Bitters, Lime and Lemon

Ventured out to the backyard the other day (don't get me wrong, my backyard is not very big. It  was just a matter of braving the cold to open the backdoor once we huddled inside to warm up upon our return from Darwin).
With a glimmer of sunshine, I was delighted to see just how wonderful my two Meyer lemons and two lime trees had fared while I wasn't looking.
There were lemons and limes everywhere.
It's amazing what your garden gets up to in the chilly months when you take your eyes off it.
What a delight. I had planted the trees about eight years.
Heavily pregnant, with the birth of my third child, Lucy, imminent I was madly nesting.
"Come on," I cajoled my husband. "Let's get this backyard sorted."
There was the small matter of a great block of concrete buried underneath the garden bed. It was so big we feared there must be a body buried underneath it. We think it may have been a clothesline foundation or some such thing. But it took many hours of jackhammering for it to be removed.
We got some nice herringbone brick paving and left a garden bed about a metre wide along the back fence.
We nourished that old soil like we were feeding a sickly child. Mushroom compost, cow manure and pea straw.The plan had been to espalier the trees.
I planted them carefully, tying branches against the lines of wire we had attached to the fence. It felt mean to chop off perfectly healthy branches and force the remaining branches against the wall. But it was inspired by the likes of garden designer Paul Bangay. In front of the citrus trees I planted a row of sweetly scented gardenias. In front of them a low hedge of hidcote lavender bushes. The garden flourished. But all this time later some things have fallen by the wayside. For instance, I couldn't bear to chop my verdant lemons and limes and they started to grow a little bit crazy. The gardenias flourished for a long time but then they lost their light source when the lemons and limes went a bit wild. They started looking spindly. Some died. I re-potted a few into big tubs. Then the lavender looked leggy with big woody bits. That had to go, replaced by a hedge of rosemary. That, too, looked lovely for a while. These days. The lemons and limes rule. And I'm OK with that. I have planted a few hellebores underneath them. They are still finding their feet. But what to do with all that citrus?

Fragrant Frangipani

What better way to escape Melbourne's chilly winter mornings than a trip to the top end? Yes, lovely Darwin where the weather is a beautiful high 20 degrees every day. (But they do tell me the wet season is horrendous).
So, we made our way north and lapped up the lovely weather. I also loved the tropical plants. Think frangipani, marvellous lilies and the like. Okay. I don't know all the names but it is a tropical wonderland.
At Wangi Falls, in the Litchfield National Park, the monsoonal forest is a treat. The shrill sound of bats overhead are disconcerting. I felt like I was an extra in a some thriller and something evil was about to swoop and harm me. The kids were scared stiff. It's one way to keep them quiet.
A great way to cool off is to jump into the falls.

Winter pruning

OK, I know I was muttering about taking the clippers to the hydrangeas months ago. Well holidays and other things got in the way. I have to confess that I have just completed the task in the past few days. My procrastination was not without its upsides. The mother of one of my neighbors bailed me up in the street and begged me if she could cut a bunch of the dying flower heads.
She planned to dry them. I handed her the secateurs and she was thrilled. Perhaps, I could have urged her to keep on trimming back to the new growth! Anyway, I finally set about doing the task over the weekend. Pat, my neighbour, has a pair of long handled Fiskars clippers and happily presented me with them when she saw me struggling to reach some of the higher branches. I trimmed the blooms back to the new bulging buds. Then, I cut into the standard ficus that is growing like topsy. (it was one of a pair but they grew so much they busted out of their terracota pots) I have been warned that it could get out of control and the roots will spread. I am keeping a watchful eye on it. But the thing I love about it so much is that it has flourished in a spot in front of my verandah, along the front fence where nothing else has grown. I planted a row of sasanqua camellias and the one in that very spot died. Then I planted another and it died. Now, that the ficus has grown it provides a lovely bit of privacy in front of the door. You see our house is very close to the street and privacy is sometimes lacking. I then set about chopping up the cuttings so they would be able to break down in the compost bin. Now, the next big task is to cut back the ornamental grape vine. It provides such magnificent colour in autumn. Just gorgeous.

Too busy gardening to be writing

Last year, I started this blog - A Sprig of Parsley - as the days were getting warmer and Spring was approaching. I thought it would marry my love of writing with my love of gardening. I had planned to post regular updates and all things botanical. Not just in my little patch, but in other places I saw or visited. Well, what happened? The weather go too nice to sit at a desk, got a bit busy with the demands of little people, getting a big girl ready for high school and who knew graduating from primary school would be such a big deal? Then there was Christmas and holidays and a wonderful trip to New Zealand's beautiful South Island. Is that enough excuses? So here I am, back at my paid job and back ferrying kids from tennis to netball to swimming and cricket and so on. But I doubt I would change too many things. I am also back surveying my garden and looking at all the little jobs I need to do. First cab of the rank, before an Easter trip to Coffs Harbour, is to prune the hydrangeas. I have mentioned these before. I lovely mass of pink at the front, near the verandah. They are tough as old boots. The house was built around 1910 and I am guessing that they were planted not too long after. I am not in any great rush to chop them. There are still some bright pink blooms mixed among the reddish-green autum coloring of the faded blooms. I will, as my taught me so many years ago in our garden in Ballarat, prune just above a sprouting shoot. I also will only prune the branches that have borne a bloom this year. I am not a great garden waterer but so far, after 12 years owning this house, this bush has survived through drought and excess rain. May it outlive me.

Goodbye Cubbyhouse

As a parent there are various stages you reach in your life - goodbye Huggies, cot, pram, high chair and assorted bits and pieces.
Oh, isn't lovely when you can head out the door without lugging a huge bag of assorted needs?
At the weekend we closed another chapter. We said goodbye to our faithful cubbyhouse.
Bought secondhand from a colleague a decade ago we transported it - in its eight pieces - from Blackburn and duly set it up in our tiny Richmond courtyard.
We filled it with the itty bitty things that the littlies love - the small dresser, oven, table and chair (thrown in with the cubby) and assorted dinner sets, toasters and much more.
For a long time it was a source of great pleasure.
But some time, and I can't quite put my finger on when, it became a repository for everything that did not have a home. That's what happens when you live on small blocks without garages.
It bulged with boogies boards, golf clubs, bikes, easels and much more.
Some time recently I decided enough. We needed to get rid of it and unlock a rather large corner of our small backyard. A hastily organised garage sale saw it and other things we could live without put on the selling block.
Although we had mixed results, we offload the cubbyhouse. The new owner is excited. They live around the corner and are planning a makeover for it. They say where they plan to re-erect it will mean we will see it from the street. Looking forward to that. And I am also looking forward to planning what I am going to do with my nearly 2m by 2m plot. What should I do?

Delightful Daphne

I am loving my daphne bush at the moment. Each day as I step out the front door there are more of the beautifully formed flowers coming into bloom.
Another one of my favourite flowers. The scent is gorgeous and if you can feel an emotional attachment to a plant I've got one with this one.
For more years than I can remember my late mum tried to grow a daphne bush in our big garden in Ballarat. No luck. Then one Mother's day my Dad turned up with a little pot of daphne. (possiby the most romantic thing he ever did!)
It was duly planted in the corner and over time grew and grew. It became a source of great enjoyment.
Later, I took some cuttings and this is how I now have my lovely, flourishing daphne.
I think that must have been nearly 20 years ago, as I have now lived in Melbourne for 22 years.
It is not in a very spectacular pot, but one thing I am led to believe is true with daphnes - they don't like to be messed with.
With that in mind, I am leaving it put in its rather dated fake Tuscan-look plastic pot! Last year, I noticed it was getting really leggy and decided it needed a good trim. I am pleased to say that it is looking more compact and flowering better than ever. It also enjoys a position on the verandah where it gets morning sun. Everyone should have a daphne plant. My mate, Olga, has no less than six.

Boboli Gardens, Florence

A view from the Boboli Gardens, in Florence.