Everything in your garden even gardening jokes and happy stories......
Wow!!
I was greatly admiring my neighbour's white flowering bush overhanging my garden this morning. It's in full bloom and very attractive. Wondered just what it was and have been trying to identify it ... I then came upon an article from National Geographic called "Australia’s most poisonous plants". Then found "No 7 Spurge, Euphorbia spp — there are more than 2000 species of plants in the Euphorbia genus, that are commonly described as ‘spurges’. Sap inside these plants is called ‘latex’ and is highly poisonous. Contact with this sap can cause serious inflammation of the eyes, nose or mouth, and even blindness. This can be avoided if the plant is handled with caution and you wash your hands thoroughly afterwards."
Looks just like the neighbour's bush to me. Will need to warn my garden guy before he trims it, and the neighbours, if that is the case.
The Flower Potmen! [was a tv programme for kids in the 1950s with their friend Weed]
Scientists identified 200,000 genetic mutations in 100 varieties of tomato plants. When they used their findings to change the DNA of one, its tomatoes were 30 per cent larger.
A little Fuchsia pot plant I bought late last year, which has looked totally miserable on the end of my kitchen sink (going yellow and dropping flower buds) has suddenly decided to have a revival in the cooler weather up here. Lots of sprightly green growth with flowers maturing. I'm really enjoying its unexpected revival.
Their roots need to be moist all the time Hola; they do dry out very quickly.
I had three now I have only two! I've moved them to under the Magnolia bushes and they seem happier now.
I have taken the photos off the net, but this is one of the varieties.
A 'circle of life' photo of a blackberry is currently doing the rounds on Facebook. It is reproduced below together with less commonly circulated equivalents for blueberries and strawberries.
It is extraordinary to realise just how many parts of the world have contributed to our gardens. Pictured: The origins of plants found in Australian gardens.
Foreign holidays may have become difficult due to Covid-19. But if you love plants, a world tour awaits you in almost every garden in the country.
This week, the gardener and TV presenter Monty Don pointed out that our gardens are indelibly linked to Britain’s colonial past because, from the late 18th century, the British collected plants from all over the world to enjoy at home.
It is extraordinary to realise just how many parts of the world have contributed to our gardens. From chrysanthemums (Japan) to the carnation (the Mediterranean), begonia (South America) to busy lizzies (East Africa), magnolia grandiflora (southern U.S.) to michaelmas daisies (North America), vast numbers of garden favourites have been adopted here from all corners of the globe.
They combed grasslands, forests, cold wastes and deserts across six continents to find and bring home species to beautify our gardens.
Photographs invariably show them carrying a gun and standing alongside similarly armed local guides. They were men like the Scottish plant hunter Robert Fortune, who was the first to collect in China after the end of the opium wars.
https://austenauthors.net/a-party-at-pansy-cottage/
Wish I could put up my photos of my Violas and Pansies! They are so pretty even the pot of Geraniums are a wonderful splash of colours I put Orange and pink and white together.
One pot looks similar to this!
Another looks like this!
and also like this, I have another tub of white geraniums in a white wicker basked.
Cannot find a white wicker basket!
These two together below in the same pot.
This is what I have been using on my young seedlings to get rid of the insects that feast on the young succulent plants. Otherwise the seedings will not last a week, they too will be eaten Hola unless you go the extra mile and protect them and feed them.
I only started using it about eight weeks ago I had not seen it before, it says it lasts 20 days! It is one Litre in size and costs around $11.84 in Bunnings, I have seen it on eBay for $28 or thereabouts.
Regarding the blooming pansies and violas, I do have a problem in winter if the sun is not on a certain side of the house, so I use up the spare black pots, I also purchased some from Bunnings.
I put potting mix in them and put the new seedlings in the pots, I put Thrive on them and also Liquid Potash from Manutec in Bunnings.
As the seedlings mature and flower I put them in a pot with a saucers and leave them till the flowers die. I then move them to outside the water tank facing north and give them water and more Thrive or Searles which I prefer to Thrive and Manutec which is made in China!
https://www.searlesgardening.com.au/
Searles is made in Queensland and I spoke to the owner about a year ago and he won't sell to Bunnings.
Like everything you put into the garden or pot to grow you have to work with it and care for it to stop the insects eating them and make them give lovely blooms.
I purchased the blue and white planters with matching saucers about a year ago at a local Nursery but not at Bunnings. The site above is the nearest I have found to what I have!
Celia where have you got your photos stored --?? are they on your computer?
As long as you are able to pull them up and see them on your computer you can either -- copy and paste them -- OR you can use the --- Snipping Tool --- it will be at the bottom of your page in the taskbar looks like this 
if you can find them I can walk you through it --
Alan Titchmarsh in his garden, picture taken by his wife Alison, for a brand new series for ITV Grow Your Own at Home.
Thorny Bramble they suggest for keeping cats of the garden, but where do you get that in Oz?
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-8356117/CHRISTOPHER-STEVENS-reviews-nights-TV-simple-spiky.html?ito=email_share_article-image-share