It’s a showery day here in the Central Tablelands of NSW following a week of wet weather. There has been a lot of rain, and even a tornado (about 100km from us) which destroyed several houses and caused much media interest as tornadoes do not happen often in this area. Fortunately it didn’t last long, otherwise the damage could have been much more extensive.
On Monday, Mr MG and I spread two tonnes of soil on the lawn hoping that the rain would help it settle in, and our plans worked out very well as a perfect amount fell and no soil was washed away, which is something that happened once before.
I am joining in with the Six on Saturday crowd this week, and as ever, you can see what is happening in gardens around the world by following this link.
One: Ranunculus ‘Burgundy’ is new to the garden this spring. The label stated that I would be in awe of these blooms, and whilst I do think they are a lovely colour – not all burgundy, I notice – my wonderment is somewhat tempered by the less than bountiful number of flowers. No matter, there’s always next spring as long as the corms multiply as promised.
Two: I’m happy with this wandering path: short and sweet, but colourful, and much improved by the replacement of harsh white stones by more naturally coloured river stones. The Californian poppy making its appearance on the right hand side has popped up in exactly the wrong spot, almost requiring a stile to cross over it.
Three: Also new this year is Geum ‘Mai Tai’. She’s very tiny and has a long way to go before reaching the arching nature of ‘Totally Tangerine’ who is far more boisterous than I ever imagined it would be. I find the flowers of ‘Mai Tai’ charming so a little more unrestrained behaviour will be fine with me.
Four: A no ID iris which has an interesting combination of colours. When we started this garden, I planted many blue ones, but they have never flowered which is a shame. They need to be relocated to a sunnier spot, I think. This splendid specimen, planted in the front garden last year, is happy with its lot, it seems.
Five: Regular readers may well recognise Leptospermum ‘Pink Cascade’ which has made an appearance on these pages before, but really, could there be a shrub more worthy of yet another mention? Every year, without the slightest fuss, this beauty bursts forth with a froth of frills and furbelows more extravagant than an antebellum ball gown: ‘Watch out Miss O’Hara, I’m wearing the pink tonight.’
Six: Grevillea ‘Lady O’ died suddenly, perhaps a combination of clay soil and a lot of rain, and left a space which now holds some of Monday’s two tonnes of soil. A space that needs filling!
Those are my six this week. Enjoy your gardening everyone.
Weather today: Showers and sunshine. 8-17C.
A gorgeous Iris Jane! The pathway and island with bird table is really pretty. Cal poppies do tend to seed around just where you don’t want them, don’t they! I also have Mai Tai and was quite charmed. I will try and grow some more Geums from seed next spring. Your garden looks wonderful after all the rain you had. Happy gardening!
Last year we had Californian poppies all over the place, this year not so many but I have no idea why. We enjoy them very much. Strangely, the more exotically coloured ones I tried to grow didn’t seem to germinate! Thank you for your comment, Cathy.
Lovely photos as usual. Absolutely love the path and surrounding gardens. Such a pretty area. Do you think the Pink Cascade would be ok in a large pot?
I have to admit that the clothes line is just to the left in the path photo! But it’s greatly improved from what it was when we bought the house. Leptos are very hardy. I have never tried one in a pot, I can only say it’s worth a try. Would look very nice at your place with those other big pots you have.
Beautiful display of flowers. Drawn by the path, looked brill. Also the no ID Iris, very pretty.. The pink cascade is awesome. Glad the tornado was short lived.
Thank you Magdarae, I just wish I knew the name of that iris.
A very pretty Iris, super photo.
Thank you, Rosie.
I love your garden around the bird bath, and the soft-coloured pebbles along the path look lovely. I haven’t seen an Iris with that combination of colours before, really very striking. We have nothing but blue Irises in our garden, and they are still thinking about flowering. We have had an incredible amount of rain, and we’re looking forward to some sunshine now. (as are the Irises)
We heard about the tornado around the Blue Mountains area, but I didn’t know it had knocked down houses. Whatever next? There was an unexpected earthquake in Melbourne, fortunately for my daughter it only knocked books and pots off shelves…but nerve wracking !
The path is one of my favourite areas of the garden. It isn’t very long, but it’s an interesting diversion. I do wish my blue irises would flower so I could at least know which are worth keeping!
The Melbourne earthquake was quite something….lucky there wasn’t more damage. I think we’ve had enough excitement now!
Great Six, nice photos and this Leptospermum ‘Pink Cascade’ is amazing !
Thank you Fred. You’ve probably seen ‘Pink Cascade’ before, but I couldn’t resist another show!
Yes I think I remember and maybe I had replied too but it’s a beauty that I couldn’t neglect this morning…
Thanks Fred😊
I like your stone on gravel path and the no ID iris
Thank you, Derrick.
Love those ranunculus, despite what you say! I haven’t had any success, but will keep trying. Anemones have done well at least 🙂
I wish I could grow anemones (I’m assuming you mean the Japanese ones) but my garden is far too hot by the time threyre in flower.it’s not an old garden so perhaps when the trees grow up a bit…. I think the ranunculus will have a lot of impact when it naturalises a bit more.
I especially like that iris. I’m curious; is that some sort of Euphorbia to the left of the iris? I’ve just learned about the interesting structure of Euphorbia flowers, and those seem to fit the bill. They could be something else entirely, of course.
Yes, that is Euphorbia ‘Rudolph’ and I almost featured it this week! It has dark red leaves when it isn’t flowering, hence the name. I find the flowers of euphorbia fascinating except for spotted spurge which is one of my worst weeds.
I do like a garden path. I’ve decided I’ll have to be content to simply admire your Ranunculus as I’ve had no joy with them the past two years. Having said that, every time I see yours I’m always tempted to give them another go! That Iris is a beauty.
I’m really glad I thought of a path when we set up the garden as it’s an interesting diversion. I remember that you’ve not had success with Ranunculi which seems strange. My white ones are the best though. Some really pretty multicoloured pastel ones disappeared and have never been seen again, which I was disappointed about.
California poppies seem to come and go as they like! Lovely garden.
Thank you, Cathy. The poppies, being such early bloomers, are always a welcome sign of spring.
I could enjoy seeing a flowering ‘Pink Cascade’ once each week I think!
Ha ha, yes, it’s gorgeous. It has been flowering for about six weeks, first in spots here and there, and now in its full flush which will last for a couple more weeks. Such a trooper!
The Iris looks similar to the one that came with my parent’s house that they bought 63 years ago in Pennsylvania. It still blooms, so it is a very good plant. Your garden looks fabulous, especially for those of us heading in Autumn.
Thank you, I love that my iris could possibly be a very old one.I like seeing NH gardens when I am in the opposite season as well.
I enjoyed viewing your beautiful spring garden, Jane. That Leptospermum is fabulous! I’ve yet to get any Geum to bloom in my garden and I had little luck with my bearded Iris this past year either. I’m hoping for more rain this winter but the forecasts aren’t good.
Thank you Kris. I do very much hope for rain for you. It’s amazing how the rain has made everything in the garden ‘sit up and take notice’ and we have been very lucky for nearly two years now. It can’t last forever, of course, but it has been an extremely good run.
I wonder why Geum won’t bloom for you, as it seems quite hardy, but perhaps my luck with them is to do with the weather as well. I’ve only had them a couple of years, so it remains to be seen how they cope with a very hot summer.
I love your path and the flowers edging it. I hope my new gravel garden looks as good once the plants have settled in (if they survive the winter that is). A beautiful iris too and those Ranunculus. I still haven’t grown any and have far too many bulbs to plant this year already, but maybe next. The Leptospermum deserves to be shown every year – it is amazing.
I’ll look forward to seeing your gravel garden, Jude. Planting bulbs is quite tedious, isn’t it. I don’t get to plant so many as I find them quite expensive here and so don’t purchase them in bulk, just a few here and there. I would never have as many as our illustrious leader to plant!
The Leptospermum is a real trooper: thrives on neglect and yet provides that wonderful show every spring without fail.
Most of my bulbs are in pots, no space in the garden! So once I get going it’s not too bad, unless I run out of compost or grit or pots! I have to have a sunny day though to do it.
I like the Ranunculus’ range of colors. The garden path is very inviting, and the Leptomspermum worth featuring as often as possible – what a beauty!
Thank you. The Leptospermum is a plant everyone should have if they possibly can. It’s most undemanding and yet so rewarding.
The iris is a really unusual combination of colours. I haven’t seen one like that before. I’m sorry your blue ones didn’t flower. The Geum Mai Tai is very pretty too.
The iris is certainly unusual. I’m hoping for an ID from somewhere! I think my blue irises are now in too shady a spot so perhaps if I move them, I’ll have more luck with them.
Lovely flowers, Iris can be so perverse and I wish I had some Leptospermum. Good luck with the soil.
Thank you, Amelia. The lawn has already started to look better, so I think the soil has been a success!
How lovely to get plenty of rain but not so nice that the tornado was a bit too close for comfort. Like that earthquake, it could have been so much worse. Your iris is gorgeous.
We’ve been lucky with rain for such a long time. I know this situation won’t last forever, but it has been wonderful and has made such a difference to the garden. The iris is lovely, I wish I knew its name.
We’re hoping for some soon. October is usually our best month for storms and good soaking rain.
Fingers crossed💦
Hi Jane. That Iris is wonderful. Such an unusual colour. Also, there are some ants that have to be phitographed and displayed annually. Your leptospermum is definitely in that category. It loves that spot.
I’m rather envious. I would love some garden soil to establish a couple of small veggie beds. This crop rotation is difficult with my small backyard.
It was a lot of effort to barrow that soil up the sloping front garden (Mr MG did that bit) but worth it. We have, over the time we’ve been here, purchased a great deal of good soil from the landscaping people here, and it’s made a lot of difference to the garden. My veggie beds are not much though. I’d like to be good at growing veg, but a few lettuces and a bit of broccoli plus a couple of herbs are about it, for me.
Hi Jane I hope all is well. No wonder you are happy with the wandering path, that area looks fantastic.You can’t go wrong with a Geum, they are one of my favoutite plants
Thank you. I can see why Geums are favourites for you. I didn’t even know about them before I joined SoS, and now they’re favourites of mine too.
What a beautiful garden you have, love the path that draws you in. The Iris is a real beauty, wish I could grow them but my soil is too heavy and wet in the winter.Your Leptospermum is gorgeous, no wonder you are proud of it!
Your first photo of the iris is great, you have such nice plants combined with it, especially that Euphorbia which looks really good. Beautiful path and planting. I agree with you that Geums can be rather too enthusiastic though here they flower prolifically and for a long period – Scarlet Tempest which is having another go at it now. Mai Tai is very pretty.
The combination of plants with the iris is merely a happy accident, Sel. I’m very happy with the Geums I have, can’t get over how my ‘Totally Tangerine has lucked up sine I divided it last year. It remains to be seen how it manages if/when the weather gets really hot.
The iris and the ‘pink cascade’ leptospermum are adorable!!!
Thank you Ms Liz.
Jane, your wandering path is simply dreamy! So well planted and romantic. Wishing you all the best down under. Katharine
The garden is looking great, I particularly like the Iris – great colour combination!
Beautiful garden scenes. I really enjoyed them–thank you. My favorite is the second, the “short path”. Lovely!
Here in California, California poppies also do as they please and we never know if we’ll get a lavish display–or nothing at all.