I would best describe my gardening style as 'Jungle'. I plant things that grow vigorously, then attempt to tame them later when they become unruly.
One of my favourite infill trees are Figs; I think I have nine trees in all. They have beautiful glossy leaves, they are impossible to kill, and they produce lots of fruit. For someone with my lack of gardening knowledge they are ideal. However, they do grow very quickly, and every year in mid-Summer they need to be pruned.
This one below, beside the pool, has gone really crazy this year. I removed about four huge wheelbarrow loads of branches and leaves from the lower half. If you can imagine the lower half as having been much the same as the upper half; you'll have a good idea of what I removed. It looks much more 'airy' now; before it was one big bush. Now it has legs.
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I've also been back up the Palm Tree again. I decided to lop off some of the dead fronds. I rather liked the scruffiness of them, but they were causing too much shade. I shall do the same to the smaller one on the other side of the pool.
I'm not a gardener in the true sense of the word; I'm more of a planter and tidier. However, I do have an aesthetic eye, and that helps.
With the current heatwave, the grass is no longer growing, and everywhere is turning 'Summer Beige'. This gives me more time for snipping and sawing. All my work is done before 9 am.
Best gardening style; plant what grows and let nature do the hard work. We can never see the point of trying to grow stuff out of climate or out of soil type and struggling to modify nsture to suit the plant. Figs are just possibly F's favorite fruit.
ReplyDeleteI do like going past a Fig tree and grabbing a few to eat. Unfortunately the big Hornets also like them, so we have to be a bit cautious.
DeleteThe fig looks much airier now. I see a lot of fig trees here in Adelaide gardens, often in the front yards because that's where the sun is and they are lopped off at a height where it is easy to reach the fruit, with side branches allowed to grow approximately a metre each side of the trunk. Other fruit trees get similar treatment in small yards. Even grape vines are usually not allowed to overgrow.
ReplyDeleteWe tried growing figs here but they seem to struggle in our climate.
ReplyDeleteEven down in Brighton they find it hard to ripen. The trees look nice though.
DeleteIn one house we had a medium sized fig tree. A man who used to walk past and often stop for a chat if I was working on the garden one day asked if he could pick the figs going to waste on the tree and of course I said yes. If you never seen photos of Australia's magnificent Moreton Bay Figs, do have a look. I think they grow in most of Australia where there is reasonable rain.
ReplyDeleteThey are totally different to our Fig trees. They are superb; but do they produce edible fruits?
DeleteNo. The fruits on the Moreton Bay figs are not edible. I believe some birds might eat them, but not that I've noticed.
DeleteI understand drastic cutting back. With the high rainfall in West Wales, everything grows out of control very quickly. Every few years we get a team of men in to reduce hedges and tress, but disposing of what we cut back ourselves is more of an issue
ReplyDeleteI've been at it again this morning. The pool area now looks about twice the size that it did a week ago.
DeleteMy sister does all mine
ReplyDeleteMy sister is in NZ; she's very wise!
DeleteI am glad of parched grass, I like to see it as it is summertime, and my brother can have a few weeks off cutting it. The hedges never seem to stop growing though.
ReplyDeleteI haven't mowed properly now for over a week, and probably won't for another. I shall only mow to neaten; not to cut rampant grass.
DeleteMy garddener and his sidekick came for the afternoon yesterday and they made such a difference. It is lovely to look at today before grass and weeds start to grow again.
ReplyDeleteGood to have it all looking tidy again. If only it would stay that way.
DeleteCan you have too much shade?
ReplyDeleteI see the fig tree up the road is laden this year . Most of them hanging over the fence. A few more weeks and we'll be picking them .
You're lucky to have so many
The shade was over the pool, elsewhere it would have been fine.
DeleteI'm a jungle gardener as well. I tend to be drawn to plants that grow big and bushy. I like sitting on my front porch feeling hidden away by my flowers and foliage.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree. Jungle gardens are always so much more interesting.
DeleteCutting growth back makes a tremendous difference to the overall appearance of plantings and the entire landscape. Your fig tree with legs looks great. With my newly paved driveway, I've identified 5 trees to the side of the drive that must to go. They are 50-100 ft. tall so a contractor is being sought. I love a good project!
ReplyDeleteGosh; they're big trees. I hope the wood is OK for the fire and not Pine.
DeleteOnly one is pine the others are hard wood. I'll probably keep some for burning but the rest will go to the logging company. Side branches will be chipped and I'll have those spread on woodland paths.
DeleteI envy you those figs! My little tree has yet to produce any! I did pick 6 beautiful tomatoes this morning, and my cucumbers are beginning to come in.
ReplyDeleteI envy you your veg' garden. However, I do believe my Tomatoes back in England are growing well.
DeleteAre you Percy Thrower in disguise?
ReplyDeleteNo, he used to disguise himself as me!
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