Crab Apple Crazy

Every year Richard watches the Crab Apple trees come into bud, anticipating the beauty of these trees in full blossom.

Worth waiting for, don't you think?

Vistas

I often take photos of individual plants but haven't taken any distance shots, or vistas, of the garden for a while. One usually sees a garden as a 'landscape' rather than plants 'one at a time', so here are a few 'gardenscapes' from this morning. (The last four photos are out of order - they should have been somewhere in the middle.)

Some of the dozens of plants in pots waiting to find a permanent home. A lot of these are Silver Birches which grew up through the holes in the brick path.

I tried to get a low shot of the newest garden, but kneeling is out of the question these days.

I have very pedestrian names for the garden beds - this is the 'big' garden (because it is), or marginally better is the 'east' garden. The house belongs to our neighbour across the road.

Full marks for persistence - they keep coming up everywhere, in the hundreds.

Eremophila nivea. It has the most velvety silver leaves and the prettiest mauve flowers. An Australian native.

Cercis Forest Pansy

Next four are the 'big' garden from different angles.

Where the plastic water bottle is used to be a Camphor Laurel. We removed it recently before it reached its mature 30 metre height (it was only about 2 metres). In its place are four Chinese Lanterns, a Bridal Veil Broom, several succulents and two punnets of snapdragons. It should be a bit more colourful, if nothing else. This is the top end of the 'big' garden, near the front footpath.

This is the very top corner of that same garden. An area that is constantly being run over by neighbouring cars as they cut the corner. Yesterday a gravel truck managed to destroy a barrowload of plants so, short of building a brick wall, I planted 10 pieces of Miscanthus zebrini (a large clumping grass) around the corner. I know I will live to regret it and have to grub them out eventually - but it salved my frustration in the meantime!!!

Another Cherry Tree shot.

This is the 'top' garden - see, I have no imagination - which runs along the road next to the footpath. (Yes, Kerri, that's the Centrathus just coming into flower. Can you hear Richard gritting his teeth?)

Looking down the street.

Red-stemmed Cornus (Dogwood) in foreground is one of my favourites all year round.

This is known as the 'lounge room' garden. Yes, you guessed it!

And this is the 'deck' garden because it runs alongside the deck.

It gets better .... this is the 'clothes line' garden, because of the ubiquitous Hills Hoist in the lawn.

Vegetable garden is pretty self-explanatory!

This is the view from the deck, looking northwards over farmland.

There's that tree again!

Proof that it is the 'lounge room' garden...lol.

'Inside' view of the top garden.

This is the 'woodland' garden, mainly because it's shaded by two Sorbus (Rowan trees or 'Mountain Ash') and a large Banksia. The Acanthus in the centre is stunning at this time of year but suffers during the dry weather. The 'stick' shrub beside it is/was a beautiful red Chinese Lantern. We pruned it so hard that it may have 'gone to God', but we're hoping that He either has enough, or won't like it, and will send it back to us....lol.

The front lawn, between the 'top' garden and the 'driveway' garden.

I think I could do with some inspiration for naming gardens - a couple I didn't mention are the 'new' garden and the 'back' garden, which runs along the back fence. I feel quite depressed reading this ...... I think I'll go and make a cuppa!

Room for more photos...

From the time that Richard bought his camera early last year, he has for some reason been loathe to clear photos from the camera even after they've been downloaded to the computer. Consequently, he would often have to delete a few to make room for others, usually while I stand around impatiently waiting for him to get on with it.

Since he doesn't know how to put them on the computer, I would usually nag him after each download to "Get rid of the thousands of photos on the card", but all to no avail. Until yesterday when he said I could clear the card entirely. Before he could change his mind I wiped the lot.

He picked up the camera. Perhaps it felt 'lighter'....lol, or maybe it was just the thrill of knowing he could happily snap away for a few thousand more photos, but he went for a stroll around the garden just to see what he could see.....and this is what he saw!

Every year we take countless photos of this cherry tree because we never tire of the masses of the beautiful blossom - and the anticipation of delicious cherries in a couple of months.

Cercis Forest Pansy, with Petosporum behind.

Ranunculus.

Calendula. I love the symmetry of their petals.

Japanese Maple

Anyone for Broad Beans? If all the flowers become beans I think we'll become a strange shade of green.

Pear blossom.

Very hardy Marguerites.

Violas.

Lavender

Bluebells.

Gazanias.

A rather pretty tulip, neither quite double nor single.

'Shay's' tulips.

Banksia.

Californian poppies.

Tulips.

I wish you could hear the bees in the cherry blossom.

Our one Rhododendron for many years, but we bought 5 more this year.

This is the view through the loungeroom window.

Lamium.

More C.poppies.

Erimophola nivea.

Photinia.

I thought I pulled out about a tonne of these, but they keep coming up.