Sprung - and a project

This is the third spring I have spent in this garden and the number and variety of blooms have blown me over each time.  It is such an embarrassment of floral opulence. If it was wallpaper, they would call it 'overblown'!

Heralding in the end of spring, the five crab apple trees down the drive, have had their 10 days of glory.  So much effort and for such a short period of time!

 

Monet would have gone ga-ga over the tones of pink and purple in this shrubbery.  It doesn't even belong to me but grows through and over the fence from next door.

On the other side of the house...the herb potager, with the outdoor kitchen in the background.  Both of these projects were more than worth the work put into them.  They continue to delight me.

The latest project is to create a link between the potager, outdoor kitchen and the house, in the form of an outdoor living area.

Behind that camellia to the left of the air-conditioner (which is being removed) is a chimney.  The chimney doesn't draw and the open fire-place is a waste.

 So...out with the chimney, and the wall, and in with another window and door set, similar to the one you can see.  Nothing fancy, but it will make a huge difference to our main living area, making it lighter and creating a view. I'm hoping it will create a natural flow between inside and out.  

A narrow deck along the house with an open pergola to carry a grape-vine, will give summer shade to the north facing windows, but let light in in the winter.  The area between the deck and the outdoor kitchen will be paved.  

Wait till you see the table and chairs we picked up for this area...very rustic.

So these are some of the 'before' pictures.  Stay tuned for the work to begin!

When herbs go bad!

 This is the potager.

No kidding!

It really is.

See there is a path in there...look closely.

There is even a mosaic.

Once the parsley was tamed

(pulled out), sage and lavender clipped,

and the chives chopped,

the structure is visible again.

I am rethinking the potager.

There were enough herbs in there 

to supply a small commercial kitchen.

We regularly use basil (when in season)

thyme, parsley, chives

and occasionally sage...

and all in quite small amounts.

I am thinking a seasonal flower garden

with a herb border.

In the jungle, the mighty jungle...

Have you been reading this blog long enough 

to remember the birth of the herb potager?

It has been a year since the beginning of this project.

The herbs weathered the winter well 

and have gone so spring crazy, 

it is difficult to make out the structure!

Scarlet beans will be running up the arch soon.

What is that dog looking at?

Hope it isn't a Joe Blake, this close to the house.

 Arrrgh!  It is a giant, moth eaten, wild Araucana chick!

What are the best herbs for 

putting in stuffing for roast chicken?

Sage - check

Parsley -check

Chives - check

Thyme - check

Oregano - check

Mmmm!

"Whaddya mean? Roasted, self infused, herbed rooster?

I thought you'd gone vegetarian!"

Don't worry, little chickie, I couldn't put an axe to you!

Way, too cute!

Record

No...not a world record
in giant vegetables .... or athletics (LOL)

and not anything musical.

Just a record of my gardening yesterday.

Potted up:

A dwarf Kaffir Lime,

Cardamon

Cardamon

...and some sick looking tomato seedlings bought at a $2 shop

....they may be an early LOSS of money.

Seeds:

Basil - Yates gourmet mix

Zucchini - Yates Greyzini

Zucchini - Digger's tromboncino

Capsicum - Digger's seven colour mix

Pumpkin - Eden seeds Jap pumpkin (trad, non hybrid)

Pumpkin - Eden seeds Turkish Turban (trad, non hybrid)

Pumpkin - Digger's Potimarron (Rare French)

Tomato - The Lost Seed Broad Ripple Yellow Currant.

I even turned on the sprinklers

and created a rainbow in the potager.

I was dreading the amount of soil/potting mix 

these two large tins were going to require.

Then I discovered that two large plastic

plant pots I had, fitted perfectly.

I am going to use these for seasonal flowers.

So I can have some on the go and then

swap them over....perpetually full planters.

I love Spring!

Winter.in.the.herb.potager

Winter.is.hard.on.most.herbs.

It.isn't.cold.enough.here.to.kill.them.....

but.it.does.make.them.pretty.miserable.

The.pavers.are.growing.moss.

The.mosaic.has.lost.a.few.stones.and,is.suitably.dirty.

What.could.that.forest.of.square.trunked.trees.in.the.background.be?

Remember.how.lush.it.was.in.Summer

Potager - Part 6

Most times, gardening demands compost loads of patience.  Growing things just takes time.  

Perhaps this is why the potager, with its quick growing inhabitants, is so satisfying. 

Check out the development in just three months.

     

November 5th


November 16th

  

November 24th

December 29th

 

Now....

Snail's eye view...not that there are many snails left!  Mwha ha ha ha!

In the potager at present:
Sage, oregano, curly parsley, flat leafed parsley, chives, various lettuces, chives, thyme (including the yellow prostrate one in photo) , lavenders, lebanese cucumbers, purple king beans, marjora, beetroot.

In pots nearby: bay tree, lemon grass, dill.

Tong therapy

Ah!  After days of torrential rain the sun came out...so did Hazel!

I weeded the potager and the air and the soil were warm and damp.  The weeds pulled easily, and as I worked I brushed the various herbs and was surrounded by their aromas.  

Aroma therrapy!

Oh, and you read correctly, that is T-O-N-G, not thong, or thongs!

Well what do you call half a pair of tongs that are broken?

The tong, or half a tongs, makes a fantastic hand tool.  You can stab and twist to cultivate.  It is sharp and sturdy, and you can use it spoonwise, or turn it knifewise so it fits into tight spots.  

I am going to improve it by winding on some electrical tape to make it more hand-friendly.

I highly recommend this little bit of repurposing

for when your thong tong snaps.

Potager - part 5

A couple of evenings ago, I made the mosaic for the centre of the potager.  I have been planning this in my head for weeks.  As you know I love the garden so

'HD' in a heart seemed apt.

Every thing in the potager has grown.  I did some weeding last night too and it was lovely and fragrant communing with the herbs at close quarters.

You can just see the sprinkler doing its job to the left of the potager
and Mervyn the geriatric chihuahua taking his constitutional on the right of the picture.

For the record:

Today we had visitors and served zucchini slice, pumpkin and risoni salad and a small green salad.  Strawberries in balsamic vinegar and ice-cream was desert.  Oh, I forgot there was home made hummus and broad bean dip (from the freezer).

Ingredients produced on the property included:

• 6 small green beans (tokens really, but irresistible)
• 4 small zuchinni
• 1 red onion
• garlic
• tender red and green oak lettuce leaves
• parsley
• chives
• some tiny radishes to be eaten tops and all
• broad beans
• eggs (of course)

This is the first real meal of the Summer with so many home grown ingredients.  

The cook outdid herself and it was delicious.

Pottager - Part 4

The pottager is planted...but this is a boring post that only exists to mark the occasion and serve as a reference for the future.  

On each site of the path, at the beginning, thee is a
lavender (6) with a circle of marigolds.

Beside the path in the cenre - curly pasley(6)

Alternating thyme and chives around the outside of the
inner ring.

In the outer ring: Sage (6) oregano (3) marjoram (6)
flat leaf/italian parsley (15)

6 basil

Lebanese cucumbers in centre of arch legs (3)
and on each side purple king climbing beans((12)

Hopefully the Pottager - Part 5 will be more attractive and full of plants.  I have to add the lettuces which are still to small to transplant.