Oh my goodness it has been hot these last few weeks! A week or so ago we had a run of 5 days over 40 °C and the last few days have been really hot too. It has been so hot lately it has been hard to think about what February gardening jobs might need doing besides watering the plants! We reached 41 yesterday, 42 today and we have another hot day tomorrow coming up before we get a much needed cool change. We have basically been spending our days indoors because it has been just too hot to work … [Read more...]
January Gardening 2014: What’s Going on in My Garden
Now that Christmas has been and gone for another year and the New Year is upon us it’s time to turn our attention to January gardening tasks! January and February tend to be the hottest months of summer here in Victoria. So this month we will be focusing on keeping our garden as cool and well watered as we can. We have had a couple of days here and there where the temperature has been over 35 °C and some plants have struggled a bit. But it will only get hotter over the next couple of months … [Read more...]
Aphids on Roses: Natural & Easy Control Methods
When beautiful spring roses begin to bloom, aphids will usually try to spoil the show. But I have just learnt that getting rid of them is easier than you might think! Since the beginning of spring our rose bushes have really taken off and they are now literally covered in flowers and flower buds. Recently when I was having a closer look at one of the buds I noticed that it was covered in aphids. They were gathering on the new buds and sucking the moisture out of them. They were basically … [Read more...]
October Gardening 2013: What’s Going On in My Garden!
We are almost at the end of October and the weather is really starting to warm up now - I can’t believe how fast this month has gone! There is so much happening in the garden in springtime that it is a struggle to keep up! Despite the frantic pace October gardening is so much fun! We can pretty much walk around the garden every day and find something new that is blooming or a shrub that needs some attention. As the weather is warming up everything is coming to life and it is a full time … [Read more...]
Blue Flowers Enrich a Garden
It’s almost a month into spring time now and as the weather slowly warms it is wonderful to see an array of flowers bloom. One flower that looks absolutely stunning in my garden at the moment is the Ceanothus plant – or California Lilac! We have several of these plants in our garden and they are all covered in the most amazing blue flowers. While most flowering plants look stunning when they are in full bloom, there is just something special about a plant with blue flowers! When we first … [Read more...]
Cairns: My Favourite Places to Visit
I have been to Cairns in Far North Queensland several times over the last few years and I think that it would have to be one of the best holiday destinations in Australia. Cairns is small enough that you can soon learn your way around but it also has so much to see and do. If you come from southern Australia, like I do, then it is great to escape the cold weather and head north to the beautiful tropical Cairns climate. During my first visit to Cairns I enjoyed snorkelling on the Great Barrier … [Read more...]
When and How to Prune Roses
When you’re not sure how to prune roses it can seem very daunting. However with some basic tips and a bit of practice you will soon be able to prune your roses with confidence! Roses are a wonderful addition to the garden. We have quite a few in our garden because they’re such a wonderful source of spring and summer colour. Most of our roses are planted in garden beds that are very close to the house. This means that we can see the beautiful blooms from inside the house all though the … [Read more...]