Garden is going great thanks to all attention being paid to her in Locktober. I have been very busy and got spring fever (not covid) and thankfully next door removed their privet tree so I haven't been sneezing so much. I have noticed they have moved their lavenders to be nearer their fruit trees and the taros are now planted by their fence.
I have moved my taros too to the north bed by the wisterias where it is always damp (buttercups grow profusely) and some are also now living in a pot that is a shallow pond - them being swampy/aquatic plants. I managed to harvest five big fat ones, though they have been growing for several years half forgotten behind the garage.
My lavenders have been trimmed and the flowers are now being dried in the garage. Got to keep them in shape or they flop all over the place! Echium also got some surgery and now there's a stick library which I am going to put out for the dogs of the neighbourhood to borrow and return.
Mum and I pruned the tangelo a bit, well the old leaves which had whitefly on it. If the tree is opened up a but more, air and birds can circulate who can eat the bugs and it won't be so infested. It's kind of like getting rid of nits in your hair. Radical solution is to remove all the leaves!
I have also been pruning the camellia and feijoa to open it up a bit and bromeliads are now happily ensconced in the lower branch crooks. The 'fat lady sings bed' had several spider plants removed (now gone to good homes in Riverpark...I left them outside the fence for anyone to take) and the agapanthus is now near the back gate. I managed to find a daphne shrublet and another tiny gardenia buried amongst all the growth.
As lockdown continues into November it's certain this year won't be any garden trip to Rotorua, or Rogers Garden Centre in Mangere for that matter so am just making do with what I already have (and removing what I don't need). Out came an ugly spiky aloe, and in went a fuzzy succulent I bought from the garden club trading table that had been sitting in a pot for most of the year.
Beth called and said I was welcome to adopt her geraniums (hooray!) as she STILL hasn't moved to a new house though she managed to finally actually sell her old one. Otherwise the pots are getting a refresher even without new potting mix as I swap and change them around.
I miss recording Garden Planet with Karyn, it's just not the same in lockdown so its on hiatus for now but hopefully next year we'll be back in the swing of things.
