Garden News November 2020

 

November was a horrible month with absolutely no rain and was hot and windy almost every day.

It was a month to forget.

We attended our first garden meeting since February, it was 'The International Cordyline Society' and the meeting was held at the Chandler Rifle Club house.

We were big fans of the Rocky Point premium potting mix but now are very disappointed that they have changed the formula to a mix that just looks bad, bits of wood and sand.

We were given a bag of Centenary Landscapes 'Ultimate mix' and it looked good so we travelled to Darra and picked up a metre in the trailer.

I have been busy creating more shade areas and expanding a garden, the work never stops.

The place is very dry as no rain for six weeks.

We have had a few visitors who came to purchase Caladiums and some other plants.

Judy is still busy potting away and has some very rare plants available when things get back to normal.

On the 9^th of November I sent a letter to the Chief health Office regarding opening our garden in January, a month later I have not had a reply.

Not happy with that as they can allow 52,000 people to attend a football match with absolutely no social distancing, masks, sanitizer ect.

Seems to be all about money.

October 2020 Garden News

 

Yet another Covid 19 garden update.

Will I and everyone else be glad when this is over.

Of course, no garden presentations or bus trips to our garden but clubs are starting to book us in for next year.

On the 19^th October it was our seventh month of drought and the garden was looking then a miracle happened, it rained and we ended up with about 140mm which of course made us more than happy.

The garden has roared back and is looking green and lush especially after kelping and putting three 25 kilo bags of Nitrophoska Blue on all the garden beds.

I am angry as the Landscape yard where I found decent garden soil has changed their mix and it’s obviously cheaper for them as it is about 90% organic, not what I like.

Then we purchase our usual Rocky Point premium Potting Mix and find that they have also changed their mix and certainly not for the better. So dammed frustrating.

We are welded to the fact that we will not be able to have a 2020 Open Garden in November as numbers will be limited to 40 people only. Silly thing is it does not matter whether you are a private residence of 400 or 4000 sm, it’s still 40 in total and that includes Judy and I and our helpers.

There would be a riot and we usually have a queue to get in.

We are waiting to see what January brings and we may have our opening mid-January, fingers crossed.

Still buying new plants and gardening every day, what else would I do?

The big job for the month was the removal of four Foxtail Palms which had just become too big and dangerous and once they were removed to redo the existing garden.

More shade.

Garden News September 2020

 Not one solitary drop of rain all month, the garden is getting very dry and I sem to spend most of my time trying to keep the plants alive.

We have lost a large Staghorn, two Amorphophallus titanum's and a medinilla magnifica this month.

All the Amorphophallus have been repotted and now just have to wait for them to come up.

It took 900 litres of potting mix to finish that potting.

All the Caladiums have been planted in the Caladium garden and in pot's.

We are not sure if we will open in November as we are so dry and the Covid restrictions are quite visitor unfriendly.

We are just playing it by ear at the moment, perhaps a January opening, if we do it will be the first.

I have decided to get rid of four Foxtail Palm's as they have grown too big and have become dangerous when the fronds fall.

Stand by to see a complete overhaul of that garden.