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Failed Meadow to Native Grass Garden

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 Gudge and I have been sick which has given me plenty of time to write posts in here as well as Beck's Modern Life . It's been far too long between posts but I have been spending all of that time out in the garden. A wonderfully warm but rainy autumn was perfect for design and planting. One part of the yard that had been such a trial for me was on the south west side. I tried it as an orchard with cottage planting, I tried to create a wildflower meadow and in all cases, I failed. But the best thing about gardening, is every failure is a new lesson learnt.  the empty patch mid-summer What I knew about this patch was that it was a tough area. It gets scorched all summer. It doesn't retain water. It gets the brunt of the western summer afternoon sun. What I needed was something that was going to not only handle this, but thrive in it. I looked around my garden at what does well with little to no attention. Absolutely no supplementary water and that still looked good. The answe...
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What's In Bloom? July 2026

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 Having returned from our recent trip to the warmer climes of Brisbane, we came back to proper Tasmanian winter. As I write this on Saturday, 11 July at 12.40 in the afternoon, the current temperature is 2.3 degrees Celsius with a feel-like temperature of 0. Winter came late this year, and we loved every extra moment of warmth and sunshine, but it showed up and I imagine it's now here to stay for a while. I have been working on some massive projects in the garden which I will update soon, but until then, let's look at the little specks of joy dotted through the greyness and fog. The Hellebores or 'winter rose' is one of my favourite plants. Mine is an evergreen and lives beside the patio and is one of highlights of winter.   Also near the patio, in the tropical garden, and should absolutely not still be in flower is the 'Chocolate Cosmos' (Cosmos atrosanguineus). These flowers' most distinguishing feature is their scent. They literally small of chocolate, (I...
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My First Online Plant Shop

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Sometimes, I have researched a plant that I simply need. It's perfect for what I need it for. It's ideal for my location and climate. Then I cannot find it anywhere (this happens with unsurprising frequency in a place like Tasmania). One such plant is the Verbena bonariensis: Incredibly popular in the UK for its drought-hardiness, it's tall flower stalks, an airy nature and ability to self seed. inspiration pic Often referred to as "weedy",  Verbena bonariensis's key role is to fill a space while still being 'see through', add height, and never really be the star of the show but a best supporting actor. And this is precisely what I wanted it for. verbena and grasses are a perfect match, inspiration pic Last year I worked on an area in the centre of our yard which I call the 'Fire Pit Garden', it gets sun all day, and spectacular views to the mountains and of the sunset. It's a tough area to garden though, it's very hot and dry in summer...
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A Closer Look At The Mediterranean Garden

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  My first ever garden project which I started shortly after moving in in 2020 was the Mediterranean Garden. The idea of a very tough, zero water (xeriscape) garden that could take the sun and wind and look as pretty as possible. It's been a pretty hard assignment. It's a big area! (approx 20m x 10m) I think it looks pretty nice for around 5 months of the year... August September November December Despite a cold and wet spring, summer has arrived. We're about to order in a truck of water as we've had a mere 13mm of rain since the start of December (9 weeks). To put that in perspective, In the month of January, Sydney had 184mm.  Brisbane has had 34 mm in the last 4 days. On the 29th of January, Cairns had 194mm in one day! She's dry here. I think all things considered, the Med Garden is looking okay. Fun fact: Hobart is the second driest capital city in Australia with an annual average of 600mm (about what we get), after number one dry capital: Adelaide with an aver...
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