Category: Uncategorized

The alarm startles me from my restless sleep. When I open my back door to greet the day, I am met by an old friend – the bright purple flowers of my Tibouchina shrubs. They bring joy to me every day of the year, without fail. I watch the vibrant flowers gently dancing and nodding…

I have a confession to make. As avid a gardener as I am, artificial plants have recently found a home on my front verandah, and they look great. Think back to the early days of Covid. Gardening projects became everyone’s go to passion to fill in our days. Like a defiant expression of hope, Covid…

Nestled and protected from the harsh afternoon sun, which can seem as hot as a furnace, my Coleus plants thrive in dappled shade. Native to Asia, they are well suited to the heat and humidity of the Northern Rivers, unlike this human who finds it a struggle. In a cooler climate, Coleus do well as…

Like a beautiful magnet the colour of hot pink lipstick, my Mandevilla climber beckons visitors to come closer. Large trumpet flowers that dance and sway in the breeze like ballerinas. Twisting branches that entwine and hug the arch support like braided hair. It really is the showpiece of my front garden at the moment. Long…

A rainbow of colour hugging the walkway greeted me in the Hydrangea section of the Christchurch Botanic Gardens. On my recent trip to New Zealand, I made a point of wandering through the Gardens. Being Summer rather than Spring, some of the displays lacked flowers , but the Hydrangeas did not disappoint. Have you ever…

In my Canberra garden along a pathway, I planted a row of Lavender with African Marigolds in front. The flowers bloomed like friends accompanying me every step of the way down the path. The combination of purple and yellow looked stunning and I have been hooked on it ever since. They are like sunshine and…

A few weeks ago, I was admiring my red Pentas shrub, covered in an explosion of tiny star-shaped flowers. “I will take a photo of that tomorrow.” Therein was my mistake. Returning the next day with camera in hand, I was shocked. This can’t be the same plant. Overnight, two thirds of the shrub had…

Stretching down the edge of my driveway, there was once a narrow strip of grass that was more trouble than it was worth. Jutting out like the jagged edge of a saw blade, the fence posts that hugged the edge of the grass made the mowing slow and laborious. The grass had to go. Covid…

A vibrant carpet of fragile pink flowers, ranging from pale fairy floss to rich raspberry, invites me to enter. It hugs the gravel pathway on the eastern side of my house. Strolling down the path, I find a new surprise each day. A seed pod that burst open has cast its seeds far and wide.…

I pull on my well-worn dusty boots and grab my water bottle. An ancient op shop straw hat that has seen better days is plonked on my head. I’m ready for a few hours in the garden. I know I won’t be alone while I’m digging with my heavy and weathered mattock, planting and watering…