Retro Home Coming

Oh how wonderful, I have moved into a 1950's bungalow with a garden to play in. 

     



The edging is extended and I replanted the lawn, how lush and green. The birdbath is frequented by many a happy bird.

 I have laid edging to create a new garden that is full of colourful perennials. And a orange flowering creeper is covering the back fence.

Fitzroy Garden revival -side view

We took the fences down and pruned the lemon and lime tree for more sunlight and better growth of fruit.

Fitzroy Garden revival -front view

This is the view from the back terrace. Amazingly the compost bins were completely full of ready-to-go gorgeous compost, good to get excited about soil huh?

Fitzroy Garden revival -back view

This is the latest garden make-over I created for a friend in North Fitzroy. We had a bit of a working bee, so I got to boss 4 others around, to create this gorgeous new growing space. It always helps when there is a great base to start with: we removed old fences and added alot of compost and poo before we popped in the new steps for easy weeding and picking, planted heaps of yummy vegetables and herbs and mulched deeply. So so so satisfying.

oh how I love a good series of before, during and after photos.

Dickens St back garden vege patch

This is the other end of the vege garden, a work in progress and the sunniest spot in the garden all year....plans for peas and beans and lots and lots of basil and eggplants. More photos later.

Dickens St back garden

The vegetable garden at the back of my apartment block had an area full of rubbish, weeds and vines... so I dealt to it. It is a kinda shady spot, except for mid summer sun, so shade loving leafy greens are going in there and perhaps a pumpkin and a zucchini plant. Lush plant photos later.

Dickens St garden

I planted this garden a year ago when I first moved here. There were no plants on the left under the eaves and poor dry hard soil.

I added compost and water retention agents and decided to plant succulents since I had heaps of 'pups' from my potted succulents.

My lovely communal gardener liked what I was doing and left a stash of succulent cuttings to plant.....only four have survived, the possums find them particularly tasty unfortunately.

One year later.....the garden has survived the drought and sporadic watering.

Since the grass between the gardens is so shabby I moved 140 bricks to create a solid pathway and extend the garden either side.  Nice. And more room for more plants, very pleasing.

The cerise Hebes will like life a whole lot more now with a bit of mulch and I am excited to watch the San Pedro Cacti grow to great heights. Planning to plant Victoria Blue Salvia (salvia farinacea) [but of course], some rose and citrus Pelargoniums, and dark red Geraniums...mmmm.

Exterior - Ghetto Garden up-date

Wow! I wandered into the Ghetto Garden yesterday and was thrilled to see all the lush growth over the past 6 weeks and also some pretty floral additions by a resident's lovely mum. How good does that rocket look?... and you can see the buttercrunch lettuces are a big favourite, all the outer leaves munched already by the gals and the bok choy is flourishing as is the perennial basil [ocimum americanum]. There seems to be no big or little pests (the calendula and curry plant  [helichrysum italicum] and crazy stick sculpture dangling with keys, are all doing their job), only an unforeseen crop of stinging nettle.... plucked and chucked with gloves as these gals are not into nettle tea. Proud to see 20 year olds getting a green thumb.

Bok choy looking good on the left and the rocket in the front.

Basil is top far right... calendula in front.

see here for before photos.....

Exterior - Ghetto Garden revival

Dubbed the Ghetto Garden, a friend and I spent 4 hours reviving this garden for her daughter and their flatmates in their first flat. All they have to do now is water it!!

before: old tomato plants, weeds, sticks and poor soil but plenty of parsley plants!

During: found a stash of bricks for stepping stones, dug in Dynamic Lifter manure and water saving pellets.

After: Lettuce, rocket, bok choy, beetroot, thyme, oregano, basil, lemon verbena, leeks, silver beet, mizuna and calendula all mulched into their happy new home with pea straw.

Before..

During: planting vegetables and herbs

After

Before: view to house

During: pepper plants from old garden will love the new soil and mulch.

After.... will post new shots of garden in a month or so to see how it grows ...mmmmm