pomegranate

I picked two pomegranates from my outside garden.  I have two trees, one in the outside garden, a bit too sheltered by the crab apple tree and the other where I can see it from the kitchen window.  I was surprised to see the two fruits mature and the seeds are so sweet and juicy.

There is quite a history to the trees.  I brought them from my old garden in pots.  They have been in the pots for at least five years.  One grew from a cutting and the other from marcotting, which is taking a cutting while the branch is still attached to the parent tree.

The tree in my old garden was given to me by a friend who needed the garden space.  It could have been twenty years ago when my friend and I dug out the well established, tree, taller than both of us.  We managed to get enough roots and trimmed off the branches so the tree could fit into the boot of my Humber Super Snipe.  The tree was planted next to the compost area and it thrived.  Sad to say the new owner of my old house has chopped down the tree.  It gave me bountiful harvest but pomegranate is not to everyone's taste.

exotic harvest

This sugar cane has about a foot of cane that can be harvested but I shall leave it alone.  More suckers are coming up and I hope they will survive the winter.  The pot is north facing and quite protected so I hope they will live to see spring and more growth.

This pot of peanut plants was planted last October.  There are three plants squashed in this pot so the harvest is small.

These peanuts are exposed with the topsoil scraped away.  Now that I know it is possible to grow them I shall sow the nuts in bigger pots next spring.

The peanut harvest is small but promising.  It is possible to grow peanuts and the pest to look out for are baby snails that are eating the leaves.

camelia

This pink camelia is flowering at the moment and I hope the potted plant will keep flowering till the end of winter.  I suppose a topping of compost and fertilizer will lengthen its flowering period.  I have left the plant in a pot since purchasing it three years ago.  I have yet to find a spot for it in the garden.

As seen in the picture there are buds on this small bush.  I hope deadheading will encourage more buds.  In another pot is a vermilion camelia, which unfortunately, is still in the bud stage.

chrysanthemum

This red chrysanthemum in a tired flower bed is managing to produce some decent sized flowers.  A few years ago it was a massive bush packed with oversized blooms.  I may try to take cuttings in spring and start some fresh plants.

Another colour in my chrysanthemum collection - a creamy white.  Once Mother's Day is over I will look for discounted chrysanthemum plants to add to my collection.  I will prepare a healthy bed for a blooming show next year.

protea

The protea is one of the easiest tree to grow.  The bright red flowers attract birds, especially the wattle birds that enjoy sipping on the sweet nectar.  The tree is almost five years old and is my height.  I shall prune it back when the flowering is finished as I prefer to leave the bush small.

The buds, as seen amongst the foliage will soon open up.

surprise

I found these two eggplants hidden beneath the leaves.  It was very unexpected as I was preparing to move the pot in a more sheltered position in readiness for the colder months to come.  I found a few capsicums and zucchinis as well.  They are just the vegetables for ratatouille and the basils will give the dish a beautiful fragrance.

A lovely red capsicum.

Zucchinis ready to pick.

Sunflowers

I staggered sowing the sunflower seeds last spring to allow for a continuous flowering season over the summer months.  This batch, sown in early summer is still flowering, giving this drizzly, cold day a bit of brightness in the garden.  Next spring I'll make sure the seeds are sown at intervals to allow flowering to go into late autumn.