Soggy and bedraggled is the best way to describe my garden and its surrounds here in South West Victoria.
Soggy and bedraggled
The rain is back again after a few gorgeous days, so we’re back to hearing stories of flooding, and dangerous waters.
I’m managing to keep on top of the pasture grasses that make their way into my garden beds, but little more. The Camellia hedge is nearly ready to cut as the flowers are finishing and the box hedge is ready for pruning as it hasn’t been touched for a year or more. I will have to wait for the rain to stop.
Wet pathway in the fernery
The Snowball tree (Viburnum opulus sterile) has burst into flower too, it’s one of my most favourite shrubs. The flowers don’t seem to be lasting very long though, all this rain is taking its toll.
Please, everyone be very careful of water across the road. Don’t drive through unless you can see the road is safe, even then, think twice. Take care out there!
I feel like I’ve been complaining about rainy days for weeks! It hasn’t really been that bad here in regional Victoria. Until now…
In the last couple of days a very large rain event has been dumping water on NSW and Victoria resulting in some serious flooding issues and causing more than a little inconvenience for many.
Incoming!
Parts of the city of Melbourne around the Maribyrnong River have had houses inundated for possibly the first time (I’m not 100% sure that’s correct, but it does seem to be very unexpected) and I’m sure there’s more drama to come.
I think the main thing to learn from events like this is to be prepared for the unexpected. You may think something will never happen, but there’s no guarantee it won’t.
Hopkins River floodplain filling up.
Have an evacuation plan, prepare for extended times of isolation if your property is cut off, ensure you’ve always got access to emergency alerts and information, and find out what to do if you’re driving and come across water over the road (don’t drive through flood waters!)
One thing I can not stress enough is to have a good pair of gumboots. I bought these boots today so I was prepared for working out in the rain. I find if my feet are warm and dry, I’m happy.
On the weekend I was lucky enough to be at the Melbourne Uni Burnley Campus to attend the Therapeutic Horticulture Australia 2022 conference. I will be talking more about that in episode 2 of my podcast, The Flowerpot Pen, but I wanted to share some pictures of some nature art I stumbled across in the gardens.
A boat
The pieces all appeared to be made from materials sourced from the gardens themselves and were a beautiful touch of whimsy.
A fortress?
It was school holidays at the time so they may have been made by a group of children, or they may not have. They were magical nonetheless and an inspiring example of what can be created with imagination.
A mulch maze
These pictures are just a few, there are more in a post on my FB page, Frances Bryant Gardens: The Flowerpot Pen, if you care to take a look.
They have inspired me to create some ‘art’ at the Terang Community Park and Wetlands project, so watch this space!
If you want to hear more about the Therapeutic Horticulture conference 2022, go to Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Anchor, or Acast to subscribe to my podcast, The Flowerpot Pen, so you don’t miss it.
Season Two of my podcast, The Flowerpot Pen, has dropped!
It’s great to be back on the podcasting wagon after a break. My plan is to use the podcast as a medium to collect the stories I need for my next writing project, which is introduced during this episode.
AI generated art
I’ve also been ‘busy’ creating some art with free AI software (Artificial Intelligence). It’s more fun than hard work and I’m enjoying seeing what appears on the screen after writing a few words for what you’d like to see, then pressing the ‘create’ button. The pictures on this post have both been created using AI.
I’m pleased with the turn my gardening journey has taken towards sharing my love of plants through writing and now moving into podcasting. My years as a professional gardener are coming to a close but there is so much I want to share. I hope you, my dear reader, will walk with me on this journey.
The Flowerpot Pen podcast is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Anchor, and Acast. Please subscribe and leave a review, as the more reviews there are, the further up the ratings it goes. Good reviews are welcomed 😁👍🏻
As I was watching the funeral of the late Queen Elizabeth II, I was happy to see a less formal funeral wreath on the top of her coffin.
This poignant touch brought home the fact she was a human being who would more than likely have seen the plants these blooms and foliage came from, in her walks around her home.
The wreath on the coffin.
The wreath included foliage from a myrtle which had been grown from a piece of her bridal bouquet. Growing a part of a floral tribute for a major event is a beautiful way of keeping that event ‘alive’.
Some pieces from bouquets I’ve had success in growing have been Chrysanthemum and carnations. Keeping a bouquet in good condition by changing the water frequently and removing any dead pieces quickly will give you some pieces to work with. Why not give it a go next time you receive a bouquet?
The funeral wreath also included Rosemary for remembrance and Oak leaves which symbolise strength. The flowers were picked from the garden. Such a sweet tribute to a beloved family member.
Well, here we are and Spring has rolled around again!
Traditionally Spring is a very wet season and if the forecast is anything to go by it’s going to be true to that. We’ve had some very dreary days leading up to now so it’s nice to start to see a bit more sunshine in between the rain, showers, sun showers, drizzle, and fine Scotch mists we’ve been having. Seemingly forever…
I’ll be honest. My garden is a shocking mess. All the water from the sky has made the weeds explode out of the ground. One good thing is, if I get on to it soon, they will be easy to get out.
I haven’t been out in the yard to take many photos lately, but I’ve been working on using old pics to create some ‘art’. The pictures featured in this blog post are composite pictures using the ‘double exposure’ function on the Snapseed app, each photo includes one which has been altered using the ‘healing’ function to create an interesting background.
A photo featuring a Dahlia
These photos and others have been uploaded onto my redbubble.com site and are for sale on various products. My shop can be found under ‘Ambrolen’ as I didn’t realise the name couldn’t be changed. The things you learn when trying to enter the digital marketplace! If you check it out, don’t forget to follow me!
A photo featuring Chrysanthemums
The photos will also be available on my website theflowerpotpen.com in the coming days (who am I kidding? It will be weeks…)
Back in the realm of reality, my garden is slowly coming to life again. I have gorgeous new pink leaves busting out of the Cedrela chinensis, bright yellow splodges of flowers on the Forsythia, and gorgeous, rusty red/brown leaves are popping out from the cut ends of my roses. My Jonquils are ending, there’s still some daffodils to come, and the few Tulips I have are struggling to push out their flowers. There’s leaf and stem growth aplenty, but I haven’t been close enough to check if there are any buds. I might get out and have a closer look today. I’ll let you know.
One good thing about a holiday is it puts your life into context, it helps you sort out your next steps. The ‘chill’ vibe of Hawaii, both the place and the people, reminded me to stop and smell the Hibiscus. Take the steps to make your life a fulfilling one.
Since getting back from Hawaii it’s been a whirlwind of playing catch ups but also of putting my holiday thoughts into practice. It’s been a week of books, photos, and podcasts; setting up processes and updating information to round out my online presence.
Stop and smell the Hibiscus. Or at the very least, admire their beauty.
I have updated my website, theflowerpotpen.com to include a page detailing the three books I currently have for sale, including links to buy the Ebooks at Amazon and GooglePlay. Two Books, ‘Food for Survivors of the Zombie Apocalypse’, and ‘Unexpectedly Edible‘, are available as both Ebooks and printed, while my third book, ‘Little Brown Frog’s Pond’, is only available in print form. All details are on the website.
A single flower.
Also being updated is the ability to buy any photos of mine from my website via PayPal. In the next day or so my details will be amended to allow for photography purchases through this function, meanwhile any enquiries should be directed through the contact page at theflowerpotpen.com
The third thing I’ve been working on is to upgrade my technical access to record my podcast from home should I feel the need. So far my podcast, The Flowerpot Pen available on Spotify, Anchor, GooglePlay, and Apple podcasts, has had a variable reaction, but an extra ‘push’ will see it improve in leaps and bounds. Watch this space!
The Flowerpot Pen podcast logo
Luckily it’s been quite wet and raining here in the Western Districts of Victoria, which has given me the extra time to spend indoors on my laptop getting everything done. The ornamental blossoms and bright yellow Acacia blooms are in abundance which tells me the days are getting longer and Spring is headed this way. I haven’t finished my rose pruning but I’m mostly there, I’m dreaming of the flowers and trees I saw in Hawaii, and planning when I can go back.
Wow. That’s probably the best and most succinct opinion I have of the beautiful island of Oahu in the US state of Hawaii.
I could wax lyrical about all of the deliciousness I could see as I had my first glimpses of this magical place, but where to start?
Obviously one of the most interesting things for me was the plant life (that pretty much goes without saying as far as I go) but there were so many interesting sights and sounds, it’s hard to pick a favourite thing.
Living its best life on the beach
The Honolulu Zoo was extremely beautiful but it turns out the animals I particularly wanted to see are nocturnal. Not one peek at a Sloth unfortunately. The grounds were very picturesque but there were lots of garden areas that felt like they needed a bit of love. We were extremely fortunate though, we were able to see Hawaiian Green Sea Turtles in their wild state on a beach.
Not Hawaiian, but gorgeous.
We loved the Waikiki Aquarium, the indoor displays of the vividly coloured local sea creatures was highly informative and well presented. The sea dragons and corals were particularly beautiful, unfortunately though, the Monk Seal enclosure was being renovated so we didn’t get to see them.
A Seadragon
Some of the other highlights were a quick stop at the Honolulu Museum of Art (we really needed to spend longer there, so much to see!) and a moving visit to Pearl Harbour with a trip out to the USS Arizona Memorial.
All in all, I am very pleased to have visited that magical place, I would love to go back to Hawaii and explore the other islands. A particular wish is to be able to see the lava flow of an active volcano; rather than see it locally, I’d prefer to see it in a far away place.
The lush mountain ranges that feature so prominently on the island and continuously draw your eyes toward them, provide a beautiful green backdrop for all the palms, trees, and shrubs, alongside man’s footprint on the island. A solid and permanent reminder of nature’s ultimate dominance over our world.
I’m writing this post today from somewhere completely new to me.
I’m in Waikiki on the island of Oahu in Hawaii! I still can’t really believe I’m here!
I’ve followed the sun and landed in a crazy world of sun drenched beauty and seething humanity. This spectacular setting attracts people from all over the globe, and now I see why.
Banyan tree on Waikiki Beach
On our very first stroll along the famous Waikiki Beach this magnificent Indian Banyan tree was a visual treat. The size of the tree and the complexity of its aerial root system and trunks is a truly amazing sight.
On the drive from the airport and wandering around the streets of Waikiki there were a lot of immediately recognisable plants and trees, quite a few we grow in our much cooler climate albeit to much lesser size. Trees such as Jacarandas, Eucalypts, and of course the ubiquitous tropical sight of the Palm, along with shrubs and smaller plants like Monstera, Gold Dust Laurel, Rubber Plants, and many more.
Palms on Waikiki Beach
I’m looking forward to seeing a whole lot more of this magical place, the scenery, the plant life, people and places. We’ve got a tour around the island coming up, a trip to the zoo and botanical gardens, so I’m expecting a lot of plants to admire. Can’t wait!
The Flowerpot Pen 