Orchid Show 2013

This year Pop came with me to the Orchid show.  It is held in the Hobart Town Hall and opens Thursday at 1pm and closes the following Sunday.  As I have done the past few years I headed straight for the sales area.

It is like a smorgasbord – a quick swoop around to see what is available and then trying to narrow down the selection.  The members of the Orchid Society are always very helpful and friendly.  While I was choosing my plants Pop went for a wander to look at the display and he took some lovely photos.  We then swapped over and he sat and looked after my purchases while I had a look around.

I bought a large plant of dendrobium ‘Wonga, a small unnamed dendrobium, a maxillaria ‘cucculada’ and also a coelogyne ‘cristata.  They were also selling bags of their own special orchid mix so Pop offered to carry one of those as well.

It really was a most incredible display.  The sweet fragrance of the orchids filled the room.  I left a very happy girl.

the following are some of Pop's photos

These are the plants I purchased.........

Dendrobium - 'Wonga'

'Wonga' -close-up

Maxillaria -'cucculada'

Coeloogyne - 'cristata' a white flower with a yellow lip

un-named but very pretty dendrobium

20 years later.......

I bought these two begonias 20 years ago when I first moved to Hobart.  All of this time later they are very special to me.  Back then I was by myself for a few months and so these plants were my companions.   

September 2013

The signs of Spring are everywhere.  The garden is full of colour.  The natives in the front garden are all flowering.

 As we will be heading overseas in October I have just been adding fertilizer and compost to the vege garden and not worrying too much about planting anything till we return.  The few things I did plant earlier in the year are not doing much but hopefully now that the weather is warming up they will get their acts into gear.

The cyclamens are all looking great and doing well.  So are the azaleas and camellias.

This 'masdevallia' (which flowered in June) has three buds

the first 'dendrobium' flower of the season 

my mauve 'pleione' is the first to flower - still waiting for the cream and the pink

'Helenor'

the azaleas near the back steps

the species daphne is doing well

the apple tree is coming into leaf

one of my favorite grevilleas

and another

the things you see sailing down the river...........

and one of the Tall Ships leaving Hobart

August 2013

August 2013

I found it very difficult to get inspired to go out into the garden but have enjoyed sitting by the window (spinning) and looking out onto the garden and watching for birds. 

We had a couple of heavy frosts but without any damage to the plants.  The front garden continues to thrive and flower.  The large camellias are out in bloom.  One of them is home to a nest of Eastern Spinebills.  Recently I’ve seen a male blue wren scratching around in the front garden pecking about in the bark.

The signs of springtime are about and I for one can’t wait for winter to be over.  

Blossom on the Apricot tree

A daffodil - springtime is around the corner

'Mark Allen Variegated'

The little blue wren flitting about in the garden

This planter was left out in the garden by the previous owner.   I never knew what to do with it.  When I decided the newly painted kitchen needed a bit more red I found it to be a perfect addition to the kitchen window sill.  A few succulents and a little frog and I'm happy with the result.

July – Part 2

The silver beet is struggling on.  At least it looks better since the blackbirds can’t toss the plants out of the soil any more.  Oh well time will tell how it all turns out.  The sugar snap climbing peas are still taking their time appearing fully.  I have lost some to the jolly blackbirds but what can you do????

I finally got the compost filled and so it should be ready by the middle of September.  I tested out some chicken fertilizer to see if the dog would treat it the same as she did the ‘Blood and Bone’ (what a disaster that was).  It has no smell and she was totally indifferent to it.  So I spread it onto the empty vege. garden – raked it in, and she has paid no attention to it at all.  YAY. 

I pruned the roses the last weekend in July, so hopefully we have seen the last of this year’s frosts.  Only two roses – what a joy – it took all of about half an hour.

The daphnes are out now and smell divine.  The camellias are just starting to bloom.

This is a large camellia and an azalea 'Kirin' in the front garden.  Eastern Spinebills have made it home.

The potted standard daphne at the doorway to the shade house.

the first flowers on my white daphne

Buds are forming on most of my dendrobium orchids

Daffodils made a surprise entrance into the front garden.

Lots of wrens visit the garden every day.

and this New Holland Honeyeater  sat enjoying the view for several minutes before heading off to the birdbath

July Part One

At the start of July I planted some seedling Silverbeet ‘Rainbow Chard’.  I thought it would look nice and colourful even if it didn’t do very well.  I also put in seeds of ‘Sugar Snap’ climbing peas.

The sweet peas (planted 1^st June) are up in places, not a full row but I’ll remain patient and see what happens.  The climbing peas are still thinking about popping their heads up but I had a little tickle about in the soil and they look like any day they’ll be up.  My main problem with the silverbeet is guarding them from the blackbirds who love to scratch around in the mulch and have no regard for where the silverbeet goes.  My next outside task is to make them little teepee shapes of bamboo sticks to hopefully protect them from the blackbirds.

I bought a cumquat tree and planted it in a very large terracotta pot near the back corner of the house.  It should get lots of sun there, so it should be happy.

I have had some very welcome visitors to the garden – a family of blue wrens are once again nesting in the Hebe near the side fence.  I often see the young males darting about and occasionally a female.  The other day I heard them in the garden – got out my camera and instead of a blue wren photographed an ‘Eastern Spinebill’.  I actually didn’t know what it was, looked through my ‘Tassie Birds’ book but couldn’t find it so I sent an e-mail to a man who has a site on the web called Tassie birds.  I asked if he would identify it for me and back cam e the answer.  The eastern spinebill was enjoying the birdbath until a female blue wren chased it away. 

My ‘osmanthus’ is out in flower.  It is very fragrant, and is doing well although I will need to give it a trim after it has finished flowering.

this carnivorous plant is enjoying some indoor sunshine

my new cumquat

one of my favorite azaleas 'Rose Queen'

a white helebore

'Burgundy Iceberg' has a few late blooms

a female blue wren

a happy female blue wren

the 'Eastern Spinebill' before the wren chased it away

'Osmanthus'

Osmanthus flowers