Starting work at 6.30am can be tough, but a sunrise like this one on Wednesday makes it worthwhile. The days are getting shorter now that it’s autumn, and cooler temperatures will hopefully come along with the great sunrises soon too!
Society garlic is a nightmare of a plant. It can look very nice and delicate and has lovely flowers. The big but is the smell. As the name suggests, it smells of garlic, just a faint whiff most of the time but if you trim it back it really is overpowering. I got home on Monday and my husband could smell me from the other side of our apartment as soon as I walked in the door after trimming this stuff back. My boots still smell this evening (it’s now Thursday) and I have been working three eight hour days since then! If you like it in your garden, put it somewhere where it wont need cutting back.
This is a callistemon cultivar that I think is ‘Tiny Tom’. Tough as old boots, pretty when in flower and stays a nice compact size.It does the job in those baking hot, dry, sunny spots that get little maintenance-like in the centre of a roundabout . Fabulous plant.
Camelia season is upon us again. That cheers me up no end. The flowers are all so delightful. I’ll enjoy the winter camellia flower show this year. They are a fairly common trees here in Sydney gardens, at least where I live so I think I’ll be going for plenty of street walks when it cools down.
Lavender is a fabulous plant for attracting bees. I walked to collect our takeaway food a couple of nights ago. The road crossing is right next to the local community garden, where this lavender is located, and the bees were having an absolute ball here.
Back to quirky Australian plants now with this kangaroo paw. I just love the flower shape and colour. An oddity that I wont get tired of looking at when I see them.
Pig face is a strange name for a plant and I don’t really know where it comes from, but I really like this plant too. The genus name is Carpobrotus if anyone is interested. This is another Australian native, being a succulent ground cover. The flowers are completely in-your-face, but there is nothing wrong with a little shocking pink at work every now and then!
Just because I can include a grevillea here, I am going to do so. I love these bi-coloured cultivars (and not just this colour combination). As well as looking good, these flowers have all sorts of birds feeding on the nectar all day which is another bonus.
That is my week in plants this week so far. Over the weekend, there will be plenty of gardening going on and a possible bush walk too. Until next time, happy gardening.