Blooming Friday -Plans For The New Year

I have been thinking of what to plan for my garden in 2011. I am in a state of panic because I have no plans. I'll see what my cow Daisy has to say to advise me.

Daisy:   Moooore vegetables, Rosie. Grow  enough to give to your friends and neighbours.
Rosie:   I know, I know...I haven't been seriously planting vegetables lately. I have lots of packets of seeds,
            though. I'll take them all out of the bottom drawer where I keep them and put them in a basket so I
            can be reminded of them. Is that a good idea?
Daisy:   Noooooo, that is not enough. You have to have a schedule of what to plant, and when to prepare
            the next crop.You want to have a continuous supply of a variety of vegetables, don't you?
Rosie:   Well, okay.
Daisy:   Have moooore pots of herbs on this window sill...you only have one pot of spring onions, not
            enough!  Put a pot of basil, a pot of coriander, a pot of parsley....
Rosie:   Right, right, I get the idea.
      

                   

Rosie:  What do you think I should plan for my front garden? I've already begun to add more
           flowering plants. You've seen my gladioli patches?
Daisy:  In case you haven't noticed darling, I am an inanimate holder for your kitchen towels. We may be
           having this conversation in your head, but the fact remains that I cannot move. Never seen your
           garden! I can only see out of your kitchen window.
Rosie:  You have a point there, Daisy. I'll go talk to the green frog chime on the patio. Thanks.




Rosie:   Hey Katak, can I pick your brains for a minute? I'll let you get on with your lunch in a while.
Katak:  Hey man, yo, watsup?
Rosie:   What should I plan for my garden in 2011? I want more flowers for sure.
Katak:  You're doing alright over there near the wall. I can see the flower borders taking shape.Go for
             bold colours I say, especially where the sun shines strongest all day.
Rosie:   If you say so, okay. Thanks err...dude.

          

Looks like I've got two huge tasks ahead in 2011.
1) Produce a vegetable plot that produces substantial amounts of produce.
2) Create a colourful border of annuals and perennials that covers the whole length of the wall.


This is a work in progress, beginning with the semi-shaded part of the wall where hydrangeas can thrive.
I began with this theme of lilac-coloured flowers. Will get bolder as I connect this to the gladioli patches which are in full-sun. Wish me luck for the rest of the border!

I am not daunted, however. My West Wall is not anything like the Great Wall of China. Besides, when the whole project is completed, the taste of success would be sweet. After which there's the Southern District of the Land of the Slopes to conquer in 2012. Happy conquests to all my fellow garden warriors. May each victory be recorded in history - or in the scrolls... of your blog pages at least.

Skywatch Friday- Balinese Skies

My destination for Skywatch this Friday is Bali skies. The first picture is of a slightly overcast sky above a misty volcano.




The clouds here appear to be billowing out of the crater! Better run for cover!

The clouds are wispy here, drifting in the wind like cotton candy melting and slowly disappearing...

 

Here we have it...that perfect cloudless sky for a perfect kite in the sky image!




May the Garuda in the sky guard and protect you.





Go on ahead to Skywatch Friday for more skywatching thrills.
Click on the link at the bottom of this page.

Have you met my Belle of India?

My garden is beginning to reward me with fragrant blooms lately...the most dramatic blooms of all coming from my jasmine plants. This variety is the Jasminum grandiflorum L from the Oleaceae family, commonly known as Belle of India.
These bushes require regular pruning if you want a showy effect like in the photos below. The plants require almost full-sun in order to flower in profusion. If you plant them in flower pots like I do, make sure you water them frequently as they exhaust the moisture in the pot very fast. With moderate applications of fertilizer, these jasmine plants can be easily coaxed to flower. A great plant to have near your patio or favourite garden bench, for the perfume they provide is just heavenly!

                                     White buds impatiently waiting to burst into bloom.

                                White florets filling the garden patio with a delectable fragrance.

   Snowfall on a hot tropical day!!!

                                              



The Belle of India...in her pure white sari, feeling the heat on a tropical afternoon.

For more Fertilizer Friday posts, please scroll down to the bottom of this page and click on the icon there. My thanks to Tootsie for hosting this meme.

Romantic Gardens of Bali

After a period of readjustment in my garden blog, I am longing to return to normalcy. I have missed that passion with which I had begun my blog in October 2010. I had neglected my love affair, that fine romance I have with the lovely gardens I had visited lately. To recapture that nostalgia, I shall post about my romance with the evocative Balinese garden.

I was in Bali in July 2010, just when Bali was in the grip of the 'Eat.Pray.Love' fever. Julia Roberts had just finished filming the 'Love' segment of the movie and I suppose romance was in the air since this was the segment where Liz finds love. Walking in the gardens among the ancient temples of this exotic island where paddy fields and bicycle lanes are the norm, not the exception in this rural setting, one can definitely feel the essence of romance here.


These photos help to convey the uniqueness of romantic Balinese gardens. The romance lingers even when you leave Bali...the scent of frangipani flowers, the incense of aromatic prayer sticks, the image of green moss on temple walls, the lilting music of the caklempong and bamboo angklung, the dark-eyed dancers expressing their anquish or joy as the tale unfolds in their cultural dances . So walk with me through these gardens and images of Bali and let's fall in love...

   Walk along the riverbank and savour the bright, beautiful day...feel the joy of being   
   among unique palms and trees.

 

   Breathe in the fresh, unadulterated Bali air.

     Lose yourself in the brilliance of the colours.

    Hear the trumpet flowers making swishing sounds in the wind, heralding your arrival.

 Luxuriate in the cool green shadows of the pines that stretch to the sky.



Embrace that old-world feeling in this rustic setting.



Be welcomed by these petalled water...used in spas to pamper and delight the senses.



Be awed by the skills of the ancient craftsmen whose works of art beautify the gardens.



Be uplifted by the cheery colours of the canna lilies.





Here we say good-bye to this lovely spot on the island of Bali. Truly a garden haven for garden lovers from everywhere in the world.