mountain gardens

A walk to the bottom

/ crabandfish / 2 Comments

Our property rises and falls on its rambling acre. I love the low side: the light is different as is the air. There is a meandering water course that is mostly dry and overgrown with ivy.

It’s a very typical mountain bush block with some surprises here and there: ferns and pink rhododendrons.

My two cats, Albert and Whitey (guess which is which😂) have taken to following me down. They peer into the wombat hole before watching me weed and rake.

My goal this month is to trim back the ivy which is slowing engulfing the maples, ferns and azaleas. Colin built a little foot bridge to make it easier to get to the other side.

I hope you had a good gardening weekend.

Did someone say earthquake?

/ crabandfish / 4 Comments

It’s been a weird old winter. Not only have we been months in lockdown, experienced four days of power outage, witnessed severe storms that felled hundreds of large trees in the forest and last Wednesday morning a 5.8 earthquake!

Thankfully, there was no damage but we had such a fright. My heart goes out to all people and animals who have experienced mother nature’s anger. Maybe she’s trying to tell us all something. Stay well and be safe.

Majestic oak

/ crabandfish / 1 Comment

I wasn’t supposed to be here but the sun was out and I had a take away coffee in my hand. Our local pub is closed and deserted due to lockdown but I couldn’t resist sitting quietly overlooking this Majestic Oak.

Enjoy your season in the garden.

Camellia chronicles – paused

/ crabandfish / 2 Comments

September has come and gone and I realise my camellia identification has paused. This is mainly due to the vast amount of information and images available and the fact that it is quite confusing. Just when I think I have identified a particular flower I view another even closer to my own.

Therefore, I thought I’d wait until such time as I can visit a camellia show in person. In the meantime, here is a selection of our much loved and admired blooms.

By the way, most of these have been flowering since August.

I hope you have enjoyed seeing this array of camellias. We have lived here on the mountain coming up to seventeen years in November and I am constantly grateful to the previous owner who had such vision to plant camellias. They are scattered in all areas of the garden and once established do not need much attention – pick and enjoy.

Keep gardening and stay well. You can follow me on Instagram @crabandfish_garden, too.

Glasshouse gleaming and dreaming

/ 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.

These begonias are still flowering!!!

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