my garden this morning

[forestdale]

for those of you suffereing through the cold, here is a photo of my front garden at around 8 o'clock this morning.

[kimmee]

Me and my hammock are on our way - that looks so serene !!  I could just sit and draw there and be sooo happy - it definately needs a donkey or two and some duckees walking around though!!

[forestdale]

YES!! I DOES NEED DONKEYS!!! not ducks though, we have enough wild ducks flying about and I don't really like them much.

[Missy]

wow, it looks so peaceful!

[kimmee]

Did you guys plant your trees and did you plan your landscaping yourself?? It looks like there might be a grassy courtyard area in between the trees on the backside and the shrubs and vasa in front?? what do you use that area for ?? I have been reading so many landscaping books and magazines and I just have no natural knack for things - I like the way nature does it but I also like pretty little garden bits - Do you have any advice on how to "see" it finished in your minds eye - what I do on paper I can't "see".

[forestdale]

kimmee, I've done all the gardening here. When we bought this house one of the advantages for me was that there was no garden, only trees. there were 27 trees in the front yard. I left them in as I love a natural looking garden. When it's really hot here, that area is alway a little cooler. You can't see it properly in the pic but I have a bird bath that is being visited by the birds all day. some want a drink, some want to cool off. We don't use the area for anything, except the garden. We sit out there, I let the dogs out and they stay with me while I garden. I sit out there sometimes and watch birds with my 1920's parisian opera glasses. my ds says they'll come soon to lock me away .

The only advice I have about garden design is to work out what you want to use your garden for and then make your areas one by one. It's much easier here because our garden is permanent, yours isn't. I guess I'd start with a boundary - either of a fence or garden variety. Put that in and then see what would look good with it. Don't be too influeneced by gardening books, do your own thing and push the envelope a bit. You can do up a style board of all the gardens you like in magazines. Paste them in a book and when you have a lot you can generally work out your style. Then just work from there, bit by bit. HTH.

[kimmee]

What kind of tree is this one up front with the crooked off shoot?

[kimmee]

http://virtualguidebooks.com/Hawaii/...nTreePark.html

Have you been to Maui and seen this tree?? its so incredible - it takes up blocks - It is all one tree and I think it is more than 250 years old??

[forestdale]

we have banyan trees here too. there is one up north called the prisoner's tree that they used to lock prisoners in until they could take them to the real goal.

That tree in my yard is a eucalpytus, the ones with the lighter trunks are paper barks http://www.touringaustralia.de/Trees/Melaleuca.php
Also in that garden is a huge camphor laurel tree, some tree ferns (dicksonia antartica) and a big tallowwood. There are also a lot of gingers, roses, vines, gardenias etc.

[kimmee]

Wow - that website has some really cool looking trees - I like that curtain fig - its kindof creepy like the Banyan tree. And the Phoenix palm looked just like every single date palm we have in Phoenix - But ours are much much bigger than those in the pic!! In High school I used to climb those and trim and skin them - they can grow to over 70 feet tall!!
So thats a eucalyptus - I really like the shape of the trunk - its interesting. Could you please post a pic of your ginger and of your gardenias when they bloom - we can't have those here and I just love them!! Do you get Plumeria there as well??

[forestdale]

My gardenias have finished flowering - they flower in spring but I'll certainly photograph my gingers for you. They should flower mid-summer. I have a tall red and yellow tipped ginger. It's around 5' tall, some fragrant ginger which is just growing its greenery now and a potted pink and lilac ginger that is really beautiful when in flower.

I'll collect some seeds for you Kimmee and send them over in time for your spring. I have some christmas bells - the pic of them is in my oz christmas plants thread - they'll set seeds after they flower and I think they might grow over there. I'll see what others I can collect for you.

I'll see if I can collect some tree seeds if you liike. Do you have any restrictions on seed imports where you live?

[Julia Kimber]

Lovely pic Rhonda!

Julia

[DaisyLady]

Rhonda, I am really going to have to come and visit now. After I have taught you how to crochet I can recover in your garden Move that hammock over Kimmee! make some room for mine

[dz_blonde_girl]

There is a sun! It feels like it's been raining here for the last 2 months! Thanks you, Rhonda, for the encouragement!

[Michelle]

I want it to be spring or summer here too.

Thanks for sharing your picture