Gardening (Continued)

Saturday, as always we have a busy morning, but hopefully, my plan for the afternoon is going to work.
I planned to do gardening, cleaning up all cymbidium orchids before adding fertilisers and slug killer.

I did a few jobs in the garden, but the main one was attending to the orchids, getting ready for the cold weather and the preparation for the next flowering season.   Twenty pots have been cleaned, and the brown leaves have been trimmed.  Added more wood chip bark onto the plants,  watered and moved to a better place which will get morning sun. They all sit under the eaves to protect the plants from the chill and frosts.  Adding potash is so important to encourage more flowers, and adding fertilisers is necessary to have healthy plants.

Cymbidium plants are cleaned and topped up with orchid mixed.

The orchid plants look clean, fresh and healthy.  I hope they stay that way.

I did not forget to put the slag killer on all pots to protect the young leaves and the new spikes from the snails and slugs.  Now the plants have to be at the right place.  Since I don't have an orchids house, being under the eaves is the right home for them.



Behind the Red Roses.
The orchid plants now stay under the eaves and sit behind the red roses where they get morning sun daily.  It was rather tricky to get them there, but in winter time the roses are pruned so the orchid plants will have more room, and they have enough air circulation throughout winter to early spring.

Three orchids please me, two of them have five spikes of each, and another pot has ten spikes, oh I do hope I did not miscount.  Time will tell when they are in full blooms.
A few orchids have only one or two spikes   Overall the cymbidium orchids are doing well, and hopefully the spikes will grow beautifully into perfect flowers.

It is mid-April, the cooler weather is here, and in any case, it is going to be colder, but in my backyard, some roses are still flowering, but a little sad though, that the plants have black spots, yellow leaves and also some fungus. I don't spray my roses, I let them be, for now, soon they will be pruned and rest during winter.

The Roses

Gallipoli Heath is such a natural plant to care for, and it gives beautiful flower and colour.  I got it everywhere in my garden, and it grows so much taller than it was described by Dorothy, who shared the cutting to me.  

Gallipoli Heath at its best.

It needs trimming

It is time to trim the plants down, let them rest and they will be back in spring. There are a lot of them, and they need more space, I am thinking to reduce or get rid off some.  Just see.

The plants which are at the front of the standard patio roses grew so tall, they are almost 80 cm,  now they push the branches of the roses.  You know what, at a glance, they look pretty, but they don't look right to be there.

Hydrangea, Climbing Rose Cecile Brunner, and Topiary Plants

My hydrangea plants are well and alive, but they did not flower as well as should be since the drastic pruning last year.  Maybe they are better next time.

 But the Cecile Brunner rose is doing great, the small pink flower is so pretty.  I found out only the other day that there is a birds nest there, I must not disturb it, let it be, it is their home

In the front garden: To replant the two potted Lilly Pilly plants needs time and energy, I must do it but not now, however, the topiary plants in the backyard, especially the larger one have been trimmed beautifully by Rayner, and now they look neat and dressed.


There is a lot more work, I suppose, but that is the nature of gardening, it is always there.  However, I am blessed that I could do it, and my family is still there to help me.

It is good to be able to share about gardening this Autumn, next time would be harvest time of Rayner's fruit trees.

Thanks for Visiting
Until Next Post

Susy