The Great Unkillables

This is the flower of a Canna Lily. They are one of the plants that I refer to as 'The Great Unkillables', so to anyone who isnt accustomed to my slang, this is a plant that is incredibly hard to kill provided you ensure they have enough water to establish them, occasional watering and maintenance (eg, pruning the dead shoots). Admittedly they wont look very pleasant if they barely get any water or care, the edges of the leaves will burn, they wont grow much higher than your knee and will generally look terrible. If they receive general care, they can get quite tall (Ive seen some in very damp spots reach up to 2m high), flower prolifically and spread like nobodies business. When they get too thick, take to them with a shovel and dig them up to thin them out. They generally wont mind. The plant grows from rhizomes under the grounds surface. The rhizomes have several growing points, so the plant forms a large clumping habit. They come in quite an assortment of tropical colours. The flowers range from pink, red, orange, yellow and mixtures there of. The leaves can also come in a variety of colours from green to dark plum. You can also find varieties with stripey variegation on their leaves in an assortment of colours from bright red or bright yellow, that is mixed with a shade of light green or dark green. They are a plant that is extremely good at giving your garden a tropical flavour and can be extremely rewarding with very little care. Just a word of caution, they will grow quite thick and spread quickly if they are growing in very damp conditions. Also apologies for the photo quality, still saving for a new phone.

Wishing Our Lives Away.

Today is too hot, crazy hot. We mowed lawns and it was hot. So hot infact, that when the mowing was done, I went and stood under the hose for a good 20min. I was dry again within an hour. So, I figured that seeing as its too hot, I would post a photo from winter. This is from winter 2011, I think. We dont often get rains like this. The lake is filled from a river that runs down from the hills (unfortunately I dont know the name of the river), down into Sanctuary Lake, then into the lake in Minnawarra. In summer we have to fill the lake from the bores (as its a retic lake and would dry up otherwise) and stop when it is full and doesnt flow over the rocks. In winter, when there is a big deluge of rain this happens. It is impressive to see and I do miss it. Its funny, we spend most of winter wishing for summer to come along and when it gets here, we wish for the cool embrace of winter again. We are never content are we?

Well There You Go

These are the curled fronds of a tree fern in one of the main parks. I can still remember when I was studying horticulture and I discovered that Tree Ferns (Cyathea cooperi and Cyathea australis) were Australian species of the plant. I guess growing up in Western Australia, I sometimes forget that parts of the country are quite tropical. So, naturally, the plants would be very different to the scrub that grows round Perth. Surprisingly enough tree ferns grow quite well in Perth, just make sure they are in a darn good location (part/dappled shade with improved soil, NOT SAND!). The main thing you have to watch with tree ferns is they grow. Ive seen them grow up to nearly 2 stories tall next to a south facing side of a building. Admittedly it was a very old plant, but the point to note is it explains this in the plants namesake. TREE fern, ie; tree like growth. They get quite tall and the fronds can spread across up to about 2m if theyre really happy where they are. So please when planting make sure they have room to grow, coz if you have to get rid of one they are easy to chop down but removing the stump is a royal bastard of a job.

Butterfly Like Flowers

This is something I believed that everyone knew, turns out it isnt as common knowledge as I first thought. Hydranges have flowers that can change colour from pink to blue and back again. The flower is indicative of the pH in the soil. If it is pink, then the soil is slightly acidic. If the flower is blue then the soil is alkaline. If the flowers are a mix like the ones in the picture, then your dealing with an inbetween, or close to neutral. For some reason people love blue flowers, so they buy a lovely blue hydrangea, then get really stroppy when it flowers the next year and the flowers are pink. Just adjust the pH and the flowers will revert back. Another word of caution that I thought was another obvious common knowledge thing. The name Hydrangea should even give it away, they are VERY thirsty plants. Dont grow them in barren sand, in the full sun. They will burn and die very quickly. Grow them in part/dappled shade, in damp soil (so lots of organic matter) and spray occasionally with copper to discourage fungal diseases (as they are very prone to mildew). They will look a bit sick during the winter months, dont fret they just do this. Prune them back to buds at the beginning of spring and for all that is good and wholesome, MULCH THEM!

Memories

I apologise for the image quality, still hanging out to get a new phone. I got really excited when I spotted this creeper in the staff garden the other day. Its a pretty innocuous looking creeper, nothing special, lots of bright green hear shaped leaves. I didnt think anything of it til I saw it flower, ITS A DUTCHMAN'S PIPE!!!!! Oh my frickety god! I havent seen one in years! They arent a plant that you see very often, even though its quite a vigorous climber. Its namesake is obvious when you see the flower shape, it certainly is one of the more unusual shaped blossoms that Ive come across. The species means alot to me as its a plant I remember from my childhood. My stepfather grew one and would always proudly proclaim it to anyone who would listen. Embarrassing as it was at the time, it just makes me smile now.

Geek Hide And Seek

Please stop questioning my sanity, yes I am posting up a picture of a long dead tree stump. There is a story behind this stump. It use to house a little Geocache. I discovered it by accident about a year ago during the rubbish run. Geocaching is a game that I call Geek Hide and Seek, as you require technology to find the treasure. I have never done it myself, but I know a little about it. One of the relatives I stayed with while I was on holiday in the UK did this as a hobby. In its simplest version you log onto one of the geocaching websites and get a series of co-ordinates, you plug these into a gps and then try to find the cache. So its like a treasure hunt I guess. There are other versions, such as one that requires you to find clues, or locate the co-ordinates from numbers on signs, plaques, etc in the local area. Ultimately you try to find the cache and leave a little note in the logbook and sometimes swap an item for one of the treasures inside. I dont know what sort this one was, but it has since been removed (hence the reason I can now post a picture of it online). I enjoyed it because if we were having a lazy day, I could stop on the rubbish run and read the little entries in the logbook (its surprising how many overseas visitors put entries into the book) and watch the toys change in the little container. I really do miss it sometimes.

Display

Ive been working at the counsil for about 18 months now. We replace the annuals up to 4 times a year (Depending on the mood of my boss at any given time. Sometimes he wants them changed alot, sometimes we can get away with it). A trick Ive learnt when planting the annual beds. Always try to have a bright colour on hand, such as white or yellow. When you plant a mass of colours, the whites and yellows break up the colour of the bed and brighten up the display a lot. Another trick, feed the darn things! Annual beds are typically phased out of counsils and public displays now days due to their high demand for water and fertilizer. Annuals are only meant to live for a season, sometimes if you look after them, they can last longer but typically a year is a good innings for plants such as these. So because they have to grow and breed in such a short time, they need alot of water and fertilizer. Trick is not to let them dry out too much and to give them liquid fertilizer once ever 2-3 weeks. Liquid fertilizers are an easy to access source of nutrients for these plants and you would be surprised the difference makes when you feed them this. They can certainly put on such lovely displays when they are done right :)