Frangis

I have a bunch of other frangipani's which are loitering around waiting for me to do something with. I'm not sure what I will do with them yet.

Probably plant them around the edges - they give lovely shade.

Never-ending stories + update

So, the first one in the ground is doing quite well. I think it's called a 'yesterday, today and tomorrow' plant. I nick-named it 'the never-ending-story'.

The flower varies in colour from white to violet - so pretty. They can grow quite big, so I will have to prune and shape them. More info HERE.

It started off quite small but looks to be expanding pleasingly. I have another in a pot, which needs to go in. I might get around to planting it today, if the weather cools down or rains and the ground is softer.

Here it is a good time later 30 Oct 2017: Recent rains have made it flower beautifully!

This (below) is not mine, but it's how these plants are supposed to look, and the size is exactly what I'm after - 

Just love those pretty colours...

Second pink coral cutting in, + update, two years on!

I dug up the cutting from Mum's garden, and put it on the fence on the Ripley side, on the other side of the mail box and path, just to balance up the first one.

It looks like it has taken! There's a new leaf extension! The rain today will help, I am hoping.

Latest news - 6 Feb 2017 - it has definitely taken and is growing well, twisting itself around the fence wire! Now all I have to do is keep it moist....

Update - 28 January, 2018:
This tiny cutting has become a huge creeper, covering a substantial part of the corner fence, and is still burgeoning!

I had to trim it recently, Jan 2018, to stop it strangling a couple of nearby bushes, and from covering the letterbox. Below is the photo of all the cuttings, which I threw in the bin. I am SO happy with the way this creeper has grown. I love it, and so do the bees.

Baby Bird

Yesterday we had a fierce wind during a short storm. I reckon these li'l baby birds were blown out of their nest. I found them just lying, already dead, on the dirt at the back of my place.

Poor things. The ants got to them this morning. No sign of mother birdy.

Then, last night, I heard a fearful peeping, and Taffy brought in another baby bird, almost featherless, which was still alive. I rescued it, and put it in a container with some paper towels. Proceeded to read about what to feed baby birds, of course. Boiled the jug then put the container near the jug, and covered all with a tea-towel, so that it would be warm.

This morning, the baby was obviously hungry, peeping away with it's little beak open. So I dropped in about 8 pieces of kitty biscuit which had been soaked overnight in hot water (and were now cold but very soft and mushy). I used a toothpick to drop in the seemingly bottomless pit of a beak, and after the 8th, he went quiet, with no more beaky.

He's sleeping now, in the paper towels in my pantry, where the cats can't get to him. Saffy was very interested when she heard the peeping noises, and came up onto the kitchen counter to see. She was most perturbed when she couldn't have him further!

She soon settled down and lay in her usual place (plate!), near me and the computer. I think she likes being near me, with the fan directly on her, and the warmth of the computer at her back.

I hope the little birdy lives. He's so cute.

..and the lemon flower is sweet

The tiny lemon tree is flowering! It's in a smallish square pot but it must be doing ok! I'm pleased because I was worried the roots might get too wet with water retention, but I am hoping this means good things are ahead.

I moved the crepe myrtle

So, I had previously moved this poor plant to about 3 locations. Today, it finally found it's growing place! Near the fence on the front side, right of the front gate. The whole front looks more balanced now, with plants placed at even intervals along the fence line. They are all pretty ones too, with pink flowers, when they flower!

Red bougainvillea, tibouchina, pink (I think) crepe myrtle, and pink bougainvillea. I want to train the bougainvilleas over my high fence when I get it.

It will, when it is bigger, block the view from the corner diagonally opposite, as you approach by road, and will hide the corner mess of chicken coop and so on. 

Fortunately, we had a bit of a storm, short-lived, but it dumped with rain, and I am happy that all my plants, and specifically this one, had a bit of liquid encouragement.

Below is a picture from HERE which shows exactly how I plan to shape this plant. I like the higher stalk look.

So, grow, baby, grow!

How the grounds first looked

...when I moved in. Ghastly. These were taken on September 8, 2015. We've come a long way in 4 months.

The Google shots - taken soon after all the trees were cut down :

And shortly after...slightly greener...pot in place....

Bougainvillea No. 1

From a tiny leaf or two on a twig, bought from Bunnings reject plants for $4 in the winter of  2015. Then, the leaves fell off and there were just two sticks. I despaired, but kept it, on Mum's suggestion. you never know what's going on under ground.

Mum spotted the change first - suddenly, there were buds as the weather grew warmer! and then... flowers, and lo! we have a growing baby plant. I'm so pleased.

I transferred it from the lovely red pot into the ground during early January 2016. So far so good.

And with her new mulch collar, as of 19 Jan 2016, to try to keep the roots moist during the end of summer.

Mulch collars

The planties look much more 'protected', or something!

Rissons sells these big bags of sugar cane mulch for less than Bunnings does! Whilst it wasn't the one I used for the above photos, I bought one of these today 13 Feb 2016, to refresh what had already been put down (but which the chooks have scratched away! I suppose it's almost a month since the first lot went down, so time for renewal?).

Le Honeysuckle

18 Jan 2016

My honeysuckle has buds and flowers!

I might call this Le Max, in honour of Max the StumpGrinder - he's a sweet guy.

2 Feb 2016 - and it's looking pretty good (below), with flowers! I hope that means a whole lot of new climbing growth. Henrietta (left) and Dorothea (right) scratching around for wormies.

Guest Bedroom

Which is a mess at the moment with all my clothes from winter and from overseas in bags all over. However, here's a few pics of the cats on the bed when I first got it (the bed frame) cut down by Andrew the neighbour, and made the bed up. It needs a mattress but hey ho.

I bought this gorgeous tray today so guests can put their jewellery on it, all in one place (sandal shown for size purposes only ;-).

I don't really fancy doilies but I might put one in the middle of this to cushion blows of jewellery hitting the tin surface, but this covers up the design. (Solution: put it up on the wall as decor).

Anyway, as mentioned at the top, this is what the room looks like today. Embarrassing - but I am too lazy to do anything about it right now. Need to put the Christmas decs away too. Sigh.

Red grape vine