Room with a view - Oct 23, 2015
Dear Gardening Friends,
Yesterday I took my boys to music lessons. As we approached Connie's music room I could see this amazing Bougainvillea thru the window. Who wouldn't want to sit here and play the piano?
Without this beautiful flowering plant you would be looking at a boring colourbond fence. New houses are getting so close now you can here your neighbours fart!
The garden space is often too narrow for shrubs but you can plant a vine like Connie did and give yourself some privacy. Other suitable vines could be Chinese Star Jasmine ,Orange Trumpet vine or Tim's Big Black Passionfruit. You need to prune vines annually to keep them looking neat and tidy.
I talked about the Butterfly tree flowering in Mawson park last week. Well yesterday I noticed a spectacular white flowering tree growing between two houses in Camden. On close inspection it turned out to be a White Flowering Butterfly tree. You don't often see the White form and I'm surprised I haven't noticed this tree before. Spectacular!!!
One of our customers put a smile on my face during the week when he turned up at the nursery wearing a butter fly hat. The hat had a wobbly silk butterfly attached at the side with the text "my names Henry" across the front. I asked him who was Henry? Him or the butterfly and he shot back with the answer "both of us are Henrys". We had a laugh and it turns out Henry wears the hat just to make people smile. The world needs more Henrys!
Sad news yesterday when the tree loppers turned up at The Colonial Motor Inn next door. They chopped down a 50 year old She Oak first then the 100+ year old London Plain tree came down too. I can't believe this tree wasn't heritage listed. The sandstone building is. We rang council trying to stop this vandalism but we had no success.
This is what it looked like before the tree was removed.
The building looks terrible without the beautiful tree! The world has gone crazy.
Gazanias often get poo pooed by gardeners because they are too easy to grow. But when it gets dry plants like Gazanias and Geraniums really start to put on a floral show.
These yellow flowering Gazanias are growing outside Bradbury Swimming Pool in a raised brick garden bed that is surrounded by concrete. Death would be certain for other plants but the Gazanias are thriving. I'm sure they never get watered so they rely on rainfall for survival. If you're a brown thumb grow Gazanias. They will make you and the bees happy!
After stopping to take photos of the Gazanias I discovered this amazing cottage garden next door. The Fox Gloves caught my eye first. So I knocked on the door for permission to take photos. Wayne and Renate Brown came to the door. They are frequent shoppers at our nursery. Such a beautiful floral display and not a Cordyline in sight!
Bad news for Cordyline lovers. They actually do flower. I shot this one in flower at the Campbelltown Art Gallery. The flowers look like fireworks. So spectacular.
Check out the beautiful Weeping Maple that is growing inside the Japannese Garden surrounding the Art Gallery. This place has amazing karma if you need to escape the world. Get a coffee from the cafe and sit and watch the giant koi swimming in the pond. Everything will be alright.
Happy Gardening
Tim