Sunday, January 29, 2012

Clean-Up Time ... My Dry Tropics Garden Journal, Week 4, 2012.

Date:  January 28, 2012.



Season:  mid-Summer and 'wet' season.




Decent rain has finally arrived, but it hasn't been the usual all-day-long wet season torrential downpours.  We've had around  230 mm or 9 inches fall in the last two weeks but most of the rain has fallen in the late afternoons or overnight, so we only really get to see the dark gloomy skies towards the end of the day, when the Sulphur-Crested Cockatoos are heading home to settle in for the night.  It's lovely listening to the rain falling as we're all drifting off to sleep.


What's not lovely is the humidity level in between the showers of rain!!!  Some days it gets up to 90% or more, and it's hard work doing any sort of gardening job when it's that bad.  You feel like you've been swimming for an hour just doing a little bit of weeding ... wet all over and completely exhausted!


This poor chap got himself into difficulties trying to cool off on a very hot day.  The Kookaburras often have a dip in the pond and obviously relish the experience.  Lately however, I've been slowly cleaning up the pond, draining off the water and digging out loads of muck and goo.  This youngster decided to have a dip and unfortunately got so drenched in the little bit of mucky water left at the bottom of the pool that he couldn't fly out again.


I had to rescue the poor thing with a broom and sweep him out of the pond and onto some nearby rocks to dry off.  The little one was shaking with fright and sat there in the sunshine for quite a long time.  I'd go and check on him every ten minutes or so, but eventually he'd flown off and I was left talking to myself!

Anyway, in between working at my day job and rescuing drenched birdlife, I've been pottering around the place doing a few little jobs that really needed to be done.  We don't worry about the big jobs, like mowing the grass, because that sort of work is just downright painful in this heat and humidity!  Thankfully our mowing crew does help out a little!


The trick to surviving gardening in the summertime here is to do a little bit of this and a little bit of that over several early mornings and late afternoons.  You have to make sure you wear a hat though, as the sun is fierce even at these times, and you absolutely must cover yourself in insect repellent, otherwise you'll be carried away by the mosquitoes and flies!!!  Ah, the pleasure of gardening in the tropics during Summer!

So I've been out there indulging in these pleasures over the last two weeks and trying to get things like the weeding done!  When the summertime rains come, of course the weeds appear magically in every nook and cranny.  I know they'll all die off once the dry season arrives, but in the meantime I have to at least make the place look a little less like an overgrown mess!  It's mainly the driveway beds that need weeding though, so it's not a job that takes forever.


I've slowly been making inroads on the rocky side of the driveway, and it's almost finished.  I should have it all done next weekend.  As well as tidying up this side of the driveway, I've been adding a few more plants in the bald spots left behind after the post-cyclone clean-up last year.  It's been a slow process too as I've been trying to improve the soil in these spots just a little, and then buying just a few plants here and there as I can afford them.

The Crotons, Pentas, Brunfelsia, Plumbago and Honeysuckle I added a few weeks ago have settled in well, and I'm pleased with the new additions during this round of planting.


I've now added a Kalanchoe pumila, a Polygala, a Rhoeo 'Stripe Me Pink' and Ixora 'Twilight Glow' in with the Crotons I had struck.  As you can see, the ground dries out very quickly here during a hot sunny summer's day, so the next job will be some mulching.


I'm just so pleased to see the Cosmos sulphureus taking off on the opposite side of the driveway.


This little patch is the result of a few seeds sent to me from a fellow Queensland gardener, Africanaussie.  They seem to have happily made this spot their home and are spreading very well.

In the new rock garden established at the end of the driveway just at the end of last year, all the plants I chose for that spot continue to do well now that the Wallabies are leaving them alone.  They just need another round of feeding once the rains have been and gone.





Under the new pergola out in the Courtyard Garden, I've started some planting as well. A very kind gardener, also a fellow Queenslander, sent me a little collection of Bromeliads which I've added to the area close to the pond.  I'm not very good with identification of Bromeliad varieties unfortunately, so I have no idea of their names.




In this little patch next to the Brom in the photo above, I threw in a couple of Belladonna bulbs that have done absolutely nothing in the pots they've been growing in for two years, and I scattered some Amaranthus seeds.  The seeds came up within a day and suddenly there's new growth on the Belladonna bulbs.  I'm keen to see how they all get along now!  To the right is the newly planted Strongylodon macrobotrys or Jade Vine.


The Jade Vine started throwing out new leaves after just a few days, so it seems quite happy to be in this spot too!  I just have to provide some netting on that post to give it some support as it climbs skywards to the pergola roof.


Down the hill driveway, the ferns and the Monstera are just loving all the rain and are looking happy once again.


There is one ugly spot though, left after the neighbour's tree crashed over the fence during Cyclone Yasi last year taking out a couple of little shrubs.  It's a tough spot ... very rocky and compacted and now in full sun for most of the day.  It's also often used as a thoroughfare by the Wallabies, so whatever I put in there will have to be something they don't find delectable!  I'm thinking perhaps some Oleander shrubs.  I've been wanting to find a spot for a couple for ages now and this seems like the perfect time and place.

Another huge job that I've finally got finished is the cleaning up of the Shadehouse Garden.  It's a regular job I have to do around this time every year.  The rains bring on a sudden burst of growth from the Giant Sword Fern in the shadehouse and it tends to take over.  Every year I have to get in there and rip out huge pile of it!  I also had to trim back the hanging baskets of Dragon Wing Begonias and Impatiens walleriana.

I do so like the tidy look when I'm done!  Here's a few photos taken as I wandered through the newly tidied Shadehouse Garden this weekend, starting from the doorway that brings you in from the front yard.


Looking straight ahead, standing at the doorway.


To the left


and to the right.



Walking further into the shadehouse ...




That's my teeny weeny little collection of Orchids on the cane table.


Walking down towards the end of the shadehouse that leads out onto the alley besides the pergola area.



Now we're at the end and turning around to look back to where we came in.


That's my teeny tiny collection of Rex Begonias on the shelf to the left.


Walking a little closer ... here they are.

OK, so now we're wandering back to the screen door where we started.  Watch your head.  There's a few hanging baskets of Streptocarpus caulescens and Dragon Wing Begonia.





Oh, it's so nice to be able to wander around without struggling through huge fern fronds!

25 comments:

  1. Hi Bernie, despite the humidity and rain, looks like you've made a lot of progress with the garden - it looks great. I love the roo and so pleased you were able to rescue the cute little kookaburra. cheers, catmint

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    Replies
    1. Hi Catmint, yes slowly there's progress being made around the garden. Things are starting to come together a little more now and I'm generally quite happy about it all at the moment.

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  2. I like your shade house especially those hanging baskets. With same size and baskets, they unify the whole place. Very good idea :-D Oh I must find on Streptocarpus caulescens. Love to have this plant one day.

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    Replies
    1. G'day Stephanie. The plants in the hanging baskets have all had a trim, especially the ones with the Impatiens in them, so they're not looking their best right now. They all need a feed after the trim now. I can recommend the Streptocarpus caulescens. It's a fabulous plant and quite heat and drought tolerant which suits this climate very well. They don't look their best when they're out in full sun though.

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  3. Your shade house looks beautiful! And i love your ferns and Monsteras. Your 'mowing crew' looks very efficient!

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    1. Hi Holley. I love the Shadehouse. It's a great spot to wander around in at the end of a long hot day as it's slightly cooler in there. The mowing crew has been kept quite busy and that means they're leaving my garden plants alone now, which makes me very happy.

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  4. Everything looks so lush in your garden especially liking those lovely Ferns. Your pergola area is lovely too.

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    Replies
    1. Morning Bridget. The pergola area is starting to look a little better, but there's still quite a bit of work to do out there. It's still a bit of an eyesore unfortunately, but you know what they say about good things coming to those who wait!

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  5. Everything looks so beautiful! That's a lovely shade house. I'm amazed at all you grow in there, it's so full of great plants. What an amazing garden you have.

    We only see birds like yours in cages, so wonderful to see them in their natural habitat.

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    1. Thanks Shirley. The shadehouse is certainly looking a whole lot better now. There are quite a few plants out there but unfortunately that Giant Sword Fern can smother all the other lovely things growing out there. It really needs to be kept in check.

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  6. Oh, that poor kookaburra. It won't be doing that again in a hurry! Glad to see that the mowers are doing their job.

    That's a great shadehouse area. It must be just wonderful to be there on a hot day.

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    1. Hi Snail, yes the fabulous mowing crew is doing a great job! I wish they'd invite more of their friends and family to help out though! The shadehouse is a great spot to spend time in on a hot day. It's surprisingly cooler out there despite being on the western side of the house.

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  7. Hi Bernie. Your hard work shows! There is always something satisfying about getting the garden and lawn all tidied up. Mine is in need greatly now but when it's warm it will get some attention. I know about the humidity and we have the loveliest largest mossies known to man! I seldom get out in the late afternoon at my house as they are waiting to eat me alive. Sent you some pictures..did you get them?
    Poor little kookaburra...but that's how you learn. Glad you were there to fish him out.

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    Replies
    1. G'day Jean. There really is a sense of satisfaction when things have been tidied up and looking great, that's absolutely true! I'm smiling when I walk out into the shadehouse now, and that should last for a couple of months. It does sound like you know exactly what the mosquitoes here are like! They literally carry you away they're so huge!

      As for the pictures, no I haven't received any yet.

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  8. Merry merry king of the fishers he. It was such a treat looking around your garden on this cold Winters day. Take care not to overdo things in the intense heat.

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    1. Oh thanks for your concern, Alistair. I've certainly learnt the hard way when it comes to pacing myself during the Summer. I'm an old hand at it now. I'm glad to hear you enjoyed the wander around. I hope your Winter is not too bad over there.

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  9. Bernie - I just always love a walk around your gardens, especially the Shade-house! It's simply a piece of Heaven! Lots of re-growth since last year's cyclone; it looks fabulous.

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    1. Thanks Shyrlene, yes there's been some very decent re-growth since the cyclone handed out its punishment last year. It's so pleasing to see everything finally looking fairly good once more. Of course there's still lots to be done.

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  10. Everything look so alive in your garden now! Happy gardening!

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  11. Wonderful post, beautiful images (like always) and a Kookaburra story with happy ending! I love your Shade House, it is fabulous. Those green leaves, I could enjoy them endlessly... It's -20 degrees here in the Northernmost Europe, ugh.

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  13. I am green with envy as well as buckets full of admiration for what you achieve in both your outdoor and shade house gardens in those humid conditions. Your efforts are sterling and the shade house garden is absolutely beautiful. Truly my dream garden, my ideal haven! I just cannot imagine how you keep up with it all, battling heat, humidity, fierce sun, pesky insects. Your garden ought to be featured in a glossy magazine or coffee table book. It IS that lovely!

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  14. Gorgeous and lush gardens! Thank you for the story about the kookaburra.

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  15. I'm back for a second visit, Bernie. Your shade house is just lovely. You have a wonderful selection of plants. I love that variegated ginger/alpinia(?). I have the variegated spiral ginger/costus that is leaning against a post in one of your pohotos (although mine seems to be reverting to green), but I love your other variety with more white and narrower leaves. So much hard work translated into a beautiful garden.

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