Winter plantings

Hi all. Well what a great time to be working in and admiring our gardens. Autumn leading into Winter is my favourite time of all. You have a stunning array of deciduous foliage from all manners of trees and shrubs as well as the distinctive aroma of a couple of classic old shrubs; Daphne, Winter Sweet and Osmanthus, for example. Of course we expect to see some rain at this time too and last month afforded us 39 mls. All told, up 15 on April last year. Nearing the end of May and we've already exceeded last May's total of 48 mls by 5 mls.

On the ground, the grass continues to grow and the leaves continue to fall. All of the Ash trees, our large Pin Oak at the front of the hospital and the Weeping Elm have finished and we're now cleaning up after the English Oaks, the English Elms and the Liquid Ambers. That should take us into mid June before that chore is over. These all end up on our larger garden beds as mulch where it breaks down into compost.

It's also a good time of year to plant a few things. I've put a couple of silky oaks (Grevillea Robusta) on the bank at the rear of the hospital where a couple of old natives had blown out, so I can't wait for the day when their branches sit proud with the rest of the foliage and produce that stunning golden yellow shock of colour in Summer.

Other plants include some smaller Grevilleas, Eremophilas, Callistemans, Banksias and a favourite of mine, the Pincussion Hakea. In the main courtyard, I've planted a few pots of Anthropodium here and there which should, like the Clivia, handle both the shade and the dry. Also, I found I was able to divide those I had bought, so 6 or 7 plants turned into 24 or 25. By Summer, all these plants should have established root systems in order to tackle the dry.

Another area I look forward to getting my grubby hands on is the Frances Hewett Community Centre. As a result of recent renovations, it appears I have quite a sizable canvas to work on. I've also decided to fill the front lawn up with shrubs as well. As the main entrance to the hospital it looks rather second hand as grass struggles to grow so I might as well change tact. Keep you informed on those two projects later.

At home, I'm still grazing on carrots, parsnips and pumpkins while recently planting broad beans, red cabbage, some lettuce from a generous friend with abundant extras and peas, something I don't normally plant but adored by a neighbour, so why not?!
Ciao