What a Wonderful Time of the Year.

Yet, on some days spring seems a long way off; yesterday for example there was almost constant rain. Today, the sun is out but the temperature is hardly a spring like temperature. We understand the rainfall will be around for a few days yet. Perhaps this is as well because there hasn't been a lot over the winter months. The dams that feed the water supply to the metropolitan area are only a quarter full as yet. Another load of mulch arrived yesterday and I should just about finish mulching the bank along the driveway this week. This will no doubt help if there is to be a water shortage this summer. I have already transplanted several clumps of lavender to this area. In addition I have planted a Grevillea Brachystacha, a plant that likes full sun, grows to about 2 metres in height (6.6 feet), and is described as a medium sized shrub with a rounded form and narrow leaves with short racemes of tightly packed flowers in the winter. A little further along the bank is a Rhiannon, apparently a new release. Rhiannon was a Celtic Goddess and regarded as a beautiful woman, and a great Queen. Leptospermum 'Rhiannon' is the second in the range of specially bred Australian Native tea trees. It has a dark glossy foliage and large mauve/pink flowers and grows into an upright shrub to 1.5 metres high (5 feet) and a metre (3.3 feet) across. We look forward to the masses of flowers that occur in the late spring. Still further along the bank we have planted a Cistus Silver Pink rockrose. Apparently the clear pink flowers are the outstanding features of this rockrose. I think I already mentioned some time ago that the bank I am talking about has full sun in the summer and we were looking for something that will grow well in an open and sunny position. This is a useful plant for garden beds and will do well in well-drained soil. It grows to approximately 1 metre (3.3 feet) and can be 1 metre wide. Lastly, after the last visit to the nursery we planted a Duranta repens, more popularly known as a Geisha Girl. It obviously originated in Japan and is a stunning deep blue form of the Durana repens. The deep blue flowers have a delicate perfume and are complemented by white centres and wavy borders of white on the petals' edges. The flowers are produced on the terminal growth of the plant's graceful weeping branches. The leaves are soft and shiny and the flowers appear during spring, summer, and autumn. Geisha Girl is said to tolerate light frosts, and we get some of those in the winters here in the hills. The plant likes full sun and grows to about 1.5 metres (5 feet) in height.

Go To Page: 1 2

Articles in this Topic    Discussions in this Topic