Serena's Secret Gardens

Rhododendrons, Mountain Ash & Kiwi's

2011-11-17T18:03:00.001+11:00

Magestic Mountain Ash - Eucualyptus regnans which reach a magnificent 25m or more!

Last Thursday I took a day off work and spent some time with my cousin and his wife, for the first time in 30 odd years! We haven't really been ignoring each other, we just live on opposite sides of the Tasman! Anyway, we had a gorgeous day exploring the Dandenong ranges and checking out native plants and the Rhododendron Gardens and having a lovely lunch. Andrew is a landscape architect and an arborist, so has a great interest in all things horticulture, so we had a very green day.

A Kiwi ....deep in thought!

Our first stop was Kuranga Nursery in Mt Evelyn who boast the largest collection of native plants in Victoria and I must say their selection is not to be sneezed at . I really could go crazy in that place, it's really well set up so that it's easy to find your way around. They also have a wonderful gift shop and restaurant where we had a delicious lunch and a glass of wine. Needless to say we spent some time there and didnt come home empty handed. My son is going to China on Sunday so here was the ideal place to buy something for him to take with him for his host family. The lunch we had was great and the company pretty good too. Afterwards we headed up through the magnificent Mountain Ash forest to Mt Dandendong and the Rhododendron gardens, which although not in full bloom was a nice walk and the gardens are very beautiful.

The Rhododendron Gardens Olinda, looking down the hill.

Pretty in Pink, and sadly I didnt get the name!

Gorgeous Magnolia sieboldii

Gingko tree

And this was a beautiful tree, A Tricolour Beech magestic and pretty pink edges on the leaves.

The weather was ideal and we saw some gorgeous views and Janet got pressies for the folks at home and we all got a little exhausted and arrived back in Melbourne tired but happy, just missing the peak hour traffic. ..... A perfect Day!

If you come to Melbourne I guarantee a visit to the Dandenongs will not disappoint. Please leave comments I love to read them!

Our Visit to Yea -The Wetlands

2011-10-31T21:43:00.001+11:00

On Sunday Graham and I went for a drive up the country. We headed north out of Melbourne up the Hume Highway, not really sure where we were going to end up. We decided to turn off at Strath Creek turn off which is a pretty little town which was affected quite badly during the Black Saturday bush fires, then kept driving on until we came to Yea.

Yea is a nice town we have visited before when we spent a weekend in the foothills of Mt Bulla, a couple of years ago. Its 109km north East of Melbourne on the Goulburn River. The traditional owners of the land were the Taungurung People and the area was settled by white people from NSW in the 1830's. Yea is a pretty little town with about five pubs and a population of around 1,100. There are lovely shops and a gallery and some nice cafes, and the people are lovely.

We walked around and then went to the Wetlands for a wander and were enchanted by all the frogs and birds living amongst the water ways and trees so close to the highway and centre of town. I took a video because the sounds were so great there were masses of birds and frogs. But first, here are some pictures of the walk we took.As usual I took a tonne of pictures being a frustrated photographer!

There is a suspension bridge right at the start, I love suspension bridges, there is something organic about them.

Then we continued on around the wetlands along a boardwalk built over the water. There were lots of water birds and little wrens and kookaburras, and a tiny kingfisher which sadly I couldn't get a photo of as it was just too far away and my camera isnt that good.

It was a damp cool day and raining ever so gently but in the wetlands it was perfect. As we walked through we saw beautiful old trees and shrubs, listened to the frogs singing and also came across a couple of "hides" for bird watching .

There were warnings about snakes but I think we were pretty safe considering it was about 17c all the smart snakes were at home in bed where it was warm!
There was also signs every now and then with information about the flora and fauna including bush tucker (for humans) and different species of birds and animals.

If you ever have the chance to visit this part of Victoria its well worth it.

I also took some video so you can enjoy the fabulous sounds of the wetlands.

I hope you enjoyed the walk as well, remember comments are always welcome.

Sour Dough Starter

2011-10-29T13:15:00.000+11:00

At the moment I'm making a sour dough starter. I began it on Thursday. But instead of Wheat flour ....which I didnt have any of, so initially I used Rye flour. So far so good.

I used 100 grams of flour to 100 mls of water. I used tap water and in hindsight am not sure if thats a good idea. But we shall see, it seems to be bubbling away and fermenting alright. I have fed it twice adding another 100 gms of rye flour and 100 mls of water, the second time using plain wholemeal flour. At the moment it looks like this .......

I will let it rest on the shelf for now with a damp cloth over it to stop any bugs or dust getting into it. Sour dough starter is made by absorbing wild yeasts and good bacteria which are yeast forming and exist naturally in the air.
Once made you use a 200g to make bread and feed the starter to keep it going, there are sour dough starters that have been around for decades and the owners just keep adding to them to keep them going. All sour dough starter is different, individual you might say, depending on the flour the water and the atmosphere.
During the week after I think it has fermented enough and fed it a couple more times I will make some bread. The trick is not to allow it to get too hot or too cold as then it will either go off or just die. You need to keep an eye on it, a bit like a gold fish!

Girls Night In

2011-10-25T15:18:00.001+11:00

Tea Anyone?
on Sunday I held my annual Girls Night In. Traditionally as the name implies this is at night time. However this year I decided to do something a little different and had an Afternoon Tea. Everyone brought a plate and my friend Brylee organised some fun games for us. Some local businesses donated goodies for Silent Auctions and we set about enjoying ourselves in an effort to raise funds for Womens' Cancer Research.

The idea is that everyone who attends donates what they would normally spend on going out out somewhere, to the Cancer Council, and to boost the numbers i also have a few things to auction or raffle off. Many of the ladies came in Pink and we had a great time and we had some beautiful gifts too. Tea went by the wayside a bit as we indulged in Pink Champagne. It was a beautiful day nice and warm and sunny, and we had a great time.

The theme was sustainable living and everyone had to bring there best sustainable living tip, and the weather received a gift voucher for 4 hours eco friendly cleaning. We also had a pamper hamper to auctioned off and the delightful Santa seen in the picture below.

Hope your weekend was delightful too.

If you would like to donate some money, or maybe would like to hold a girls night in of your own, you can do so on online here:

http://girlsnightin.com.au/

Anyway here are some pics:

Comments are always welcome.

On my Mind

2011-10-14T22:51:00.003+11:00

My nearly completed first quilt!

I know i've mentioned it before but I cant help myself ....I'm sooooo excited about this. This is a harmony quilt, I've been taking classes at Patchworks Unlimited which is a gorgeousl shop tucked away in Pascoe Vale, here in Melbourne.

The shop is run by two lovely ladies, Gael and Pauline, seen here at a Quilt show in Diamond Creek, they have been friends for many years , and about 18 years ago they decided to open a shop. Between the two of them they create some gorgeous designs and have the best array of prints I think I have ever seen.

They sell individual kits, patterns and various books, you can just drop in for advise and a chat but be warned they have lots of fabric by the metre, and you probably wont leave empty handed. This is like heaven for someone like me and is made all the more tempting by the way they have arranged the shop, its just a rainbow of colour. Simply gorgeous. If you're a quilting fan and you're in Melbourne, or you want advise the shop is well worth a visit check out their website at http://www.patchworksunlimited.com/index.html.

I have been attending their beginners class, and this is the result of all I have learnt there. Now, I can honestly say I am hooked. I am already planning my next quilt! They will see me back for more!

A Cool Plant!

2011-10-13T18:06:00.001+11:00

Its Spring here in Melbourne and all the plants are starting to look beautifully up at the sunshine. As are the weeds too sadly ....but thats life! When you talk to a gardener about Spring, bulbs spring to mind often Daffodils and Jonquils but further into Spring the best bulb of all flowers, ( in my humble opinion!)

A gorgeous plant which i have in my garden which flowers really well at this time of year and seems to flower for ages, is the Bearded Iris or Iris Germanica here is the first for the year!

With its elegant blue green foliage and beautifully delicate blooms these plants are deceptively tough. My friend Yvette gave me some when we were studying about 4 years ago when we were in the middle of a severe drought and I have to say they have really done well all things cosidered. So much so that i went and bought some more. Its a real survivor, and comes in so many gorgeous colours, and now is also available in a dwarf form .

They keep on keeping on and I have actually taken them out and divided them and they still happily prosper. To survive in our garden is really no mean feat especially with two dogs and chickens scratching around. But the Irises are managing to do it. As the name would suggest they are an European bulb and so tolerate quite cold soil, but surprisingly this plant also tolerates our very hot summers so long as it gets some watering. It seems to die back a little around late summer Autumn when it's time to dig them up and divide them. Then put them back in some humus rich, well drained soil and up they'll come in the spring time once again.

And please remember, comments inspire me so please feel free to ....

Down the Plug Hole

2011-10-13T16:48:00.000+11:00

When we bought our house the kitchen was already renovated and had a brand new kitchen sink and little side sink as well. I'm not sure what the heck you're meant to do with the small sink .....if you ask me its a waste of bench space, but its already there.

With the sink we have one of those new taps for old people with arthritic hands ( like me) and all you do is flick the handle up and from side to side to get water. The tap soon broke after we were here for about a year, and we still havent gotten around to fixing it. But that is on the list of things to do. The tap does work so I cant really complain.

My kitchen is small but functional, and I quite like it, in my job I see a lot of kitchens which i clean for other people and many of them have this new fangled plug and plug hole.

I hate to say it readers but its a dum design! Every time someone rinses a plate which has anything on it even crumbs they end up in this little pluggy bit and I know its better for the environment that food bits dont go down the drain, but fishing slimy waste out of the plughole really isnt my idea of fun!!! I like new kitchens but some things dont always change for the better and I reckon this is one of them.

Patchwork and Quilting stuff

2011-10-10T20:30:00.000+11:00

A couple of weeks ago I wrote about my new hobby, patchwork and quilting.

Well I started my first quilt and am about 2/3 of the way through it. This is what some of it looks like. Not too traditional but then neither am I, its for my son who is 15 so cant be too girly!

I think its coming along nicely!

On the weekend there was a quilt exhibition on so I went along for a look. OMG !!!! Some of the quilts on display were just AMAZING!!!!

I came away with a whole new respect for quilters, and I might add totally addicted.

Here are some pictures which i took.

This one is quilted by hand!

Beautiful..... and heres me just getting started... words which spring to mind are amazing, awesome, gorgeous....... I could go on and on.

White Blooms in our Garden

2011-10-09T19:13:00.000+11:00

At the moment we have many flowers coming out in the garden and the other day when I was out there with the camera I noticed a bit of a theme.

Seems there are a lot of white flowers out right now. Possibly because I have planted things with white flowers (obviously) but also perhaps because it is spring and bees like light colours???

So here are some pictures which I took. Our beautiful climbing rose has gone wild after being pruned pretty severely , and finally the Pandorea jasminoides, Lady Di creeper has flowers coming out, which is very brave of it considering how often it has been hammered by a basketball!

The jasmine is still going which is nice because the perfume is lovely and of the course the blossoms on the apple trees are always really pretty. One of the apples has gone nuts after all the rain we've had and we will also have a pretty decent crop of lemons coming up too.
Out on the nature strip i've planted these little white daisies along with some Euryops pectinatus which are yellow.

My Neighbours Garden

2011-10-01T22:13:00.000+10:00

The silver trunks of the Eucalyptus' trees lining the driveway as it meanders up the hill

Today I'm going to write about my friend Yvettes garden. Yvette and I went to school together and learnt about Horticulture! We also built our display gardens at Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show together. So we have a little bit of a history and a shared passion.

The gorgeous wysteria overlooking the pool area adds a feeling of history and softness .

Yvette and her husband and two children live in the outer northern suburbs of Melbourne on a very steep block .Some of the original garden is still there and Yvette has made good use of her plant knowledge and passion for horticulture and design to establish a functional, sustainable and beautiful garden.

Lavender bushes which have survived since the garden was orginally built, over look the new veggie beds. The flowers will attract bees and help polinate the veggies.

It is a combination of traditional exotic plants such as Camellias, roses, lavenders, along with already established native trees and more modern native shrubs and creepers. In amongst this, she has also included a veggie patch and fruit trees, some from the original garden, and recently they have also included a pool.

The wooden fence around the pool keeps the pool safe, but also is more organic alternative to the metal, or glass fencing often used.

New Veggie beds which have been put in over the last couple of weeks.

It is the perfect blend of garden rooms, allowing for the kids and also many places for the adults to get lost and spend a bit of time alone, still it retains privacy and bit of the old world charm. I can't really do it that much justice so i wont try, the photo's speak for themselves.

The beautiful Ceonathus papillosus keeps the bees in the area very busy!

The irises will take over when the Ceonathus is finished.

A chair for a sleepy garden spirit.

Leading you up the garden path!

The meandering drive lazily makes its way up the hill

A mix of natives and exotics add variety and colour.

Native shrubs mass planted on the embankment

Siennas Park, a gift given to Yvettes daughter

A truly lovely garden and a great acheivement and like most gardens, always evolving.

In bloom in our back yard

2011-09-25T17:21:00.000+10:00

Its amazing what a difference acouple of weeks makes. Just a bit of sunshine after all this lovely rain we've had and the flowers and all the plants turn their blooms to the sky and smile at the sun.

Citrus aurantifolia - Tahitian Lime

Limonium Perezii - Sea Lavender

Pelargoniums - the bees like these

Forget me nots

Lemon blossoms

Lomandra longifolia - Nyalla

The Gorgeous tree dahlia, Which has been flowering since March

Magenta Iceberg rose

Echeveria's in flower

Apple Blossoms - these are Pink Ladies

Pink Chinese Lantern

Telopea speciosissima - White Waratah "

Aphanopetalum resinoceum - Shiny leaved Gum vine

More echeverias

Random pictures

2011-09-24T13:18:00.000+10:00

Here are some photos of plants in bloom in the front garden, hope you like them .

Seaside daisies and red freesias .

More seaside daisies....great groundcovers

Black sage

Convulvulus cnoereum - Silverbush

Euphorbia characias

"Double Delight" Rose first bud.

Fuchsia triphylla - Honeysuckle Fuchsia

Rosa banksiae - Banksia rose

Jasminum mesnyii - Primrose Jasmine


Hebe elliptica - Blue Gem Hebe

Michelia figo - Port Wine Magnolia with a gorgeous perfume!

Kniphofia uvaria - Red Hot Pokers


Beautiful sunny yellow daisies ....these are on the nature strip which I am quietly replanting!

Bluebells in the garden bed we share with next door..... Chris the fruit tree wizard!

Senecio cinneraria - Dusty Miller love this plant!


Pennisetum setaceum - Fountain grass I love this grass, I know its a weed but i just love its shape and form. However it is growing in places where we really dont want it!

Betula Pendulum - Wheeping Silver Birch flowers

Jasminum polyanthum - Pink Jasmine also a bit of a weed but that perfume.......!!!

and finally those tiny red stars you can see in this picture are the flowers on our Weeping Japanese Maple they are so tiny and delicate but worth a picture i think!

As for the back garden .......well you'll have to come back tomorrow to see whats in flower there!

Whatever you are doing over the weekend ...enjoy.

My New Hobby

2011-09-22T17:27:00.000+10:00

Please excuse my lack of posts but I've been pretty busy the last couple of weeks doing all sorts of interesting things.

Not the least of them being taking up a beginners course in quilting at a local shop here in Pascoe Vale. And so I am now learning all about quilting. I did a bit of patchwork when I was young and living at home and recently made a bed cover which I did a post about. Then when i was doing some training at Red Cross recently a lady I know had the cutest little patchwork bag. She told me someone in her quilting group had made it for her and we got talking. Consequently I had a bug! Started looking around and found a small business nearby called Patchworks Unlimited and I've got to say visiting that shop....I was like a kid in a candy store!
so I have enrolled in a beginners class and am now officially learning how to make my first real quilt. Its called a harmony quilt, and i'm making it in modern designs and colours for my sons room. its a challenge and a new skill and i'm loving it.

Will keep you posted about how I go and post photos of the progress.

My Week

2011-09-04T15:12:00.000+10:00

New Garden bed ....with a border and a water feature no less!

Tree Dahlia in flower beneath the sleeping Largerstroemia indica or Crepe Myrtle

This week has been a nice productive one as Spring is here and its not quite as wet and muddy in the back garden as it has been for some months.
I have managed to get some plants in to our new garden bed underneth the fruit trees, and put down some pea straw in preparation for the warm days ahead which have been missed over winter!

Rick next door generously gave me some bricks he no longer needed so they have made a really great border which gives the garden some definition and you can see where lawn/grass finishes and the garden begins.

After all those years of drought I have chosen this area for fruit trees and underneath have decided to plant succulents. That way the fruit trees get most of the water but we have a decorative and varied ground cover underneath. Around the back I have planted a few shrubs, including a Lorapetalum chinense or Chinese Fringe Flower and a Ceanothus ground cover.
I've had the Lorapetalum for some time but had put it up the back where the chickens had been scratching around it and it was really struggling. But now it has plenty of room to spread its roots through some lovely organic rich soil and is starting to smile at the sun already. The Ceanothus is something I have admired for a long time and am looking forward to when it flowers which wont be for some time but I'm happy in the knowledge that I have finally planted one and that is something to look forward to. ....(Small things eh...).

Leptospermum scoparium - Burgundy tea Tree.

This little plant has come into its own now its no longer overshadowed by the giant olive tree.

Transplanted nectarine seems very happy and looks like its gong to give us some fruit this year

Close up of the tree dahlia. This has been flowering relentlessly for months now.

I will top up the pea straw in a couple of weeks and am still deciding what to plant along the fenceline. Any suggestions are always appreciated. I was considering some agapanthus or even some flax.
I hope your week to come is a happy and fulfilling one and thanks for reading. Please feel free to leave comments, they inspire me!

Melbourne Uni Open Day

2011-08-23T17:00:00.001+10:00

The Sandstone University

Here in Melbourne it seems Spring is well on its way!
Today and yesterday have been glorious warm winters day and the sun actually has warmth in it!!!! Hooray!

One of many courtyards

So on Sunday we ventured out to Melbourne Uni for the open day. Melbourne uni has some wonderful old buildings and great gardens as well, not to mention that they are a great place to complete your education!

One of the many archways

The day was informative and the weather was just to die for . I would recommend Melbourne uni to anyone visiting Melbourne just to have a look at what we have here. Known as one of the Sandstone Universities, there is a lot of history in the Architecture which ranges from the 1850's to the present day, including the wonderful sandstone buildings of the Law faculty to new state of the art Commerce building .

Outside the law school

Melbourne University founded in 1853 it ranks amongst the most highly regarded unijversities in the world, and is top of the list in Australia, particularly in the fields of biology and health sciences. For visitors to Melbourne a wander around the campus is highly recommended, many of the buildings feature beautiful old architecture and some interesting modern architecture.

Trinity College Chapel

Newman College Chapel

The South Lawn

A shady spot for a quiet read

The other gorgeous thing about the campus is of course the gardens! There is a "walk" around Melbourne Uni and a downloadable guide which you can find here http://www.free-things-to-do-melbourne.com/ so if your coming to Melbourne or you live in Melbourne and would just like to check it out. Go for it . I guarantee it'll be worth it.

That's all for now, hope you enjoyed this little post, and remember ....comments are more than welcome!

The gorgeous fernery

Random Pictures

2011-08-19T11:44:00.000+10:00

At the moment the back garden is full of mud! The grass we have is a summer grass and unfortunately it all dies off in Winter and the lawn turns to sticky slippery mush! But this year I have vowed to put an end to that and buy some year round grass seed and perhaps plant some native grasses too.

So today I am going to show you some pics of whats flowering at the moment. Must say i got the idea from Cat Mint whose blog is here http://slowgardener.blogspot.com/ who on the 15th posted photos for Garden Bloggers Bloom Day. A great idea. I've missed the 15th of August so here are some pics of whats in bloom at the moment! We'll try and pretend the mud isnt there because soon ....it wont be!
Enjoy, and please feel free to comment.

Handsome Euphorbia wolfenii

Pretty Pink Azaleas

Beautiful Narcissus

Viburnum tinus ( I think) which has the most divine perfume!

Acacia cognata "Lime Magic"

Coral fuschia

Jonquils in a Pot

Tree dahlia in the back garden

The Hardenbergia growing over the chook shed.

Westringia just coming into flower

Shiny leaved gum vine

Liminium perezii in the veggie patch, which i'm hopeing to split up and spread around the garden in Spring

Sweet smelling jasmine

Our gorgeous magnolia which is resplendant now it has consistant water

Last but never least the burgundy Cymbidiums in a pot.

The Dogs Walk

2011-08-12T17:44:00.000+10:00

Every Sunday Graham and Bruce, our Border Collie set out for a walk down at the creek, its a bit of time out they get to have together, Bruce has a swim and Graham gets some exercise hitting the tennis ball. Now and then Polly and I join them, and last Sunday was one of those times.

Both Graham and Bruce are bigger than Polly and I so sometimes we struggle to keep up!

Although the creek is only about half a kilometre from our place its a world away from the hustle and bustle of suburbia. There is tall grass and birds of all sorts, we have seen Blue tongue lizards in summer time, and there are snakes down there in the summer time. So long pants and proper shoes are a must. This time of year its just wet and green but the dogs love it and Bruce still goes in for a dip. Although last Sunday he wasnt so keen as it was pretty chilly.

During the drought the creek was all but dried up but now is flowing beautifully.

Polly sniffing and old shoe

Over the years the land around here had been overgrown by weeds and blackberries, but recently the Friends of Edgars creek have come down and planted native grasses and some shrubs and the native flora and indeed fauna is returning. There are still many weeds and blackberries to go but slowly slowly it is coming together.

The walk we take is about an hour and a half long and the dogs and us are usually ready for a cuppa when we're finished! A bit of R& R on the weekends, I'm looking forward to this Sunday already!

Fruit trees and ground covers.

2011-08-03T15:55:00.001+10:00

This was our back garden two years ago.

This is the same spot now.

"What, are they crazy !" I hear you say!!

Well probably. But sadly the fence along this side of the property was falling over so we had to do something about it and in the process did a bit of rearranging.

Now we have our new fence up and we have taken out the olive tree we have a new area of garden all ready for planting out . So I have moved 3 fruit trees across there and I can play to my hearts contect in this new garden bed!!!! I'm a bit like a kid in a toy store.

I had some Iris bulbs waiting to go in so have planted them along the internal fence and have transplanted some rose cuttings I took when I pruned the roses. There was also some plectranthus cuttings which I have placed along the back of the garden bed behind the fruit trees. Hopefully they will grow like made and provide a lovely green ground cover. Anyway we are one step closer to getting rid of the mud !

Now all you plants ......grow!

The weather today was so beautiful, a balmy 20degrees! So i decided to move a few things around. and fill that space. When all the plants have grown a bit it will look good I think. I decided to plant some succulents I had in pots into the ground and am hoping they will survive the dogs! Hence all the stakes around the plants, these are in the hope that Bruce, our border collie won't stomp on them while they get established.

Here I have created a bit of a rust theme. The stair banister is from the our old front entrance before we had the driveway done, and goes quite nicely I think, with the rusty bits of iron which i have had lying around the garden in the front, but I think they look much better here.
So here are some of the plants I have transplanted to this new area.

Echivera albicans which has a very pretty pink flower in the spring

Cuppressus macrocarpa which will spread about two metres or 6 feet

Echeveria .....

The girls are impressed

Close up of the Echeveria albicans

another echeveria not sure what its called though

Ceanothus papillosus which I'm hopeing will have beautiful blue flowers all over it next year.

And last but not least the Hardenbergia violacea which is creeping over the chook shed, and is planted along the internal fence.

So this is our new garden bed. Now all i need is a couple of bales of pea straw to give it a finished look.
Hope you like it, please feel free to comment.

Having a browse

2011-07-28T23:11:00.000+10:00

I was having a browse on the net, as you do, and went to see what the Graphics Fairy had on her site. Something to brighten up our cold wintry days and of course I found just the thing. A beautiful
summery platter of raspberries. The nearest we will be getting to enjoying them for a little while yet.
But for now we have put up our new fence and moved our fruit trees to their new position.
I think they will do well where they are and am hoping they have not endured too much shock in being dug up and transplanted.
We now have three apple trees and a nectarine where the old olive tree was sucking the soil dry. I hope they will be happy and give us many years of fruit and blossoms.

A Fence Post

2011-07-23T15:41:00.000+10:00

We are in the process of building a new fence!

Graham and our neighbor Rick are building it with a help of the two boys. Its going to look great and very green. For the last couple of days while the old fence has been down the chickens and our dog Bruce have had a field day running between our place and next door. After its finished I'm going to plant some fruit trees here in front of the tank and irises in front of them.

Clunes

2011-07-12T16:12:00.001+10:00

Queens Park Fountain, Clunes

Last week we went up to Clunes which is an old gold mining town north of Ballarat, with a population of only 900, now Clunes was the original town where gold was discovered in Victoria. It is dotted with beautiful little bric-a-brac and book shops and relies largely on its tourism appeal for survival. There are many bead and breakfasts around the town and small cottages which can be rented for a weekend or two.

We stayed at a beautiful little place called Ellas cottage, which is on the outskirts of the town about a 5 min walk to the main street. That will give you an indication of how small the town actually is!

Ellas Cottage

We went in the middle of winter and this part of Victoria is not known for its mild winters but thankfully where we stayed had a beautiful gas fire and heaters in all the bedrooms. The cottage was cosey and warm and although outside was a little cold and miserable it was impossible to resist the chance to go exploring in such a quaint old village. There are some beautiful homes and gardens here and it is well worth a visit.

The fireplace in the lounge


Massive Silver Birches in Queens Park, the likes of which you would never get in Melbourne as its just too dry.Here though, they grow to about 20 metres!

View of the town hall from the main street.

A huge old Willow tree overlooks one of the many B & B's in town.

An old wagon like ancient garden art sits in parkland near an old horse trough which has been converted to a garden bed.

Beautiful big trees line the streets coming into Clunes.


A simple garden with majestic trees framing the driveway.


The local Hairdersser...... I couldnt resist putting this in !!!!

So thats Clunes, its about 30 minutes from Hepburn Springs, Daylesford and Ballarat. Nice little place to visit! And if you like second hand shops up here is the place to go!

On my mind

2011-07-08T14:35:00.001+10:00

Wonderful Topiary Apple trees at the Daylesford Lavender Farm. I think I may have a spot for one in our back garden.

On my mind is a weekly post created by Rhonda at Down To Earth, she writes a great blog and is full of wonderful ideas . Visit her blog here I read it daily and highly recommend it.

http://down---to---earth.blogspot.com/2011/07/on-my-mind_08.html

My Neighbours Garden.

2011-07-07T17:04:00.005+10:00

Today's post is about my friend Josie's garden which is in the heart of Melbourne's northern suburbs.

Originally from South Australia Josie and her family moved into their home about 13 years ago when the kids were still little. Its a typical Victorian style, Melbourne weatherboard cottage and over the years Josie and her partner Andrew have landscaped and adapted the garden to suite their family and lifestyle.

The back garden is a place to relax and enjoy a bbq with friends and family .

Josie likes to do quite a lot of entertaining so a comfortable and attractive back garden with a place to sit and have a meal and even more importantly cook on the bbq, was essential to them.

Although the garden is quite small they have found places to plant herbs and even a couple of citrus trees, and have a small veggie patch.

This small garden bed is actually an extension of the driveway which used to lead to the garage. However this was considered a wast of space so Josie made good use of the area to plant some small trees and an area which is great for bulbs and annuals. At this time of year the area is perfect for Snowdrops, while the Silver Birchs take a well earned rest from Melbourne's warmer weather.
In the back ground you can see the huge Monstero deliciosa which was abandoned by an old flat mate of Andrews and years later, after living in a pot for ages, Josie planted it in the garden in this south facing shady area. The position obviously suites it well.

A kick back from the seventies the Monstero deliciosa has both flowers and fruit!

Who says tropical plants don't grow in Melbourne!

The peppercorn tree is a feature in the back garden, Josie planted this when they first moved in and it has thrived

Further down the back of the garden the peppercorn tree provides shade from the hot afternoon sun in the summer and a bit of seclusion if you need it. Its a nice spot to sit on a warm evening and escape!


A secluded seat after a long day!

A small birdbath for thirsty birds

In the front garden the pathway is framed on either side by two areas of paving with a standard cherry on one side and a Jacaranda on the other, giving a leafy welcome in the summer and adding symmetry to an A-symmetrical entrance.


Circular paving around the Weeping Cherry

The front verandah and entrance way

A beautiful Pierre de Ronsard Rose climbs around the verandah with its gentle pink blooms giving the garden a very feminine feel when it flowers .

So thats my neighbours garden for this week, it is a pretty, low maintenance, cottage style garden, which suites both the climate and the property. I hope you enjoyed it , and please remember feed back is always welcome!

Flour free Orange cake with a bonus

2011-07-01T17:54:00.001+10:00

Pic courtesy of Taste.com.au where you will also find recipe for the syrup on top.

Recently I made a great orange cake which i got the recipe for out of the Farmers Direct Magazine. Its gluten free which is nice and is made with almond meal.

Sadly I didnt take a photo of it before it was consumed. But it was very yummy. The recipe involved boiling 2 whole oranges in water with the skin on for 2 hours. and then pulverizing it in the food processer and blending with the rest of the ingredients.

Out of curiosity i had a taste of the boiled orange including some of the skin after it had cooled a bit, and i must say it was really delicious!

I gave some of it to Sam and one of his friends and they both loved it. I imagine it would be just beautiful with a home made custard and maybe some star anise in the water . Its got my imagination going.

So you can try it, here is the recipe for Flour free Orange Cake:

Ingredients:

2 medium sized navel oranges
6 eggs beaten
250g sugar
250g almond meal
1 tsp of baking powder
Icing sugar to serve
Thickened cream to serve or ice-cream

Method

Boil the oranges whole in a saucepan for two hours with lid on, keeping the water topped up if needed. Remove and allow to cool then cut open. I sliced them in half crossways at this stage and saved about 3 large slices for decorating the top of the cake.
Roughly chop the remaining orange, including the skin and discard any pips.
Preheat oven to 200c and line a 20cm baing tin with baking paper. Place all ingredients in a food processor and blend unt5il smooth. Pour mixture into tine and bake for 1 hour or until you insert a knife and it comes out clean. Allow to cool before turning out.

Dust the top with icing sugar and decorate with slices of orange. Serve with a dollop of cream or ice-cream!
Enjoy!!!!

My Neighbours Garden

2011-06-27T14:27:00.002+10:00

Today I am going to talk about my neighbours garden. This is the garden of Chris and Vicki who have lived in our street since 1965 when they moved here with their (then) young son. In that time their garden has grown and evolved, as has their family, and they have put plants in and taken them out.

Painting the trunks of fruit trees with lime to protect them from bugs in the cold winter months

But one thing remains constant and that is the home grown produce which they reap from their garden, and believe me their is plenty of that going on. When they first moved in their was only one tree but now that have around 18 trees all bearing fruit of some sort. Some, like one of the apple trees has 5 varieties of apples on it. There is what Chris fondly calls the Plumcot, and another tree which has Apricots, plums and peaches all on the same tree.

Beautiful broccolli

Chris and Vicki, who were both born in Greece, where they came from the same region, however if they hadn't come to Australia, separately, in 1956, they may never have met.

When Chris was about 12 yrs old he learnt about growing produce and caring for fruit trees as part of the school curriculum. They were also shown how to graft. A lesson he would later draw on in his home garden in Preston Australia.

Oranges straight from the tree

Avocado's waiting to be picked

After moving in Chris and Vicki set about planting out the garden, and this included a veggie patch and fruit trees. Chris with the help of his cousin built a retaining wall out of blue stone and behind that built the veggie patch. Which is still there today. A neighbour would help Chris pruning the fruit trees they planted, and one day he came to Chris and suggested he learn how to prune the trees himself. So off he went to Burnley horticultural college for a four weekend course in maintaining not only fruit trees but also roses.

Triple and quadruple grafts mean that the selection is never boring

Armed with this new knowledge Chris would help friends and relatives with their pruning in the cooler months, when his neighbour grafted an avocado cutting onto the tree in the backyard everything he learn't at school came back and Chris started experimenting with his established fruit trees.

Now their grandchildren enjoy all the fruits of their labours! Apples, oranges, nectarines, plums, figs, avocadoes and all sorts of salad and veggies. All organic all beautiful. People like Chris, can teach us a lot about sustainability successfully growing home grown produce. The other day I was pruning my fruit trees and Chris came over with some mandarines for us and before I could blink he was helping me out!

Chris and gardeners like him are the gurus in our midst and they are a wealth of information lets not let that knowledge go unnoticed.