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.