Happy Antipodean Spring You Guys!

[Oh_hunnihunni]

Now get out there and plant an effin' tree for heavens sake... 

[harm_less]

Now get out there and plant an effin' tree for heavens sake... 

Just be sure to keep them watered as they become established going into what is likely to be a hot dry summer.

We have felled 30+ Lawsoniana Cypresses over the past 6 months that were an expired shelter belt that Gabrielle had tipped over a few of. Firewood sorted for several years plus for some of our friends. 100+ native trees planned as a mixed shelter belt to replace them but will wait until Autumn to plant them for the above reason.

[Oh_hunnihunni]

Yes, new saplings need a bit of coddling, but it is surprising how quick they start stretching those roots and popping those leaf buds...

[Lilith7]

Cold start but sunny now & grape hyancinths & Violets in flower so not a bad first day of spring.

[R2x1]

Yep, we need a lot more little trees, my chainsaw is too wimpy (Add the feeble operator to that) for trees bigger than OSH approved porch plants. No cones required. if you can safely tie a fox terrier pup to it, it's too big.

[Oh_hunnihunni]

Spring fever hit here hard this morning. Three loads of washing, two punnets of pinks planted up in a pot by the front door, potashed and blood'n boned one of my gardens, got the deck door fixed (properly this time!), stripped the bed AND turned the mattress round before remaking it - and all that before lunch.

Taking the rest of the day off I think. In the sun, with a good book...

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Cold start but sunny now & grape hyancinths & Violets in flower so not a bad first day of spring.

I love grape hyacinths. And lachenalias. They remind me of my grandmother who taught me to garden. I am hoping some of the blue babies will push their way through the competition, I know I had some last year...

[harm_less]

I love grape hyacinths. And lachenalias. They remind me of my grandmother who taught me to garden. I am hoping some of the blue babies will push their way through the competition, I know I had some last year...

Those were both favourites of my late Mum. A few of each scattered around our gardens now along with lashings of Bluebelles which to me are a memory of forest strolls during springtime visits to the UK.

[Oh_hunnihunni]

Oh yes, the wood hyacinths are another favourite, just starting to show now. I did have white ones and the odd pink, I hope they survived too.

[R2x1]

Grass is cut, hedge got part trimmed. Pulse went to forgettable numbers but that exercise has to be good. tea is easy tonight, there is plenty of left over rice and mushrooms, and there's another pork sirloin to try and do better than it's brother did last night. That's the trouble with preservative-free pork. I unfortunately have to get it in the innards quick so I beat the bacteria. Ah the sacrifices we undergo.



ps, I'm not sure about grape hyacinths, or Lackofdahlias, don't know any recipes

[Oh_hunnihunni]

Beef mince. With everything, and in the other pot lots of spuds for mashing. Should do me through the weekend, in various disguises.

And the pink buds on my peach tree are opening. So pretty, now if we can just postpone cyclones and warm wet storms please to keep the brown rot away I will be very happy.

And yes, I did do copper sprays. Just in case...

[R2x1]

No copper sprays here, we have a washing machine

[Wildfern]

Got my tomatoe seeds planted. Mainly all heirlooms this year. Hopefully they will be ready to plant out about labour weekend. Looking forward to trying all the varieties.

[Oh_hunnihunni]

Me too. My little chair table holds egg cartons, one with scattered fuchsia seeds, another with recycled little sweetie capsicum seed from a supermarket pack, them tomatoes - Money Maker, Russian Red, and one other I can't remember, and one carton for strawberry seeds.

Great fun experiments to see how they go. Trouble is with no table there are a lot of crumbs ending up on the floor.

[Lilith7]

I used seed from Vine tomatoes bought at the supermarket last year & was surprised at how prolific they were, so will plant a few less this year although still enought to share plenty. The garlic's doing OK out there so far & some silver beet too.
Really need to get more weeding done - oh joy.

[Zurdo]

I'll turn my vege garden over today, getting it prepared for planting. I should do seedlings, but all my seeds are too old, need to restock. Plans for a more organised garden this year...yeah right ! Last year I got hit by late frosts and a little storm caused some damage.

[SueDonim]

Spring has been knocking for a couple of weeks but is clearly here now. The last of the winter aloes have finished and the spring ones are now out. The first orchids are out. Some lachenalias and daffodils are finishing but some are still strong. Also kalanchoes - the newly bought ones are in full flower now, while the plants from last year are budding up for continuity. The garden is full of colour.

Vege garden has some issues. The winter lettuces have been a bit slow but are just perking up now but the spinach just didn't happen. Leeks, garlic and brassicas are variable. We bought a pH meter at Bunnings this morning and was surprised to find the soil is too acidic. Hopefully a dose of lime will do the trick.

[SueDonim]

Garden is full of colour now. Clivias are underway with the first yellow ones just opening. Snail-free so far thanks to going out for a snail stomp most damp evenings.

Lotuses are waking up well, and so are the black aphids that plague them. I need to keep on top of squishing them as they severely impact the leaves as they open. All the usual remedies don't work on the lotuses. Anything sprayed seems to clog up the hairs that create the superhydrophobic aspect of them. When I've tried the sprayed leaves died. So squishing it is.

Blueberries are in full bloom, including one of the cuttings grown over winter. The other cuttings are showing buds so something is happening, albeit more slowly.

Have harvested a couple of leeks but the rest are all still pretty small. Also planted more lettuces a couple of weeks ago that are now zooming away. Then some more broccoli and spinach (popeye - not the perpetual one that is really silver beet). Fingers crossed that the lime will get things going.

[Oh_hunnihunni]

I picked up baby leeks at the fruit shop a while back, boy they were tasty! Almost worth putting in a couple of pots just to harvest early. And my kalanchoes are doing well too - they are a treasure at just the right time of year. I soaked my elderberry cuttings overnight and potted them up this morning. One of the thicker one had a root bud showing that I swear wasn't there yesterday when I popped it into the water garden, but maybe it's just my optimism. The seller did say these were eager to grow, so I hope they take off and adjust to being Aucklanders, it's a bit different from their usual haunt.

And yes! My lotus has put its head up so I know it is acclimatising. The water temp has definitely risen in the past week. Having never grown these before I shall watch out for black aphids and avoid any suggestion of sprays. Any other helpful hints would be welcomed - I have aquatic feeder spikes or balls on my shopping list for next week, or slow release to make my own if the local Hammer hasn't got them... I am really looking forward to that pot putting on a performance!

[harm_less]

Harvested our first feed of asparagus this week. Picking and eating the odd spear raw as I pass the bed is one of my gardening treats

[Oh_hunnihunni]

Those first spears are a spring ritual here...

Not homegrown though!