Green Grass of Summer

We finally have grass in our front yard ... yay!
Laying it yesterday was good timing because it was cloudy so it wasn't too hot and today it rained the whole day. It should give the new grass a well deserved soaking.

I hope it doesn't get too hot in the next few days. Martin the grass expert said, as long as we water it everyday until it starts to grow roots it should turn green and beautiful. It remains to be seen ... will give an update in a month's time.

P.S. There were a few square meters of grass leftover. So where did it end up? Yes, you guessed it right! The leftovers landed just outside my studio.  So yeah, the area outside my studio got new grasses too! Will post pictures next time.

      

Summer is already here!

When I hear Floriade, I know that summer is just around the corner. Flowers are blooming and the cold is cover. Today is the start of daily savings time in Sydney and I love how DST this year is earlier than usual. Although summer officially starts in Dec 1, as far as I'm concerned, it is already summer!

Now to back to Floriade ... In spring, Canberra, the nation's capital hosts a display of over a million (yes, a million!) stunning bulbs, annuals and other plant varieties. A majority of these though is tulips, one of my favorite flowers! 

If you're wondering, the name Floriade, comes from the Latin word floriat, which means to design with flowers.

So 2 weeks ago, we had a short trip to Canberra (it's about 2  1/2 hrs drive from Sydney) to witness the spectacular display of tulips and blooms. This year, the Floriade 2009 theme is mind, body and spirit.

Australia's biggest flower festival did it again. What an amazing display of flowers!

The Wonders of Yucca

Don't be fooled by a dying Yucca, they are stronger than you think.

As you can see, this one looks like there's no more hope of surviving. This has been left on the ground without being planted in the soil, unattended for weeks. Until I decided to temporarily stick it in the sand since I didn't have the time to plant it yet. When it was finally planted, it looked like it was just a stick.

My hubby suggested I should just throw it out because it didn't look nice. But I said shoooshh ... yucca are survivors, they are very hardy. I squeezed and pressed the trunk. It was still hard and I could feel there's still life in it. As long as the trunks are hard and you can see a bit of green inside, it means they are alive.

Then one day, we had a pleasant surprise! Leaves were growing.

Look at the these beautiful yuccas now.

I heart Succulent Plants!

I love and I'm addicted to Succulents plants. These beauties are just so colourful. Aside from being "crispy" (I could eat them!), they exhibit a variety of forms, shapes, textures and flowers which makes a garden a work of art.

Just as camels store water in their stomaches (yes! you read it right, camels store water in their stomaches not in that big 'ole hump!), succulents store water in their swollen leaves, stems and roots. That is why they can survive the heat.

Although succulents can survive drought (they will if they must!) they could use some TLC every once in a while to keep them attractive and at their best. If you noticed that their leaves are not as crispy anymore, then that's a sign that they are longing for water. So give them a shower ASAP but please don't overwater them or they'll die on you.

Most succulents prefer sunny conditions which brings out their brilliant colors. Here's a tip, do not fertilize these plants if you want them to show off their colors. And just as you need regular hair trim, they too need the occasional pruning.

These plants don't ask for much but if you plant them in a well drained soil (you know, a recipe of top soil mixed with sand, 50:50) they will grow happily. And the best part of all, you can bring out your creativity in your garden by mixing and matching these plants and make your garden a work of art!