Frangipanis have arrived!!!!! - Oct 23, 2020
The sweet summer fragrance of Frangipani
Dear gardening friends
The staff and I spent all day unloading Frangipanis yesterday. Our annual shipment, from Darwin, arrived packed in boxes.
We have around 45 varieties.
We have reds, orange, pink, yellow, white and bicolours too.
We have double flowering and dwarf growing. I'll put the full list in next weeks newsletter.
Frangipani collectors from all over NSW will be visiting us in the next few days.
The most collectable varieties always sell out first. Plants are priced from $19.99.
"Black Jack" is $24.99.
Zoom zoom or miss out.
These plants have been packed in boxes for several days so the leaves often fall off but within a week they sprout fresh new growth and begin to take off.
We repot some of the bigger plants into bigger pots using Tims Best Potting Mix.
It's absolutely incredible just how fast they grow in our potting mix.
You can grow your Frangipani in a big pot too. You can actually put a couple of plants in the same pot and make a rainbow Frangipani tree.
Choose colours that will look fabulous together.
Put your pot in a sunny spot.
Up against a north facing brick wall is perfect. Frangipanis love the heat.
The bricks heat up and help protect your plants in winter.
Frangipanis make beautiful smaller growing trees for your garden too.
Don't plant them down near the letterbox.
They grow better, up against your house, where they will get more protection in winter.
Frangipani store water in their leaves and thick stems, so they have a smaller root system, than other trees.
This makes them perfect for today's courtyard sized gardens.
I spotted this amazing hanging basket on Gumtree recently.
It's called Lotus Gold Flash.
It's a beautiful grey leaf, ground cover plant, that looks amazing when it's grown in pots and hanging baskets.
It has spectacular, banana like, flowers in spring.
We've got beautiful plants in the nursery today for just $18.99.
Grey leaf plants grow best in full sun.
Use our Tim's Best Potting Mix for the best results.
Edward Romstein was waiting at the gate yesterday morning, on his electric scooter. He rides down all the way from Ruse.
He came in, and starting zooming around the nursery. He knew what he wanted.
What struck me straight away, was just how happy he was.
He had a smiling face.
"Have you got any Bougainvilleas?"
Was his opening question.
I've got them coming next week.
"What about Buddlejas?
My friends got one and it looks amazing at the moment, the birds love it."
I've got White or Raspberry.
"I'll take the Raspberry".
I started off asking him about the scooter.
"I've had this one for 6 years, I drive it everywhere. I can only walk from here to there, so it's great.
I had a massive heart attack and then when I was recovering I had a stroke".
Jesus mate, he was trying to get rid of you.
He laughs.
"No, he's keeping me here".
What did you do before this happened?
"I ran a Catering business in Ultimo, I was in charge of 35 people. We had the tender for University Canteens."
When did you become a gardener?
"This is the thing, my wife and I had nothing to do when we both retired, so we took up gardening, we both love it. I've got pots everywhere.
I'm building a vegetable garden at the moment. I sit at a table and construct things. I'm not in a hurry, I take my time.
Do you have good soil?
I'll need it next week"
Do you do all the work yourself?
How will you fill up the garden?
My son comes to visit every day.
He's 52.
He's got cancer.
It's in remission.
He's got a second chance."
But mate you're so bloody happy.
"Be happy and laugh.
I go to my doctor, Henry Newman, and he says, what are you doing here?
you're happier than me.
Get out of here.
But I do take 19 tablets a day.
Are you the boss here?
I usually see the other guy.
He delivers stuff for me."
Do you want to talk about footy?
I've just noticed the Parra hat.
"Don't put shit on me please.
We didn't come last this year.
We won a few.
Is this story going in the paper?"
No mate, it's going on Facebook.
Get your son to show you.
How old are you?
"72, I've been married 56 years.
I got married when I was 16."
Nooooooooooooo.
He laughs.
I've made a friend.
The Cicadas went marching two by two hurrah hurrah...........
When I first moved into my new house, I don't remember hearing Cicadas.
I had one tree on the property.
I've planted at least 80 since.
The Cicadas seem to love Manchurian Pear Trees. This tree in particular has become the Cicadas Avatar.
The sound of Cicadas singing was deafening last night.
It only lasts for a while.
It brings back memories for me, growing up in Rydalmere.
We spent a lot of time climbing trees, to catch these colourful, noisy creatures.
There were more colours in those days.
I've only seen Green Grocers in my garden.
'Feeding and diet
Greengrocers are common on a range of trees, the adults spend much of the daytime sucking sap from branches.
Communication
Dusk is the usual time to hear the male Greengrocers calling for females, but they also sing in the morning on warm days. The harsh song may be continuous or delivered in short bursts, and can be extremely loud and penetrating.
Life history cycle
Adult Greengrocer cicadas live for around six weeks. Females deposit eggs into dead or dying branches of a food plant. The eggs hatch after about four months into spidery-looking, long-legged nymphs that burrow into the soil. Here they suck sap out of plant roots and grow for up to seven years, emerging as adults between September and November on warm nights often following rain.'
It makes me happy to think that the trees I have planted, have become homes for nature.
As I look out my kitchen window, I can see a mud Peewee nest, in a tree, that's full of chicks.
A Willie Wag Tail couple have nested nearby too. These busy birds, help control the insect population.
I've spotted a few more places where I could plant more trees, on my way into Camden this morning.
Not in my garden.
Someone else's.
Our nursery is looking fabulous this week.
There's so much Christmas colour.
Yes it's just around the corner.
It's time to make your garden shine.
We've got so much colour.
It will make you smile.
Zoom zoom.
Happy gardening
Tim