The spring plant fair …

Published on by FJB
Crowds at the Plant Fair

After a week of intermittent rain and thunderstorms, the day of the spring plant fair dawned clear and crisp.  I was up with the lorikeets and arrived at 8:00am along with about 100 other plant enthusiasts.  Armed with our lists, the early birds swooped …

There were over fifty stands selling native, bush tucker and european plants, vegetable seedlings, compost, and even bottles of worm wee.  To keep us entertained there was a riveting workshop on composting, and our local reptile expert demonstrated what to do when coming face-to-face with a red bellied black snake.
(Freeze … apparently they have really bad eyesight !!)

To ensure that none of us fainted from hunger before having spent the maximum amount of money, there were …  felafel rolls and decadent organic cakes, coffee and chai tea. One stand run by a cheery local Sikh identity was selling samosas and egg & bacon sandwiches – is that “fusion food” I wonder ??

My purchases

Two hours later I was able to extract myself and return home with my purchases… several grevillias and powderpuff lilly pillys, a tahitian lime, a chocolate pudding tree, tomatoes, a curry leaf bush and a gorgeous pink cordyline.  Now comes the task of finding a suitable spot for everything.

♥ ♥ ♥

Birds in Backyards …

Published on by FJB

♥♥♥ Birds in Backyards – this is a great site which allows you to search for Australian birds by their call, habitat and conservation status.  It also gives you useful information on attracting birds to your garden: Birds in Backyards

Blossom time in Bellingen …

Published on by FJB
Apricot blossom in August …

Hello, and welcome to my first blog post.  Over the coming months  I’ll keep you updated with photos and happenings in my garden.  Follow this link if you would like to find out more about me and the Bellinger Valley.

August is a wonderful month. There’s a hint of spring in the air, and the garden, which has been dormant over winter is now full of blossom.  The apple, pear and apricot trees are in bloom and the bees are loving it.  The ground here never gets cold enough to produce a crop of apples or pears but the beautiful pink blossoms will produce a small crop of apricots.  However … the birds or bats will feast on anything soft and sweet, and I always seem to be just 24 hours too late!

The rainforest birds which disappear into the bush over winter have returned, and the garden is regularly visited by bowerbirds, catbirds and honeyeaters. The call of the catbird is a wonderful and quirky thing – somewhere between a cat call and a baby crying.

It won’t be long until the Spring Plant Fair …

♥ ♥ ♥