Africanaussie

We have had flooding and rain, and more flooded roads and mudslides.  It was a busy week last week  just trying to get around!  some of the plants though are in their element with all this rain.  The dragonfruit has burst into flower again.  I think this is the third flush of fruit this season!  It is supposed to be part of the cactus family which I thought didn't like too much water.  Shows what I know! Here you can see the native bees which gather around pollinating the flowers.  There are also green ants, so not sure if it needs both, but they definitely do their job well! The flowers open during the night and then by the afternoon are just a hanging bunch of petals.  Short but sweet life!  Off to the left you can see the flowers that flowered the night before. This is the most beautiful flower, followed by very tasty fruit! I know I do go on about the dragonfruit , but this yummy goodness on my yoghurt is what is to ...

Having done two overseas trips this year, and suffering drought conditions which led to water rationing for a year means my poor little garden has suffered.   My hubby did his best to keep watering at prescribed times, but we have had high winds, and then also visits by plenty of bandicoots.  They find a way in through the smallest possible little gap under the fence. This has of course been very frustrating, and I began to wonder if in fact I really do love gardening.  It is all so hard.... miserable .... depressing......Oh my gosh I got myself into a deep place of miserableness.  "Hello"  said the flowers on the dragonfruit, cheering me up a bit, and the golden candles seem to be thriving in this weather, Plus ....Yes!  there are lychees ripening, and I am sure there are other creatures watching for the minute they are ready to pick, just as I am!   After having the family over for  a breakfast out in the garden, hubb...

Last night my neighbour called me and told me that the dragonfruit flower had opened.  this one has dropped over onto her side of the fence. It seems to be night blooming, lovely huge flowers, so there we were, cameras in hand, recording the event. Just look at those stamens....  This morning the flower was already beginning to droop and close up.  then all the energy will go into forming some yummy dragonfruit.  There are two other flowers forming.

When I planted the dragonfruit I really wondered if I was doing the right thing.  They can get very large, and they are quite prickly.  During the week one of the branches started to flop out towards the carport, so I tied it back, wondering if this plant was really such a great idea.  Glancing down I noticed some flowers started to form.  Well, that could be a game changer. Heading out for my morning walk during the week my eye was drawn to the most awesome HUGE flowers.  Ohmigosh!  Two flowers! There were some native bees buzzing around and by the end of the day the flowers had flopped down and closed.  Now I wait and see whether the bees did their job.  

A couple of weeks ago I bought a dragonfruit from the markets.   It is one of my favourite tropical fruits.  Sweet, but not cloyingly so,..... beautiful - I didnt share it with anyone. Dragonfruit is actually a cactus, and the plants I have seen are huge - and supported by a central post, so needing lots of room.  Then Lousie from     told me about how she sees them in Darwin growing against a carport.............  hmmm well, either side of fruit salad alley has a nice wooden post.  Driving home from work I saw my gardening friend had put out some dragonfruit cuttings for anyone to pick up.   Supossedly you just place them into the ground, or into a pot as in my case.  So now we just wait and see..... Rather strange looking aren't they?

When I first started my little garden the only plant in the back yard was our rather large lychee tree... and lots of grass.  Eventually my garden evolved, and I never thought that I would have the room for much fruit. I was thinking of fruit trees in their own little orchard. Not every fruit tree is as big as the lychee tree though, and slowly more and more fruit has been added, until I think I am heading towards having a food forest. The idea of a food forest is to have layers, which works well in the tropics where most plants need shade from the direct hot sun.  I have quite a few pawpaw in the back veggie patch as they spring up on their own, and I let some of them grow to maturity.  They are the yellow pawpaw, and I have recently added a red papaya to add a bit of variety.  Then I have a lime mandarin and barbados cherry  in the middle veggie patch - they can both be kept small by pruning.   Most of the time I still keep up a small shadecloth but I t...