Glasshouse gleaming and dreaming

May 4, 2020May 4, 2020 / crabandfish / 4 Comments

Here in southern Australia, the days are getting shorter and colder. May is a great month for autumn colour but also for completing some key garden jobs before it gets too cold.

One such job is cleaning out the glasshouse. Which means taking every pot out! Luckily we have this handy deck just outside.

A bucket with soapy water and I’m ready to wash down the benches and the walls. It’s worth it.

Next, I hose down the concrete to get rid of all the bugs 🐜 in the corners.

I have to race against the dimming light and cold to bring these plants back in.

Job done ✅ Now I can sit and dream of more plants! Stay in your garden and breath – be safe and positive.

The last of the gold

June 2, 2019June 2, 2019 / crabandfish / 4 Comments

The last of the autumn leaves. This large prunus tree shades our back deck in summer and certainly gives us a spectacular treat in spring with its pink blossoms and then again in autumn when it sheds its glorious, golden leaves.

I don’t mind raking up the multitude of fallen leaves. It’s been so dry this autumn that it was quite an easy task, despite my cat Albert’s interest in them too!

It’s always wonderful to see overseas visitors come to the mountain to see the dramatic display. It is said to be auspicious in many Asian cultures to be in and among the autumn hues. It is a revered and some even say, a spiritual experience.

My neighbour recently reprimanded me when she spotted some fake flowers in one of my vases, “we live surrounded by beauty and real colour, bring some fresh foliage into the house!” I took her advice.

I hope you can display some of your garden in your home this weekend and enjoy some time with family or friends. Happy gardening. 🙂

Gold and sun

May 25, 2018 / crabandfish / Leave a comment

Spring or Autumn Take #2

March 31, 2014March 31, 2014 / crabandfish / Leave a comment

After visiting the Melbourne International Garden Show, I am again confused . Are we in autumn? Then these wonderful tulips belong to the Northern Hemisphere not Down Under. e

This interesting contraption from fifty years ago sorts the bare bulbs into sizes. What intrigues me are the fantastic displays which are often not seasonal and brought here from thousands if miles – was this also the way in the 1960’s or were the seasons recognizable ?

Thank goodness we finally found some maples turning to mellow yellow.

More special arrangements to come later – stay posted! Hopefully they will be seasonal too.

Spring or Autumn?

March 29, 2014March 29, 2014 / crabandfish / Leave a comment

It’s a beautiful day on the Mount. The season is turning and we are approaching the delight which is autumn up here. However, I have this potted plant which I haven’t been able to identify. I have scoured the Plant Encyclopaedia, maybe just looking in the wrong place. It seems like a spring plant not an autumnal one.

It can’t be a crocus as it doesn’t die back. I thought it was an orchid when I bought it pot-bound at a garage sale in early summer. I repotted it and forgot about it. Now it has this lovely creamy white flower.

Maybe my little white cat knows what it is!

Any suggestions welcome.

Take a walk on the wild side …

April 22, 2013April 22, 2013 / crabandfish / 2 Comments

As our autumn starts to reveal its true splendour, we should take some time to walk and wander around the neighbourhood. It’s not often that we can walk in solitude. Invariably our walk is pleasantly interrupted by a quick chat or catch up with a neighbour or two. You see we live on an unsealed dirt road. This road meanders for a couple of kilometres around a State Forest before it joins the bitumen.

At approximately 700ft above sea level our little road is not particularly beautiful and can be described as quite rugged, however, it is the plant life at this time of year that makes it interesting. When we walked on this particular day, the last remnants of summer revealed themselves to us.

Just a few blackberries left on this bush.

Autumnal hues appearing.

Walking out into the brisk day, we always see something new. It never ceases to amaze us even after ten years on the mountain. This peaceful statue gazes over tranquility itself!

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, and sorry I could not travel both, Robert Frost’s famous poem highlights the single choices that we make in life. The road metaphor is a common one. For us, our little, dirt road on the periphery of a grand forest, is the one which leads us home. I’m sure many of our visitors query our choices in living here – a bush land setting does come with its disadvantages especially in the summer months. Winter fogs and impenetrable sunlight often leave us flat but its when we take the time to venture out and set foot on the road that it reveals many otherwise unseen treasures. Like Frost’s poem, we are happy we took the one less travelled. most of the time, anyway!

Yesterday, we met a dear old soul who has lived up here for ninety years – he has seen it all and continues to appreciate the splendid change of season!

I also think it takes some internal fortitude to survive the winter on a mountain. There’s the issue of heating to be taken very seriously – we haven’t lit our inside fire yet – ANZAC Day is our start date! Then there’s the burn off of summer debris – we have yet to light our Bon fire to rid us of summer detritus. Before long our wood fire will be going day and night to keep us warm. Indeed our “road” and our choices have their ups and downs – pardon the pun!

Let’s hope there are not too many detours or road closures to negotiate as we enter that wonderful season of winter with all its silvery magic and dewy delights!