Early November: Pretty and Productive

Jaboticaba fruit.

One of the Jaboticaba is covered in sweet fruit. This was the result of only a minutes picking. We can grow subtropical fruits you won't see in a shop, the fruits being too tender to withstand commercial processing.

Hippeastrum

 These species Hippeastrums hold a bank tight and all pop into flower at once. Soon the Agapanthus will add their blue to the floral mix. The flowers, green fruit and large leaves of a Tamarillo hang over the Hippies. They will provide numerous tomato-like sweet fruit.

Hybrid Hippeastrums

After four years, what do you get when you cross a red and a white Hippeastrum?  A real mix of colours. 

Dwarf Bougainvillea and yellow Coreopsis

The front garden just keeps looking better and better as the heat takes hold in this 'warm temperate', southern hemisphere, climate.

Chaya Spinach Tree

Chaya Spinach Tree

Chaya Spinach Tree provides a constant source of greens but make sure you cook the Chaya for at least 20 minutes to remove toxic components.

Pics in Mid Spring

Mowing the paths always lifts the spirits. The transformation is stunning and the paths grow more enticing. The Large Tibouchina Tree on the left (Tibouchina Mutabilis 'Noelene') is almost in flower in its shades of mauve. A mulberry, pruned for easy access overhangs the path.

 

Mid Spring Flowers

Salvias and Walking Iris are not to be despised. Easy care and self renewing and loved by insect controlling birds. Carol had fun taking these picks.

Early Spring at the Fernmount Food Forest

Three pics only of early Spring garden happenings.

Black Mulberry

Mid winter growth on a sunny north facing slope

Fijian Taro

Our Food Forest in Midwinter

A walk around the food forest in the bright, midwinter (late July) sun is always interesting. Citrus are providing buckets of fruit. The odd Custard Apple still hangs on and we collect the pumpkins before the bush rats can attack them. As far as our plants are concerned Spring is almost here and the peaches are coming into flower.

Pumpkin in tree

Recipe: Bunya Nut Cake

Our local Seed Savers group provided this recipe to utilise Bunya Nuts from the Bunya Pine (Araucaria bidwillii - Wikipedia).

 

 

A few mid winter edibles that provide even when neglected.

 After a six week absence we returned home in mid-winter to see these four vegetables flourishing and providing. With no actual frosts, despite the sometimes near zero temperatures, and watered by only a few showers of rain these green vegetables in raised beds just continue to thrive. Despite the benign neglect this glut of greens could feed a large family and will provide smoothies and greens for stir-fries for months. No person need be without a green vegetables if they have a couple of square metres of land or a balcony that will hold a few pots.

Gold Passionfruit

Mid-winter colour, Japanese Maples and Acalyphas

Acalyphas provide all year round colour in our warm temperate/subtropical garden.

Japanese Maple

Early Autumn at The Fernmount Food Forest

The days in May (our Autumn) are rapidly growing shorter but there is still plenty of activity in our food forest.

Sea Grape