lemon tree

This lemon tree, a Lisbon, was planted in September 2008.  Last year it produced two fruits.  I have been feeding and watering it in the last twelve months and the bumper crop is the result of that consistent effort.  I will keep the tree low, and will prune the top.  A lemon tree is a must in all gardens.

Daffodil and white daphne

A lady in the Kew Garden club grows daphnes, white and pink from cuttings and she seems to strike everytime.  I bought this white  daphne from the club last year and I am happy that it looks like it will thrive.  A pink daphne in another part of the garden has died.

I cannot boast of having a host of golden daffodils in my garden.  This lone golden flower is still a joy to behold.  I have to look for another spot in the garden to put in more bulbs next autumn.

Winter flowers

The recent frost killed the white tree dahlia but there are flowers that are giving some colours to my garden.  The cyclamen, protected beneath the jacaranda, is a joy to behold.

So is the lavender bush, providing sustenance for the bees.  There is still a bee or two to be seen, surprisingly.

Fortunately these succulents survived last week's frost.  However a well established jade in full flowers was not protected enough.  I shall wait till spring to remove the dead flowers and leaves.

cauliflowers and azaleas

This cauliflower survived a bad attack of aphids which I had to remove with the aid of the hose.  Out of a punnet of seedlings only three are successful.  It is too beautiful to pick but I shall take my kitchen knife to the cauliflower.

The red of the azalea flowers create a happy spot in my winter garden.  The garden is quite colourful and I must remember to take a few more pictures.

First red poppy

This is my first red poppy of the year.  The self sown seed landed in a pot of bulbs and when I noticed it as a seedling I decided to leave it.  There are a couple more buds waiting to open up.  In the rest of the garden I am noticing poppy seedlings that should be ready to bloom in October and November.

White tree dahlia

The tree dahlia grows tall and the buds are finally opened.  I just hope they will last a while before the frost gets them.

A close up of the flowers, looking pristine.

Potted trees

This is the top of my potted pine tree.  In all of its twenty-seven years in a pot it has been repotted about five times.  Now I merely add compost to the pot, which could be less than 40 cm in diameter.  The tree was less than a foot high when I dug it out from a friend's property.  My youngest was about five months old then so I can always tell the age of the tree.  It could possibly be over seven feet in height and the trunk is secured to prevent it from falling over.  When it was possible to bring it into the house the tree was decorated for Christmas.

You can barely see the trunk of the pine tree, merging into the ficus covering the brick wall.

This fan-leafed palm is even older than the pine tree.  The last time it was repotted was in the summer of 2008, not long after I moved into this property.  It is growing every year and I do nothing to it except water it in summer.  It is a pretty sight from my kitchen window.