Tales from a balcony garden

Our lovely starry nights Tea tree which had to go.

The ax man!

This is the reason. In case you don't know what you're looking at this is the hose through the garden box for the irrigation. The root has completely strangled it. Ah the pressure to survive. Amazing really.

OMG it's gone - except for the stump and the roots throughout the entire garden. Lindsay did an awesome job.

Our rescued passion fruit vines. I pruned and planted and gave them some food and left them to it. They are still going! The straggly stuff in the front is coriander just coming up from harvested seeds

That was our Mexican orange bush - no stopping this man!

A little touch of colour which hasn't stopped blooming all year,  I love it.

Some of the garden beds of the Southbank community garden part of the larger Sustainability groups work. Neighbours are harvesting vege for their table from here already.  Perfect.

When we bought our Southbank eyrie it had to fill just a few criteria. It had to have a pool, parking, good security and importantly a garden space.  It is not flash, but it’s perfect for us. Over the years we’ve grown lots of quite diverse things – kumquats which ended up in brandy and marmalade, limes and lemons, figs enough for jam and eating, tomatoes, lemon grass and lots of herbs. Our balcony orchard has grown to include a couple of plum trees and two rescued passionfruit vines. Both the front and side garden beds are now lying partially dormant, but with a gut full of ripe kitchen compost dug in waiting for our return in Spring when we’ll plant loads of vegies – we’re quite excited! I’ve dried loads of herbs to use over winter. What am I saying?! We’re not going to be here.  

The front terrace has always been planted with a mind to creating a green space, a barrier to the rest of the world – not quite when there are 20 floors of apartments gazing down at us, but it feels a little private. In that garden were a couple of ‘trees’ including a lovely tea tree – which got too big and started escaping through the fence and down into the drains. Sacre bleu! My garden elf got rid of that and other exuberant bushes so we are ready to start again. 

Our families of birds were at first rather nonplussed at the change in their space, but I think we’ve been forgiven for taking out one of their favourite hidey holes.  They’ve discovered other activities to keep them amused and doing what birds do like exploring the dirt, foraging and such like. It’s a birds’ life!