Flowering Magnolias

The magnolia is looking absolutely splendid at the moment. I did notice the other day, after a brisk wind, lovely white and pink petals all over the garden.

How to make a lawn

I did sprinkle around a couple of boxes of grass seed too, but while I was weeding the Harmony Garden I pulled out these two luscious clumps of grass. Seemed silly to put them in the compost, so they've become part of the new lawn area.

How to make a path in 3 easy steps, version 2

First the Health and Safety warning: May be disturbing to anyone who likes neat and orderly...

1. Find old pavers

2. Cart over to the path site in a wheel barrow.

3. Plonk down on the ground.

Yes I realise it went quite wonky. It also wonks in the up and down direction too, like an excellent trip hazard. But this is only temporary, to keep my feet from getting too stuck in the bog. 

Isn't it funny how 'temporary' can sometimes last years?

More spring vegetables

OK, I know I said I'd wait for the real summer vegetable season. But I couldn't resist. So here are perennial spinach plants.

And silverbeet. But really, I am going to have to sacrifice these when the tomatoes and such arrive. Really.

How to pot up plants

Here is everything you need to pot up seedlings. Although the squares of chocolate are missing in action. I decided to pot on all those cuttings I made at the end of autumn, which might have been a bit early as some of them hadn't put on much growth, and when I dug them up they had only tiny roots. But too late now.

I have rosemary, which is growing well, pineapple sage, coprosma, azaleas not doing so well, grisilena.

I also potted up the half of the hebe hedge that hasn't got planted yet. They are growing so fast, and were quite root bound and thirsty.

Quite a busy day by the time I finished it all.

New spring vegetable planting

This is a big big moment...my first vegetable plantings in my new garden! Its still winter, but I've not let that hold me back. A row of bok choy, a row of spinach seeds, which are too late, and don't do well in warm Auckland. And a packet of broadbeans to the left, and a packet of peas to the right.

I rather think I still have the 'not got very much space so I have to cram it all together' mentality though, these are lettuces, and could have been spaced just a bit more.

Finished planters, all waiting for spring and proper planting. I had to resist the temptation to fill them with winter stuff, because I know spring is just around the corner and I will be wanting to absolutely fill them with lovely summer things like tomatoes and courgettes and beans and pumpkins and cucumbers and other space hungry things. Maybe these aren't big enough at all then?

How to make a planter in 3 easy steps

1. Find a friend who knows how to build.
2. Hold things when told.
3. Provide food and tea.

But for those who know the front end of a hammer from the back - well you probably don't need a pictorial guide either. So these pictures are just for those who kind of wish they could build, but can't really.

1. Screw the corners together.

2. Straighten things up with string lines. This is so the 3 planters are lined up with each other, they are level, they are straight with the retaining wall, and they are square (by checking the diagonal measurements are the same).  If I had been doing this on my own I would have just bunged them together any old how, and plonked them on the ground a bit randomly. But they do look so nice all lined up, and you can see them from on high, so a good idea I think.

3. Little square bits in the corners, I bought these bits from the hardware store already with points on the bottom, so they have been hit into the ground first, then attached. All so the planters are level.

4. Same pointy sticks, holding up the side that is highest off the ground, screwed on.

5. There was quite a gap below the board along this side because the ground slopes a bit. So I've filled it with peastraw.

6. A nice layer of compost on top.

Yarn bombing

Look at this that I found! It is on a tree outside the new Devonport library. What a beautiful art work, seems like many people have contributed, lots of different styles and patterns. THIS is what I aspire to.

An excellent fence

I wasn't particularly worried by the big gap out to the park at the end of my property. Or that's what I thought. But the minute I got this beautiful fence finished I heaved a sigh of relief. Its low enough that I can see over through the trees into the park from my kitchen window, but high enough on the park side to stop dogs leaping in (the ground rises steeply to the right. A little planter in front, eventually, and Bob's your uncle!

Building a path part 2

So... I bought some more bark. Not quite finished the path, but getting there, still got a bit more to do at the end round the compost bins. Tramp, flatten, pour out bark, still seems as good a way to build a path as any.

After the Builders

Today we tidied up the scrap wood leftover from the builders. Here is the pile out on the grass verge. Its all treated, so I don't want to burn it, but I'm hoping passers-by might see some value in it and help themselves. In a couple of weeks I'll get a rubbish skip and put the leftovers in that.

And here is some of the untreated stuff, all nicely chopped up and stacked. In the new wood shed! We haven't got the walls and door on yet, but it'll work just fine I think.

And for anyone who might be wondering, these 2 piles were built by different people (what? you can't tell? :)). I did the one on the grass verge.....

Winter Growth

Look how my hebe hedge is growing! And it is the middle of winter too. Another month till spring, when it should start to really get away. Might actually have a half decent hedge by the end of summer.

More good things from the Clevedon markets

I have just bought this excellent cat bed (actually a dog bed, but shhhhhh!) from a stall at the Clevedon market. My big boy cats both like it, as the normal cat beds are a bit small for them. This is Bill. Midnight, my big black cat, also likes it, so I'll have to keep an eye out for the stall again, so I can get another one.

Fruit trees planted in winter

My fruit trees arrived, and I have planted them all, with a bit of help! A couple of apples, 2 pears, 2 feijoas, 2 citrus. I couldn't find my tree stakes, so used some off cuts from the builder. And some ripped up sheet for ties. Works though.

I think they are all just ready to starting budding up, so in the nick of time.

After the beginning, before the end

It has been raining. The builder has been tromping around. But he has finished now, and we are starting to clean up. So this is the before of the after.