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.