Winter edibles

Whoops, I'm a couple of days late with this post. I spent the weekend cutting back the shrubbery along the front fence, digging out some bushes I didn't want and then chopping up the prunings and cramming them into our miniscule green recycling bin (I'll show you that some time... oh how you will laugh).

So I thought I'd show you how the edibles are doing at the end of July. Although the pumpkins above aren't exactly edible any more...

Would you believe I've still got blueberries? This is Blueberry Muffin, a self fertile variety.

Heaps of rhubarb is still poking through. Obviously this is a variety that doesn't die back in winter, yay!

Cauliflower Violet Sicilian. This photo makes it look a lot bigger than it actually is... in reality the head is only slightly bigger than a golf ball!

Leeks are leeking, but not very fast. I obviously sowed the seeds much too late. But once they start growing in spring they'll be great! I am still picking a few and having them as baby leeks.

But yay for pak choi... it continues to noticeably grow even on the cold days! I've put some crushed eggshells around mine to foil the slugs - it actually does work, and those little nibbles on the outer leaves have not been repeated.

Bright lights silver beet - another winter staple.

It's lovely and warm in the glasshouse and we often sit in here for afternoon tea and a snooze. Peas are doing fairly well in containers (a bit of black spot and mildew has just set in), and some rocket is slowly but surely getting bigger.

Last but not least - this is my new mandarin Clementine. When the weather warms up I'll plant her in a sheltered corner and cross my fingers that she manages some more fruit next year!

Oh - I got an apple tree - Baujade. I think I've even decided where to put it! Hopefully this weekend (or next) I'll get that and the feijoa finally put in place! Still debating about another apple variety to go with it.

Small signs

I went for a wander in the garden today and was amazed at the little signs of spring that are stirring. Granted, they are not moving particularly fast, but something is happening, and I have photographic evidence to prove it...

The first daffodil! This is Hoop Petticoats. I've had the bulbs planted in a bowl for a couple of years and never had anything to show but the grassy foliage. So it's good to see that the plant actually knows what to do with itself.

Sweet little violas. Where would I be in winter without them. I love the painted faces on this self seeded variety, they remind me of vintage crockery.

Delicate blooms on a tiny winter's cyclamen.

Hellebore - rose of winter. Very difficult to photograph as they hide their faces under leaves and face the walls!
But gorgeous when the sunlight hits them just so.

Even my strawberries are flowering! I thought about moving them into the glasshouse, but figured that they are probably more sheltered where they are, being in a north facing position under the eaves. I kind of doubt any berries will come from this yet, but you never know...

To be honest, I'm a bit mad at these pink hyacinths. They are lovely, but they came up too early to be part of my carefully planned pastel colour scheme alongside the driveway (along with pale yellow earlycheer daffodils and pale blue star flowers (not sure of the proper name of those!) Also, they are pale powder-pink and not the deep cerise that I imagined would give a dramatic shot of drama to the display. *Huge annoyed sigh*

The blue star flower opening in another part of the garden.

Grape hyacinths in a perfectly mossed bowl.

My favourite wintersweet still has lovely scented blossoms.

Check back tomorrow to see how my edibles are faring...

Apples

Today I went to the garden centre and ogled some apple trees. I've suddenly developed the urge to plant one somewhere in my garden - never mind that I already have 2 ballerinas in pots and a potted feijoa that I bought a couple of months ago and still need to find a home for. I'm sure I can squeeze in a couple more trees at least.

The dilemma is - which one to get? I've decided on the M26 rootstock, which is semi-dwarf. The trees only grow to 3 m tall (less if you prune them) which means you can fit more in, hooray! The three varieties I've managed to narrow it down to are:

Baujade - a new variety, like Granny Smith. It's got green apples which store well and is supposed to be resistant to diseases. I read somewhere that Granny Smith isn't good for growing in the south island, can't remember why though! But I haven't come across mention of that for Baujade.

Mother - an heirloom variety. It has red apples, late cropping, and is "highly recommended for every fruit connoisseur's garden! The flavor is excellent: sweet, perfumed and distinctive." It is a heavy cropper but doesn't crop every year apparently.

Monty's Surprise - the great cancer fighting apple. Large red apples, late cropping, good for eating and cooking.

Which one should I get though? I like the sound of Mother but I don't think I want a tree that doesn't crop reliably. Maybe I should get Monty's Surprise and see if I can graft Mother onto it. Hmm, decisions. What is everyone else growing in their back yards? Any recommendations?

The photo at the top of the post is of my ballerina apple "Waltz". It had a decent crop two years ago, but last year both my ballerinas blossomed, but didn't set any fruit. I thought perhaps a frost got them. I'll be lying in wait with a roll of frost cloth this spring!

Summer dreaming

Winter is here. Today the weather was beautiful, but freezing cold. We hardly ever get snow here in Christchurch but we get some hard frosts - this morning's was -3 degrees. That was followed by a sunny day, but it was a winter's sunny day - the kind where if you step from sun into shadow, the difference is about 15 degrees. There's not much else to do but curl up (in the sun, of course) with a cuppa and a seed catalogue.

Luckily the new Kings Seeds catalogue arrived yesterday. I quickly whipped through it and circled all my wants. Last year I was so excited to finally have a dedicated vege patch that almost all I ordered was vege seeds, and I still have plenty left for this year. However, I miss my flowers! I want a colourful beautiful cottage garden, as well as a lovely decorative and productive potager. That's not too much to ask is it?

My flowery wants include:
Calendula sunset tones
Dianthus clove pinks
Gilia birds eye
Godetia azalea beauties
Lavatera parade

Of course, there are some more veges and herbs to try:
Bush basil
Coriander indian summer
Bean yard long dwarf
Bean sunset runner (with beautiful pink flowers, this one counts as decorative too!)
Carrot mini sweet
Pumpkin baby bear
Squash delicata

As always I'll be trying one or two different tomatoes. This year I'm going to order from Bristol Seeds. I'm eyeing up Amazon Chocolate, Brown Berry and Sunset's Red Horizon.

In the meantime, I'm looking at my photos from seasons past, and reading blog after blog. Northern hemisphere gardens are looking lovely right now, and I'm getting plenty of ideas for when the days warm up again.

Here's a mini cross stitch I've started. I was given the kit by a clever thrifter who spied this in the Sallies and thought of me. It's a great way to while away a winter evening. Hopefully by the time I've finished it, it will be time to sow seeds again.

Party on the feeder

Up in the sky, little eyes are watching. At the first sign of movement the cry goes up - peep peep peep!

The second the coast is clear they swoop in, fluttering, hopping, pecking and diving. The party has started!

They party in the rain

and they party in the sun.

We mostly see waxeyes and the occasional sparrow. But yesterday these bright birdies showed up.

They have a yellow stripe along the wing. I'm no expert on birds... does anybody know what they are?

This is what they were noshing on... birdseed cakes made from dripping and wild bird seed mix. We also put out crusts of bread and the odd kitchen scrap.

In your dreams, little cat...

Midwinter

I'm so glad that we've now passed the shortest day. That means the countdown to summer can begin! I can't wait for daylight in the evenings and above all, warmer weather...

I'm still working on the potager when I can. I've got one quarter of the round circle path laid. It's the quarter where I plan to plant the garlic, so at least I'll be able to get that in soon, weather permitting of course.

Harvest-wise, things are still looking good! Last week I picked carrots, spring onions, rhubarb, pak choi, peas, lettuce, sorrel, silver beet, lemons and parsley. I've been making regular sowings of spring onions and lettuces, not that they are growing fast but the important thing is that they are still growing! In the glasshouse I have little seedlings of broccoli and pak choi that are about ready to be transplanted. I might keep them in the glasshouse so they grow faster. Unfortunately my tomatoes didn't make it through the frost, even with frost cloth. The green fruits dropped off and the plants shrivelled up. Well, that answers the question: No, Arctic tomatoes can't survive mildly arctic conditions. They do set fruit early in a cold summer, though.

I also picked some lovely wintersweet. We have a bush of it out the front and the gorgeous spicy smell is just divine when you're walking to the gate. I put bunches of it all through the house and a special one right by my bed. Sweet dreams guaranteed....

Garden tour

This is how my potager is looking. Last week it rained almost nonstop from Monday through to Sunday, so all work is currently halted, but e v e n t u a l l y I will get round to laying that curved path properly. Quite possibly not until spring though. I've also laid a few bricks out to see how the central circle path will look - I think I'm going to have just enough.

I'm working out a planting plan on paper. The front right corner will be spuds, because half of that used to be grass and they are meant to be good at breaking up hard ground. The back right corner will be garlic and also beans, but the beans won't go in till it's warmer. They aren't good companions so I'll make sure they aren't right up next to each other.

Standing at the shed doorway and looking west towards the glasshouse. I love how those bricks are looking weathered and worn already.

These calendulas will brighten up the winter landscape a bit.

The pak choi is growing well, almost ready for harvest.

Annnd... in the glasshouse, I have tomatoes! These are Arctic tomatoes which were sown in January, to see if they will continue to set fruit over winter. This is the biggest green fruit. I had another truss that were doing well, but when I inspected them closely one day I found them to be full of caterpillars, little buggers.

Soothing

First of all I want to say that I hate computers, external drives, file formats and wireless gateway units. They make me grind my teeth with frustration and kick things. If you could plant a computer in the ground and make it grow it would be fine, but as it is I can only stare at the growing pile of useless hardware and cords that don't fit in helpless anger.

Anyway. Deep breath...

That's why I grow flowers. They don't need formatting or upgrading, just some soil, water, sunlight and love.

And they reward you with this.

The gorgeous scent of a hyacinth does go a long way towards helping me forget my worries and it cheers up a cold winter's day. Bring on spring... only 3 months to go...

Now I think I'll go curl up in my nice warm bed, with a good, old fashioned, non electronic book to keep me company.

Simple pleasures #7

Simple pleasures #7 - making new things from old. Okay, it's not always that simple a task, but the satisfaction is immense! Actually I also like making new things from new things, so maybe this should just be called making things? Anyway.

These cushions are my most recent example of new things from old. The barkcloth is vintage and the striped fabric is from a curtain. I crocheted the edging using crochet thread from Trade Me and lovely vintage buttons.

Here we are, it's not perfect but it was an experiment and I learned heaps! The back side was tidier so next time I'll do it the other way round. There are 2 more cushions to make fastenings for, so there will be a next time. Probably.

Hope you noticed my little planter. This former utensil holder from the Sallies now holds some hyacinth bulbs. Don't you love the strawberry design? Seriously cute.

Righto, that's it for my week of simple pleasures. Hope you enjoyed, and please feel free to share some of your simple pleasures. Life is all about making the world how you like it, right?

Simple pleasures #6

Simple pleasures #6 - pansies! My favourite little garden flower. I love them in all shades but especially pink.

So I dug a little bed around the washing line and planted it up. Hopefully when the sun comes out again they will turn their little faces the right way... then hanging out the washing will be a little bit brighter.