The Things You Find

Working in public places, Im always amazed at some of the things you find on the job. We found the basketball backboard about 5 months or so ago, it was lying in the middle of the main road that runs next to the parks. Must have fallen off the back of somebodies trailer or something. We kept it in the bunker area for about a day or so before we sent it to the depot. We even marked out our own little court area, but had to make do with the football we found as basketballs are even harder to find. We do find alot of tennis balls and golf balls about the parks. Alot of baseball bats and gold clubs as well. We've found clothes, unopened cans of fizzy drink, unopened cans of alcohol, toys and CDs. I dont find as many stolen wallets as I thought I would, we usually try to drop those straight off as the owners house (if it has details in it) as when we drop them off at the police station, they just dont want to know about it (I think they just throw them in the bin personally). Found plenty of small change and even once found a $50 note! The best thing Ive found by far though is a Crow Bar (like the ones in cartoons). I think it was left behind by the contractors who were pulling down the facades on the Admin building, it was hidden in a bush underneath where their scaffolding use to be. That a win for me!

Butterfly Magnets

Lantana is now classified as a weed in Western Australia, however its only Lantan camara that is banned (if you already have it in your garden, your fine, just dont try to sell the stuff), the Creeping Lantana is still available. The way to tell the difference is the Creeping Lantana has thinner stems, tends to scramble along the ground alot more and the flowers are really only available in purple or white. Lantana camara is more upright and shrub like and it comes in colours ranging from yellow, orange, pink, red and is also available in a white. The banning of the camara species came in about 10 or so years ago, which I think is a good idea as it brings us into line with the majority of the rest of the country which has it listed as a weed, but I think they should have banned the creeping lantana as well. Oh well, step in the right direction. On a plus note though, there are a few saving graces to growing creeping lantana. First of all its a very hardy and rewarding plant, it flowers almost constantly and requires little effort when its established other then a good prune every so often. The other really good thing is they attract butterflies like there is no tomorrow!

I Shall Climb

It is a native climber called Hardenbergia, or Native Wisteria. It is one of my favourite climbers but I probably will never attempt to grow it. It has a bad habit of turning into a weed in a garden situation. If you have somewhere for it to grow crazy then go for it. It is extremely hardy when established and will seed to fill an area. We have it growing in a bare area at work. It doesnt even have anything to grow on, it tangles upon itself and looks like a shrub of sorts. You can also buy them in pink, white or different shades of purple. The white and the pink colours have only been available for the last 10 years or so.

A Welcome Killer

Aphids are the bane of most avid gardeners existence. Be warned, they do come in different colours. Aphids can be various shade of greeney-yellow, green to darder shades of black. In large numbers they can suck the life out of plants (if the plant is still very small, they can kill it), look unsightly, stunt plant growth, weaken the plant to other diseases (sooty mould, etc) and encourage ants. Soapy water is said to be an eco friendly way of getting rid of the pests, but alas it does require alot of repeat applications and when your infestation is as bad as the lemon tree in the picture, then chemical control is usually necessary. I recommend Eco Oil mixed with Eco Rose. They are the most environmentally friendly control Ive found and the best bit is it I havent found it to kill Lady Birds! I love Lady Bird Beetles. They make me smile and they decimate aphids. I have heard you can buy Lady Birds to release into your plants, but I have never come across this in a domestic situation.

Turncoat

Chameleon Roses kinda live up to their name. Personally I expect it to change colour depending on what I stick next to it, but alas, plants dont really work like that. These little buggers fade as they age. So they start of this rich yellow with orangey-red and fade slowly to a whiteish with pale pink. Overall in a mass plant it looks really effective (the bottom picture doesnt really pick up the colour contrasts) although it only really looks that good for the first flush of flowers. To get a really good first flush after pruning, begin by giving plant a decentish prune (there are so many rules with pruning and I will put a pruning blog up when its rose pruning season in July next year) then FEED them. Roses, although hardy once established, are heavy feeders. So we put a mix of blood and bone, macrocote and phosphorous around the base of the rose (make sure you clear away the weeds and dead leaves), then repeat this process every 4 weeks or so (minus the macrocote as thats a slow release). Phosphorous is the key to this as it is a vital element in reproduction, ie the production of flowers and fruits.

90 Degrees

Bird of Paradise. A flower of right angles (or near enough to). I remember using these in one of my floristry assignments when I was studying the topic. Believe it or not, the angles actually made it somewhat difficult to arrange. I struggled with them as they never quite sit where you want them to. I like these flowers though, I love them in the garden, although dont ever hope to move them once they are established. Ive had to do that before and it isnt fun. Its safe to say the plant isnt exactly salvageable afterwards. They are delightfully easy to grow and flower profusely with very little effort. The only thing you really have to watch is the dead leaves and stuff that builds up in the clump when they get large. Rewarding plant though.

Flame vs. Coral

I have always called this a Flame Tree, however I have recently discovered that it is actually a Coral Tree. Go figure. Well, I was only half right as it just depends on what part of the world you live in as to whether it is called a Flame Tree or a Coral Tree. Most big (and I do mean BIG) trees that become a mass of red flowers usually come under the bracket of the common name of Flame Tree. However that being said, it is more 'correct' calling this a Coral Tree in WA.

I made a friend!

I dont normally like to add more then two photos on one subject in a single blog, but this little guy was just so photogenic! Ive done some quick research (as my knowledge of frog identification is quite limited) and from what I can tell, this little guy is a Slender Tree Frog. They apparently come in various shades of fawn to green and have the little racing stripe from their nose to their thigh. I uncovered him while digging up kangaroo paws in the skate park. He launched himself from the plant I was removing and I couldnt leave him sitting in the mulch (we were stromping though there and I certainly didnt want him squished), so after several escape attempts I managed to pick him up and move him. However, he seemed to had grow attached to me as he didnt want to leave when I tried putting him in the garden bed. He sat on my hand looking between me and the leaves, in the end I had to shake him off. You know I honestly do wish I had more encounters like this at work. Really brightens up your day.

A Pleasant Surprise

I wrote a blog on Lechenaultia biloba about a month or so ago and had little hope of the 50 that were planted, surviving. Well a month has passed and low and behold, they live. The true test will be when summer comes, but for now Im chalking that up as a win. So in honour of this I figured Id put up some more information and philosophy behind Blue Lechenaultia's. First of all, as I have mentioned before, they are notoriously hard to grow in a garden. If you can grow them in a domestic garden, big kudos to you for doing something that is bloody difficult! They seem to prefer to be wild and free. Aboriginal people are said to have called them 'Floor of the Sky', which is very appropriate as it looks as though drops of a deep blue sky have fallen to earth. Every time I drive past the bed, the magnificent colour catches my eye and makes me smile. I wish I could use them in my floristry arrangements as blue is a highly sought after colour (particularly in wedding arrangements, blue typically means faithfulness and loyalty. It is calming and tranquil which are welcome feelings when your living such a busy life), but it has a very short vase life and wilts very quickly without a water source. Its such a sweet little plant, I really do wish I could grow it for myself, guess its one of those things that you just cant keep for yourself, it has to be shared for all the world to enjoy.

Prats!

This happened on friday. Joys of working in a low socioeconomic area, although it doesnt happen as often as I though it would. This is the second time in about 9 months that someone has busted into the work compound. What did they do you ask? Graffitied what ever was a flat surface and threw the hose about. Its just a nuisance really. What really gets me angry is when they are too lazy to go to the public toilets and use the fence as a toilet. I usually have to disinfect it once a fortnight to get rid of the urine smell. Not looking forward to summer in that regard. Its a shame, coz the suburb I work in is actually really pretty, its just the idiots like this who bring it all down.

Ground Cover

This little ground cover is called Scaevola, or commonly knows as a fan flower. This is a very deceptive picture, as those flowers are no bigger then about a centimeter or so. This is the smaller variety, and the one I prefer. You can get a larger flowering variety, however they have a bad habit of suffering from drop dead syndrome. They go hammer and tongs for about 12 months then die for no apparent reason. The small variety is kinda like a little energizer bunny, they just keep going!

Emu Bush

This is one of those plants where I wonder where in hades the common name came from. It is  an eremophila, commonly known as an Emu Bush. It looks nothing like an emu, in any way shape or form. So that messes with me a bit.  I can only surmise (without the power of google) that emus are involved with it in some way and it isnt named upon resemblance. The bush its self is very hardy when its establish, this one doesnt receive any water other then what falls from the sky. They arent dense bushes in this situation, but they look quite effective and come spring they are covered in these lovely, delicate, little flowers. We only have purple ones at work, but you can also get them in various shades of red, pink, yellow and orange. At present the flowers are starting to drop, so there is this nice carpet of purple underneath them all. 

Whoops

I hate whippersnipping. Detest it with every fiber of my being, for two main reasons:
1. On mowing day, its like your being sandblasted for 6 hours, and
2. We have to do the sides of the lake, so it means that you end up getting covered in a fair amount of duck poop. Yuck.
So, as you can see, not fun. Although today it did help me to discover something rather exciting. The bird in this picture is a Coot, they are water birds that frequent the lake in the park. While I was whippersnipping the edge of the lake this coot shot out of the rushes and sat there squawking at me. I couldnt figure out what was going on, normally they run and keep running. I figured Id get a photo of this daring bird and when I looked at the shot, I spotted the eggs. As you can imagine I left pretty quick after that. Im so excited by the potential of having baby coots again on the lake. They are so tiny and cute!!! Cant wait. 

Lunch Guest

This is one of the first photos I took when I started this job. This is a little New Holland Honey Eater. He/She hadnt flown into the bunker in a very long time, I assume that it was collecting cobwebs for its nest as it would fly to the corners of the room and pick at the webs there. I do miss these little fly in visits.

KILL IT!!!!!!!

One of the banes of my existence! Dratted things. I have lost many a petunia to these pests. I also have a hatred of poisons. If there is an eco friendly way of controlling something, then Im going to run with that. So, eco friendly snail control.
1. Beer. Snails are booze hounds. They love the stuff. If dig an ice cream container into the soil and fill with a stubby of beer, then cover over with somthing nice and dark (but leave an opening so the blighters can get in) the snails will slither strait toward the beer and fall in, then drown. If you are unwilling to sacrifice beer to such slaughter, then dissolve some vegiemite in hot water and you will get simmilar results.
2. When it rains they show up everywhere. So after the rain wander out into the garden with your biggest boots on, pick them up and stomp on them. If you dont like the sound (and alot of people feel rather guilty squishing snails), then feel free to stick them in a bucket and drown them (just make sure there is a lid on the bucket or they will climb out coz lets face it, nothing really wants to die) or if you have a strong stomach pop them in a jar of salt. I find that method unnecessarily cruel though.
3. If you have pot plants, put a line of copper wire around the top of the pot. Snails and slugs apparently hate crossing the stuff
4. IF you really have to put pellets down (and lets face it, when you plant a heap of petunias you dont want them eaten), there is an eco and pet friendly variety called Multiguard. I wouldnt go consuming it in large doses mind you, but its active constituent is Iron ETA, which break down into iron the plants can use and that substance is poisonous to snails, not people or pets, with the added bonus the snails go off and hide to die, rather then die slowly in plain sight. Much more aesthetically pleasing.

Part Rainbow

This is a rainbow from some time in July. Ive seen so many rainbows since I started working here. Must be all the open space, I see alot more sky.

I'm in love

I like to say I know enough about roses. I am no expert, there is plenty I dont know and there are so many different and conflicting rules on roses. I will probably add several different pictures of roses over blogs so I will keep the info I share on each blog as brief as possible, as there will most likely be plenty of post on them. I dont know the specific cultivar of this rose, but I love look of them when they are covered in raindrops. Just seems so romantic. Although water on rose petals is usually bad new, it encourages fungus. This type of rose is called a Hybrid Tea (it could be a grandiflora, but the flowers dont seem large enough to be in this category). The two most popular varieties at present are Hybrid Tea and Floribunda. They way to pick the difference is Hybrid tea typically have a single flower on top of a stem, where floribundas have clusters of flowers on top of the main growing stem. There are a few grey zones and there are way more varieties then just the 3 that I have mentioned. This is only a very simple simplification.

Shade Flowering Advice

One of the most common questions I am asked is 'What plant can I get that flowers in full shade?'. Ok, rule of thumb, if you have shady areas then dont expect flowers. Flowers require alot of energy and in dark areas the poor plant doesnt get enough light (read 'energy') to flower. Same if you have plants with variegation (coloured patches in the leaves), over time the plant will try to revert back to being green. The reason for that is green = chlorophyl, aka the part of the plant that makes food from light. So where you have white/red/yellow/colour that isnt green on a leaf, that part of the plant cant make food. When there is little light to begin with, the poor plant needs to compensate for this. The plant in the pictures is called a Clivea. It it the exception to this rule and I cant stop singing its praise. They are slow growing and very hardy once established. Just dont plant them in direct sunlight, they are designed to live in the shade. They also flower in full shade!!!!! Awesome plants! Its biggest draw back is its cost, they are bloody expensive, but if you can get hold of one they certainly are very rewarding.

Purple!

I love the smell of lavender. I feel like such a granny for saying that, as I only ever seem to find old people who love that scent as much as I do. We have quite a few lavender hedges at work, and plenty of random lavender shrubs that were planted from leftovers from the hedge. The problems with counsils, they over order to the hilts then we have to do *something* with the left overs. This is my favourite sort of lavender, this is french lavender (Lavandula stoechas), you can pick it by the large 'wings' on top of the flower and the flat edge to the leaves (Spanish Lavender -Lavendula dentata- has serrated/bumpy edges to its leaves and small wings, if any, on top of the flower). French Lavender is one of those tricky things to grow and I personally think that if you can grow it, then the plant likes you. I tried for years with it and it just dies in my garden at home, yet at work we have the stuff seeding everywhere. About the only real problem I have with lavender is its a short term plant. They typically only look good for about 10 years, then they get very woody and die back in places. When they start doing that its easier to rip them up and start the process again.

Ugly, yet captivating.

Tis the growing season for Lichen at work and buy gum its interesting looking stuff when you get up close to it. Right now its warm enough for them to grow happily before the harsh summer heat kills them (or at least makes them dormant). Theyre growing on the rocks by the stream and on a couple of the trees. I notice they seem to grow best on the trees with the rough bark. I think the smooth barked trees dont hold enough moisture for it to survive. If we spot any of it growing on the pavements, we unfortunately have to spray it (stupid tripping hazard OHS rules), so we either break out the weed killer, but if I get the option I prefer to spray copper. Its less harmful to the environment and does the same job. Only problem with it, is it can stain the pathway for a while, but it wears off eventually.

Red!

The court house that is nestled in where I work, is not maintained by us. They are smack bang in the center of the area we maintain, but have their own arrangements for the gardens. They recently changed gardening companies, which is a very good thing. They gardens looked absolutely terrible before and they brought the whole area down, now they at least look maintained and it has improved things dramatically. Now that spring has come, alot of the shrubs have burst into bloom (and are flowering better due to the better care), and this little bottle brush has been catching my eye for the past week or so now.

A doting parent

This little lady is a Wolf Spider and the white ball behind her is her nursery, shes going to be a mummy :) Wolf spiders are hunter, they dont weave webs and prefer to live solitary lives tracking down food. This species of wolf spider doesnt get very big. This one was only a couple of centimeters big. I only noticed her because of her egg sack behind her. Theyre a good spider to have about as they prey on Red Back Spiders and other bad news bugs. They are also a good encouragement to wear gloves while gardening.

Identified!

As a gardener, you are forever being asked what something is. Plant, insect, disease, etc. When I dont have an answer (and lets face it, I dont know everything), Im asked what kind of gardener am I ..... I usually respond that I only learnt about 300 plants and 100 different pathogens at tafe, but Im sure thats 400 more then you know on the topic. Usually shuts most of the smart alecs up. I digress, back on topic, this ugly looking specimen is one Im commonly asked to ID. I recently looked him up, so Im relatively green on the knowledge for him. Turns out its called Broomrape and its a parasite. Yeah, didnt see that one coming did you? Thats ok, nor did I. So that makes it very hard to control. It lives inside its host plant and is only visible when it flowers. So your best bet is just to keep pulling the flowers out when you see them. Roundup isnt overly effective on them and removing the host plant isnt always a practical option. This one, I think, is a Common Broomrape. Basically it looks unsightly, but isnt that detrimental. If you are in Western Australia and see one with bright blue flowers (as opposed to the purple) contact the CSIRO or Agg Department. That is Branched Broomrape and that is bad news!

Tis the season

Azaleas are dull. They are boring plants that quite frankly do very little for the aesthetics of the landscape, until they flower. When they flower, my god do they put on a show! They get these terminal clusters of flowers (terminal simply means that the flowers only form on the end of the branch, or the growth tip. They dont form anywhere along the stem) and are very showey. Particularly when they are quite large shrubs. Be warned though, azaleas can be fuss pots to grow. I heard a statistic that 90% of all azaleas bought will die within the first 12 months. How true this is, I dont know, but it honestly wouldnt surprise me if it turned out to be true. The biggest problem is people never really read the tag. They like slightly acidic soil. Hate being wet, like being a little damp. Love PART shade (so under dappled trees and such), not full sun as so many people are want to do. They have a very shallow root system, so mulching them is your best option. Then theres the mites, they go silver all the bloody time as mites love them. We've been trying out a new Confidor Tablet this year, that you plonk in around the root zone and the plant absorbs it as it dissolves. The slang at present is we've put the azaleas on the pill. Get many funny looks for that one, I promise you.

Itty Bitty Fungi

These toadstools are tiny. I really do mean tiny. They're only about 1-2cm high and there are hundreds of them. They cover a good 10 square meters or so and grow underneath the large ficus in the main park. Like most of the fungus at work, they only show up with the first decent soak of the winter rain. I love taking photos of these as you can really get the detail in the picture, as Im unfortunately not eccentric enough to crawl on my hands and knees to get a close view of them. I really must do a course on fungus or something as there are quite an assortment of species around the parks that I work in, but I know almost nothing about them aside from how to kill the malicious ones (spray copper! most fungi HATES copper, so does moss for that matter) and how to tell the difference between a mushroom and a toadstool (a general rule of thumb is if it looks like a white button mushroom, then break it open. The flesh inside the mushroom will stay white, while toadstool flesh very quickly turns brown when exposed to air. If you are ever uncertain DON'T EAT IT)

Doubles!

This little daisy is a type of Arctotis. They look quite pretty and come in a variety of colours such as yellow, red, orange and purples (and mixed shades inbetween). I quite like them. They are a daisy, so they flower profusely and the main issue I have with them is they have a bad habit of wilting easily in the summer. They are a daisy that likes to be kept reasonably damp. The flower in the center of this photo is actually a bit of a freak  As you can see from the flower in the top left of the picture, its not meant to have petals in the center of the flower. This is a good example of how 'double' flowers are formed (a double flower is any form of flower that has more then one row of petals around the edge of the bloom, most roses are a good example of this and they are big clusters of petals, camellias are another good example). Its a freak in nature, isolated and bred to emphasize that characteristic. Ive never seen Arctotis available as a double, so I imagine this would be difficult to do with this species. But it is nice to see a random freak shining brightly

Off With The Faries

Believe it or not, this is actually called a Fairy Ring. Yup. Technical Term right there. I learnt about these in Tafe, so I promise you Im not lying. There are larger ones at work, but this one shows up better in a photo. Fairy rings are simply a ring of fungus that expands a little every year. It may not even have visible 'fruits' (the mushroom/toadstools are refered to as fruiting bodies), it may just be a ring of rapid growing, darker, greener and healthier grass. Typically the center of the fairy ring dies or is sickly compared to the ring around the edge. Fortunately we dont have that style of fairy ring at work. There is a myriad of fungi that cause fairy rings, in this case its just a ring of mushrooms. They usually only show up around the first rains of winter and have finished by spring. Guess you can see where all the myths and legends of fairy folk come from now.

Camera Shy

Ok, meet one of the most camera shyest insects Ive come across. Stick a phone anywhere near the bugger and he turns away. Praying Mantis are so pretentious! I admit I do prefer the bigger ones, there is just something impressive about a massive insect. I still smile when I see the little green ones, mostly because they are so bloody hard to spot. Camouflage is one of their best skills. I practically mulched right over the top of this guy and didnt even know he was there. Poor sod, no wonder he didnt want his photo taken.

Things that make you jump

Spiders are ok in my eyes, Im not afraid of them, but I do have a healthy respect for them. I dont want to be bitten, simple as that. I also have a rule that big spiders should be aloud to live long and prosper. I guess thats why I find Huntsmans so interesting, they just get big. This guy scared the life out of me a little while ago, he was hanging out inside one of the bin cages and I wasnt expecting him to be just sitting there. I wish he could have been against something to give an idea of scale, he definitely isnt one of the biggest huntsmans Ive faced, I think he might have only been about 10cm across from foot to foot. Huntsmans are usually pretty placid spiders, they will attack if provoked and bare their little fangs at you (Ive seen that before, but it did take some good poking with a long stick to get him to that stage), but most of the time they will quite readily scurry away from you. Im exceedingly grateful these guys are foragers, can you imagine walking into a web with one of these guys in it. Think I'll pass thankyou. Also, apologies to any arachnophobes who read this.

A first for me

I cant grow tulips. They die. When I show up they mysteriously suffer from drop dead syndrome. This photo is a bit old, as it was take when they first started opening and now they have almost finished. I believe these tulips did so well because I didnt plant them, I was off crook that week and missed out on the fun that is planting 150 tulip bulbs. I did have a hand in watering and fertilizing them and if you dont mind my saying, they look pretty magnificent! So the score so far is Me:1, Drop Dead Syndrome:0. Tulips, it turns out, are heavy feeders. So we've been throwing seasol/vita plant on them every time we foliar feed the annuals and we hit them with macrocote fairly early. The only drawback with them is we planted them in front of the everlastings, so their lifespan seems rather short in comparison. Shine bright and shine beautiful I say!

Thirsty

I wanted a photo of the Day Lily flowers that grow near the lake, then spotted the fly. It had been raining the night before so everything was covered in water, as you can no doubt see. When this happens, the insects usually drink their fill. This little fly was practically drowning himself. Nothing was going to come between him and the water droplets, not even some crazy nut of a gardener with a camera phone.

Romantic Lawn

This is the result of birdseed. The week before last, somebody had obviously gone to feed the ducks and water birds with birdseed they had probably bought from the nearby shops. Im not a big fan of feeding wild animals, as I have probably mentioned before, I realize I cant stop this but I do feel a little better when the animals are fed something they are sort of meant to be eating  (as opposed to bread, chips, etc). The seed was left in this big heart shape and for about 3 days, the ducks could be seen trying to nose out and gobble down what ever seed they could get. Due to the rain we have had last week, the seed has sprouted and produced this lovely heart shape. Awwww, the lawn has a bit of a crush on me.

The Pain

A word to the wise, DONT ever sit on a wasp! EVER!!!! It hurts! It hurts more then words can describe and turns out thick trousers wont save you. This little monster managed to sting me through Hard Yakka work trousers, 3 TIMES!!!!!!! He must have gotten caught in the little fold in the seat cover and wriggled his way free when I sat down. I was halfway back to the depot when he managed to sting me. Nearly sent me through the roof. I thought I had an ant in my undies or something and Im frantically trying to stop it stinging me (As I had no idea it was a wasp at the time). How it lost its head I dont know, it was like that when I got off the seat. My hunt for stingoes was greeted with laughter and snickers when I explained I sat on a wasp and my left bum cheek felt like it was on fire! I was not particularly happy that day.

Black Flowers

As a hobby I do floristry and flower arranging. To find *any* form of plant material (leaves, stem or flower) that is black, and isnt dead, is a mission and a half. I find violas frustrating in this regard. They commonly grow in all the hard to get colours your crave in floristry, blues, purples and blacks. They are also very delicate and small, so are usually unsuitable for any form of arrangement other then small wedding bouquets. This little specimen is the only black one that slipped through the annual planting. It must have been a stray seed while the nursery was growing them. Regardless, it is my favorite.

Nakey!

Ok, I call these Naked Mushrooms. I have no idea what the real name of them are at all, and I am also more then aware that they are toadstools, not mushrooms. I call them naked mushrooms as they look like they have grown without a nice smooth top. I like these ones, as in the right light they go somewhat transparent, so Im thinking the top must be very thin tissue. They tend to pop up in lawn areas and are in groups of 1-3. Tiny little things and fragile to boot.

Hakea's and Bees

This is another old photo and it was an absolute cow of a thing to take. My poor phone had no idea what to focus on and the bees are never bloody still. I have a soft spot for hakea's, because lets face it, theyre an ugly looking tree. They look emaciated, scrawny and dull until these small flowers emerge. THey are about the size of golfballs and look like little fire works all over the tree. Talk about celebrate, the tree provides its own fireworks! The bees absolutely love them too.

The Bunker!

A wet and miserable day, as you can tell from the rain, but this is the bunker. Our shed and where we have smoko. Its solid and concrete, its not very pretty, but incase of zombie attack Im going here. Solid, lockable (from the outside, will have to work on that one) and full of power tools! The public aren't aloud in our little compound but you can see it when you walk past the gate. Its not that exciting I know, but I still think its pretty cool that I work out of a bunker!

Monster Fungus

In winter we have the luxury of being able to cancel the mowing. For a gardener who hates mowing and has to mow anything up to twice a week, this is a god send. So when contract mowing got cancelled one fortnight, I thought it was christmas! Turns out not mowing for 4 weeks results in this, monsterly massive fungus growing int he lawns. They smell like mushrooms and the 'flesh' didnt turn brown when exposed to the air, like most toadstools do, it leads me to believe they are closer related to mushrooms then toadstools ..... still not going to try cooking them.

First Decent Photo

This is quite an old photo. I took it about this time last year, took me ages to figure out how to get the phone to focus on the flower instead of the bush. So this is actually my first decent photo of a flower. This is a flame pea.I use to call them Egg and Bacon Plants when I was younger, turns out that is a different (but simmilar species) plant. These are also one of my favourite natives, only thing is the bush looks thin so to speak. Its quite bushy for an perennial, but the stems are always really thin and flimsy so to speak, so it has this delicate, un-matured look about it. As a mass planting they look spectacular when in bloom.

Buzzing From The Annuals

I had actually spent a week or two looking for dragonflies to take a picture of for a friend of mine. She was going through a rough patch and a picture of a dragonfly tends to cheer her up. It was high hopes as it was a bit early in the season for dragonflies, then when I was foliar feeding the annuals I could hear this strange buzzing noise. I figured I had peeved off a bunch of bees or something til I looked behind one of the lobelias. This little guy I had managed to soak in seasol, for which I apologized profusely. Poor little bugger must have been freezing. It was rather cool when this was taken, not to mention he would have stank after I got him, as seasol is made from seaweed/kelp and isnt the most pleasant smelling products about. I still had to finish the bed and he was quite content for me to pick him up and put him on another plant well out of the way from my fertilizing.