Going native in the Perth Spring

Made the most of the rain today and got some native plants into the front garden.

Via BOM (radar)

 Hoping they'll survive okay over the Summer - it does get pretty harsh!

View on Flickr

 Here's a record of our plantings today, so we can see how they develop (or, if we lose any!)...

1. Grevilleas
'Little Drummer Boy' (grevillea langiera dwarf), 'Mini Marvel' (grevillea thelemanniana):
These are shrubby groundcovers that suit rockeries and underplanting, with showy sprays of flowers that you can expect from Grevilleas. Good also in coastal conditions. The Thelemanniana is endemic to West Aust.

'Robyn Gordon' (grevillea banksii x bipinnatifida) is a showy Grevillea endemic to West Aust with red/pink flowers in the classic Grevillea style of tumbling sprays of flowers. It should flower almost continuously too, and is bird-attracting. We've used it as a bit of a screen for our bins, but it sits under a large Callistemon tree - so, here's hoping it will settle in okay.

2. 'White Wave' (Leptospernum)
This is a small teatree shrub with gorgeous white 'foaming' flowers along the stems. Also bird-attracting and is good around rockeries and for small gardens as it grows to about 50cm high and 1 metre wide. There are so many beautiful teatree varieties too, from white through to deep pinks and mauves and everything inbetween.

3. 'Sea of Purple' Hardenbergia (violacea)
This is one of my favourite spreading native plants, as I grew up with it around the stunning karri bush of my hometown, Pemberton, hanging from the trees and sprawling along the understory, showing of its pea-like purple flowers! We've planted four of these in the hope we'll get a lovely visual feast of purple, plus some cover to minimise the dreadful onion weed and other weeds that spring up.

4. Groundcovers
'Purple fanfare' (scaevola aemula) has a lovely semi-circle, fan-shaped purple flower on creeping stems, with slightly serrated glossy green leaves. It's of the Goodenia family and also found in white.

'Creeping Boobialla' (myoporum parvifolium) is a creeping groundcover that can quickly develop a matting habit (actually been found as a weed in parts of the USA). Ours has pastel pink flowers and tight dense leaves along the length of the stems. Fast growing, so again hoping to keep down the weeds, as it develops. May need to prune of it becomes to invasive for other plants.

There's also a small Dianella (flax lilly) in front of the rock to the left of the path - it has gorgeous little purple-blue flowers on stems that extend above the leaves. It's a lovely native that seems to do well wherever you plant it (here's hoping!).

We'll see how it's all looking this time next year!

Happy gardening!

Ah-choo! Spring is here

Ah-chooooo! Okay, it is most definitely spring! The bees are out in full force, flowers are everywhere, there's that familiar haze across the urban landscape that is no doubt full of pollens and other stuff small enough to tickle noses - at least my nose is telling me that!

Star flowers at Lake Monger by margoc

Our garden has been ticking away in the background over recent weeks, so not much to report, except that a jolly good mow was required last week, as Alfie, being almost one and a half, nearly disappeared in the tall grassy weeds!!

The spuds are rocketing along and the rocket has been severly cut back to allow the spuds to do so :o)
They have needed a bit more water of late - we haven't been all that consistent in their watering, but they seem to have produced in spite of the neglect!

Our artichoke has three lovely big flowerheads which can almost be cut - can't wait to make a nice, fresh stew with them!

Artichoke by margoc

The snowpeas have finally finished and we pulled them out yesterday - this year we will plant some capsicums in their place and see how they go. I'm keen to make a capsicum puree for the kids, to replace lots of the tinned toms we go through (in the bucketload!) - it will be a nice change in flavour and sweetness I think.

We have had to water again after recent rains and it always amazes me how quickly the ground becomes quite dry and the sand once again seems to take over (as much as the weeds and grasses).

By the feel of the sun, Summer is just around the corner - it won't be too long before we are complaining about the heat!

Happy gardening!

Big Bopper is fruiting

At last! The Big Bopper passionfruit vine, after much flowering and promise, has about half a dozen fruit hanging proudly!




I wonder how big the fruit get? Anyone had much luck with this variety?

These look average size so far, so let's see if they get any bigger. They are nice and heavy which is a good sign.

Bop on Big Bopper!

Eco Fair in Mosman Park

If you have some time tomorrow you might like to check out the inaugural Eco Fair at St Luke's in Mosman Park.

Here's hoping the rain holds off ...at least for some of the time!

Happy gardening!

New Summer plantings

So far December to January hasn't been headsplitting hot -- yet! Am sure February will turn it on for us here in Perth, as usual.

We received two Papaya trees from Simon's grandmother which we've put in the terraced garden bed for a bit of protection, particularly in the Winter months as they don't like the cold wind and weather too much - hopefully that corner will provide a bit of residue heat and protection (borrowed a bit from the large Macadamia tree next door. I'm just hoping the rats don't take to the fruit like they do to the nuts!!)

Two Papaya trees and Okra seedling.

We also have a large Okra seedling growing and are hoping this does better than our previous two!! I love the gumminess of the fruit too. :o)

Thanks to Simon for cleaning out the garden bed in the heat and dosing up the bed before planting these babies in their new home!

Happy gardening!

At Home with Josh Byrne

At Home with Josh Byrne a photo by margoc on Flickr.

We visited Josh Byrne's home garden last weekend. It's amazing what you can do in a small space! The front garden is a water wise native garden and looks so lush. The retaining recycled limestone wall really gives the garden form and structure and no doubt acts as a bit of a water diversion to other parts of the garden. Clancy loved the sleepers, stepping along to different areas, one part with a sort of wishing well again made from the same material as the retaining wall - there was a sense of adventure about it all.

The rear yard is amazing: an edible garden and sensory feast using raised beds, pots, bins, a vertical herb garden, plus a sandpit and cubbyhouse for the kids, surrounded by aromatic herbs.

I'll say Josh certainly has an eye for design, using the space well to create areas of activity and relaxation - I especially loved the pergola overgrown with a passionfruit vine and the inviting lounge suite beneath!

Mostly, I wanted to see firsthand his greywater set up - very high tech (well it looked that way) - water is probably the biggest issue Perth gardeners face.

Well, happy sustainable gardening... it's going to be another long, hot Summer!

Sustainable House Day 2011

Part of Sustainable September includes Sustainable House Day. We visited an open house on Sunday morning, a renovation (retaining the small, street-facing original double brick home) using passive solar and universal design principles throughout. It was really helpful to talk with the owner and hear their experiences on the ins and outs of designing and building a home using green principles.

Here are my take away thoughts:

• Get a number of quotes from architects and builders before making a final decision.
• Have a good ongoing relationship with your architect (they can also help when talking with the builders, especially if issues arise).
• Be prepared to compromise if necessary for practicality sake (it's incredibly expensive to take a purist's view on sustainable design and building!) and be wary of "green washing".
• Be available regularly at least to stay in touch with progress, especially if there are suggested design changes.
• Engage builders who are knowledgable in sustainable building practices, materials and approaches (including minimising on-site rubbish and disruption where possible).
• Be realistic (and well prepared) about budget and timeframes!
• Think beyond the initial build/renovation (i.e. future proofing and ongoing maintenance needs, etc).
• Be prepared for a relatively stressful time throughout. :o)

And the garden? Don't leave it til the end, build it into the design and get stuck in! :o)

Happy gardening!

Remember Sustainable September

Don't forget it's Sustainable September in Perth! Of course, every month should be (is) filled with our sustainable efforts, but this month provides lots of opportunitites to highlight the ways in which you can be sustainable in your home and business. Check out the Calender of Events for the month.

Happy gardening!

Planting the "Big Boppa" (passionfruit)

Planting the "Big Boppa" (passionfruit) a photo by margoc on Flickr.

A lovely way to spend a Father's Day morning - planting a passionfruit vine (with a little help).

This is a hybrid of the Panama Gold variety called the Big Boppa. I've read mixed reviews about its productivity, but hoping that with the right condiitons and feeding it will do well. It is supposedly a vigorous grower with large yellow-ish fruit and quite pulpy.

It should, together with the black passionfruit we just planted, create a nice shade and wind break in the summer months, as wll as lush fruit (mmmmmm pavlova anyone?!).

As always, happy gardening!

Passionfruit vine

passionfruit a photo by margoc on Flickr.

We put in a passionfruit vine last weekend on the western side of the house (where the patio is) and we are hoping this will develop into some living shade from the harsh Summer sun. This one is known as a Sunshine Special and is said to do really well in Perth and all year round.

Thanks to Simon for getting stuck into this one and digging out the hole! We filled it with yummy manure, soil conditioner (a wetting agent) and lots of mulch.

Let's see how long it takes to reach the roofline!

Until then, happy gardening!

Perth's sandy soil

Welcome to our new gardening blog! We have travelled across the continent from Canberra where we enjoyed pottering about in our garden there, to take up residence here in sunny, sandy Perth!

We are currently renting so there are a few things we are thinking about in terms of how we go about setting up our new garden here. Firstly and most pressing is the very sandy soil. Perth literally sits on a sand dune, making gardening a real challenge.

Being a Gardening Australia viewer, I always enjoy Perth-based presenter, Josh Byrnes's advice, and he shares some tips for dealing with sandy soil as well as his ideas for those who live in rentals. Josh reckons the sandy Perth soil is "gutless", especially for fruit trees, which we'd love to grow (probably in pots though):

"To fix this type of soil add some key ingredients. Bentonite clay helps retain nutrients, compost adds organic matter to the soil, rock minerals provide trace elements, pelletised manure adds a slow release fertiliser, and blood and bone."

Basically, Josh says to use four basic ingredients to help build up sandy soil:

1. a surfactant-based wetting agent, to beat hydrophobia
2. organic matter, like aged sheep manure
3. ground rock dust (for trace elements and minerals)
4. mulch to minimise evaporation, something like pea straw, for example.

For vegies it's also good to add a finer type of compost and use seaweed and/or fish emulsion to boast growth.



We are choosing to put in some raised beds along a north-facing fenceline. This way we avoid much of the sandy soil and can contain the garden in an otherwise large open space in the backyard of the property. We also have an opportunity to do these in "no dig" style - great for me as I'm 6 months pregnant! Again, there's a good step-by-step how to guide via the Gardening Australia website.

We have a compost bin going already and will also set up our worm farm once more, so just a matter of spending a small amount of time on these preparations and we are underway! To start, we have put in two large planter boxes for herbs - it's nice to have just that little bit of green (Clancy has a pot of flowers too).



I can't wait - we've only been away from Canberra for about 4 weeks and I miss my gardening heaps!

Anyway... happy gardening!