Lived Experience Forum

[Bismuth]

Hi @Appleblossom . Nice to see so many people here love their gardens. I’ve just moved into my first place and have started gardening! This place is all lawn. No trees, plants, not even flowers. So I have a blank canvas. I started a vegetable bed, my peas are doing well, flowering and forming pods, but my cauliflower and broccoli failed to form heads (probably I didn’t get the soil right) so I’ve pulled them out as they wouldn’t survive the summer heat, now I’m going to plant spring vegetables, plus marigolds and nasturtiums, I’m doing it all from seeds to save money. I’ve also started a native garden, I’ve planted a callistemon “Mary MacKillop” hybrid and have plans for grevillea, banksia and native grasses and flowers. Removing the well established kikuyu manually with a square shovel sure is hard work!

[Bismuth]

 

Figured out how to make my photo smaller - here’s my callistemon. I’m quite excited about it 

[Appleblossom]

Love it @Bismuth I have a Little John I put in 20 years ago, but have added more natives in last couple years, erica, correa, tufted bluebells etc.

Wondering if laying cardboard or black plastic will help with the grass. Its called solarisation.

https://www.abc.net.au/gardening/factsheets/beating-the-weeds/9436840 

Been perfect garden weather for a few days. Mine is looking glorious atm. No pics sorry.

[Bismuth]

@Appleblossom Yep, already pegged down several square meters of black plastic, but it’ll take a couple of months to destroy the grass, so the parts I want to plant out now I’m just removing the grass by hand. I’m thinking of putting in some correa reflexa too - do you find it tolerates shady spots? I have an area against a south facing fence that doesn’t get heaps of sun because of the fence. I’m wondering what I could plant there, correa looked promising 

[Appleblossom]

Not sure @Bismuth  mainly seen correa in full sun.  Had a correa in shade grow out on an angle to reach light, then replanted it in full sun. It took 6 months to straighten itself out ... ha ha.

I have clivea and ferns or baby palms in shade

[Bismuth]

That’s good to know. The really shady area is only about 1/2 a meter wide, so I could potentially either mulch it or plant fernery, and have correa a bit further out. Thanks for the tip, @Appleblossom !

[Dimity]

Hello Wondering if anyone has tips please on repotting dendrobium orchids, I've not had much luck with commercial  tanbark orchid mixes @Appleblossom @ArraDreaming 

[Appleblossom]

@Dimity Sorry sounds a bit technical for me.

Think it is probably a bit of trial and error.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0ti063MR5g 

I am working on some bromeliads and building up my orchids for better flowers .. one day ...

[Dimity]

Thanks @Appleblossom another video suggested s smidgen of charcoal and pumice so that's something I can try. 

I used to have a couple of bromeliads, they're nice if you can fend off the snails. 

My zygocactus is in bud, showing colour so it will be out soon.

[Appleblossom]

@Dimity 

My zygocactus came to me through my mother, bought by my brother, probably including some dig about Christmas cactus.  It is not doing well, I just researched it and realised it is an epiphyte.  It had flowered a while ago, maybe I can bring it back.

I will need to take the pups from the bromeliad.  Its pretty brittle, but cheap at fete. 

I learn so much about human culture dealing with garden stuff.