Month: December 2024

I spotted it back in July, an elkhorn fern on a Podocarpus elatus, a street tree on the railway line side of the road. The elkhorn’s base was already the size of my hand with half a dozen leaves so it was rather like it had landed like a space ship or UFO on this… Continue reading Elkhorn has landed

Last year there was mainly leaf curling spiders, not just here in the garden but also up on Summerfield in the Hunter Valley. This year the leaf curling spiders are gone and the orb weavers are back. They spin huge webs. They sit at the centre, mainly at night. During the day they often hide… Continue reading Spiders and crickets

I spot the first purple fruits on the ground lying amongst the leaf litter. Plums! Known as Davidson or Mullumbimby plums (Davidsonia jerseyana) they are an Australian bush tucker food and are really sour. They are not in the Prunus genus with the other plums we know.I look up and along the main stems of… Continue reading Bumper crop

The trees in the backyard have been trimmed away from the house. Right back. A burst of light and heat now slams down into the garden which the plants down below are not used to. I water them to help reduce the shock. I think of it as though a canopy tree has fallen and… Continue reading A burst of light

There is a triangular garden with the house on the wedge-shaped corner of Douglas Street and Gordon Crescent. The house faces Douglas Street. The trees in the garden lean over the 6 feet colorbond back fence. Walking down to the shops or the station ducking slightly under the branches the smell of figs (Ficus carica),… Continue reading The promise of figs