My generous Montville Rose

This is my gorgeous Montville rose growing very happily in the front garden. It was given to me by Mum and is the offspring of her bush in Maleny, Queensland. The bush was huge and I desperately wanted one of my own so Mum, who could never resist growing something for free grew one for me. Quite simple apparently. 

A study of Google, suggests that the Montville rose is actually the Duchess de Brabant, a large, bushy old fashioned rose. 

This glorious specimen is growing at "The Shambles," a private country garden in Montville. 

The photos on their website will make you drool. Take a peek here. 

https://montvillegarden.com






Anyway, the reason I am writing this post is because I have succeeded in growing another from a cutting. 

I realise this looks like a stick with a few leaves sticking out of it growing in a cut off soft drink bottle and yes, it is, but I am very excited. 

I butchered the bush in late March, not the best time to try to grow cuttings in Brisbane. The weather was still hot and humid so chances of success were slim. We were far more likely to end up with a mouldy dead stick. This one brave cutting held on and after a couple of false starts where leaves formed and then dropped off, we now have a strong little beauty with lucious green leaves. 

This is her Mum, 3 months after cutting back. At the time she was touching the eaves and was about 2m across. With a few shots of super fertilizer and plenty of water, she generously flowers continuously for us.

Isn't she beautiful. 

Happy Gardening!

Plant shopping

I have been to the nursery again. This time it was to Templex, in Algester, Brisbane. It is the most amazing nursery you could ever visit and is worth a trip just for the sculptures and ambience even if you don't want to buy a plant. 

Plants are something I cannot resist so this trip was destined to result in some much loved purchases. Here is my bounty.



Abutilon- Chinese Lantern

 These beautiful plants have delicate shaped flowers that look a bit like a petticoat. They come in many colours and can be grown from seed but it is a lottery for which colour the flowers will be, so I have bought a ready made plant. I am hoping to standardise this one so will leave it long and lanky and stake the main trunk. 

Lily Pilly- 'Allyn Magic'

 This is a small Lilly Pilly that I am hoping to grow in this small  red pot as an outdoor table decoration. 

Pratia


This is a delightful ground cover with soft vibrant tiny leaves and flowers. I will divide this so that I can use it for mini potted landscapes. 








Trident Maple

 I have always wanted a maple tree but the climate in Brisbane limits the choices. 

It has now been potted in this gorgeous, simple white ceramic pot that I paid $9 at a roadside pot shop on the way home. 

We have been trying to grow moss for the last few months to put in our pots and at last we have had some success. 
This is not a bonsai. It is a small plant in a lovely little pot. I don't think I will ever be able to produce true bonsai, but I think this little maple is beautiful.

I also bought this stunning pot from the same roadside pot shop. It only cost me $19 and will be perfect for the fig tree that I rescued from the kerbside pickup in the dark one evening. It was lying on the ground in a broken pot and hadn't been cared for in a while. It will be exciting to pot it up and will post photos when it's transformation is complete.  

Happy planting! 

Roses are Beautiful

There is something about roses that is truly magical. 

I am now the custodian of Mum's two rose bushes since she passed away recently and I feel a sense of responsibility and attachment. We used to talk about them every time I visited Mum.  

They are the same variety of an unknown miniature in terracotta pots. I am always concerned about plants in terracotta because they dry out so quickly. We are currently experiencing extremely hot weather in Brisbane so the plants are watered at least daily and I check them morning and evening to make sure they are OK. 

Plenty of water, deadheading the spent blooms and a dose of slow release fertiliser and they seem to be settling in well. 

Hibiscus - A Life in a Day

In September last year, we visited the new water park at Springfield, between Brisbane and Ipswich. We had visited the park several times before to go walking and relax. It has beautiful gum trees, lots of open space, water features and electric barbecues. It is a lovely spot for a barbecue breakfast on a cool winter morning. 

While we were there, these beauties caught my eye. I had no idea what they were but decided I could not live without one in my garden. The flowers looked a bit like Hibiscus but the leaves were high gloss and leathery and not the usual shape. The flowers were at least 10 cm (4 inches) across. 

After much searching, I made the discovery. It is an Australian Native Hibiscus produced by a nursery called "aussie colours." According to their website (http://www.aussiecolours.com.au/), it comes in eight colours. I think the one at Springfield is an Aussie Pink, but I didn't really care, any would be great.  



I found an Aussie Delight at the local Bunnings. It is the most delicate pink and has the same huge flowers.  

The thing that has previously put me off hibiscus is that each flower lasts only a day. This seems a waste to me- to have such beauty for such a short time. 

I decided to photograph my Aussie Delight as it gifted me a flower one day. It started to open at about 10am and was completely closed by 5pm. A short life but a beautiful life. 

The day after I created this collage, my Aussie Delight gifted me another flower so I took more photos of the bud opening. 

Now I am on the lookout for some of the other varieties. 

I recommend you visit the park lands at Springfield. Here is a short video of the gardens and the water park. 

The Love of Plants

I have always had a passion for plants. You wouldn't know it at the moment by looking at my garden. It is dry. The grass is 'crispy'. The pots tired and the shrubs struggling to look healthy. Only some of this is due to my current woes and pains. The weather is terribly dry and summer is upon us. Watering by hand every day can only do so much and rain is sorely needed.  

For the first time in months, I spent enough time in the garden for it to be noticeable. I have tidied up the front rockery; turned over the soil; sprayed wetta soil on it and covered it in sugar cane mulch. I also planted a few new plants. It is only a little rockery but my feeling of satisfaction carried me through the day.

I will share my plant stories with the world, because plants give me beauty and I can't resist them. This is a photo of a gerbera. I bought it for John during my trip to the nursery this week. It is the most striking scarlet red with beautiful lush green leaves. Gerberas are one of John's favourites. 

So check back in often to see how my plants are growing.



  

5 Weeks Until Christmas

It is time to take stock of your Christmas decorations.

Get out your lights, Christmas tree, decorations and garden ornaments. You may have lovingly packed them up last Christmas but now is the time to see if they were worth packing away for another year. Is it time that the pine cones that you painted with 'snow' many years ago are laid to rest? 

At our home we love outside lights but they have a mysterious habit of breaking after they are packed away in the top cupboard. In the privacy of their boxes, the bulbs seem to blow and the transformers seem to divorce their lights. Countless hours have been spent searching for the broken bulb and trying to bend the rope lights in just the right place to make them light up. Buy some more! Simple. There are hundreds in the shops.  

Plastic Christmas trees are great but eventually, they lose the excitement of the festive season and just smell like old plastic. There are many more creative ways to have a 'tree.'

Go for a drive to the country for a dead branch and make a beautiful sculptural tree. 






Not much room? How about a 2D tree.

Feeling a bit crafty? Try some of these. 







Know a plumber? This is made of PVC pipe and decorations you probably already have. 

Love the natural look? Raw timber is always a favourite of mine. 











If you want something natural and signifying new life and growth, take a trip to the nursery and buy a plant you love the look of. Any plant can be decorated, from the finest of ferns to tall, invincible palms.   

Now is the time to plan and get creative with your Christmas decorations. Turn up the carols and get crafty!