Melting

We use wheelie bins alot at work. Not only for putting in the bin cages around the park, but for various gardening jobs when it is impractical to stick a small load onto the ute, or when we simply cant get the ute close enough to the rubbish. On all wheelie bins, there is usually some pretty clear instructions along the lines of "No Hot Ashes Or Liquids". Seems pretty simple. Bins are made of plastic and plastic usually doesnt like high temperatures. The poor wheelie bin in the picture is the result of a pile of hot ashes being dumped inside it. It didnt melt through right away, however when the rubbish truck emptied the bid, the entire base of the bin fell through. So, this bin gets to retire early from the work force, Wicked Witch of the West style .... Im Melting, Melting .....

Naming An Arrow

A wonderful friend of mine sent me a few books on different types of fungi that grow in the South West of Western Australia. So, for the first time, I am able to tell you what you are looking at other then broadly saying that it is a fungi and that I find it fascinating. 

So, without further ado, this fungi is a Black Morel (Morchella elata). There are apparently several species of them in WA, but Black Morel is the only one found in the South West. I found this guy growing in amongst the Lemon and Lime beds. I spotted it while doing the rubbish run and thought it was some rotten food someone had thrown in the bed. Turns out its quite unusual to find them growing in the city, as they prefer the country side more. If your wondering where the spores grow, they form along the ridges of the cap, which is what can give the fungi its black appearance. This one is most likely hasnt produced its spores yet, given that it is still fawn in colour.

Blow

Dandelion Clock. Make a wish and blow.

The most useful piece of information I can give you on getting rid of Dandelions is to not let them get to this stage. There is a saying amongst gardeners that goes 'One days weeding is 7 years seeding'. The numbers will vary slightly, but essentially if you can remove a weed before it flowers, then it has less chance of producing seeds which can lie dormant in the soil for years (depending on the species). So prevention is better then cure.

If your unable to beat the plant to this stage, then Dandelions have a tap root underneath those rosette leaves you see. Get the tap root out and you have eliminated the problem. If you leave most of the tap root behind, then the plant will simply regrow and continue on. So essentially, doing a half arsed job of it will not make your life easier in the long run.

Gots Me A Photo

I finally managed to get a decent picture of a butterfly. They can be skittish creatures at times. This is a Wanderer Butterfly (also known as a Monarch Butterfly). These butterflies are found in various countries around the world and are native to all areas in Australia. Interesting to note, while they can be skittish when you attempt to take a photo of the buggers, this is the species typically used for Butterfly Releases at events like weddings, christenings, funerals, etc. There are a couple of reasons for this. First they quite strong and resilient as butterflies go. Secondly they are quite grand and with their vivid orange wings, are easy to spot. Finally, although it has taken me 2 years to get a decent photo of one, they are actually fairly people friendly. So they will quite happily flutter around amongst the crowds. Also, these butterflies can live for up to 6 months. They only really disappear in the winter when it gets too cold for them. So its nice to know when you do a butterfly release for a special occasion, you are not condemning it to death once it is released into the wild. It will just look for shelter and a food source, then continue on with the grand circle of life by laying eggs and making more butterflies.

GAH!

This is a really bad infestation of Black Scale. I discovered this by fluke, as its in an area that we only need to maintain a couple of times a year and its not normally me who maintains it. Scale is a type of really small insect. It settles on the leaf and forms a protective coating over itself, then lives inside this coating feeding on the plant, sucking sap. There are several different types, this one as I mentioned is called Black Scale, for obvious reasons. Scale is a tricky bugger to kill. When infestations are this bad, its easier to just dig up the plant and toss it. Unfortunately it isnt an option in this case. If your dealing with small dose of the pest, then it is easily treated but it seems to be one of these pests that are hard to get rid of. You can try soapy water with garlic as it coats them and they cant breathe. This is occasionally successful. I find I get better results with spraying Confidor on the plant. If you are using an aerosol, please spray the plant from at least 30cm away or you will burn the leaves and kill the plant, that is why I prefer the spray bottles or mixing from concentrate. You will also find, even with small infestations of scale, you will need to do a couple of repeat applications over a couple of months to get it under control. Good luck.

Colourful Tulips

The tulips have pretty much finished at work. Unfortunately they do not last very long, but look stunning while they are out. This is the first time I have encountered a double tulip flower. For those of you not playing at home, a double flower is when a bloom has more than a single layer of petals. This is also one of the few tulips I have seen with multiple blooms to a single bulb.  As you can tell from this photo, there are 3 large blooms, and underneath the petals are a couple more buds waiting to open. If you wish to keep the bulbs for next year, make sure that they were fed with a good fertiliser just as the flower buds were forming, and when the flowers have finished cut off the dead blooms but leave the leaves. This stops the plant putting energy into forming seeds and sends the rest of its energy down into the bulb to be stored for next years growth. When the leaves are dead, you can leave the bulb to regrow next year. Please mind that you will have to dig up the bulbs within about 5 years, otherwise they may end up rotting.

A Rogue White

Lavender is a tricksy little thing. Ive known this since I studied at tafe over 10 years ago, but I have a bad habit of forgetting that not everyone knows this. Lavender is available in 3 different colours. Everyone knows about the purple, as this is the most common colour, however you can also find it in shades of mauve and white. The one in this picture self seeded in one of the parks that had been left to grow. If you are ever trying to propogate lavender, it is possible to do so by softwood cuttings. I have had very little success with this and find it easier to hunt around where a large bush is growing and you will usually find seedlings popping up their little heads this time of year.