Fresh Start with the Garden

I hope it is not too bold of me to say, but our garden is looking rather fantastic these days and I'm very proud of the massive improvements made over the last few years.

Ornamental pears have gone in along the driveway

The major new and exciting change has been that I have employed a gardener to help me as Mr L'Orange has retired.

Now we have a bit more of an idea of what we are doing and expert advice, we've been getting Jeanette to help us move plants to better locations where they have more room and the right conditions. We have spent weeks and weeks this autumn improving the soil and putting in new plants and shrubs to fill up gaps and add a dash of colour.

Hedges have been pruned back, noxious weeds removed, edging and mulch added all over the garden and finally a couple of new beds have also gone in.

I'm thrilled to announce the demise of the hebees which we inherited with the house and I have never really liked to be completely honest.

The mop top tree is going gang busters this year

Instead we have planted a beautiful white gardenia close to the dining room window so as it grows we should get all the fragrance coming into the house as we walk in the front door.

Goodbye hebes - Hello gardenia

Some of the other plants that have gone in over the last few months include a couple of snowball trees, a white crepe myrtle, a magnolia little gem, some cerise coloured salvias, more white hibiscus as it seems to grow so well here and flower for months on end, buddleia, daphne, azelias and some more carnations.

The photinia hedge has grown the most ever witnessed in the last 12 months - now above the wall!

Just writing this list makes me realise we have completed a heck of a lot of work and to Mr L'Orange's great pleasure he hasn't had to do much at all.

Whilst it may sound very bourgiese to have a gardener, the reality is that it is extremely practical. Especially if you are a novice gardener and need some help or want to have a life outside of doing gardening every weekend.

Cheery laurel hedge at the back is coming along nicely

When I think of all the money I have spent on plants in the last few years which have inevitably died because I had no idea how to look after them properly then it really becomes more of a financial solution to have a gardener come every now and again and help to look after everything.

Garden Update - Spring

Sorry for the huge gap between posts, let's just say life has been turned upside down since June and things are only now slightly more back on track (in a very loose way!).

My loyal garden companion

Thought you would like a bit of an update on our garden which seems to be on a bit of a winning streak at the moment as our plantings really grow into their surroundings.

At long last we have some lovely white flowers on our wisteria, which I am particularly proud of as these are the first flowers since we planted it four years ago.

All the trees are looking a little harsh just now as we gave them a major winter prune, however they will grow lots this year and fill out in no time.

The prune was well worth it as we have got rid of all the high branches and thinned out so we can grow better fruit and actually be able to pick it.

We have planted a new tree to replace the dead walnut that we cut down. It is a golden elm and we are very pleased that it is growing well and know it will look amazing in another 5 to 10 years!

The front beds slowly filling up with plants

The front garden is full of roses and we have also yanked out some more agapanthas to increase the size of the beds. Now that I have found some hardy plants that can survive the rubbish soil in the front beds I am having a lot more success.

The idea is that the main front bed will be agapantha free by next winter and we will have lots of lovely shrubs and flowers in there instead. I'd say we are now 80% well on the way.

Our new garden bed plantings

The mower broke, so I have been paying someone to do the lawns instead and have discovered they do a much better job than Mr L'Orange. 

Weed free, freshly cut lawns - beautiful

Now he gets to enjoy three hours of not cutting the grass at the weekends and I get to enjoy a beautiful lawn all through the week - it is a win win situation.

The lavender hedge is looking lovely at the moment

Hope you like the garden at the moment as much as I do. Until next time.

Our main bee attraction in the garden

Garden Screening

2015 is going to be our year of screening. We are keen to completely enclose our garden with green to screen out all of the neighbours so we have total privacy and something nice to look at. 

We have realised that a lot of the appeal of Darling Cottage is that the garden is so private and secluded so we are now attempting to do the same for our little place. 

We are starting with this side of the house and already have a new cherry laurel hedge planted at the front & now we are working on the back.

We have planted 3 new olive trees down the side of the house, as I noticed they had some particularly large ones in Bunnings (for the same price of the tiny ones I bought last time of course!).

Our existing olive trees are growing really well and even have actual olives growing on them which is pretty exciting. Again they don't really need any attention so are excellent for time poor gardeners like myself who regularly forget to water and feed everything.

A camelia has been planted alongside the fence in the back garden in the hope that when it grows we will gain some screening and it will look beautiful from the deck. Next project is to screen off around the veggie patch with something that climbs well but doesn't take up much room. I'm thinking either virginia creeper or chinese jasmine.

Hope you all have a great week!

Garden Inspiration - Melbourne Garden & Flower Show

Earlier this year we went to the Melbourne Garden & Flower Show for a massive inspiration fix. We took Mr L'Orange's parents and had a great day of garden hints, tips, ideas & creativity.

Given the stark and bare winter season in our garden at the moment, I thought it would be really nice for us all to get in the mood and soak up a little bit of professional garden inspiration.

These are some pictures of a 'Garden Library', I would so love to have one of these in our garden all to myself, I think it would also be a lot cheaper & easier than some of our more ambitious reno projects.

This picture is to inspire us to try some espalier apple trees this spring.

Clearly someone else has been inspired by my blog post to paint up some old pots! Love how this is so simple but very striking.

A beautiful tranquil pond - completely amazing how the garden teams managed to set all this up in just a few days.

Outdoor bathroom? Yes please - how amazing does this look? Need to ensure you have good screening from the neighbours though!

One thing I have realised from the show, is how effective mass planting can be, especially when a very focussed colour palate is used. Take a look at this gorgeous garden of texture and colour.

Decisions, decisions - should I have a bath, relax n the lounger or have a go on the swing - this garden has you spoilt for choice!

So calm and peaceful, you can imagine every worry disappearing as soon as you enter this garden.

Some good use for old wellies!

Hanging baskets full of flowers always need so much water that I've found it hard to keep mine going through the middle of an Australian summer, but a succulent hanging basket lasts all year and can brighten up even the shadiest corner. 

I have a hanging basket at the ready and plenty of succulent cuttings I can use, just need a spare couple of hours. I'm going to put my finished creation right next to the front door, which allows visitors to see it when they arrive and I can gaze at it from the dining table - I better make a good one!

This was one of our favourite gardens because it was simple but super effective and we thought we actually might have a chance at recreating this water feature at home - watch this space!

Hope you all have a great weekend!

Italian Inspired Courtyard

Ever since our cabin was first build we thought it would be a great idea to create private courtyard in the spot where our old garage once stood, giving cabin guests a bit of privacy and creating another 'room' in our garden.

Things haven't exactly flourished in the Italian inspired courtyard thus far as Dog A L'Orange seemed more intent on digging up my freshly planted olive trees than letting them grow, you can read about the full episode here.

There were also a few teething issues with the screening Mr L'Orange put up and the fact it kept blowing down in the wind.

Allowing the grass to grow right next to the gravel in the courtyard was a serious error on our part and made cutting the grass and trying to do the edging around lots of rocks and pots particularly tricky.

All in all, the courtyard that we had in mind has not really eventuated....until now that is.

Mr L'Orange and I enjoyed the Queen's birthday long weekend digging out all the grass alongside the courtyard and turning the space into a garden bed instead. 

Dog A L'Orange was thrilled to get his paws and nose dirty in a bid to help us get out all the weeds and grass.

We have continued with our theme and have planted Italian lavender in the bed which we are going to let grown into a hedge.

I've also planted some oregano and lemon thyme which will hopefully grown in some of the narrow gaps around the edge or the courtyard and driveway.

Removing the weeds ready for the oregano and thyme

This time around Mr L'Orange has put down lawn guard and I need to follow up with thick layers of newspaper and then lots of mulch to keep out the incredibly annoying grass and weeds that we appear to be in constant battle with.

The finished courtyard effect - pretty nice eh?

We have purchased a chiminea to warm up the courtyard on chilly afternoons, who doesn't love a good bonfire? The idea is for us to get this into position this weekend and perhaps have an inaugural lighting whilst our friends are visiting from Sydney.

Last thing on the list is to get some furniture into the courtyard and a mini bbq so our cabin guests are fully equipped with everything they could need once summer comes around again (I can tell you that this is a serious distant memory at present).

Dog A L'Orange proud of his handiwork

I'll keep you posted on courtyard progress and if you have any ideas to help me channel the Italian vibe of this garden 'room' please let me know!

Garden Pot Jazz Up

We've had some old bits of equipment kicking around the garden for a while now which I though I could inject a new lease of life into and gain some free plant pots in the process.

First of all we have the cheap wheelbarrow we purchased from Bunnings (my least favourite hardware shop) which feel apart (quite literally) a few months later.

Broken wheelbarrow

Then we had an old white enamel cylinder thing that was here when we bought the house, completely ugly but with a lick of paint and a bit of TLC an ideal vessel for plants.

Rusty old white pot thing

First step was to give everything a really good clean in preparation for painting. As you can see from the photos it was a mega hot day, so everything dried in minutes which certainly sped up the process.

Next step was to prime the wheel barrow and old pot with metal primer. This dried super quickly so I made sure I did plenty of coats to cover all the rust patches and ensure a smooth finish.

Primer going on

Next step was to apply the top coat, we chose the colour bond 'Monument' colour to tie in with our gutters and woodwork already in the garden. I had also bought a massive tin when doing our gutters a couple of years ago and really wanted to use a bit more of it up!

Super hot day - as you can see from the heat haze

If you are after some more 'wow factor' options, I have seen some really amazing top coat effects using Porter's Paints special finishes range. You can choose from Patina Green, Liquid Copper, Instant Rust, Instant Gold, French Wash and many more - they are really amazing but be warned they are more complicated to apply and expensive.

I put the wheel barrow in position close to the cabin, filled it with potting mix and then popped in some cuttings and annuals. Mum and I had already spent a small fortune buying annuals from the Garden Centre so we had plenty I could pilfer from other pots. Plus there is something very pleasing getting cuttings to strike especially when it hasn't cost a thing.

To protect the new plants from the extreme heat I added lots of sugar cane mulch to the top of the wheelbarrow, in the hope they would get a chance to establish despite the near drought conditions. I made sure to water everything in well and apply a nice seaweed solution to help them along.

Finished wheel barrow in position

I did exactly the same with the white pot, but could add plants that would grow taller as the pot is low to the ground.  I really should have taken the pictures straight away, but I was a bit sunburnt so headed straight to the shade as soon as the pots were done.

Unfortunately this pot obviously gets more sun, so all my petunia and geranium additions withered and died very quickly, sorry this one is looking a bit bare in the photos. The palms at the back are still hanging in there and I'll add some winter colour instead once the temperatures cool down a bit. I've also got a new pink cordylite ready to transplant (a grand saving of $20 thank you very much) which would also look good in this pot.

Round pot in position

All in all, I am really happy with how the pots have turned out, the planting wasn't completely successful but the crazy heat did play a major factor.

The wheelbarrow currently looks amazing and I shall get the round pot sorted out now that we are at long last getting nice heavy rain and bearable temperatures. 

Hope this post has inspired you to re-use something in your own garden.