Winter Gardening

PERTH 2014.

June.

Winter brings with it a release from the hectic pace of late summer and Autumn. Shorter, cooler days and occasional heavy rains mean that I am not so busy with window cleaning and this gives me an opportunity to concentrate on the garden.

A feeling of untidiness and neglect.

I like and encourage the nasturtium but couch and onion grass grow through the cracks in the paving. These are probably in the top 5 worst weeds category and I have them both in profusion.

My mango was heavily pruned last year and I had some grave fears at times but this year the new growth is luxuriant and I hope it is ready to flower well and fruit this year.

Weeds need to be cleared here.

A midden of crab shell from the recent past.

An old paddling pool site for the kids still with it's blue tarp.

It's unsightly but the sheltered level area offers many opportunities.

It may be good to move the trampoline from it's less than ideal position here to the old paddle pool area.

 I've started weeding out the front and it is hard going.

Some herb survivors from the summer and a couple of recent plantings with an old car battery thrown in for effect.

The regrowth from a previously cleared pre existing lawn is removed, revealing a more promising landscape.

This is the level of weed I am dealing with here. Hard work but satisfying.

This side fence shows an area of weed jungle that has grown out of control and completely covered an old path. This is how archaeological ruins are covered up and swallowed by the earth. 

First step is to purchase some bales of straw. I leave them tied up for a couple of weeks so that they will get wet and break down. Also most of the seeds will germinate and be destroyed without becoming weeds.

July 2014.

The bananas are overgrown with weeds and some need removing now that they have fruited. Dead leaves need pruning too.

These ones are also in a very untidy state.

Even in mid winter the plants are still producing large bananas.

I am removing all weeds now, before they flower and laying them out on the tarp as compost.

Baled straw has been used to stabilise an area here.

Straw has also tidied up an area under the lemon tree. This represses weeds and I also think it improves the look.

The tree is growing upward and wasting energy on non-flowering stems. It needs a prune.

That's better.

Weeds have grown up around the mango  tree and, once again, need removing.

This has been done and  .  .  .  .  

Fish scraps from a recent trip are buried at the base of the tree.

Grapevines have just about dropped all of their leaves and are nearly ready for pruning.

August 2014.

A grove of bananas is isolated, with a border fashioned from old pieces of timber. Newspaper is laid down to suppress weed growth.

Baled straw is placed in here.