Resilience of a Gum
Spotted this today, which illustrates the incredible resilience of a Eucalypt. This tree was majorly cut back 12 days ago. Right between the place where two biggest limbs were removed, what do I...
‘Not So Lucky’ Bamboo
I have a few Lucky Bamboo plants (I believe its actually some form of Dracaena) that have been very neglected for the past few years. I had some fun with propagating them for a while (it’s ridiculously easy – put simply, cut it off and stick it in a jar of water to get a new plant). But they didn’t get watered for too long and although they are very hard to kill, I almost achieved it. So with the greenhouse on hand,...
Bulb Adventures
Something else I haven’t really played with (much) before until now is bulbs. But with the new garden I’m trying all kinds of bulby things, both edible and ornamental. I’m a big fan of anything that can be propagated by division (it just seems like such a labour-saving approach somehow). So the reputation I have read about for Calla lilies makes them irresistible to try, and there are so many varieties. I have bought...
Bamboozled
I’ve long wanted to have a decent crack at growing some bamboo, but it’s hard to get started in this climate. I was lucky enough to see 4 large bamboos being sold as one lot on eBay – most importantly, that were local for me. Described as very large and heavy I thought they were bound to be easily worth that price so placed a bid. Nobody else did (advantage of not being in the city I think), so yesterday I got them....
The Greenhouse Impulse
Adding a greenhouse was a definite impulse idea. I came across one online that seemed to sit smack between the cheapie plastic ones I’ve tried before (with very ordinary results other than making a temporary oven that doesn’t withstand the wind), and a full-blown glass one. The price seemed good ($199) and I found the same one on Amazon where I could see a large number of user reviews and gauge it to be good quality. So I...
Vegie Tubs on Legs
One of my most disliked aspects of vegie gardening is the bending over to maintain them, or even to harvest most things. I found these huge tubs on legs and decided to give them a go. They have a water reservoir in the bottom, tap on the side and a little ‘meter’ in the form of a plastic seedling that sinks down a hole if the water level is low. So you know when to water. I bought three and first set them up in the back...