We’re sliding pretty quickly into the end of 2021 and it feels like it’s not a moment too soon! There has been no other recent years quite like 2021, except probably for 2020.

The global Covid-19 pandemic has affected the world in many ways that I suppose could not have been foreseen, the rise in mis and dis information, the rise in a mindset that’s too easily swayed by something somebody has seen or heard on the internet, and the rise in divisions between people with different thought processes.

Other world events such as the return of the Taliban in Afghanistan, continuing wars and famines in Africa, the near collapse of democracy in America after a rebellious attack on their seat of power in January, and the statement at the climate change conference COP26 that we are at ‘code red’ with our climate emergency were all low lights in the year. Then there was/is Omicron!

Wow.

One way to cope with all of this negativity is to make a concerted effort to connect with our natural world and try to make a difference to both ourselves and our wider communities by nurturing growth in our gardens, our parks, our wild places.

From little things, big things grow. (There’s a song in that 🙃)

As we head on over to the year 2022, as with most years, we start to think of what we will fill our lives with and how we will live that life in a better, more fulfilling way. New Years resolutions are often about our health, our families, our work and often they come to nothing… you know it! But my NY resolution for this year is so fully achievable I feel like it will come to fruition.

My NY resolution for 2022 is to improve and expand my online presence and bring to you all a regular round of news and interest in all things gardens, environment, and even arts.

Including the oft mentioned podcast that has been lurking about waiting for my technical nouse to improve… 😁

So there it is, my end of year wrap up for The Flowerpot Pen. I will leave you all with my very warmest wishes for a safe and happy holiday season and an enjoyable New Year, and a welcome to the brightest little Daisy in mine and my husband’s life, Daisy May born 20/12/21 🌟🌼🌻🌸❤️

Continue reading “Goodbye 2021”

It’s been a bumper year for roses so far here in the Western Districts of Victoria. The blooms until now have mostly been big, lush, and beautiful.

After the first flush of flowers have died back the plant can look untidy so getting rid of the dead flowers is a big part of rose care, especially useful in keeping your garden looking its best.

Roses bushes are often putting on another growth spurt at this stage, so there will often be a new stem forming further back down the stem you are going to cut, behind the dead or dying flower. You can either cut back to these new growths when cutting off the dead flowers (otherwise known as ‘deadheading‘) or, depending on what shape you want to leave the plant in, you can cut back to a set of leaves further up the stem.

In the pictures I’ve provided the plant had a few long, arching stems left with fresh, new blooms so I didn’t want to cut the stems with the dead flowers back too hard. This would keep the plant in an even looking shape overall.

For this reason I cut the stem back to a set of leaves above a new stem which was forming. The purple mark shows where I decided to cut; the second picture shows what the stem looked like after being cut.

Some roses will have a second flowering later in the season, others won’t. When you buy a new rose it’s a good idea to check it’s flowering habit. I’m not sure which rose this one is so I’m not sure if it will flower again, I’ll just have to wait and see.

Giving your roses another feed after their first flush of flowers is another good idea, a rose specific food will have the right combination of fertilisers to keep them growing well through the rest of the summer.

Another thing to remember is to use sharp, clean secateurs and to cut close to either the leaf nodes or new growth without leaving a long piece of stem which will die and go brown and unsightly. A pet hate.

Til next time!

I’m very excited to announce my third book, Unexpectedly Edible, has been printed and is now for sale!

This short book is a fascinating glimpse into some plants you may have in your garden, or readily available in close proximity, that can be eaten. Some you may know of already, some you may not. Some of them are commonly eaten in other cultures but not so much in modern, western style cuisines.

My research journey really began when I tasted a black berry that had formed at the base of an old fuchsia flower, it wasn’t too bad! I then started looking into what other plants I had in my garden that I could eat and was quite surprised by the number of them which I could eat.

One of the main messages I want to pass on as well though, is to always be sure of what you are eating, test tasting is always a good idea for something you’ve never eaten before. Even just rubbing some on your lips and gauging any reactions before you eat a little bit is a tried and true method.

This book is really an extension of my very first book, Food for Survivors of the Zombie Apocalypse, which takes a humorous look at survival through knowing what weeds you can eat, along with some other survival tips such as keeping chickens for their eggs but keeping them far enough away from your compound that their clucking doesn’t bring the zombies to your door! FFSZA is available as an ebook from Amazon and GooglePlay or message me for a print copy to be posted.

Print copies are $10au plus p&h

Winners of my naming contest for this site and upcoming podcast (yes, it’s still coming!), Sam and Helen, can look forward to their copies of Unexpectedly Edible arriving soon!

‘Til next time!

There’s been a large amount of rain about these last few days with more to come. Spring is a time for rain and we can still even get late frosts into early November in these parts.

In between showers and after torrential rain it’s been nice to get out and check out the spring flowering that’s been going in regardless of my dislike of getting a drenching .

It’s been a particularly good season for roses so far, they seem to be bigger and brighter than they have in previous years, I guess the cold and wet winter has been good for something! Deadheading the old roses off the bush keeps the plant looking fresh, cutting the stem back to either a node or new growth will stop the unsightly dieback caused by not cutting the flower off far enough from spoiling the look of the shrub.

One thing that always fascinates me in the garden is the phenomenon of fasciation (see what I did there?) The flattening out of stems can cause the stem to fan out and produce double the number of flowers which is always interesting. The cause is thought to be either a hormonal imbalance, a result of insect attack during formation, or even a virus. Whatever the reason, fasciation doesn’t affect the overall growth of the plant and if the affected stem is cut out the plant will continue to grow. Personally, I just leave the stem on as it can be fascinating to observe.

All this rain we’ve been having will give us a good start for the summer dryness and heat so I guess complaining about it is a waste of time. I will have to start using that extra inside time in a better way so as not to waste it.

‘Til next time!

The opening up of Victoria from Covid Lockdown has been a long time coming but now we’re free to travel between the regions and Melbourne City.

I’ve taken the opportunity to visit two of my children, one on the Mornington Peninsula and one in St Kilda. I will have to arrange another time to see the other one!

In both of the places I’ve visited I’ve been lucky enough to be able to find natural places and see the signs of people connecting with nature.

On the Mornington Peninsula a walk around the edges of Westernport Bay took me to the edges of Mangroves, an ecosystem that has always fascinated me.

Growing up in Auckland, New Zealand, the local beaches where we mostly went to dip a toe in the water most often had Mangroves around the edges which gave the ‘beach’ a muddy bottom. I was always scared crabs were going to dig their way up and bite my toes.

On the surface they may seem to be smelly, muddy places of no particular value or beauty, but they are far from that. They are extremely important ecosystems for the health of the sea and the whole planet. The following link gives some information about their significance:

Share the Facts About Mangroves (conservation.org)

Further north and off the Mornington Peninsula onto the main body of Victoria, the suburb of St Kilda sits on Port Phillip Bay. The whole foreshore has been developed and many people get out to exercise and walk with the spectacular views of the water and the cityscape. Walking out onto St Kilda pier is a joy as you look back onto land. Sometimes Dolphins are even seen at play close in to the shore, maybe there to hunt the cute penguins from the Penguin Colony? I’m not sure. Nature.

Anyway, ’til next time.

The good news today is our beautiful state of Victoria is on its way out of Covid Lockdown and from 6pm Friday travel is allowed between Melbourne and regional Victoria. This means I will be travelling to see family next weekend ❤ ❤ ❤

In the garden it has been another week of cold, rainy days so not much has been happening here in Western Victoria. Clematis are flowering and it is shaping up to be a bumper Rose season. Aphids are starting to appear so a quick squirt with a hose or a spray of horticultural oil will keep them down to a manageable level.

I have found another source of news of the environment, ecology, and culture in Orion Magazine. I am looking forward to reading this through emails and maybe finding things of interest to pass along.

Technicalities have slowed the release of my first podcast (again) but it is getting closer! Keep an eye out on all my socials! Frances.

I have been lucky enough to escape from my local area to take a short trip to see my sister in central Victoria as her ‘single social bubble’.

A trip to the Bendigo Art Gallery was a treat as their exhibition of Australian artist Brett Whiteley was still open and free to visit.

I’ve not been a fan of Whiteley’s art until seeing his works in real life, which is always the best way to get an understanding of an artist’s work, but his works including plants and animals were particularly interesting to me. I had not seen any of these works before or maybe I just hadn’t noticed. Anyway, my mind on Brett Whiteley has been changed.

After this artistic joy and a meal at the gallery café, we took a quick drive out to scope out the Oak Forest at Harcourt, in the La Larr Ba Gauwa Park as my sister’s walking group are planning a visit.

The Oak trees were planted by the Land Department in 1900, Quercus valonia, and other varieties planted as well, were supposed to provide acorns for use in the tanning and dying process. The conditions turned out to be unsuitable for Q. valonia but the other species, along with some Elm trees planted to protect the young oaks, managed to survive and have become an attractive place to visit.

Unfortunately, it was raining, and the roads were too potholed for the car we were in so we didn’t actually get to the Oak trees, but one day I will!

Source: lalarrbagauwa.harcourt.vic.au

The Moreton Bay Fig 1979 Brett Whiteley

Well things are still moving toward getting my podcast, The Flowerpot Pen, off the ground; It sometimes takes me a while to get all my stars aligned. But don’t fret! it will come and as soon as it does you’ll be the first to know!

Meanwhile, in real time, Spring has really gotten off to a great start with some good rain and some good sunshine, quite a mix of the two. Weeds are sprouting and taking off while the farmers are getting out harvesting all the lush growth we have here in the Western Districts of Victoria; lush, green growth as a result of the massive year of rain we’ve had so far. It looks like it might be a bumper year for all things flowers too, roses are starting to bud up, my Wisteria is divine, and my Viburnum plicatum is flowering the best it has in years.

I am working towards getting some people lined up to interview in my podcast (yes, it is coming!) so you can look forward to some interesting talks with a variety of people from the home gardener to the professional gardener, and hopefully a few academics who can take us deeper into the worlds of botany and/or conservation and land management.

Head on to my socials and like and follow!

’til next time!