Sunday Selections # 182



Welcome back to Sunday Selections!

This once-a- week-meme was originally begun by Kim of Frog Ponds Rock, as a way to showcase some of the many photos we all take, but don't get around to showing on our blogs.

The rules are very simple:-
1. post photos of your choice, old or new, under the Sunday Selections title
2. link back to me, River, somewhere in your post
3. leave me a comment so that I know you've joined in and can come over and see what you've posted.
4. hop on over to TheElephant’s Child to see more of her wonderful photos.

Kath and Andrew often join in.
There are a couple of other participants too:
Jackie K at Working Through It
Gillie at The View from Here

I usually go with a theme for my Sunday Selections and this week I'm continuing with some photos of my section of the gardens surrounding these flats I live in.

You all remember the stand of thorny grasses down beside my flat?

 this is it. Spiky leaves, long thorns, overgrown and not at all pretty.
You might also remember I wanted to rip them all out?

well, I tried and cleared a small space in which I planted three small ground cover grevilleas.

But the entire job was going to be far too much for me, so I eventually hired someone to rip them out.

Ta-Da!!  Beautiful! with a nice load of mulch laid down.

Unfortunately, this meant my three small ground covers were now visible to all and sundry, one of whom helped him/herself to two of them. Rotten scoundrel!!

All alone, :(

I had saved a couple of dollars a week as often as I could since moving in here, in anticipation of buying replacement plants, I'm good with long-term goals like that, so off I went and bought a whole bunch of stuff. 
Then when the little ones got stolen, I worried about the good stuff I'd bought. 
Should I plant them? What if they get stolen too? 
Dilemma indeed.

I decided to plant the jades from the pots on the porch steps. 

They were looking good and had been there two years, no one had taken any.

In they went. They look smaller now they're in the ground.
I decided if they were still there a week later, I'd take a chance and plant the new stuff. 
But not all of it. Just a few, maybe half, and see if any get stolen. 
Digging the holes will be the hardest part. That whole area is full of tree roots and the under soil is clay.
I bought really pretty things and I don't like the idea someone will just help themselves.

Here is what I bought:

Kangaroo Paws, a selection in four different colours and assorted sizes.
This particular one will grow to 60cm high by 50cm diameter and I have three of them.

this variety is called Bush Dance. I bought three of these also.


a couple of small grevilleas, "Peach Blush"

two small banksias, "Birthday Candles" they will grow to 45cm high by 50-60cm diameter.

Two Coprosmas, "Pacific Sunset", these will grow 1.5 metres high by 1metre diameter. 
I like the tiny shiny leaves on these. 

Here's a close up of the labels so you can see what the tiny flowers will look like.

Grevillea. These little beauties will be 40cm high  by 60cm diameter. I hope they flower as profusely as the picture.

grevillea groundcover, this will grow 30cm high by 1.5 metres diameter, I only bought one of these.

Kangaroo Paw, "Bush Volcano". This one will be 80cm high by 1metre diameter

The Coprosma. I have two of these and will plant them close enough together so there will be a small hedge by the letterboxes.

Kangaroo Paw, "Bush Gold", these will be 1m high by 60cm diameter. I have two.

and the Kangaroo Paw, "Bush Dance", which will grow to 60cm high by 45cm diameter. Did I mention I have three of these?

When I had these delivered I put them alongside the flats, but when the groundcovers got pinched, I moved all the new pots into the back porch. 


 Half are still there and half are now planted. 

And photographed. 

























Comments

  1. They're beautiful!!

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  2. They are truly gorgeous. And I hope the thief's fingers drop off. At least their fingers - which prevents them from any more larceny.

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  3. Looks like a nice assortment. I hope you have good luck with them.

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  4. Stealing plants! How low can you go.

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  5. Carrot and stick.

    Put a note on each plant, or one large one on a stake, "I was planted with love to make things more beautiful. Please don't disturb me".

    Cut up wire coat hangers and bend them into large 'u' shapes and force them down into the ground through the plant and roots until you can't really see them. Make a couple per plant perhaps. They won't stop someone who is really determined, but it makes it harder for them to just lift them out. This worked for us a couple of decades ago.

    Plant thieves are very sad specimens of humans.

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  6. They are looking good .
    One of our neighbours had problems with plants going missing so she wrote a little sign saying how unfair it was to take plants I think it's been ok since.
    Merle.........

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  7. You seem to own half a nursery. I know what a financial undertaking this venture is. Don't know what to say about the thieves except shame.

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  8. The greed and lack of conscience of some(too many) are so annoying and frustrating. Some think it is their right to take what doesn't belong to them.

    Plant a stack of spiky, prickly cacti and other similar plants in front of the garden...right around the edges! It's be great to be able to set up a loud speaker system that goes off at top volume every time someone tries to pinch a plant. That'd scare the whatsits out of them when it went off! ;)

    Have a good week, River. :)

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  9. fishducky; and all Australian natives too, so they should do well in thee conditions.

    Elephant's Child; may their fingers drop off and their tyres go flat.

    Delores; if no one takes any, they should grow well, they're all natives. I have more to go in too.

    joeh; not much lower. I was really shocked, I've never had anything stolen before.

    Andrew; I might have better luck with a sign that says hidden nanny cam in operation. I don't have any wire coat hangers, I could probably buy a roll of wire at Bunnings. So far everything new that I planted last Thursday is still there.

    Merle; the area is beginning to look more like a garden now and I've been looking in the shops at garden ornaments. I think I'll have better luck at junk and salvage shops for stuff that isn't plastic and made in China.

    Joanne; it is only one and a half dozen pot plants, but they are bushy and a decent size already. There was a sale going so I took advantage.

    Lee; tut tut! I just removed a lot of prickly spiky things! I'm not putting more back. My initial concern still stands. Many of the tenants are old or elderly, some unsteady on their feet and have walkers or walking sticks. I would feel terrible if one lost his or her footing and fell face first into spiky prickly grasses or cacti. That's why I'm planting softer things. As well as making it prettier.
    I might visit my local spy shop (clear across town, not too local) and get a camera to set up on the wall facing that garden.

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  10. I'm very cross at people who steal plants. I'm sorry that you've lost some. Especially as it has come out of your own purse.
    Have you approached the body corporate or landlord to see if he/she could help out, and maybe reimburse you for the work/expense you've put in? Especially as it seems like it is a public traffic area?

    I thought of a spy cam too.
    Perhaps, instead of paying for an "installed and wired" camera - which costs a pretty penny, could you talk to the electronics guys and ask if they have an old/spare camera that could be placed (convincingly) on the wall - a sort of dummy spycam.
    Place a sign nearby saying, "this area is under surveillance" or something like that.
    Often, that can be enough of a deterrent. My father in law once did something similar.

    Perhaps, chat with the local police first, to make sure it's OK with them. They also might have a few suggestions of their own. I find the police can be helpful when approached about such matters.

    Good luck, River. You're doing a wonderful thing in beautifying this area, and I'm sure one day soon, plants will establish, and the birds and bees will love you for it. Not to mention the great comments you'll have from the other residents.

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  11. Vicki; it's public housing, we do things at our own risk. Many other tenants have beautified the areas closest to their flat, but they have been here longer so their space is well established. A few others years ago put in one or two things which then got stolen and haven't bothered again. A lot of the large areas were "landscaped" by the housing trust originally, then "upgraded" a few years ago.
    The dummy cam with the sign was my plan as I certainly can't afford wiring and film for the real thing.

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  12. They're all beautiful. Glad you've put them out the back, so you'll get to keep them. Still - I can't believe people still planted ground cover!!

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  13. I meant people STEAL planted ground cover.

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  14. What a lovely selection of plants but I find it so hard to believe people would steal plants but I know they do. In Perth I've heard of people actually stealing large potted plants and the like. How low can anyone go?
    Look forward to seeing the finished product when all is done.

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  15. Sorry to read about your thief. Your efforts will not go unnoticed or unappreciated. The planting this week looks great! Well done.

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