marian's Blog

I have been back and forward this last week to the doctor and landed up in hospital on a two day stint for tests. I ‘m fine though nothing wrong. Tests! Doctor's... Ug dislike both. No that doesnt sound right  just don’t like visiting doctors, and tests well a nescessary evil. My son and dil and my granddaughter Jessica are due to arrive on a short holiday in early may. I am so looking forward to seeing them, Jessica will be a year old in May. I last saw her when she was three months old. When the grandchildren live so far away you miss out on so much, but then again it does make those times you see them more special.

Anyhow its back to growing green things even though we are verging on winter, things haven’t quite stopped growing, but some leaves are turning and falling. We have had our first snap of chilly weather. We never get clearly defined seasons, .Autumn is my favourite season, not because of the colours as I said we don’t get much of that but because I know the south easter will not be back for a good while.

The orchid that I split and repotted into three plants, in the spring. Which turned out to be a huge mistake on my part as I have since discovered that they like to be a bit pot bound. Well two of the three have thrown out flower spikes. I have been feeding them a weak solution of nitrosol once a week since repotting so maybe that’s what did it. The spikes are very weak looking , so I am not sure if they still have to develop or whether they are just weak attempts at flowering until they restablish themselves? I shall soon see!. My sister has had an orchid in the garden for years which I did not know about until a recent conversation with her she does not know the name of it. . It is a miniature one and gets highly scented lilac orchids borne on an erect stem. It grows in a small clump of cane like stems, and is terrestrial. I have not been successful in identifying it yet. I shall have to wait for some flowers I think. The shoots she gave me are doing well.  

I have recently been on a plant buying spree. Autumn is the time to pick up great specials here. They are mostly indoor plants, I have not had many indoor plants in recent years as I have never really done very well with them. But I am changing my ways ;-0 

To date I have bought a 5ft plus Draceana with three canes,  a Anthurium kohara double. Two bamboo orchids which I am very excited about and a zygo cactus which I have always loved. My rex begonias that I rooted from leaf cuttings are doing well and have been sending out new leaves regularly. I gave away one of my tree wisteria seedlings yesterday to a bonsai enthusiast. He was ecstatic as they are hard to find here.It made me feel really good to see his face light up at the prospect of a bonsai tree wisteria. I love sharing plants. 

DH has made me a shade house for next summer, it is nearly impossible to grow seedlings in the summer wind, too drying and as of yet I have no shady or partially protected areas. I have managed to locate some yellow gloriosa bulbs and some rothchildiana. Yes I feel I have been lucky with finding a few plants that I really love and have been looking for , for a while now.  The Gloriosas haven’t arrived yet. Looking forward to receiving those little babies.  Although I can’t plant them till October.….