It seems the rains have gone now and we're settling into the gorgeous Autumn days I thought was never going to come. We've had some really cold spells, as if Mother Nature was going to skip autumn and go straight into Winter.
The Marigolds are still putting up a brave show, but for the most part they are on their last. I've removed patches of dead plants and discovered lots of new seedlings underneath because of all the rain, which I doubt will see it through the winter.
Against all advice stating Echeverias don't like a rich soil, I planted
this lot in an old dog basket in a rich potting soil with some added
compost, and they have rewarded me with beautiful, huge rosettes and lots of
pups. I think it might just be this specific variety, E. glauca, that
thrives on rich soil and lots of water but they are very frost-tender,
so I will have to move them under some cover at the first signs of real
winter.
My Cycad - Cycas revoluta (Sago Palm) - sprouted a full circle of new leaves during summer and seems to be doing really well despite the fact that I discovered the trunk covered with termites one morning. I hosed them off with a strong jet of water and am keeping a close eye to see if they return. I've also had the trunk of my Wild Olive tree covered with the thick mud with termites inside and they've eaten off huge patches of the bark. Now I don't know if that's a natural phenomena and whether it harms the plant or not, but I am not a termite fan at all and I hosed them off as well and tried to drown as many as possible!
Take some Echeverias (glauca), plant too many in one terracotta pot,
have lots of rain and you have a scene of each plant doing its best to
be the biggest!
Many Aloes are already flowering - this is Aloe ellebeckii sporting its long stalk of pinky-orange flowers.
My chooks are enjoying the sunny, rain-free days of Autumn
This little feature is a spot that needs my attention and now is the perfect time to plan something to do here
This was the Kniphofias' first season after I transplanted them from shady patches and hopefully, next summer, they'll once again be in full flower
The Nasturtiums don't seem to know that winter is heading our way - they're merrily flowering and producing lots of seedlings, but maybe they'll stay for winter, they did last year...
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