Romaine's
Garden
Romaine's
Garden
There are so many things a garden can offer our senses. From the visually perfect form of a rose to the scent of the compost. We may get as much enjoyment giving someone a bunch of flowers grown in our own garden as we did finding and picking them... And who could ever equal the feeling of eating a home grown apple with half a worm inside.
Recently I was given some food for thought by an experienced gardener who strives for self sufficiency. Whenever gardening, he said I should ask myself "How many wins can I get out of this project" ..for example if I were to plant strawberries..as I often do..I would justify my effort by thinking that 1) I can eat them. 2) They make an attractive ground cover. 3) I can give some runners to my family and friends the following year and 4) I can save money by not having to buy the fruit...Actually to be honest, I think I could rationalise any gardening activity I have ever done. Just ask my husband.
I welcome any suggestions of gardening ideas for growing food. Just email me and we can share them with others.
Gradually our garden is providing food for our family in the way of herbs, fruits and vegetables. At the moment if we were to rely on our garden as a source of food we would certainly starve. Our menu fresh from the garden would begin with a Herbal Soup for an entree followed by a lovely lettuce and nasturtium salad, garnished with snow pea sprouts and a rich, creamy parsley sauce. A citrus dessert would then be served consisting of Kumquats, Lemons and sprinkling of fragrant flowers. As you can see the bounty is yet to be harvested and we are still striving to grow more of our own food...organically!
(Photos growing
soon)
Few things are more refreshing than being surrounded by the aroma of the Australian bush. I remember visiting some friends at Tomerong, not far from our home at St Georges Basin. After enjoying a cuppa and some cake, we walked down the hill to the back section of their ten acre block and fought our way through some very scrubby bush. The children were pleased to see some kangaroos which bounded quickly away the moment they spotted us. Strolling past the many banksia, grevillea, tea tree, hakea, scribbly gum and she oaks, we felt it was a wonderful way to spend a warm and familiar Saturday afternoon.
Fragrant Native Gardens written by Dr Judith Mcleod and published by Simon and Shuster, Australia 1994, is an interesting read and offers a comprehensive guide to the fragrances of many Australian plants. Of all the fragrances that fill the air of the Australian bush, honey is probably the most common.
Australia has an extraordinary 'honey flora'. "Many native species produce nectar so freely that it fills the flower and spills the fragrance of honey onto the breeze. Honey-eating birds, bees, possums, jewel beetles and ants all feast on the steady nectar flow of these flowers that are an important part of their diet - many such flowers also providing quantities of protein in their pollen. Honeyeaters so fragile and beautiful with their blur of hovering wings and fine beaks sipping nectar from deeply-tubed flowers; parrots swaying precariously on sticky, sweet bottlebrushes; bellbirds feasting on sugar-sweet, golden cushions of Silky Oak flowers... these are just some of the delights that honey-scented flowers can bring to your garden".