The Flowerpot Pen

Winter

Winter has started here. It’s dark by 6pm and the temperature has dropped (a bit).

There is talk that this winter won’t be very cold which is good this year because the ‘day before winter started’ our heater cracked the shits. Typical 😂

There’s still colour in our gardens and public spaces, Eucalypts flower, Camellias Flower, the Crabapple tree has its bright red fruit dangling about to tempt the birdlife.

I’ve got some early (very early!) Jonquils flowering now too. They usually don’t start flowering until much later in the season, mid to late winter. The seasons have definitely changed and this has been evident for quite a few years now.

It remains to be seen if we get some decent rainfall, there’s been a bit so far, but as usual we need a lot more.

Winter can be used as a time to snuggle down and dream of your springtime garden and make plans when it’s too cold or wet to go outside.

Til next time!

Autumn skies

Autumn here in Victoria is a special time. On the volcanic plains of Western Victoria, the big skies and beautiful light can be truly spectacular.

An image of a beautiful cloud formation at sunset on the volcanic plains of Victoria — Big skies and beautiful colours

Sunrises and sunsets can inspire awe and always make me feel lucky to be able to experience such beauty.

Magnificent sunrise in orange and violet — Sunrise

Winter is on its way though, so we have been experiencing misty, foggy mornings.

A foggy country scene. There is a mountain hidden in the mist — Fog covering Mt Noorat

Seasons changing remind us of the passage of time.

Til next time!

Hot

We’re in for another hot day today. A top of 44c here, up to 49c or 50c inland.

I don’t deal with hot well, so I will be staying inside with the air cooler on, I’m just hoping the power stays on.

To fill in time I’m going to start planning my ‘future proof’ garden space.

Exciting! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

TIL next time!

Summer

Summer was a bit late starting but it’s here with a vengeance now.

Smoke seen out a window from a bushfire — Smoke from a nearby fire

The grass dried off very quickly so was an easy starter for several large fires across Victoria. We were extremely lucky here, the fires that started were put out very quickly.

Wind turbines loom over paddocks filled with harvested grass — A good harvest was brought in though

The grass is brown, the sky is usually blue, unless it’s got a hint of smoke haze. This is still a beautiful place to live ❤️

Scene across a dry paddock with dramatic clouds in a blue sky — Blue sky and dramatic clouds over the dry landscape

It will be very hot over this weekend, preparing my fire plan and waiting it out.

TIL next time!

Nests

Bird nests are fascinating things. The little feathered creatures that build their own homes have an internal blueprint for how they need to build them.

This nest is a Blackbird nest. Notice the blue piece of nylon entwined into the structure, this is off the twine that holds bales of hay together.

This nest has been sitting empty since last spring, I didn’t know this one was there until the tree was pruned.

I have a few species of birds living in my garden. Blackbirds (introduced), Superb Fairy Wrens, New Holland Honeyeaters, Grey Fantails, Silvereyes, and the ubiquitous Common Sparrow (introduced).

The smaller birds have tiny, tiny little nests which I hardly ever find. Finding a bird nest is a delightful peek at the complexity of bird life, a reminder of their industriousness and the importance of protecting our native species.

Til next time!

Work benches

How do you work out how high your work benches need to be? That depends on a few things.

A work bench suitable for standing to pot plants at — A potting bench

The first consideration is what you want to do at the bench, are you able to stand? Or do you need to sit down? Are you a wheelchair user?

When you are standing at a workbench you will need to work at a level where your elbows allow your arms to be at 90deg and parallel with the bench surface.

If you are sitting down, or a wheelchair user, your work benches needs to allow your feet to be flat on the floor with your knees at, or below, waist height.

A work bench designed to sit at — Sitting down

I guess the ideal workspace would have a combination of different height work benches, but that may be out of reach for many.

When designing your workspace list the different types of jobs you will need to do then decide if you need more than one work bench. The best workspaces will make it easy for you to get your jobs done without straining yourself in any way. Gardening is fun!

TIL next time!

*images are AI generated

Winter Flowers

Australia has many plants which delight us with late winter flowers.

Brilliant red Australian native flower — Winter Flower

We’ve turned the corner and now we’re heading towards Springtime, the soil will start to warm up and the length of day will become longer.

A single Banksia flower — Banksia flower

Both of these things are catalysts for the awakening of the plant world, seeds will have their own requirements for germination and plants will have their own requirements for the production of flowers to begin their reproductive cycle.

A single Correa flower nestled among leaves — Correa flower

Here in SW VIC we’ve had a bit of rain, but we do need more. With any luck Spring will bring with it the Spring rains. Fingers crossed.

Til next time!

white Correa flowers and foliage — Correa alba

Trees

Everywhere around us there are trees. Big, impressive trees and not so big, not so impressive trees that sit there quietly doing their thing.

Trees are homes, trees help our world breathe, trees are sometimes good to sit under quietly or, for some of the smaller humans, to climb up noisily shrieking with delight to get so high.

Large tree at Inverleigh, vic. — Stone pine?

I stopped at a small town called Inverleigh on a drive home, this magnificent tree catches my eye every time. I’m not entirely sure what it is as I haven’t got close to it, but from its domed shape I think it could be a Stone Pine. I’m happy to be corrected.

This tree has been there a long time, I wonder what has happened around it in that time, lots of humans living their relatively short lives I guess.

Date palm with a rainbow behind it. — Date Palm

This beautiful specimen of a Date Palm also catches my eye when I pass by it sitting in its home in a private garden.

The birds love it and there are a variety of them popping in and out of the fronds to their nests almost constantly.

Trees are all around us, take the time to pick out a few that catch your eye, try to find a bit out about them.

TIL next time!

Back

It’s been a while! Life goes on, the seasons turn. It’s winter now after a very dry summer.

A bit of rain has freshened things up, but there’s still a way to go. Here are some pics from yesterday , as is so often the case here in SW VIC, the skies were beautiful.

Til next time 🙂

Raised Beds

When you think of accessible gardens, often the first thing you think of is raised beds.

Raised beds are not all created equal, there are lots of things to take into account.

A raised bed must suit the purposes and needs of the person using it, a wheelchair user has different needs to a person not using a wheelchair, but may have the need to use a walker for mobility, for instance.

Rough sketch of two styles of raised garden beds. — Rough sketches of raised beds.

Some other things to take into account are the materials you will use, the height you will need, whether you need the bed to be moveable or fixed in position. The material you use will have a lot to do with these factors.

Some standard measurements for height and width are as follows, but remember every user will be a different height, so a bed for a specific person can be made specifically for them.

Height for a person standing: 750mm -900mm

Height for a person sitting: 600mm

Width for access from one side: 500mm- 600mm

Width for access from both sides:1000mm- 1200mm

Extremely rough sketch of alternative raised bed shapes.

Raised beds don’t have to be rectangular, they can be designed to fit any space or need, once again, the materials chosen will determine what you can do. The curved shape above, for instance, could be made with sheets of corrugated iron.

It’s important to make sure any beds constructed are safe and made by a reputable builder.

Depending on the type of raised bed you decide on, filling it brings its own decisions, but I will cover this matter another time!

Til next time!