The winter that seemed so long is very suddenly over. For the past two years I have waited anxiously for the warmer weather so that I could do some rather overdue work on the house, and we've had soggy springs followed by non-summers, so this year I simply intended to try to do something whenever I had the opportunity. Winter went by with little progress and today is warm and sunny and what am I doing? Trying to catch up with some washing because of the dirty water. This is the second new house in a new housing estate we have lived in. We never had problems the first time and we didn't have problems here for the first few years. Then the dirty water started, usually just a faint tinge but on a few occasions I had white towels come out of the washing machine a lovely beige/ecru/champagne colour. All we ever got by way of explanation was it must be building work in the area, run the outside hose for a while until it clears. Sometimes it didn't clear for days! In recent times the problem seemed to be over but dirty water twice in the past month, yes, dirty enough to ruin another towel, has brought back memories. I feel old. I understand now why old people talk about the good old days. I remember when things were reliable, when things worked properly...
But getting back to the topic of the title, here it is, the middle of September already. The local flower festival starts today, what a beautiful day for it, and what am I doing? Trying to catch up with some washing. Oh yes, I mentioned that already didn't I. Yesterday, not even realising it was almost Garden Bloggers Bloom Day, I went out into the garden to take some photos.
Buds everywhere, the pistachio, the birch, the maples, the berberis, the weigela.
And to my surprise I found some flowers. Not the usual predictable ones either.
One little bloom lurking on the abutilon in the shady corner. It doesn't look like the sort of plant that would grow in Canberra, it was just an impulse buy in the hardware store garden centre and I wasn't too sure about it.
One little bloom lurking on the geum. Poor little much-transplanted thing, I hope that means I've found the right spot for it this time.
And this was really exciting, the first flower on one of the hellebores I bought a few years ago!
And now I'll be taking a look at what's blooming in other gardens on MayDreams Gardens.
Lovely little Hellebore bloom. How wonderful to see the first ever flower. I've had the same experience with my Dietes grandiflora just this morning. It's always such a thrill to finally see a much-anticipated bloom.
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear about the dirty water problem. It really sounds like there's a problem with the water pipes on the estate. I can imagine how annoying the whole situation is becoming. Hopefully it gets sorted out for you soon.
Happy spring opposite the globe from me! This is the first spring in 7 years that has not been what you describe, and I hope it starts a trend for many more! Blooms very soon...I thought you had some natives there that bloomed in winter, though? (maybe it is early winter...) Seeing those pistachios budding out must be a relief and a promise of things to come.
ReplyDeleteLove the hellebore! I once lived where I had to put a large filtering system on my washing machine. It was an easy installation. I had to change the filter quite often, and I was always amazed at how much dirt accumulated that would have gone into my washing machine without it!
ReplyDeleteIt's been at least a year or two since we've had the almost constant water colour variations, usually not bad enough to affect washing but noticeable and disconcerting anyway. After all this time I was really disappointed to have it happen again, and twice within a month. Our typical problem these days is the rather regular swampy smell. A filter just for the washing machine, interesting idea. I think I'd hate to find out what's in the water that we don't notice. I once filled a jug with dirty water and it was interesting to see it when it eventually settled to the bottom.
ReplyDeleteI have some correas that should bloom in winter but mine aren't doing very well. I did a post of winter flowering natives at the local botanic gardens on my other blog on the 13 July. It was amazing how many there are.
I love your hellebore too, and I am still kicking myself for not snapping up a lovely variegated abutilon I saw in my local nursery last year. I am working overseas at the moment and hate to miss the start of Spring in Australia. Hopefully I won't have missed too much by the time I get home late next month.
ReplyDeleteI am kicking myself for not grabbing the purplish hebe I saw recently, now that I've found a spot for it I can't find them anywhere. On the other hand, if I grabbed everything that caught my eye.... It's a dilemma, isn't it.
ReplyDeleteHow terribly frustrating! It's annoying enough to wash a never-ending pile of laundry, but that's terrible that the water is staining your towels. I hope the problem is remedied soon for you.
ReplyDeleteHellebores are one of my favorite flowers, particularly because our gardens are so shady. I transplanted several seedlings and am crossing my fingers that they establish well. Years ago, I purchased 5 hellebores, and now I have huge, thick, lovely masses of the plants. Your is just lovely! Happy GBBD to you!
I feel for you with your dirty water. It must be so frustrating to pull dirty colored laundry out of the washing machine. We are on city water and it is fine working order, but we have a septic system that seems to be failing. Estimates put repairs in the tens of thousands of dollars. It is heartbreaking to say the least. Here we are going in to fall/winter and the garden is winding down. It feels optimistic to think that there is spring is arriving somewhere in this world. Enjoy those first flower buds! Hopefully the water situation will sort itself out soon.
ReplyDeleteHow exciting for you to have spring. I'm so looking forward to winter here in the northern hemisphere. I'm tired of the 100+ temperatures, and just plain burned out watering, weeding, and trimming. Spring is so exciting after a winter's rest.
ReplyDeleteThat's awful about your water. I'd be hopping mad!
It's always exciting to see the first blooms and buds after a long winter. Congrats on the hellebore; it's taken mine several years, but they are finally producing lots of blooms--a welcome sight each spring.
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear about your dirty water problem--how frustrating this must be!
Sorry to hear about your dirty water problem. I ruined a number of items in my wash recently. Nothing to do with the water though. I put a new pair of jeans in without washing them separately first. Oops.
ReplyDeleteNice to see the first bloom on your Hellebore, and the leaves look very healthy too.
Oh no!
ReplyDeleteI washed a new pair of jeans for my husband recently and I was shocked how blue the water became.