Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Our Autumn Garden




Here in Perth over the last week or so, it’s really begun to feel like autumn.  Crisp mornings, sunny days, the odd shower and cooler evenings have all been welcomed in this household.  I love that it’s cool enough to put on slippers and cosier pyjamas, but warm enough during the day to spend time outdoors in the sunshine.

With the arrival of the slightly colder weather, we finally got back into the garden over the weekend.  Paul is always out in the yard over the weekend mowing the lawn or weeding, but this is the first time in months we’ve done any actual planting.  The girls and I headed to Bunnings on Friday and bought a whole bundle of flowers to add some colour around the place and with the assistance of my gardening helper Grace, we managed to get them all in before a good downpour that night.  On Sunday, we went and got some more flowers as well as some seedlings to start off our vegetable patch again.  Our previous crop of vegetables got fried during the long heatwaves Perth experienced over summer but we are now growing some cherry tomatoes, beans, pak choi, lettuce and baby spinach with some seeds of chicory, beetroot and spring onions still to be planted.

Our garden is one of the parts of our home that has really changed over the years.  We’ve invested a lot of time and money into changing things to suit our taste.  However, changing things in the garden requires a great deal of patience as lots of shrubs and trees we have planted are yet to grow to their eventual size and so when I look around, I often feel as though there are bare patches in our garden.  What's needed now are some low border style plants and groundcovers to 'fill in the gaps'.

Anyway, all this talk about gardens has made me realise I'd better go and water our vegetable patch before dinner...
    




13 comments:

  1. The girls have been bugging me to start a veggie garden.I really need to give my garden some TLC. You commented on Mikkis room, her quilt was from target it was actually a queen size whihc my sister inlaw altered fit a double doona

    ReplyDelete
  2. You have a lovely yard! I would love to do some planting but at the moment all we can seem to do is keep up with the old overgrown garden!

    I love your potted lavender - just lovely. xx

    Anna (My Design Ethos)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Looks lovely Amanda. I love that you, Paul & the kids get out into the garden & beautify it :) I am the worst gardener, I must admit. I love being outside & enjoying nice gardens....but when it comes to planning them & looking after them...I'm useless LOL!!!
    x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sophie was quite happy being 'garden supervisor' sitting in her Bumbo, rusk in hand watching on :) I love planning how I envisage our garden to be, but Paul always calls me a 'glory gardener' because I don't get out there often enough - it's hard enough managing a house though with kiddies and so my efforts in the backyard aren't as frequent as I'd like :)

      Delete
  4. Hi amanda, your garden looks great. we really need to get out there, our garden is looking so neglected right now! Hasnt it been cold in the mornings? so awful!!! I just hate the feeling of being cold!
    Laura xx

    ReplyDelete
  5. your garden is looking well loved Amanda. Isn't it nourishing for the soul to be outside digging in the earth, creating your surroundings. I love my garden, although there never seems to be quite enough time to spend there. Depending how big the spaces, I've used herbs, miniture roses (which look beautiful in a little vase when brought inside too) and lavendar to fill the gaps around the garden. Jane x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I was thinking lavender myself as I noticed a low growing variety in a neighbour's garden when I took Asha for a walk yesterday - I like the contrast it gives with its greyish green foliage.

      Delete
  6. Your garden looks wonderful, the star must be that stunning pink camellia. Wow! It's hard being patient, for me i wish that everything could be in bloom all at once instead of dribs and drabs. Oh well! X

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Our pink camellia is only just beginning to get its first blooms - I'll post a photo again when it's fully covered - it's definitely the feature in our garden during May x

      Delete
  7. Looking gorgeous Amanda! I envy your greeness in your garden! We have a bare yard :( We planted some trees on the weekend...patience! I am checking them everyday for progress!! ha ha

    ReplyDelete
  8. Its coming along nicely Amanda! I don't see any bare patches, just potential planting ground :) We still have so much stuff to pull out of our garden, it's really getting a complete overhaul.

    My favourite ground cover are Wood Violets. When I was little we had them growing down the side of our house outside our laundry door. It didn't get much sun which was perfect for them. They have cute little purple and white flowers, so pretty.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Looks like a lovely space! I'm loving the cooler weather and the rain, I think we all need it after such warm summer!

    ReplyDelete
  10. I'm enjoying this change of temperature too, the mornings are very cool and crisp and refreshing, just the right temperature at the moment. I love the sound of your weekend in the garden and planting lots flowers and seedlings. Your garden is looking lovely especially that pink camellia bush. xx

    ReplyDelete

Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a comment - it really makes my day!!