5 Oct 2014

spring garden share collective, october

This year, spring seems especially beautiful and vibrant. From the flaring purple of the echiums that loom large along the main roads, the deep raspberry and ballerina blush of blossom trees, and the limey, lively iridescence of my own birch trees, colour is cheerfully assaulting my eyes at every turn. The daffies may be withered and crisped, but the bluebells, a pale lavender-blue, have taken their place, as have the snowy white of my giant freesias.

But close your eyes and you still don’t miss out: I can breathe in deep lungfuls of sweet jasmine, hanging heavily over fences, common yellow freesias, and the best smell-of-summer, freshly cut grass.
 

The weather is typically chaotic, with a stifling summer-like high of 28 one day (more likely in January than September) followed, somewhat predictably and ridiculously, by snow-on-the-mountain a couple of days later. But mostly, we are enjoying the fine, bright days. My friend V said to me, in the depths of winter, don’t you think it’s weird that we live in a place where for six months — or more — we wished we didn’t? And she’s so right; all of winter is spent waiting, growling and sometimes despairingly, waiting for now, for these lovely days, these weeks of firsts: the first fat blossom bud on the apricots, first tender leaves on the birches, first proud tulip, first fragile sprays of native orchids.
 

Mum and I marvel how each day brings new surprises in the garden. ‘Check your ixias / lilac tree / bluebell patch’ or ‘My viburnum tree has small green pom poms — has yours?’. Like old men entering their prize blooms in church-hall flower shows, we do get competitive about our native orchids and our begonias (first, biggest, best) but mostly these conversations are prompts to look out for and enjoy nature’s joyous awakening.

Now that dad has completed my vegie garden, and the warmer weather is finally here, I am very much enjoying being out in my backyard. The form of the garden beds brings a pleasing structure and sense of purpose to the space: here is where I’ll grow my food, here is the lovely woodchip-and-paving-stone pathways, and then here is the space for flowers, to bring bees and colour to the garden.
 

Yes, the space has a very positive and purposeful feel now — not so slapdash or amateurish. I guess only I am aware of that feeling. It’s a joy to walk along those proper paths, to work in the beds, water the pots lining the edges, and of course, start sowing crops.


So far, I am starting modestly. Beetroot and small globe carrots along some of the edges, companion marigolds and a rescued pot of pyrethrum in the corners. Peas, beans and scarlet broad beans; frustratingly, I had to re-sow the beans as only one seed in two rows germinated. I’m being sensible this year and doing only a couple of rows of each right now; in a few weeks’ time I’ll install more trellises and more peas and bean seeds. Hopefully this will produce successive or staggered harvests —something that in my usual spring enthusiasm to sow the entire space now I have never before mastered.
 


Plum has finally put on her finery: only a small corsage of two delicate white flowers, but now, a sturdy coat of bright green leaves along all her branches. Such a relief; she no longer looks like a dead stick but a happy, healthy young sapling with her green arms outstretched, as if to say, for us all, ‘Spring is here, and life is good!’.
 
Don't forget to see others in the Garden Share Collective. Click on the logo in the column at right to see more green thumbs.


33 comments:

  1. Oh it's lovely to see a new young tree come to life isn't it. In a few weeks you'll look back at those pictures of your beds and think how different it all looks. Wonderful spring, such a miraculous time in the garden. CJ xx

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    1. everything changes daily, CJ, so yes, in a matter of weeks the blossoms will all be gone on fruit trees but other things will appear. you are so right -- it's a miraculous, exciting time of year.

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  2. It is so nice to see spring arrive in your garden. In ours, it is autumn, and things are slowly dying off. At least I'll have blogs to read all winter long.

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    1. daphne, that is what gt me thru our dreary winter - seeign all your northern colours and harvests and life, so i am glad to return the favour!

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  3. I've just clicked 'publish' on an autumn garden share, so it's good to hop straight over to your blog and read about your spring gardening. Your organised spring sowing is something I aim for each year - successional sowing makes so much sense, but somehow it always gets forgotten. I'll try to follow your good example when the time comes!

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    1. well as i said, this is the first time i've done successional sowing. it's hard lookign at empty patches - my fingers get itching to sow something - but i'm holding off! hopefully i'll be able to say "see, it was worth being patient"!

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  4. It just all looks sooooo good. Love the beds. I love Tasmania in spring for the mix of pink, red and white everywhere - think it is "Kiss-me-quick", but not sure. Maybe a valerian.

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  5. valerian is very pretty but as it grows like an invasive weed at my parents' place, i have resisted it!
    it's just so wonderful to have all colours after the hibernation of winter. thank you for your lovely words, linda.

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  6. I bet it is a joy to be in your wonderful new garden! It looks great. I adore the smell of Jasmine, lucky you. Enjoy and have a great month in the garden

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    1. thank you kyrstie - and you too!
      the jasmine isalmost too good -over the weekend, working next to it in the full sunshine, it was a very powerful and heady perfume.

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  7. Great post as always. I know what you mean about the weather though, except that ours is still rotten and unpredictable. In saying that, isn't it great to stand back and watch the garden come to life!

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    1. it's fantastic!
      yes, spring is so unpredictable, frogpond. i realise i didn't mention the horrid winds we have been having (obviously i was all rose-tinted glasses writing this). luckily my garden has not had too much damage, but at times it's so strong it's impossible to be outside. and it dries the soil out so much.

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  8. Your new beds look good: it will be interesting seeing them in three months, brimming with produce.

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    1. thank you AI! yes, much patience and care now is required. it's very exciting.

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  9. You look very organised and I love your spring colours - they're good strong hues. Wish I had "smellovision" so I could inhale the spring scents. Our weather has been a bit unpredictable too; after an unusually warm and sunny September, we seem to be back to reality this week with cooler,wetter days.

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    1. well since publishing this post, we are having cooler, wetter and very windy days too, Anne! spring is very crazy.
      Yes i'm not one for wishy washy colours; some clear pale pinks are acceptable (and those pastel orchids are so ethereal), but otherwise i do love strong purples and blues and hot pinks.

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  10. I see what you mean about your big structural work! I can share your joy of walking on proper paths :-) I'm being really strict about successional sowing in the vege garden. I sow every couple of weeks and it's really working. My biggest success has been lettuce. I normally have a glut then nothing. This year I haven't bought lettuce for months

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    1. thanks sarah - you give me hope that this plan will work. it's just so tempting to fill the whole space in NOW!

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  11. Such beautiful flowers and blossoms. Your new beds look terrific, I look forward to watching how it all grows in the coming months.

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    1. thank you! i must pop over and see how adelaide is fairing this spring, i don't know much about adelaide weather except the extreme highs in summertime.

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  12. oh those georgous pink and purple flowers are to die for. So different to what we have here. Your veggie garden is awesome too (do you rent your Dad out by the way?) I am unable to see some of the posts this month - hope Liz gets that sorted out soon.

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    1. after every garden share post, i tell dad he could go into business travelling all around the country for people :-) he'd love it up your way, AA, he could travel on for some up-north fishing too.
      i haven;t been able to see the posts either, i thought it was just me. i'm relying on the sites i have bookmarked personally. must get to your new post!

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  13. Such gorgeous colour from your flowers. Your orchids are growing and flowering brilliantly, they can be tricky to grow. How your garden beds are taking shape, you must be so excited seeing them blossom to life.

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    1. the only problem i'm having with the orchids is aphids, because they are inside. mum and i divided and re-potted all of ours last year (easily doubling our collection) and they are now thriving happily - they are such pretty little things.
      i am very contented with my garden right now, merryn - it's a lovely place to be in.

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  14. Lovely to see your new veggie patch as you go into summer, your Dad has done a brilliant job for you! I love cerinthe (the purple flower in the second photo) and my veg patch is never without it as it's a favourite with the bees. One thing that we both have in common at the moment is the planting of broad beans. Some gardeners here in the UK start theirs off in the autumn to get a head start on the following spring and I'm going to give that a go this year. Thanks for the reminder!

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    1. hello caro. yes very organised people plant their broad beans in the cooler months here too. i'm glad i've been able to remind you to be one of those organised people!
      cerinthes are strange, beautiful flowers (and the foliage is special too). mum and i have quite a crush on them.

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  15. Oh I love this post - such lovely evocative descriptive language: "From the flaring purple of the echiums … the deep raspberry and ballerina blush of blossom trees, and the limey, lively iridescence of my own birch trees, colour is cheerfully assaulting my eyes at every turn" - just beautiful Elizabeth. I love that you personify you Plum. And your new veggie beds look wonderful. Go the Green Thumb. And long live the daffiest x

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    1. that should be "daffies"!

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    2. oh, i like the 'daffiest' :-)
      thank you FS - i actually surprised myself with some of that writing - where the words come from, sometimes, i don't know, which makes writing a lot of fun.
      i shall say hello to Plum for you. i have to encourage her to grow!

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  16. Your flowers are so beautiful! I love that deep purple tulip, it has such a stunning dark elegance to it.

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    1. it is very glamourous, isn't it? the funny thing is, leaf, i didn't plant it - i have no idea where it came from - which makes it even more wodnerful when it appears each year.

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  17. The world of succession planting by sheer luck. It's amazing how some seeds just don't germinate. Glad that you getting some luck with that amazing bean that has shot up. Enjoy the smells of spring see you next month

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  18. yes, i'm sure now i have re-sown liz, the originals WILL come up! others have since joined that sole bean, so they are just very slow in waking up.

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