Fragrant Cloud Rose

I got to say..Fragrant Cloud Rose is the best smelling fragrant rose I have. The perfume is usually very strong and over-powering so a bunch of them in the house will keep the house smelling heavenly for days. I prefer roses with perfume but unfortunately nowadays a lot of roses we buy from the florists have absolutely no fragrant at all so if you want fragrant roses then grow some of these.

Chrysler Imperial Rose

Chrysler Imperial Rose is one of my first roses I bought for the backyard. It's a climber so I have it against the north facing wall where it gets plenty of sun light. It has a strong perfume and the flowers are usually the size of a fist. Makes good cut flowers but being leaning against the wall the possums like them too! My photo doesn't do it justice. I'll try to post better looking ones when the others are blooming. First blooms are usually not as nice.

Cos lettuce

There's nothing better than making a salad from the fresh lettuce I pick from the backyard. Right now that's exactly what I'm doing on a daily basis. These cos lettuce are growing fast so I must eat them up as soon as they grow or else they'll grow bitter should I leave them by themselves.

Pelargonium

Pelargonium plants are not my favourite plants in the gardens but I do have a couple of species and this is one of the two. Doesn't have the prettiest flowers and the whole plant has a pungent herbal smell which I don't like. However it is a tough plant; very dry tolerant and hardy. Leave it alone and it will thrive by itself. Love the hot sun and the bees love the flowers too.

The grannies come out to play

With the warm weather we've been having most of the grannys are out and about. I'm of course referring to the granny's bonnets also known as columbines or aquilegias. They're called granny's bonnets because the flowers look like a granny's bonnet from the side. Look closer and you'll see the resemblance.

First strawberry for the season

The first strawberry for the season..YAY! This is a Hokowase strawberry, one of four I have growing in the front raised bed. Together with twelve other strawberry plants of three different varieties in the same bed I hope to have a bumper crop this season. First time I'm growing strawberries so fingers crossed.

Gerberas

Gerberas are one of my favourite flowering plants to cultivate. However they are not very easy to keep alive. I can't remember how many plants I bought a couple of years ago, each of different colour. Now I've only have two colours left and this is one of them. They're not the easiest plant to grow I must admit, rotting off quite easily if too wet.

Copper Gem Rose

This is the first rose to bloom this season. It's called Copper Gem and I've had it for as long as I've stayed in this house. It has a fragrance to it, makes good cut flowers and I don't know why but this one has two hearts which is kind of nice.

Bluebells

After the third week of spring, there are more blooms happening in the gardens. One of them is the Bluebell flowers. This plant is another success story in my garden, I've had them for many years now and they've made themselves at home in my front yard. They only flower for a short period in spring to enjoy them while you can.

Strawberry flowers

I planted these strawberries back late last summer. They suffered a setback with bug attack and rot when winter hit and I had to cut them back hard. They're doing better now and even flowering. Hopefully I'll get a bumper crop this year before the birds get to them.

Succulent flowers

Even my succulents are blooming now. I've had these for many years and they're tough as boots. They grow every where and starting to get a bit weedy. But I don't mind coz they're good to look at, especially this time of year.

Seed germination

Just a quick update on the seeds I sow a couple of weeks ago. Unfortunately not all of them germinated and some of them germinated but die off. I would have to sow some more if I want the number of plants I want growing in the veggie patch soon. If I still don't get much success I'll just have to go buy some seedlings.

Aguilegia columbine

The first of the aguilegia columbines are starting to bloom in the backyard. Also known as granny bonnets these are native to North America but they've naturalised nicely in my backyard. They are perennial and will self seed year after year so I have them growing everywhere in the backyard. Comes in different colours as well; yellow, pink, mauve..

Orchids as cut flowers

If your orchids are in full bloom and you like to protect them from the weather, then cut and bring them indoor. They will probably last longer indoor than outdoor because rain, wind and sun will damage them quite easily. Enjoy!

Bellis Perennis

Plant of the week today is the Bellis Perennis or commonly known as the English Daisy. Years ago I bought a few of these but they died off when the weather warmed up because they don't like the heat. Then a year ago I found a couple of them sprouting out of the lawn so I transplanted them into a garden bed so they won't get mowed down by the lawn mower. I pretty much left them to their own devises so only one survived and its doing well this year. Go forth and multiply little daisy.

Plum tree in bloom

We went to our friends' house yesterday and found their plum tree in bloom. Isn't that the prettiest sight? Love this time of the year when most fruit trees are in bloom and I can tell you this; this tree bears the sweetest plums I've ever tasted. I come here every year to pick them before the birds get to them.

A gift that keeps on giving

We have a birthday party to go to today. So what should we get for present? Its the same every year; gift vouchers and the idea is getting a bit stale. So this year I decided to get a gift that will keep on giving; this year we're getting an orchid plant! We found this lovely orchid from one of the best nurseries in my area and it cost a fair bit but worth every cent. Plus I got this idea because the birthday girl's been complaining her orchids aren't blooming this so now she can enjoy her blooming orchids also.

Bok choys

With the warm weather we've been having the bok choys are doing really well. Last night we had a couple of them for dinner and they were tasty as always. Bok choys need to be grown quickly and eaten quickly too so they don't bolt or grow bitter. So never let your bok choys and other asian greens linger on in the veggie patch. Grow them quick , water regularly, give them liquid feed and eat them too!

Clivias

This is the only clivia I have in the whole garden. My mother-in-law gave me this when she was moving house and its been blooming every year around spring time ever since. Personally I'm not too keen on clivias but I'm not going to say no to a free plant!

Broccoli

The broccoli plants are going gang buster! Now almost every night we have to harvest some broccoli florets for dinner. We might as well enjoy them while we can because they'll grow old and won't taste as tender in another month or two.

Orchid plant from another friend

Here's another orchid I got from another friend. Thanks Lily! I'm spoiled rotten. Its been with me the second year only. When Lily gave it to me last year there was only one flower spike, this year I counted three!

Veggie garden

We have a small veggie garden right next to the library. I think it's run by the council with the help of volunteers. Every time I come by here I would stop and have a browse around the garden. I just enjoy checking other people's gardens, just can't help myself. I wish there were more gardens around in every street and empty lot of land around. It would make the world a happier place.