June glories.

There is something very special about winter in Adelaide. The garden is quiet and damp, and completely lovely in a scruffy kind of way. 

'Sophy's Rose' is my June stalwart. 

'Cramoisi superieur' putting on a surprise show. 

Hidden hollyhocks under the apricot tree. 

Terrible photo of Chocolate Cosmos and Pelargonium reniforme. 

Pelargonium sidoides, love love love this one. 

Salvia leucantha under the apricot. 

Alyssum 'Snow White'

Acacia iteaphylla goes nuts at this time of year (red-flowering Japanese quince behind)

Mini gerberas and blue lobelia in a pot. 

Dwarf calendula, my favourite buff yellow. 

Fairy pelargonium (forget species) with a saltbush I totally forget the name of (Maireana erioclada?)

Pineapple sage, birds love this one (lemon behind). 

Rosa 'Crepuscule' under our bedroom window. Can hardly wait until it's bigger!

Volunteer nasturtium (one of lots, no wonder it's a weed in these parts). 

Lastly, the new garden corner, most plants in except for the roses which should arrive soon. 

A half-finished corner

A day spent digging, until the weather came in, at least. Doesn't look at all spectacular, and the lawn is a little worse-for-wear (since it's had half a tonne of soil and rocks on it for the past six months), but very happy to have that little white cherry tree (centre) in place at last.

For those playing at home, that assortment of twigs and trees from left to right is (not including the trees right along the fence): the grafted weeping mulberry, dwarf white cherry, thornless lemon (at back), my beloved Moorpark apricot (largest), and the dwarf black cherry (far right).

Underneath so far, and so small most are almost invisible, are a couple of volunteer broad beans, three Salvia leucantha, two Penstemons (I think "blackbird" possibly, cuttings from an unknown variety in my mother-in-law's garden), one surviving peony (forget which), "Munstead Wood" David Austin rose, a prostrate caper, some Gaura from self-sown seedlings transplanted from the front garden, "Sandford" raspberry, and far too many Oxalis pes-caprae (Sour Sobs) that I just can't seem to stamp out. That seems like a lot, now that I make a list, but there is more depth to this area than appears in this 'in-progress' shot. And, let's face it, I tend to over-plant. 

From Saturday, there'll be a couple more plants in here because it's ROSES COLLECTION DAY! Wheee! 

Honest backyard photo

This is our backyard. Midwinter, retaining walls still under construction with their black plastic and piles of rubble and soil, and our patchy, un-mown lawn. It has been raining so much that lawn is under over an inch of water at the moment. That will drain once the rain stops, but that will take a few days (both the raining and the draining).  Still, since a couple more rows have been added to the wall, I felt it deserved a progress shot. Also, some honesty in blogging is always good. 

More storms

A smattering of vivid yellow leaves can make even the daggiest building site backyard shine in the breaks in the clouds. 

A pocket full of peas.

I picked some peas today. Not having any hands free, I stuffed them in my pockets; the pods squeaked and creaked as they rubbed together: SP tried to take them out of my pockets again.


Meanwhile, some of the masses of seeds I planted are poking their noses out of the warmed earth. The corn seems to be shooting up in front of my eyes, the squash are also growing super quickly, and the carrots have finally appeared (fingers crossed a few survive this time!)




My little apricot tree is putting on a second round of blushing leaves.


And the coriander, which went to seed quite a long time ago, has a pretty crop of rose-pink and minty-green seeds drying to dun-brown.

More garden ramblings.

Did I mention that I've planted a couple of my trees? I can't remember because it's quite late on a Friday night and my brain stopped functioning within five minutes of putting SP to bed. Anyway, the Moorpark Apricot and my Mulberry treeling are finally in the ground, taking their spots in the lawn (such as it is, mostly mowed weeds). They both got planted into the soil with generous scoops of compost (out of a bag because mine's not usable yet), cows'manure, blood and bone, and this expensive 'mulch 'n' feed' I got talked into by the man in the nursery. Then more mulch 'n' feed on top, then peastraw (still to come on the mulberry, quite hard to get anything finished in the 30 minutes allocated to you by a sleeping baby).

Here's my beloved apricot right in the middle.


And of course, my little mulberry. Not the best picture, with the leaves blending in the background, but you get the idea.


In other news: I have a fruit! My very first snow pea. It's only about an inch long but I am disproportionately excited about it.

The bluebells are flowering and here are the obligatory photos, Such a lovely translucent violet to them. And check out the rose bushes behind: they have gone mad!



And finally a gratuitous cute shot of SP helping bring in the laundry. Only seems fair since she creates so much of it!