Lull before the storm:

Looking westward before the rain

 

Apricots ready to pick

Here are some photos of our calm morning after a quick clean up before the forecast rain.  Leaves removed from gutters and lawns mown, we’re ready for this welcome rain.

Vegetable shade house now occupied

Refreshing rain to revive the pots.

Happy Weekend: spring posy from the garden

Twilight in the garden:

Crepuscule climber

Clematis

Pierre de Ronsard, a romantic climbing rose

Crepuscule climbing rose in foreground

Peace climbing rose

3×10,000 litre tanks getting covered by Virginia creeper

Shade house complete and vegetables planted

Summer Shade house:

 

25mm Saddles with screws, self tappers 10Gx25mm

This week has seen the construction of our shade house. Chris has planned it all, and slowly, slowly it is emerging. We bought the poly-pipe when the watering system was installed, some months ago.

Large 50mm irrigation pipe was cut and loops were formed by putting them onto star pickets. White 25mm PVC water pipes have been added to made the whole thing more stable. (ends have been capped.) These details are added for any of you who are thinking of constructing one for yourselves. Forecasts for our Australian summer are for hot and dry weather. We’ll get the shade cloth over this construction, after I get the whole area planted and sorted. One end will be just for the raspberries, the other end for asparagus, and the centre area for other vegetables.

Sunday Colour:

Planting on the nature-strip

A garden is never finished:

Chris has started putting in the structure to create shade for the vegetable patch for summer. (Piping on Star pickets.)

Self sown poppies need to go to put in vegetables.

Developing archway to cool the studio.

Another shot of the back pottage garden.

Fresh leaves rejuvenate the BBQ area.

Peace in Pearcedale:

Photos from my iPhone showing a spring morning with plants coming to life again:

‘Seduction’ rose

Crabapple in memory of Brenda

‘Seduction’ rose

Apologies for the black spot on the climbing Peace rose

Progressing portraits and a few spring flowers:

Rachael in watercolour by CP 15-10-14

Barbara in gouache steadily evolving 15October ’14

Rose ‘Seduction’                                      

Rose, ‘Duet’

Aquilegia, or Granny bonnets amongst ‘Seduction’ rose buds.

 

Gardening in Australia in Spring:

Front garden

potted delights

First lily of the valley bloom

The first of the lily of the valley

Welcome new leaves

Shade loving Clivia

New leaves on Mt. Fuji double cherry tree

Eclectic mix in back garden

Succulents planted into recycled guttering to help insulate the studio.

First rose of spring

Fig leaves returning

 

Spring in the southern hemisphere:

Today we started daylight saving, so the longer days are finally here. Have captured some flowers that we pass on our walks:

Waratah, native to Western Australia

 

Callistemon

Clivia in our garden

Mt. fuji, double cherry tree in our garden.

Our walk takes us past the tennis courts to the oval where a cricket match is in progress. You can see that horses pass this way!