What's Goin' On - In My Garden!

[Shesawaya38485]

2 - Yes, I have a ladder (the thought has crossed my mind) BUT with my luck, I'd get caught. These things are protected & huge fines apply.

Well, take a look out with you and a camera up the ladder - lol!!!

I'm sorry about the orchids but I will learn a lesson from your mistake and be very careful when I use mine to start seeds in next year!!

[Oldandintheway]

Hi all - here are the latest orchids in flower! There have been a few others re-flowering, but I have covered them in the past.

First is a new seedling plant & its initial bloom. Formerly known as Encyclia cochleata, the "cockleshell" orchid native to Central America, West Indies, Colombia, Venezuela & southern Florida. Now re-named Prosthechea cochleata




Second is Dendrobium speciosum, a plant I had to break up into about ten pieces when I moved house several years ago. It is now planted in the gravel behind a retaining wall & is doing nicely putting out new growths & finally blooming again for me. It is an Oz native occurring along our entire east coast.
At its peak at my former home, it was in a huge clump in a tree & its best flowering was a massive display of 120 spikes of flowers all over the plant. Bro has the rest at his home & it is also doing well.

[meebo1]

They are lovely. I seem to have lost one of mine. Either to much sun or too much water or maybe both

[Merking]

I germinated a lemon seed on damp tissue, potted it and left it on the garden patio to get some sun. It only has two tiny leaves and was an inch tall.

The next day I went out to water it and noticed something had eaten half the leaves. The following day, all the leaves were gone and there was nothing left but a tiny stalk. I didn't want to give up on in, so I put a see-through cup over it and left it there. A week or two later, two new leaves have started to grow. I didn't think a seedling could come back after the first two leaves are gone.

I've started germinating oranges (valencia), cherries (Penny), pineapples and strawberries (Driscoll's Jubilee).

[Oldandintheway]

Hi Merking - I'd say you're very lucky for that lemon to come back.
You'll be in for a long wait on the pineapple. (fruit that is) Still they are nice & sculptural

[Shesawaya38485]

Old - the orchids are beautiful!! Dare I ask how the ones doing that got "fried"?

Merking - I've had little black caterpillars with yellow stripes eating everything here this year!! Even my horseradish!! I finally dusted everything with dio earth and that seems to have done the trick!

My yard is a mess!! Grass needs mowed, weeds need pulled and I'm out of energy because the humidity is back. The only thing I have blooming are the mums and a couple of odds and ends that survived the drought period we had. It's getting to be that time again when everything dies off and it starts getting cold!!

Maybe I should winter in Australia?? LOL!!!

[Oldandintheway]

G'day Shesa & all - Not good news I'm afraid!
I have high hopes for one Dracula & one Phal. but the rest are toast I believe?
The aforementioned are showing signs of new growths, so that's cool.

I'm off to a local park this morning for my FREE 2 native trees that our shire council provide to residents annually.
I hoping to get a pair of weeping bottlebrush "Callistemon viminalis" which is one of our floral emblems hereabouts.
They also attract the birds & bees when in flower, apart from looking great.

https://www.google.com.au/url?sa=t&r...S0ayFX4fegF6MQ

[Oldandintheway]

OK so here are my new tube stock Freebies from Council
On the left is Callistemon 'Wilderness White' the blurb says - " A hardy medium shrub to 2.5m high x 2m width, weeping habit, soft lime green foliage, with white bottlebrush flowers, flowering mainly in spring.


On the right is Melaleuca viminalis 'Weeping Bottlebrush' large attractive shrub/small tree to 6m high x 4m width, weeping habit, tolerates poor drainage, red bottlebrush flowers late spring.


The best thing about this Council initiative is that they supply plants suitable to our area & conditions.

[Shesawaya38485]

Yes, the two that are showing new growth should make it. I'm happy for you that you didn't lose all!!

That Bottlebrush is gorgeous! Too bad it's hardy 1/2 a growing zone from me

Is that the same tree/bush that you can get "tea tree oil" from?

[Oldandintheway]

Yes, the two that are showing new growth should make it. I'm happy for you that you didn't lose all!!

That Bottlebrush is gorgeous! Too bad it's hardy 1/2 a growing zone from me

Is that the same tree/bush that you can get "tea tree oil" from?

These are both in the same family, but the oil is from the Melaleuca alternifolia
Used to have a couple of those at my former home & are commonly called "Paper Bark" trees.

Eucalyptus oil is also very good if you can get it. A few drops in a bowl of hot tap water, with your head covered by a towel over the bowl, will clear a blocked nose in the flu season quick smart. The pure oil on a tissue will remove most marker pen/inks & the sticky tape type residue in a flash. May also damage plastic surfaces, so do a test patch first.
It also has many other uses.
https://www.google.com.au/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&cad=rja&u act=8&ved=0ahUKEwiB5O6yvZfPAhUDGJQKHfc9Cx4QFghNMAE &url=https%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FEucal yptus_oil&usg=AFQjCNHIbVlTDINx6C0aZ7xaemrF5-cr5Q