Monday, January 12, 2009

MY GARDEN OF LOVE - A NICE PLACE TO WANDER

A little more green foliage, lily and fern

The garden outside the window

The view from my kitchen window with some treasured objects on the window sill

Some more random plantings

More of my wilderness garden

53 comments:

J Cosmo Newbery said...

Looks a lovely place, an oasis to escape and dream.

darkfoam said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
dianne said...

Thanks dear j cosmo , it is a lovely place, a very peaceful place to escape to and gather ones thoughts. ♥

dianne said...

Thanks dearest Foamie , you would love it. Apart from the established trees and a few plants courtesy of the birds I have planted every bush, shrub and fern, it has been a labour of love, because I wanted to recreate the natural random look of the surrounding native forest.
As I said I haven't had much success with some annuals but there are plenty of exotic plants there and quite a few perennials which I have managed to keep alive for many years. There is always something in flower and the fragrance is always lovely.

Some of plants have a special meaning for me as they have been given to me by good friends, everyone knows I love plants.

Yes dear we could be sitting out there in the early morning sunshine before it gets too hot enjoying a cup of coffee. ♥

Anonymous said...

that's
my kind of
a garden, too

i like 'em wild and untamed, with plenty of dirt and just a few surprises, bright

¤ ¤ ¤

/t.

Anonymous said...

Ms. Dianne,

Excellent plates, as usual. I would very much like to see more of your wonderful garden wilderness! Is it, p'haps, what the autochthonous in the Australias refer to as 'the bush' or am I thoroughly mistaken in my most inexperienc'd assumptions?

I am, &c.
Colonel Brandon.
Nature Diary

dianne said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
dianne said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
dianne said...

Thanks dear /t. , pleased to hear that you like my garden.

Wild and untamed? were you referring to a garden or women? ;-)

I also like the wildness, there is a little mystery and surprises around every corner. ♥

Anonymous said...

dianne,

:)

well, i was referring
to your lovely, chaotic garden, but looking back... "wild and untamed, with plenty of dirt and just a few surprises, bright" might describe my 'ideal woman' -- LOL!

there is a very famous painting by a canadian artist, j.e.h macdonald, called, 'the tangled garden' (1915-16) -- it hangs in our national gallery in ottawa, and it is one of my all-time favorite paintings both for it's subject matter and for artistic merit :)

¤ ¤ ¤

/t.

dianne said...

Sorry dear Foamie , I am having computer problems and deleted your lovely comment by mistake, I dont know how to retrieve it. ♥
I was trying to delete my reply comment which didn't publish and by clicking on 'publish' numerous times all of a sudden all of my comments appeared. ♥

dianne said...

Actually dear /t. , I did smile when I read the comment, I think someone like that would be the ideal woman for a lot of guys. :-) ♥

That is a lovely painting, such vivid colours and flowers, I very much like the rusty hues,and the stone house in the background, it almost looks like a tapestry, thanks for sharing it. ♥

dianne said...

Dear Colonel

Yes Sir, I do live in 'the bush' as you put it, on the outskirts of a city.
When I first did purchase my parcel of land it was part of a larger farm in the midst of native bushland, which had thoughtlessly been denuded of all of its native vegetation apart from some trees. We are speaking here of the removal of some beautiful flora, such as flannel flowers, Christmas bells, wattlea and many beautiful specimens indigenous to this area.
That is what, through trial and error I have endeavored to re-create; some specimens have survived, some have not.
It is still a work in progress.
These native plants and exotics do flower, mostly white blossoms as they look so lovely, there are however other colours in my garden palate. You will find amongst the greenness, gardenias, stephanotis, lilies and a variety of other flowering perennials. I am very much taken with the variety of leaf shapes, textures and shades of green; as do I love the textures and colours of the bark on my trees.
I will post some more plates in Spring when there will be more flowers to admire.

I remain, your sincerely
Ms. Dianne
Somersby Manor

puerileuwaite said...

Wow! You have a GAZEBO? Cool!

Plus I think I spotted a marijuana plant in picture #2. I'll be right over!

Anonymous said...

Ms. Dianne,

I can almost imagine, this very moment, the sun streaming thru' your kitchen window! Incidentally, the Stephanotis Floribunda - it is also a species to be found in Malaysia, is it not? My interest is drawn to this particular shrub because in flower it looks most similar in appearance to a certain sweet-smelling alpine flower I once encounter'd on my travels. However, unlike the Stephanotis Floribunda, which flowers are often used in bridal bouquets, I suspect the alpine variety I refer to, although subject to extremes of temperature at high altitude & therefore possibly suited to harsh climates, is quite likely less hardy than that which you have the pleasure of enjoying in your fine garden. You are indeed fortunate to have been able to re-establish such a variety & abundance of picturesque flora in your garden after it having been, as you say, thoughtlessly denud'd. I look forward with great earnestness to further awe-inspiring plates of your beautiful garden. As for my self, I hope this Spring to do no little horticultural work in my Manor garden. It has quite a bleak appearance at this present moment, I confess, & I truly must give it my fullest attention in due course. My sincerest gratitudes again for sharing your very fine plates.

I remain, &c.
Colonel Brandon.
Nature Diary

darkfoam said...

eh ..
no problem, dianne .. :)
i think in my previous comment i just mentioned how lovely i thought your garden was ..
a place where i wouldn't mind sitting and drinking copious amounts of cold beer ..
or was that coffee?
;)
XO

dianne said...

Yes Puggles my sweet, it is a kind of gazebo, it doubles as a carport, but is great for entertaining.
I would love to have a screened in outdoor room like the one dear Foamie has...somewhere nice to sit and catch the breeze. ♥

The plant does look like marijuana but I can assure you it isn't, so dont get too excited.
My neighbour has the same plant growing and someone dobbed her into the police saying she was growing marijuana, of course they came out to investigate, its just a pteris fern, similar looking leaves. ♥

dianne said...

Hey Foamie , my dear friend, anything you would like to drink and seeing that it is about 80° F at 9.12am, I think something cool would be best.
Thanks for commenting again. ♥

dianne said...

Dear Colonel

Yes the sun will be streaming into my kitchen soon when it moves to its northerly aspect. This is most welcomed in winter as it is warming but not so much now on these hot summer days.
The stephanotis floribunda is a sweetly fragranced climber,its waxy flowers are beautiful and in abundance,(hence floribunda - many flowers). Its other name is Madagascar Jasmine, the island of its origin, it has to be resilient to survive our hot Summer.
If you enlarge the bottom plate and look very closely you can see a few flowers in the lower left hand quadrant.
It has been difficult to re-create the natural flora, given that I was faced with a piece of land suitable only for grazing. It has been a lesson in trial and error, for many plants have not survived given the arid conditions they have had to overcome.
It is still a work in progress and until we experience more precipitation I wont be digging any further garden beds, as I need the precious water for those plants that I have.
Ah to have a gentler climate like fair England, you must be waiting in anticipation for the Spring buds that will bloom and many pretty flowers.
Thank you for your kind words dear Sir.

I remain, yours sincerely
Ms. Dianne
Somersby Manor

The Phosgene Kid said...

Pretty wild back there - heard they're still searching for the meter reader that wandered in and never came out.

dianne said...

Lol dear Phossy , there is some lawn there amongst the wildness...the meter is out the front...no-one has gone missing...yet. :-) ♥

sparringK9 said...

i see i did the right thing by coming here. i am in a foul and cynical state of mind. but ahhhhh this is the green pause that sootheth the beastie within. just a lovely vision. as i prepare for the 12 degrees tonight. i could not even let my chicks out today its too cold.

nice plantings; a testament to your eye for beauty.

dianne said...

K9 my dear friend, why the foul and cynical state of mind, that is not like you at all, is that creepy guy bugging you again?
I'm pleased that my green landscape has soothed the beastie within;not as green as it would be if we had more rain.
It is a lovely vision but far too hot to venture out into yesterday, the temperature here reached 100 degrees, I think the chicks would like it here in milder weather plenty of places to wander and scratch around in. ♥

boneman said...

well, I for one wonder, what with all these picrures, why you don't have a picture of the gardener?

dianne said...

Hi Boney dear, welcome to my wilderness...the gardener, that would be me, I'm most likely in there somewhere amongst all of those bushes.
If you cant see me there's a picture of me in the side bar. ♥

Lee said...

Yes, a beer would go well with the garden.

dianne said...

Yes Lee dear you can have a beer, an iced tea with a twist of lime or lemon or home made lemonade.
I have some tonic water and I think there is some gin if anyone would like a G&T. ♥

chickory said...

green has so many lovely hues
a cool respite; the soul is soothed

The Phosgene Kid said...

All I can think is weed eater

dianne said...

Hello sweet K9 from chickory, I really love that avatar.
Yes green has so many beautiful hues, I love the variation, how it changes in different lights, the seasons and the time of day and especially after it has just rained, my garden takes on a lovely fresh look as all seems renewed. ♥

dianne said...

Oh Phossy dear, no weed spray or chemicals in my garden, I have to protect the insects,possums, lizards and birds who visit my garden. ♥

Thanks for your endorsement up there in my followers list,it means a lot to me. ♥

darkfoam said...

came here for a sunny respite from the cold.
at noon we are currently at -7C.

The Phosgene Kid said...

Middle of the second picture for the bottom - is that weed???

boneman said...

no weed.
well, not the smoking kind.
well, maybe one can smoke it. Wild lettuce is smokable. Clover flowers, too. If you prefer menthol, catnip or mint plants will suffice.

Tobbacco, for all it's good uses, is still the world's most addictive substance. Dang!

dianne said...

Hi Foamie dear friend you are most welcome to warm up here in the sunshine, its not so bad today about 75 degrees.
Come on over and I'll fix you a nice cold drink or coffee if you would prefer. ♥

dianne said...

No Phossy it is not weed , it is actually a plant from the pteris species; yes it does look like marijuana,the leaves are a similar shape.
I will add that it is illegal to grow weed in this country.
As I explained to Puggles in my reply to him, from a distance it looks very similar, my neighbour has the same plant growing in her garden so some person got in touch with the police and they came to investigate.Gosh you would think they had better things to do. ♥

dianne said...

Yes Boney dear, not that kind of weed, if you actually get up close it looks nothing like marijuana and I wouldn't recommend smoking it.
Thanks you have given us plenty of alternatives to choose from and yes everyone stay away from tobacco because I believe it is more addictive and very bad for your health. ♥
I don't smoke or bake with marijuana but I believe it has its place in helping some people with nausea and managing terminal illness.
And hey if someone wants to have a recreational puff I wouldn't be judgemental, I've never tried it myself. ♥

JK O SΚΡΟΥΤΖΑΚΟS said...

HI FROM GREECE.NICE BLOG AND NICE PHOTOS.VERY GOOD JOB.SEE YOU

dianne said...

Thank you JK and welcome. ♥

The Phosgene Kid said...

too bad, if ti was weed it would add a whole new dimension to "fun in the garden." Have to stick to licking toads then I guess.

dianne said...

Yes dear Phossy that it would, a lot more fun...I haven't heard of licking toads. ♥

The Phosgene Kid said...

Buffo Toxins. Toads, particularly Cane Toads are toxic - a defense to ward off predators. It is said that by licking the toad the toxins will give one hallucinations. Or they might turn into a prince, or at least in an altered state of mind appear to turn into a prince. Might be where all that fairy tale nonsense got started, who knows?

dianne said...

Yes dear Phossy , I knew that Cane Toads were toxic...what a big mistake that was importing them here to eat the cane beetles, they are in plague proportion up north and moving south, the same problem with rabbits.
Well that could explain a lot about the fairy tale nonsense, just an hallucination, no wonder so many princesses were miffed when their frog prince just turned out to be a toad after all. ♥

Little Lamb said...

These are very nice pictures. I like them.

Anonymous said...

lovely! come on by today for my inauguration blog...

TTFN

dianne said...

Thank you dear Lil Lamb , I'm so glad you like them, you would like it here I'm sure. ♥

dianne said...

Thanks dear Pete , nice to see you, I will come on over. ♥

Ruela said...

Lovely Dianne.

dianne said...

Thank you dear Ruela , nice of you to stop by. :-) ♥

Little Lamb said...

I think I would like it where you live too.

dianne said...

You would dear Lil Lambie , there is no snow so you might miss that and sometimes it gets very hot here but I'm a kind person and I would take care good care of you...no harm would ever come your way. ♥

Anonymous said...

Mom! Do u feel better now? Take care yourself more...the weather in Sydney very bad, change all the time...too hot and then too cold...and then...rainy...in one day. How's crazy??? Miss u....muah...muah...

dianne said...

Thank you dear Nina , I miss you too...no I am still sick but hope to feel better soon.
I hope to see you next week OK.
Love from Mom. ♥ xxxxx