.
Today is New Years Eve and we’re still not quite completed but the new plants will help fill the gaps fairly quickly I think.

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There’s Shed Projects & There’s Shed Projects

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We started the project a month ago with the watering cans. I need more watering cans but today we decided it was time to do more work on our shed project.
I’m not sure about the door. Something will inspire me and Norm will be back to do another shed project. I’ll update once we have decided. It’s sounds like a good January shed project. 🙂
Yes, it needs something on the door. Any suggestions appreciated.

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Misty, hazy days

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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. 🙂

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Finally found…

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After two years of creating our garden, we finally found the perfect arch.

It came in 2 pieces and easy to put together.
We moved the climbing white rose back into position and loosely tied the lengthy stems to the arch.
Looking good even standing alone.
A little bare but that will change.

While taking a photos of the arch something caught my attention.

It was just after I hung the bird on the ring and there, just to the right…
there was a real Rosella. 🙂

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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Down on the Farm

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This week we harvested snap peas, broad beans, spinach, spring onions and 4 types of lettuce: Butter-Head, Red-Leaf, Loose-Leaf and Little Gem.

Yesterday Norm experimented with pizzas on his new outdoor cooker/BBQ. However, our new friends and alfresco dinner guests were totally surprised by the taste. Norm has always been often called “Normando” the pizza man. I was able to make up a beautiful green salad with item mostly from the garden.

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Alfresco Kitchen/Diner Completed.

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Work began
Day 2…then a snap Covid lock-down
1 week later Day 1
Day 2
Day 3

Tiler Tim was a perfectionist.
Then grouting began a few days ago.
Norm’s new BBQ/Pizza Oven/Cooker
First, check instructions.
View to back garden.
Decor creations.
Herb pots scattered around for handy use in cooking.
If you check the photo Norm is in, you will notice the new outdoor clock. The photo with the art work above was taken before we decided to put up the clock. The artwork won’t be down for long. We’ll find a new place in the garden for it. I’m pretty sure we aren’t finished yet with what goes where but I’m sure future photos will reveal changes here and there.

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More Alfresco Planning.

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To follow on from the post a few days ago, we spent this morning fertilizing the lawn and painting items for the garden and Alfresco area.

with a Japanese message
Does anyone read Japanese?
Everything is all ready for when lock-down is over and tiling can be completed.
Only the strawberry pot and the pedestal will remain where they are now. The 2 large white pots and the blue pots will be relocated to the tiled area.

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Norm’s got worms.

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Norm’s worm farm has produced enough fertilizer to keep the garden well fed since we first planted seeds and seedlings into polystyrene banana boxes early last year. Today, after a good flush out I was able to fertilize all the vegetables and herbs in the plots and pots. Norm’s worms are thriving and so is the garden.

I couldn’t take photos while our hands were covered in worm poop but here’s a pic of the worm farm – front left.
Everything looks healthy. This past week we have picked spinach, lettuce, broad beans and leeks.
Even the the strawberries are doing well.

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Another fine day in the garden.

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A few little changes and wishing well looks like it’s been there for some time.
We lopped off the broad beans that stood high above the fence and stripped the beans off. Once we cleared the higher stalks we discovered a couple of shooters mid-way up the fence and many more closer to the soil. I won’t have to wait too long before I’ll be harvesting even more. I get the lot because Norm doesn’t like broad beans.
Everything is looking healthy. It shouldn’t be long before we see the Poinciana and Frangipani beginning to bud.

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Facelift and Iris Bloom

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  • Garden Shed facelift
  • Just a little project
  • Standing very tall
  • First Iris for the season

I’m thinking of putting in a Wisteria vine on the right side of the shed too where the love seat is.

This isn’t the iris that bloomed last year so I’m hoping that at least two out of the three bulbs I planted will flower this year.

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Spring is Coming

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Lettuce, cherry tomatos, snow peas, corn, butternut pumpkin and spinach seedlings planted. Some of the mature lettuce and spinach are still growing happily with leeks, garlic, and yes, that tall plant is giving me a serving of broad beans at least twice a week.
The days are mostly sunny and warm. Our night’s are still a bit chilly but I took the chance to plant a lot of herbs here and there in pots. Marjoram, basil, sage, thyme, rosemary, chives and more. We use a lot of herbs. Norm, when he cooks in on the BBQ or in the pizza oven. I use them when I cook in the kitchen.
Norm helped re-pot the verandah hanging plants into new and more colourful pots.

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Out of Lockdown but I’m still in the Garden.

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Most things are back to fairly normal. Regional N.S.W. residents are still on alert and wearing masks away from home. I have returned to the Koala Hospital which makes a big difference to my routine again.

I haven’t been in the front garden for almost 3 months. The Christmas Bushes are now re-potted.
Some trimming and deadheading has been done.
I re-arranged the gnomes and added a few small shrubs.
New solar lighting.
When I returned to the back garden, I discovered we had a visitor. As we near Spring, we’ll probably see more of these neighbours.

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First day in Lock-down at Home.

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We are finally home. Over the next two weeks of lock-down and at least 2 more negative Covid tests we’ll have plenty to keep us busy in the back garden and indoors. The fish pond was my first project.

Before: Where’s Nemo?
After: and Nemo is still alive. Thanks to my neighbour who fed him while we were in lock-down in Sydney.

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Sunshine in the Garden

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Finally the clouds have blown away and although still only 17C, the sun is a very welcome visitor to the garden at this time of the year.

  • First time in bloom
  • Frangipani
  • Bottle Brush early blooms
  • Love the purple
  • New vine is still alive
  • Purple Blooms
  • White Calystegia sepiumbell vine
  • Flowering succulent
  • Climbing white rose still blooming
  • Bulbs breaking through
  • Flowering succulent
  • Grevillea Front garden
  • Front garden dressed in purple and blues

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We’re at it again…

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There’s always something to do in the garden. Here Norm prepares the middle veggie plot for lettuce at the front and butternut pumpkin at the back.
The Poinciana tree gets it’s forever pot. Re-potting it once is enough. Were not getting any younger. Yeah, it’s on a lean but when it settles, it most likely lean the other way. There’s no way it can be moved now.
First time bloomers.
After a blowy wet few hours, the sky turned beautiful again and the sun shone.

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Autumn almost over…

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Here it is almost the end of Autumn and the garden is still flourishing. The Poinciana and Frangipani have only just begun to loose their leaves but with shadows creeping over the garden earlier every day, they’ll be bare soon enough.

We’re still harvesting the early 2020 spinach and cherry tomatos are having a final spurt of flowers. Cucumber, lettuce and small capsicums will probably die off once the winter claims all sun from the back yard. I’m looking forward to June to prepare the soil again for new seedlings.

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After the Rain

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Our drainage problem last year has certainly been fixed.
No more sinking ankle deep in mud and slush.
Everything is green and flourishing.
Changes here and there. Finding just the right spot in the garden for this and that.
Our latest addition to a plain corner.
I love the sound of running water.
A few empty pots ready for an Autumn annual or two..
A view from the BBQ area
and one from the corner seat.
Something in every nook and cranny to make it just right.
We finally found a water feature that’s different and doesn’t feel over whelming. Do you like it?

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Summer Garden

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Bottle Brush bush weighed down with it’s first season’s bloom.
Sunny places to sit and wander.
The sun shines on the bird bath making it glisten.
We’ve had a lot of rain. This time last year we were in a drought. When the drought broke the lawn turned into a marsh land but the drainage our son put in back in August 2020 is working perfectly. https://riversidepeace.com/2020/08/19/more-activity-in-the-yard/ Gumboots no longer required. 🙂
Still planting and harvesting.
It’s amazing to think this was our backyard in January 2020.

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