"Another video!"

I have made a video of part of the back garden.
Sunday, 12 April 2020     

Thank you so much to all those who looked at last week's garden video and to those who left kind comments on the blog. I really enjoyed making the video so I have done another one for this week. This one shows a part of the back garden around a cubbyhouse built for our girls 26 years ago. Originally, the area was shaded by a huge oak tree so I planted shade-loving plants with hot coloured flowers and leaves to brighten it up. A few years ago, the oak tree sadly died, so there is a lot more sun and the plantings have changed a bit.

I realised as I made the video that a number of the plants came from my mother's garden in the Blue Mountains. My garden style has come to be very like hers over the years! She favoured easy-to-grow plants that made an impact, rather than the delicate rarities I tried to grow at first, which usually ended up disappearing. I love to see the flowers from her garden every time I walk around my plot.

I hope everyone is finding their garden to be a place of solace at this time.


 Reader Comments

1/21  Janelle - 2132 (Zone:10 - Warm Temperate) Monday, 13 April 2020

What a lovely way to get out and about while confined at home. Thank you for inviting us into your beautiful garden. Thanks, Janelle. Deirdre


2/21  Bren - 2540 (Zone:10 - Warm Temperate) Monday, 13 April 2020

Lovely! Thanks for watching it! Deirdre


3/21  Kerrie - 2104 (Zone:10 - Warm Temperate) Monday, 13 April 2020

Just loving these videos! Now your children are grown up have you thought about replacing the cubby with a gazebo to create a nice sitting area to enjoy? A great idea. However, we still sometimes have little garden visitors who enjoy the cubby, and right nearby, I have a seat under a big tree where I sometimes sit! Deirdre


4/21  Leveena - 2099 (Zone:10 - Warm Temperate) Monday, 13 April 2020

Lovely! More untamed than the front-two different styles-muc blind my own (disciplined at the front , freer form at the back ). Really enjoy the videos . Thanks, Leveena. Yes the front garden has a lot of hard landscaping, whereas at the back, it is a lot more casual. I have added some murraya topiary spheres to try to keep that theme going in the back garden. Deirdre


5/21  Margaret - 2122 (Zone:10 - Warm Temperate) Monday, 13 April 2020

Thank you Deirdre - another wander about your delightful back garden so full of well-grown plants, which are not too difficult for most of us to try and grow. A great escape during this difficult time. Thanks, Margaret. I do now prefer to grow plants that do well without too much cosetting. Deirdre


6/21  Evelyn - 2117 (Zone:10 - Warm Temperate) Monday, 13 April 2020

I have really enjoyed looking at your garden Deidre, and you give a useful commentary. Producing little videos of the garden would be a great activity for any garden club members to put on their club pages, even if they are not quite so professional as yours. That is a good idea, Evelyn, with garden clubs not being able to meet. I found it very easy to make the videos so everyone should have a go! Deirdre


7/21  Annie - 3677 (Zone:11B - Arid) Monday, 13 April 2020

Such a friendly gesture to invite us in to your garden! Its great to have each plant identified by name as we see it, and to hear and to hear reasons for your plant choices and . From my harsh climate of Wangaratta, I do envy your gardens lushness, though your loss of the oak must have been hard to bear. Thanks for your generosity! Thanks, Annie. Yes it was sad when the oak died. I think it was very old. Our gardens were very parched and suffering over summer; it"s only been since recent rain that things have picked up. Deirdre


8/21  Marian - 3500 (Zone:11B - Arid) Monday, 13 April 2020

Thank you again Deirdre, love wandering in your garden. I planted various abutilons last year. My favourite, a bright yellow is still puny but I have great aspirations for it. The abutilons take a little while to get going but they are great once established. I find it is best to prune them in late November, then they will plump out and bloom from autism until late spring! Deirdre


9/21  Dolores - 2145 (Zone:10 - Warm Temperate) Monday, 13 April 2020

Thank you deirdre for all this happy easter and stay safe and keep on gardening sure is good for us cheers dolores meilak Thank you, Dolores. We are very lucky to have gardens. Deirdre


10/21  Chris - 2071 (Zone:10 - Warm Temperate) Monday, 13 April 2020

Love your videos Deidre! Thank you for sharing . Chris Thanks Chris! Deirdre


11/21  Janette - 2100 (Zone:10 - Warm Temperate) Monday, 13 April 2020

Thank you Deirdre for showing us this video and describing the different plants. You have such a soft voice I could not quite catch the name of the tallish red plant with the glossy leaves that you said came from your mother"s place. I do have the same plant in my garden that I grew from a cutting. Mine is also in flower now. I am already learning so much from your site. I am gradually going through your list of plants and finding names of plants I have in my garden. Thanks, Janette. That plant is called Odontonema and it is looking good at the moment. One of the many Acanthaceae plants that does well in Sydney. Deirdre


12/21  Sue - 2074 (Zone:10 - Warm Temperate) Monday, 13 April 2020

Thank you Deidre for a lovely wander with you, in your shade garden, which is inspiring as they are difficult to get colour into. I was glad to see Ruellia brevifolia (red) as I had lost its name and see how nicely it fits in with other plants. So glad you got a new phone:-). Thanks, Sue. That little ruellia is good; there is a pale yellow version that is very pretty too. Deirdre


13/21  Patricia - 2100 (Zone:10 - Warm Temperate) Monday, 13 April 2020

Bellissimo! Thanks, Patricia. Deirdre


14/21  Pam - 2159 (Zone:10 - Warm Temperate) Monday, 13 April 2020

Thanks Deirdre. I have quite a few, mainly single, dahlias amongst the salvias and shrubbery, and there are always some to put in a vase with the last of the roses. The plectranthus seem to have been extra good this year with all the rain and have flowered for a long time. I think dahlias go well with salvias, and plectranthus are marvellous plants, especially in shadier areas. Deirdre


15/21  Carmel - 2219 (Zone:10 - Warm Temperate) Monday, 13 April 2020

Once again , thank you so much for sharing your garden. I was very interested in your plantings in dry shade as I have areas like that too and am always looking for ideas. I will be referring to your video again, Im sure! Thanks, Carmel. This week"s video and blog look at a dry shade area, so hope you get a few ideas from them. Deirdre


16/21  Leigh - 2107 (Zone:10 - Warm Temperate) Tuesday, 14 April 2020

Well that was a lovely ramble through your garden Deidre! Thank you so much for taking the time to share it with us. It was great to see your plant combinations and forms - it was quite instructive in helping me figure out some solutions for similar spots I have in my garden. Please keep the videos coming! Best wishes to you and your family in these surreal times. Thanks so much, Leigh. Glad you got some ideas for your garden. Deirdre


17/21  Valerie - 2121 (Zone:10 - Warm Temperate) Tuesday, 14 April 2020

Thanks again for a lovely stroll through a part of your garden. It is really interesting to hear about your reasons for planting particular plants. I especially like your Abutilon. The flowers look beautiful when they catch the light. We had a large Liquidambar cut down a couple of years ago and I"m noticing the difference, so the similar situation and your solutions are very helpful. Yes it is quite a challenge when an area changes so dramatically when a tree goes. I do love the abutilons. They flower for such a long time. Deirdre


18/21  Georgina - 2076 (Zone:10 - Warm Temperate) Wednesday, 15 April 2020

Thank you for sharing your garden. It was a lovely visit. Enjoyed all your salvias. Such a great plant family. The bees love them. I will try cutting back some of my small leaf salvias in May as the tend to become floppy and see if they will bush up again. The weather has been just beautiful to get out and garden. Thanks, Georgina. It will be interesting to see how the earlier pruning works. Hope you have been able to be in your garden during this lovely weather. Deirdre


19/21  Gillian - 2119 (Zone:10 - Warm Temperate) Wednesday, 15 April 2020

Thank you Deirdre for the ramble through your garden, both the front and now part of the back. Having the videos and commentary means we can catch up on the names if we missed them. You gave me Ruellia brevifolia in red and yellow and they are flowering beautifully. I look forward to the next part of the garden, everything looked well grown and colour and texture to be admired. Not the same as being there but has to be the next best thing. You must be very proud of your efforts. "Well done"! Thanks so much, Gillian. Glad those ruellias are doing well. I am enjoying the garden this autumn; with all the rain, the growth is just amazing. Deirdre


20/21  Maureen - 2118 (Zone:10 - Warm Temperate) Thursday, 16 April 2020

Another lovely stroll through your beautiful garden it refreshed my memory of a few names of plants I had forgotten ! With so much time on our hands now spring gardens should be a sight to behold this year. Take care, stay safe. Thanks, Maureen. Hope all well for you. Deirdre


21/21  Noeline - 2081 (Zone:10 - Warm Temperate) Friday, 17 April 2020

just subscribed to your youtube channel....I hope you keep it up its great to see your garden in real time and I hope you show us how it looks after you prune your salvias as there is not much info on them elsewhere and I do love them, yours are so nice and since I live in Sydney I will try to get some of the ones that grow so well for you.You have a beautiful garden you should be proud of all your hard work. Thanks so much, Noeline. I hope you will enjoy growing some salvias. Pruning varies a bit from type to type. My garden is very bare when everything is pruned in August - but everything grows back very quickly at that time. Deirdre


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