This is one super productive plant.
Seeds
This is an online collection of many small but important things in my life. Observations, collections, craft, food,fun............ Nothing grows alone so this website is a record of everything growing in my life.
Sunday 26 June 2022
Choko
Sunday 5 June 2022
Rasins?
Raisin trees are a great easy care tree.
The raisins are the very sweet swollen base of the flower stalks. Sweet and crunchy.
These trees self prune, are an amazing bee tree (buzzingly so), creates beautiful shade, fast growing, deciduous and can cope with dry.
Am propagating more this year to spread amongst my chestnut and avocado orchards.
Friday 3 June 2022
Winter tea
Lemon verbena is an amazing addition to a cold or how brew.
Tuesday 17 May 2022
Planting, planting, planting.
And another round.
Native broom, bottlebrush, wattle, and hebe as in photos.
Then rice bush, brunia, poplar, tagasaste (always) cardoon, jacaranda......and loads of perennial flowersand herbs.
So grateful to everyone who has brought flowers and foliage and has contributed.
Monday 4 April 2022
Bamboo
The violet patch is thriving...........and I found evidence of some one making potions.
This is one of my timber bamboo groves. As I harvest every year there is room to move, play, set up hammocks...
Out of the sun, next to the stream, rustling leaves... what more would you want?
Wednesday 23 March 2022
Hedegrow update
Eucalyptus doing well.
Mulched around them today.
Then planted around 50 understory plants -Hebe, caprosma, tagasaste, rose geranium....
Proudly all propagated by me. It feels so great to be able to raid the nursery and deliver wheelbarrow loads of plants around the property.
Tuesday 1 February 2022
Flower delivery
Friday 28 January 2022
Mixing it up
Nothing like a good guild of plants.
Thursday 27 January 2022
Buckets of learning
Its not just learning how to grow new things, but learning how to pick and process and how much you get from everything.
Am getting buckets of flowers and have so many bees.
Tuesday 28 December 2021
Chrysalis everywhere!!
I am on high alert in the garden at the moment.
There are so many of these beautiful treasures hanging everywhere. And I mean everywhere. I have swan plants scattered throughout the garden and loads more zinnea's (butterflies love these the best) and other flowers than ever.
Weeding is now worrying after I pulled out some plants with a chrysalis on -yes my weeds are big.
Its time consuming to check each plant before mulching.
What an amazing problem to have!
Thursday 25 November 2021
I am a flower farmer?
Even though I'm trying to grow enough flowers to sell I cannot help growing as much food as I can squeeze in as well.
The lettuces and parsley are loving the dahlia overstory -not that they get much choice. They seem to be flourishing and I reckon its partly because of the summer shade.
By planting them it also meant the soil was covered quicker too.
Can you spot the sunflowers behind?
It is blowing me away how many flowers I am adding to our gardens without compromising food production.
Wednesday 17 November 2021
Poppies and bumblebees.
The poppies keep just out of reach as the draft from the bumblebees wings pushes it away.
There where a few successful landings by the most persistent bumbles.
The poppies petals only last a day due to this persistent pestering.
Sunday 12 September 2021
Mixed bed full!!
Monday 9 August 2021
Sharp tools
Just finished doing a little sharpening on my favorite tools.
You never know how blunt they are until you sharpen them.
It makes things so much easier/quicker.
Lots of planning underway so my pencil sharpening has been a lot more regular.
Friday 6 August 2021
Baby blues
Thursday 29 July 2021
Recipe box sort out.
I love my recipe box.
Tuesday 13 July 2021
Mud
There is nothing like the feel of mud.
Sunday 20 June 2021
Happy solstice
A beautiful frosty start here followed by glorious sunshine and gathering.
Solstice ramble salad for lunch.
Wednesday 16 June 2021
New happenings
While the digger was diggering the children where playing.
MUD!!!
So many colors and textures usually hidden.
What a day. We have been waiting for the digger to come for a while so to be finally working with it was amazing. A full on day exploring potential and change. Being open to possibilities as they emerged.
Now on to those trees.
Wednesday 9 June 2021
Guavas
We are never far from a snack around here -especially when you have children/harvesters visiting!!
It's guava time and the Tamarello, mandarins and last of the apples are still around.
Saturday 5 June 2021
Wednesday 26 May 2021
Full moon eclipse.
A super blood moon eclipse warrants a night in the tipi.
So beautiful. So lucky to have seen this. Just after the eclipse a heavy fog settled down.
Saturday 22 May 2021
Scaffolding
Need scaffolding.Just go and harvest some!!!
This is one of my favorite plants to visit.
Tuesday 18 May 2021
Eco printing
After my adventures in using kokowai I had a go with eco printing.
My favorites where liquid amber leaves and eucalypt bark. Now we have fancy covers for our tipi mattresses.
And am looking around with new eyes at potential new dye sources.
Friday 14 May 2021
Kokowai
Kokowai.
This is the colour of this land. Ngati pukeko.
This is one of my first attempts of dying cloth with clay from this whenua.
Mordanted with raw milk then soaked in clay.
Usually I avoid white clothes. Now I am on the lookout!!
Saturday 8 May 2021
Happy harvest
Ours was spent with the best of friends. Sharing kai, clay creations, great conversations and of course music late into the night.
We ended up staying in the tipi overnight. Breakfast was leftovers and foraged fruit.