Monday 28 March 2011

Garden Ramblings

This is our garden yesterday with the round garden table Harry and I filled
with pots and also our vegetable garden to the left.

If my ramblings about my garden are becoming annoying just take me off your google reader or stop reading because I am thoroughly enjoying the excitement my garden is bringing me and I hope that these posts might inspire you to get your gloves on too.  I am actually quite a highly-strung, stressed-out maniac most of time however, I am finding that my garden is a place where I can relax.  I tend to drift off into another world when I am out there.  So, this is what I got up to on the weekend.




Harry and I planted up 10 little pots with succulents, herbs, pansies and another little plant which I can't remember the name of.  We arranged them on a round wire garden table which I placed near our vegetable garden.  I think this idea is such a great idea for interest in a large garden like ours but also would be wonderful on a verandah in an apartment or in a courtyard in a small garden.  I originally got the idea from a story on Deborah Needleman in Lonny magazine.  I think it was in one of their first issues...




We also started planting up some terracotta pots with Hyacinth bulbs which won't flower now until Spring but we are prepared and I think I might plant a few more this weekend as they will make nice gifts when Spring comes around. We also planted 30 Daffodil bulbs into the garden.  This weekend we will plant the Ranunculus, Freesias and tulips {which are currently in the fridge}.  I am keeping my fingers crossed that they will like it here in our red soil and will flower in Spring.



On Saturday we spotted 2 capsicum growing in our vegetable garden along with some corn.  We collected a small basket full of beans and cherry tomatoes which I cooked up on Saturday night.  This week we are planting some pretty sweet peas...this is the perfect time here for planting them.



And just to prove that I am making some headway in the garden compare the top photo in this post to this photo above as this is what one area of our garden looked like just before Christmas last year.  What a difference some effort can make and some help from my Uncle Robbie and Merv our lovely 84 year old gardener.  I can't claim all the accolades although if I didn't work I think I might be out there 24-7!

PS...One day she will be painted white but for the meantime we endure the red, green and yellow...xx

46 comments:

Alecia @ Tchotchkes etc. said...

wow Anna it's looking great!

I'm really interested to see how your bulbs go - I always loves flicking through bulb catalogues you get in garden magazines but am never sure how they'd go in a Brisbane climate. You'll have to post some photos when you get little sprouts coming up!

Alecia
www.tchotchkesetc.blogspot.com

Live Breathe Decor said...

Wow! Amazing progress on your garden, not boring at all. Can't wait to see the bulbs flowering in spring! x Naomi

Urbancrete said...

Beautiful! We're in France so are currently enjoying a different season right now but no less exciting. The vegetable garden is being planted and worked on everyday and our spring bulbs are popping up all over the place. I, too , find a peace when working in the yard that I cannot seem to find anywhere else and the satisfaction of seeing the vegetables coming up is the best. Nothing like home grown.....inspire, inspire, inspire with all of your posts on this!

Brown Button Trading said...

what a fabulous green thumb you have anna - and so glad you have found a 'happy relaxing place' - Love spring bulbs, and at the rate this year is going, they will be up and blooming in no time.

Oh, and the girls from the south are on their way north.... i'll email you soon with details! xx

Krystal James said...

Your garden is beautiful. I like the archetectual spiky plant amongst the soft florals. You may like my garden blog www.serenitynursery.blogspot.com

pve design said...

looks glorious!
pve

mj said...

i love your passion for gardening. it's such a joy o put hard work into something and literally enjoy the fruit.

Emma said...

So impressed with the changes that you have made to the garden, it really looks magnificent now! Your house is gorgeous as well. x

Sarah B said...

Ramble on as much as you like! Your garden is stunning. I know what you mean about the garden bringing you relaxation and peace - it does the same for me. I get so much joy from watching things grow and bloom, plus it happens much quicker than the house reno!

Glamour Drops said...

Anna your ramblings are sweet music to my ears ~ as I also long to spend more hours in my garden!

It never ceases to amaze what a good mood I am in when pottering amongst the plantings, picking a plumply ripe peach or a sun~kissed red tomato, or even when just weeding! Gardening is indeed therapeutic.

You have done wonders with your garden ~ and I love your house. When you wrote of it as a homestead, I see you were not kidding!

And lastly, they say here in Melbourne that St Patrick's Day is the time to plant sweet peas ~ so you are right on the ticket for that!

Karen said...

Ramble on I say! Gardening is awesome, whether it be full ground digging or a few blooming pots.
Enjoy :)

The Decorator said...

Anna, it's so great to see someone so enthused and excited about getting into the garden!
Sometimes I can see my friends glazing over, when I start rabbitting on about planting and fertilising!

It really is rewarding and a great stress release although sometimes there is so much to do, it gets overwhelming, so it's great to approach it bit by bit.
Note to self...must plant bulbs!!

Faux Fuchsia said...

Ok Listen to me- NEVER apologise for a love of gardening! gardeners and gardens are the best things ever! My garden posts are the the least popular things on my blog- care factor NIL!!!!!!!! Come and meet my baby soon. He is the image of his papa.

Norine said...

please keep with the garden stuff! I am planning my landscaping right now and love it!

spiral style said...

Looking wonderful. I'm jealous. Won't be able to garden here in Michigan for another 2 months.

Linda {Calling it Home} said...

WOW, what a "before/after", great job! I love hearing about your garden. My gardening season doesn't start for another month, so I'll enjoy yours. Cheers!

My life in the hills said...

love the layering of plants...

I Dream Of said...

What a terrific way to spend the weekend. Nothing better than rambling through the garden.
Jeanne

zitakiss said...

Ó de jó hogy Nálatok ilyen szép az idő!Szia Zita

Boho Farm and Home said...

I love it! Gardening is my sanity.
Garden posts are my favs!
xo
Caroline

Unknown said...

I love gardens, and I love your ramblings! haha But you guys are awesome, it looks really lovely. :)

The Remnant Room said...

Gardening is my respite from all things stressful too! I refer to my garden as my "church". It is always evolving & changing. I find I am never quite happy with it all and always look forward to each new season to try new things. This fellow garden enthusiast will never get bored!
Happy Monday!
Paula

TINERD said...

wow what a huge and beautiful garden! Me and my tiny patio are envious!

Susan said...

Anna, I think you have done an absolutely SPLENDID job on your planting. I can't wait to see all the flowers and veggies that will result. You give me hope!

What season are you in there? Everything looks so warm and springy.

We currently feel we are in the land of eternal winter. ha! Gardening is in my mind only at this time (and in my garden scrapbook!)

Anna, now I'm going to check out that magazine article. Thanks for the link. Susan

Susan said...

Anna, I think you have done an absolutely SPLENDID job on your planting. I can't wait to see all the flowers and veggies that will result. You give me hope!

What season are you in there? Everything looks so warm and springy.

We currently feel we are in the land of eternal winter. ha! Gardening is in my mind only at this time (and in my garden scrapbook!)

Anna, now I'm going to check out that magazine article. Thanks for the link. Susan

Anonymous said...

Your garden is amazing! Nice work. I wish we had that much greenery where I live.

cassylately.blogspot.com

flowerpress said...

Gardening is my meditation! Your garden is looking beautiful, thanks for sharing :-)

The enchanted home said...

What a beautiful and green garden! I am jealous....and that shiny green bellpepper reminds me that just maybe we will be lucky enough to soon experience warm weather too fit for planting..is there anything greater than picking something out of a garden you grew yourself? The best!

White French said...

Anna what a lovely story on your garden. Please keep on blogging on your beautiful results I too love pottering in my garden and have been inspired to plant some sweet peas and more vegies thank you Beverley xxx

Charlie said...

Anna, I love your garden posts as I am trying to figure out what to do with ours at the moment. I find it so difficult to find pictures of lovely contempory gardens which don't look too modern and sculptural. Anyway yours looks great to me. I love looking at your blog and all your beautiful colours. Love Charlotte xxx

Rose Harvest said...

Very inspiring, keep posting the great garden photos, love them !

Rose Harvest said...

Very inspiring, keep posting the great garden photos, love them !

Lauren & Mel said...

what an awesome job you are doing!

beachcomber said...

your garden is looking fantastic...love where you live!

G said...

Anna, you could talk garden everyday and I would happily listen! Anything green is grabbing my attention at the moment. Yours looks beautiful and I love the table... like a portable garden bed... Georgie x

Natasha @ Northern Light Design said...

Hi Anna,
Really like your garden posts, they remind me of where I grew up as well as of my family. My grandmother, as well as my mother, love spending time in the garden, and they can make anything bloom!! I do not have a large space to garden, so I stick to orchids :)

I have been posting (and one more post will be up soon) on the gardens of Palm Beach, Florida, perhaps you would want to take a peek....?

Northern Light

designchic said...

So inspiring me to put on my gloves...love the gardening posts!!

Jenny M said...

I enjoy watering my vegie patch, after a while you notice the birdsong around you & you feel yourself wind down. I love the roofline of your home, it must have a wonderful feel to the place with the verandahs being a place to sit & relax.

Lee Sisson said...

Hi Anna

Enjoy your beautiful garden,I have just moved from Toowoomba to Moffat Beach and although I am finding my garden difficult to establish in sand I am definetly not missing washing the red dirt from my clothes.

Sanskritstudio said...

I think your garden looks fantastic, the effort is showing. i am a big fan of your shop and your colorful ideas, hopefully one day when i visit australia(i am from singapore), i will meet up with you for a cuppa.

EL at home... said...

Wow Anna, four & a bit months! That's some progress, looks amazing!

2 weeks in and my little garden is thriving, apart from the pesky grasshopper that has demolished my rocket and is now half way through the sage... Any tips?

Lumen Drops said...

Love your home!!!

Livin Westside said...

I love your garden posts. Excited to see your veggies are coming in. I can hardly wait until my construction is done on my house so I can tackle my yard. I really want a veggie garden too. Your posts keep me inspired. Cheers.

Unknown said...

Amazing transformation, and like everyone else, I love to hear all about it. Anna, do you have any special gardening themed blogs that you would recommend? I would be grateful.

Thornicrofts said...

Lovely...amazed what you can do in a year. Not everyone could. Longtime reader, firsttime commenter- would love to know if you are planning a new roof for when you paint the house white.

Louise (Table Tonic) said...

You know you've nailed your garden when it looks like it's been that way for decades... Nice one! I'm not really even a garden person, but just had to comment. The "design" of it, and the plants you've chosen to put together are so divine. Inspiring...
Hope you're really well.
xLouise