We had a nice Autumn rain period last night. This wheelbarrow leaks but still has a fair haul of water.
The stream that carries water from two drainage holding ponds was flowing.
The Acerola has finished fruiting but I still find an odd fruit.
This Atherton Almond below has seen two seasons with us arriving as a small seedling. It will become a fairly large tree.
The Megaskepasma erythrochlamys - Brazilian Plume plant is flowering again.
Cardamon Ginger (Alpinia calcarata) glows in the rain.
"Cardamon ginger is a leafy ginger-like plant that grows in clumps and makes an excellent low screen, it adds a tropical feel to any garden. While the seeds don't resemble true cardamon the leaves can be used in desserts, to add flavour when steaming rice or used to wrap fish. Leaves are also delicious when infused to make spiced tea's, infuse one cardamon leaf, two sticks of lemon grass and one chopped chilli for a winter warmer." Daleys
The Chinese Raisin Tree is fruiting, or should I say 'stalking' because it is the fruit peduncles that are picked and used like raisins.
Ceratopetalum gummiferum - NSW Christmas Bush will flower before Christmas in this climate. It is a slow growing plant.
Coleus thrive in this climate and appreciate shade but don't forget to water them and cut the flowers to keep the plants bushy. Here they lighten the gloom under a pair of Ivory Curl Trees.
A Dogwood of some kind. It appreciates some shade.
In a shady food forest it can be difficult to find a spot for sun loving herbs and vegetables. Here a pot of Edible Chrysanthemum sits next to Radishes and Chives
Black Elderberry Fruit is edible when cooked.
'Cooking the berries destroys the glycosides present in the seeds, making the berries with their seeds safe to eat.' Norms Farms
We dip the flowers into batter to make a unique breakfast pancake.
A 3 year old seedling Feijoa in Zone 3
Our wide path below the house terrace looking towards our street-front hedge and three olives,, has bamboo on one side to screen the next door house. It was built wide enough to take a vehicle.
Grevillia Golden Lyre has fed nectar to birds for seven years now. It needs a cutback.
The trunk of a sapling Saba Nut (Malabar Chestnut) lurks behind a Gold Grumichama. We search for fruit before the birds strip the day's ripened fruit.
If you want an easy care, groundcovering plant that brightens the understory gloom and will also straggle through trees the plant Irisene.
Bloodwood Tree, Poinciana Tree, Ivory Curl Tree and Tree Fern washed by the rain.
Jackfruit will fruit in our climate but we have yet to have a fruit ripen. No matter. The green fruit can be picked and boiled and then used as a meat substitute in recipes. Preparing a Jackfruit can be very messy with lots of sticky white sap so use loads of newspaper, gloves and oil the knife.
We had plenty of flowers but only one fruit on his Loquat. Still hoping.
This seedling Mango (Bowen) had five fruit the season before but lost all fruit in our dry summer period this year.
We are only beginning to learn the culinary uses of Pigeon Pea. We mainly grow it as a 'cut and drop' mulch to add nitrogen to the soil.
A seedling grown Pomegranate growing between an Acerola and a Star Apple.. We have several Pomegranate seedlings that are yet to fruit. The original two varieties have yet to produce an acceptable fruit. I fear our climate is too mild and humid.
End of season Purslane - (Portulaca oleracea) growing in a pot to ensure it is not lost in the garden. It has been picked because it makes an excellent salad.
An eight year old Red Cedar, one of the original tree varieties that sparked settlement in the Bellinger River Valley by timber-cutters.
A Saba Nut now producing about ten pods a year.
This plum (Satsuma) is very productive but must be sprayed to reduce the ravages of Fruit Fly. It prunes naturally to a shape that is easy to net.
Tea (Camellia Sinensis). Perfect for Green Tea. Mix the leaves with Rosella, Lemon Myrtle and other herbs to make tea combinations.
An eight year old White Mulberry. Sometimes it takes the birds a while to discover the very sweet fruit. The leaves are also edible and grown on coppiced bushes for the young leaves, but not in Australia. They are tasty when young, steamed then stir fried with garlic.
This White Sapote is just coming into flower.
No comments:
Post a Comment