yesterday today and tomorrow In my garden

Adieu...yesterday...

noreply@blogger.com (Titania) — Sun, 22 Aug 2010 21:41:00 +0000

Sunset;

The time has come to put this blog to rest. 258 posts since I started "aeons" ago.

Thank you to all who have visited over the years and left me delightful comments.

The garden continues at my new blog Lavender and Vanilla please click to visit.

Photo from my garden TS

SkyWatch Friday; The "outback" sky;

noreply@blogger.com (Titania) — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 18:14:00 +0000

When we left for Leigh Creek the sky was blue, a few clouds in the back. This is one of the flying Doctor's planes at the Bourke airport.

Slowly the view dissapeared....

And the soup got thicker and thicker and the sky was hiding. Wind and rain buffeted the plane. It was lifted up and plunged fiercely. One feels very vulnerable to be up there separated only by the thin wall of the plane and all around a wild, opaque sky. After more then an hour we received the message that we could not land in Leigh Creek the wind was to strong. We turned back and arrived safely ....

back at the airport. The sky had taken on this strangely coloured opaque hue and the wind was also very strong.

The next morning everything was covered in a fine red dust. The sky was blue again with a few clouds hovering around. We still could not fly out as the winds were very strong and the weather unpredictable. We played it safe and stayed one more day in Bourke!

Please click here to fly around the world!

The Awakening;

noreply@blogger.com (Titania) — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 21:15:00 +0000

A rose with many names; Peace; Gioa; Gloria Dei; I prefer to call this rose in Italian Gioia which means Joy.

In 1942, despite the war, this rose was introduced in France by the name Mme A. Meilland (in memory of Meilland's mother, Claudia), in Germany as Gloria Dei, and in Italy as Gioia. It was an immediate success.

As the famous hybridizer, Sam McGredy, once said, "For the record, Peace is the greatest rose of my time. It's as nearly perfect as a rose can be." So, if you are one of the few people who don't already (or still) grow Peace, you should run right out and get a plant now.

Hybrid Tea / Large-Flowered.

Yellow blend, pink edges. Fragrance. Very large, full (26-40 petals), cupped, high-centered bloom form. Repeats.

Requires spring freeze protection in colder climates.

Can be grown in the ground or in a container.

Enjoy every day!

Photos from my garden TS.

When the sky is blue...the sun is shining....

noreply@blogger.com (Titania) — Sun, 08 Aug 2010 23:41:00 +0000

The air is mild, then it is time to dry herbs.

Saturday was such a day. Yet it took two days to dry all the herbs. It is still winter and the days are short.
The herb garden.

A mixture of herbs and flowers. After drying the vivid coloured flowers remain tiny specks of colour.

Herbs and flowers dried 6.August 2010

Nasturtium flowers

Heartsease, Viola tricolor flowers

Peppermint

Basil

Italian Parsley

Marjoram

Sage

Coriander and Dill

Rocket

Thyme and Rosemary I pick and use always fresh.

Peppermint I use also fresh to add to salads and make Peppermint tea. Basil I use fresh for Pesto and other dishes.

Dill is also used fresh.

Generally I use all the herbs also fresh.

The dried herbs I use to make herb salt.

Naturally all the herbs I grow are organically grown without pesticides.

The drying facility is home made and easy to stash away when it is not in use.

the finished product

Believe it or not:

"Why should a man die while sage grows in the garden?"

Old Chinese Proverb

Photos from my garden TS.

SkyWatch Friday; Sunrise; Sun washed sky;

noreply@blogger.com (Titania) — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 08:36:00 +0000

With a sky like this a lovely day follows;

Follow SkyWatch Friday, click here and enjoy! Please click the pictures

Photos TS

Mimosa;

noreply@blogger.com (Titania) — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 10:41:00 +0000

In spring I have planted a tiny Acacia seedling. At the end of July it has started to open its golden flowers. The flowering season for this sort of Wattle is short and sweet. It wonderfully perfumes the lower wild garden. Australia has for every month of the year a flowering wattle.

Please click the pictures.

The golden wattle, Acacia pycnantha, is Australia's national flower.

It occurs naturally in the southern Eyre Peninsula of South Australia, western Victoria and southern inland areas of New South Wales. It has escaped in other parts of southern Australia.

Photos from my garden TS.

SkyWatch Friday; Morning-glory;

noreply@blogger.com (Titania) — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 06:55:00 +0000

SkyWatch Friday; CLICK HERE please.

Photos TS

My modest greenhouse;

noreply@blogger.com (Titania) — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 18:15:00 +0000

All the cuttings are kept in this small greenhouse until they show healthy signs of growth.

There are mainly cuttings of Roses and Salvias, a pot full of special palm seeds and one pot I can't remember what sort of seeds I planted, so I have to wait and see! The clever thing to do would be writing a tag, sometimes I do. I said I will remember but now I don't! Ca c'est comme ca!

Cuttings of a tropical Salvia with big pink flowers and tall, weeping growth. They are ready to be planted out. My neighbour Virginia loves plants as much as I do and we always share some special ones. This one is one of hers, in return I gave her some cuttings of my tall, yellow Salvia.

Salvias ready to harden off.

A lovely pink sunrise makes the day; I wish you a nice one.

Believe it or not:

Donald Duck's middle name is Fauntleroy.

All Photos from my garden; TS

SkyWatch Friday; New Zealand;

noreply@blogger.com (Titania) — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 10:52:00 +0000

Driving around Waiheke Island this....

black cloud was following us all the way.

Looking over the water towards Auckland. The sky a beautiful silky blue with some fluffy clouds.

Flying home.... Looking over the pretty town of Davenport.

Please visit SkyWatch Friday.....click here

Growing in the shade;

noreply@blogger.com (Titania) — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 10:09:00 +0000

A pretty curly leafed fern. It grows with underground rhizomes.

Basket fern with new emerging leaves.

Staghorn fern growing on a palm. The seed attaches onto suitable, moist places

I like the friendly faces of busy Lizzy peeping from between other shade loving plants.

Fijian Harefoot fern;

Dark green and shiny Holly fern.

Staghorn fern.

Foot of the giant King fern with emerging leaf. The leaves can grow over 2 m long.

Rex Begonias thrive in half shade all year round.

Believe it or no:
In order to get power and retain it, it is necessary to love power; but love of power is not connected with goodness but with qualities that are the opposite of goodness, such as pride, cunning and cruelty.": Leo Nikolaevich Tolstoi - (1828-1910) Russian writer

Photos from my garden TS

SkyWatch Friday; Reaching for the sky;

noreply@blogger.com (Titania) — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 18:53:00 +0000

Congratulation to SkyWatch Third Birthday.

Pyrostega, a spectacular climber has taken a tall gum as stairway to the sky; the colourful swags softly swinging from the branches. The deep orange flowers a perfect foil for the blue winter sky.

Click here to participate and enjoy SkyWatch Friday.

A big thank you to the ever helping SkyWatch team.

The cool season;

noreply@blogger.com (Titania) — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 08:51:00 +0000

Native Alexandra Palm, Archontophoenix alexandrea; the leaves look lovely against the blue of the winter sky. The leaves are very attractive as the underside has a silvery sheen. The ripe red seeds look like a pretty necklace. I like everything about this palm as it also looks splendid when it flowers. Habitat central to northern Queensland.

Bougainvillea Pedro is a Bambino. From time to time Pedro throws out its arms covered in flowers, or actually colourful bracts as the real flowers are tiny, white and star like.From time to time I prune it severely to keep it in check.

I do like the foliage of Tibouchina urvilleana, it nearly flowers all year round but there is a short spell when one can admire the foliage because the big blue flowers always steal the show. The foliage is pleated, silvery hirsute.

I always admired and loved the zonal geranium. This yellow green one has reddish brown zones in the cool season. It also bears orange coloured flowers which look attractive with the yellow green leaves. This plant has hybridised and sports now pink flowers.

Crown of Thorns are easy and attractive plants to grow. This one has very big flowers and also lots of them. It flowers for most of the year. Just starting now again. Easily propagated from stem cuttings which have to be let to dry before planting, because they bleed a white milk.

My all time favourites in winter are the carnations. This kind is the only one which does really well in my area, especially planted in pots and baskets. The scent is delightful.

Ardisia a fantastic plant; no diseases always looking spic and span. Very attractive with shiny and wavy green leaves and lustrous red berries (not edible).

In the cool season the roses rejoice from the summer's heat. This one is Pink Peace. In summer it hibernates barely able to produce a flower.

I hope you enjoyed my cool season's plant choice.

Believe it or not:
The nymph Chloris was persued by Zephyrus, the West Wind, who then violated her. To atone his deed he married her and transformed her into Flora, Mistress of all the flowers.

SkyWatch Friday; Vertical;

noreply@blogger.com (Titania) — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 10:19:00 +0000

Nature and Technology;

SkyWatch Friday click here

To all participants happy SkyWatch and thank you to the SkyWatch Team.

Marvellous Succulents;

noreply@blogger.com (Titania) — Sun, 04 Jul 2010 09:34:00 +0000

Easy to grow, easy to please;

Echeveria Topsy Turvy;

Sedum adolphi;

Haworthia;

Grapoveria;

Echeveria glauca;
The flowers of the Donkey ear; Kalanchoe Gastonis Bonnieri;

Aloe

Believe it or not: Looking for me, follow this sign!

Happy gardening.

Photos from my garden TS.

SkyWatch Friday; under a desert sky;

noreply@blogger.com (Titania) — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 16:43:00 +0000

Coober Pedy, Outback Australia.

Click here for SkyWatch Friday and enjoy!

Thank you to the SkyWatch Team.

Daisy,Daisy...

noreply@blogger.com (Titania) — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 20:56:00 +0000

Yellow daisy; Euryops nitida;

Daisy, Daisy give me your answer do.

I'm half crazy all for the love of you....

DAISY: Innocence, loyal love, I'll never tell, purity, love that conquers all. Associated with the fifth wedding anniversary.

The pretty African Daisy which is available in different colours and shapes.

Daisies are one of the most popular flowers to grow in the home garden. They are fairly easy to grow. Daisies can be grown successfully in the open garden or in pots, baskets or troughs.

Daisies come in all shapes, sizes and colours.. Most of the daisies are perennials. Daisies can be grown from seed, but most popular and fastest is from divisions and cuttings.

Choose a place in your garden with is well drained and the soil is rich in nutrients. Daisies do not like wet feet. They also like full sun.

Believe it or not:

Life is to short to iron tea towels.

All photos from my garden TS.

SkyWatch Friday; Blue...

noreply@blogger.com (Titania) — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 20:40:00 +0000

Please click HERE for SkyWatch Friday.

Thank you to the team of SkyWatch Friday.

SkyWatch Friday; Blue...

noreply@blogger.com (Titania) — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 20:18:00 +0000

Sorry SkyWatch Friday team and SkyWatchers I have trouble with Google. The loading of the pictures does not work. I will try later again.

Growing Camellias;

noreply@blogger.com (Titania) — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 19:00:00 +0000

Some of my early flowering Camellias;

Camellia Sasanqua Setsugekka; This is a big bush covered in early autumn with papery. white flowers. It is the first to flower, generally early march and keeps on going until June. It grows from cuttings and sets also seeds.

Camellia japonica Laurie Bray is an early, vigorous, freely flowering bush. Always healthy looking. The flowers are a silvery pink. It flowers for many month.

Camellia japonica Hana-Fuki, was slow in the beginning. After 20 years it has grown to a open small tree with many flowers. The flowers look downwards. Disease free.

Camellia Sasanqua Egao; Early and vigorous, lots of blooms and disease free.

Camellia japonica Ballet Dancer; Absolutely gorgeous flowers, vigorous and disease free.

Camellia japonica Clarence Hearn; large anemone form blooms of deep rose red. This is a tall bush growing in deep shade, still flowers well. completely disease free.

Camellia japonica, Drama girl produces huge flowers in profusion. This is a must have Camellia.

It is one of the earliest to flower and the last to stop. The flowers are as big as C. reticulata flowers. Grows tall and well and no diseases.

This is an early, freely flowering bush, unfortunately I have lost its name.

The fallen flowers make a pretty carpet...

Sasanquas love to grow in the sun. Sasanqua Camellias are among the easiest of garden plants to grow. They flower heavily in Autumn and early Winter with a minimum of care. The glossy dark green leaves of all cultivar varieties always look good .There is a wide range of flower colours and forms available.. Flower colours range through a selection of whites, pinks and reds. A carpet of petals covers the ground below the bush when it is in flower.

The very cold and very dry areas are not suitable, otherwise they will grow mostly anywhere.

I have never noticed any diseases or attacks from insects on my C. Sasanqua. All Year round they look healthy and fresh. They can be pruned to shape or left to their natural growth habit. They grow from seed or from cuttings. From seed you might get a different hybrid.

Sasanqua Camellias are native to the Ryukyu Islands and the islands of Japan. In their native habitat, C. sasanquas grow from bushy plants to small upright spreading trees with some varieties almost vine-like. They do have great tolerance to sunny positions and different soil types. In nature they grow from creek gullies to sunny hillside locations. Generally cultivated C. sasanquas are garden hybrids.

It is an evergreen shrub growing to 5 m tall. The leaves are broad elliptic, 3-7 cm long and 1.2-3 cm broad, with a finely serrated margin. The flowers are 5-7 cm diameter, with 5-8 white to dark pink petals.

Camellia japonica

The genus name, Camellia, honours the work of Georg Josef Kamel, a Moravian Jesuit botanist (1661-1716). The species name, japonica, is Latin meaning 'from Japan'. However, the plant also grows in the wild in Korea, China, Taiwan and other neighbouring islands.

C. japonica is a are gracefully looking evergreen. It grows to a large shrub or small tree, to around 5m (15') tall and 4m (12') wide in cultivation, but larger in its native habitat. The leaves are dark, glossy green with a paler reverse. The flowers, which range in colour from pure white to deep red, are produced from winter to spring. There are thousands of named cultivars and they vary in foliage and habit, as well as in flower size and form.

Camellias will grow in most areas apart from the hot tropics and inland. In areas with alkaline soils they may need to be grown in containers with potting mix for acid loving plants.

Japonicas prefer a slightly acid (pH 5.5-6.0), humus-rich soil with good drainage, and protection from direct sun and strong winds. Fertilize in spring with camellia and azalea food, and mulch with compost (such as composted autumn leaves) or milled cow manure. Keep well watered, particularly when it is hot and dry.

Once my plants were well established and mulched , growing in a shady position they did not need any additional watering in the hot and dry times. I think it depends on the soil how well it holds the moisture.

Believe it or not:

To be ignorant of what happened before you were born... is to live the life of a child for ever." -- Marcus Tullius Cicero - - (106-43 B.C.) Roman Statesman, Philosopher and Orator

SkyWatch Friday; A Winter Sky;

noreply@blogger.com (Titania) — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 09:56:00 +0000

Passionfruit...
pink Camellia...
and lacy Jacaranda foliage under a blue winter sky.

Click HERE for SkyWatch Friday;

Thank you to the SkyWatch Friday Team.

50 Years of married "BLISS"...

noreply@blogger.com (Titania) — Sun, 06 Jun 2010 20:21:00 +0000

1960

A "few" years later...

Life goes on....

SkyWatch Friday; Morning has broken;

noreply@blogger.com (Titania) — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 19:59:00 +0000

Please follow the SkyWatch Friday link HERE and enjoy!

Thank you to the SW Friday Team.

Herbs; Mexican Tarragon;

noreply@blogger.com (Titania) — Mon, 24 May 2010 14:34:00 +0000

MEXICAN TARRAGON Tagetes lucida

Mexican tarragon is originally from Guatemala and the Mexican state of Oaxaca.

Family: Asteraceae

An easy to grow perennial. Tagetes lucida is t is native to Mexico. It likes to grow in full sun. This herb grows to a height of 70 cm. It flowers in summer and is not only welcome in the herb garden it is also a welcome addition any where in the garden as it is very attractive and freely flowering with its heads of deep yellow flowers. Remove the spend flowers and it will continuously flower into autumn. The leaves have a distinct aniseed scent and flavour like French Tarragon.

I cut my bushes back in winter.

Food; it can be used like French Tarragon. Leaves can be steeped into vinegar to make Tarragon Vinegar. I dry flowers and leaves to use in my herb salt. It gives the salt an interesting taste but not overpowering just a hint of anis.

A soothing, aromatic herbal tea is made from the leaves.

Planting by seed or division.

Planting Depth: Cover base of crown with soil, firm down.

Details: Cut back hard after flowering to promote new growth.

The botanical genus name Tagetes is in reference to a Roman deity, Tages which, an Etruscan god of prophecy, but was later adopted as a son or grandson of Jupiter by the Romans). The species name lucidus bright (cf. lux light) refers to the bright yellow flowers.

What is Paradise? But a Garden, an Orchard of Trees and Herbs, full of pleasure, and nothing there but delights.

William Lawson, 1618.

SkyWatch Friday; Variations and Impressions;

noreply@blogger.com (Titania) — Thu, 20 May 2010 09:26:00 +0000

Very early morning on lake Rotorua NewZealand; I like how the sweep of pink reflects in the lake.
Driving along this black cloud was following us. In front huge NewZealand Flax.

A wind swept sky; beautiful stands of Pampas grass. I think it is a declared weed today, it was introduced by early settlers as windbreaks. I think it is beautiful.

On our way to the Coromandel we saw this huge wetland area. The sky was a splendid match to this natural wonder.

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Thank you to the team.

Nature in Peril;

noreply@blogger.com (Titania) — Sun, 16 May 2010 09:11:00 +0000

I saw this beautiful moth sitting on a leaf of a Bougainvillea; unfortunately I could not find its name. Please click the picture to see its really nice pattern and colour, even with closed wings.

The flower of the Coast Banksia;

Carpenter bees are some of the largest and most spectacular of the native Australian bees. Their name comes from their habit of nesting in soft wood, like dead banksia trees, in which they cut entrance holes with their strong jaws.

I tie dead tree trunks to the trees for the Carpenter bees to make their home. They are very beautiful like huge Bumblebees. There is one ready to come out.

Ants use the leaves of a Golden Penda to make their nest. Do not disturb it or they are quickly all over you!

Clarence River Baeckia is a beautiful, native, weeping shrub or small tree.

Miss Bella the resident Python makes herself comfortable on the Bromeliads to catch the early sun.

Grevillia Banksii is easily propagated from seed.

Third of plants and animals 'at risk of extinction'

One third of plant and animal species are now at risk of extinction, a UN report is expected to conclude this week.

By Matthew Moore

The world's biodiversity is threatened by the economic growth of countries like China, India and Brazil, the study will say.

While Western countries are increasingly aware of the need to protect endangered species, the developing world's appetite for raw materials is destroying vulnerable ecosystems, the report's authors will warn.

Population growth, pollution and the spread of Western-style consumption are also blamed for hitting plant and animal populations.

Species at risk include the fishing cat, as its wetland habitats in India, Pakistan and southeast Asia are converted for agriculture. Maritime ecosystems are under particular threat, with the south Asian river dolphin among the species whose numbers have plummeted due to damming and overfishing.

The latest report – the third edition of the UN's Global Biodiversity Outlook – is based on data obtained from studies in more than 120 countries across the world.

It builds on recent work for the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) which showed that 21 per cent of all known mammals, 30 per cent of amphibians and 35 per cent of invertebrates are threatened with extinction.

Speaking in advance of the report, Ahmed Djoghlaf, who heads the Convention on Biological Diversity, said that countries had failed to honour pledges to reduce the rate of biodiversity loss.

He said: “The magnitude of the damage [to ecosystems] is much bigger than previously thought. The rate of extinction is currently running at 1,000 times the natural historical background rate of extinction.”

He added: “It’s a problem if we continue this unsustainable pattern of production and consumption. If the 9 billion people predicted to be with us by 2050 were to have the same lifestyle as Americans, we would need five planets.”