As you all know by now I live in Brunswick, the council of which being Moreland....and in April they became a supporter of the adopt-a-tree scheme. This fantastic idea gives residence the chance to submit a certain public space they wish to see prospering with lovely plants and if approved are provided with mulch and plants to go about their business. The plot then becomes said persons responsibility and is followed up with checks every so often to make sure it is being looked after and that you haven't just taken the plants and upgraded your own garden!! This idea is a step in the right direction for councils wanting to make an environmental difference in the community. Not only that it gives people who don't have the facilities or property to garden make a public place their own to care for.

As usual I found out about this in the Moreland Leader (if you know me then you understand how much I love a community newspaper....especially the Leaders!!) and if you wish to find out more click HERE to see the article that I originally read...I'm yet to take up this offer (this is due to the fact I have little time to do anything right now other than work, uni and sleep...) but once I have the time I'm in! There is a little park near us that really needs some gardening makeover....take a look at this visual pleasure (hhhmmmm...)

 

I think you get the idea (thanks Google maps again!) I was thinking the other day of plants that I might like to put in. Seeing as though it is a place where families go to play on the swings I wouldn't want anything poisonous, plus, you need hardy when kids are involved. Grasses are always my first love... something stunning like Pennisetum setaceum 'rubrum', or even just a little old favourite Miscanthus sinensis 'zebrinus' ( I do love my grasses!). And if I was going to add some colour ( I hear you yell you've got it in the Pennisetum....I know, but some people want flowers), again, I'd go something simple and easy to maintain such as Plumbago auriculata....but this is all very parky if you ask me. Really, if it was my dream little spot it would look a lot different, but hey, if your going to plant for the public you've got to think convenient....you understand.

Anyway, I'm thinking that if a council is happy to get behind something like this then it's heading in some sort of right direction. So, people, we know what we need to do and that's get our emails on and start getting boring spaces approved so that delightful Oprah style makeover......ing (not a word but hey!) can happen! 

(This post is dedicated to all those who think Oprah is going to make a John Farnham come back any day now...spot on ladies and lads!). XXxx

I live with a succulent lover (this is not a euphemism), I'm not kidding you, and I'm told he use to have more than what we have now but he sold them at a garage sale once and made over $300 dollars! What is it about these succulent things that have people going banana's?? Well, I asked him (hhhmmmm) and the answer I got was....I like them. Yup, thanks for that, really helpful for my uni work and possible passing grades. So, with little help from the source I had to try another approach....I pretended to be a succulent lover.

What I worked out: 

1. Succulents are easy to grow. These little buggers are super hard to kill so the laziest gardener can keep them alive. 
2. They come in all shapes and sizes, colours and textures. They are such an eclectic little bunch!
3.They make a good present. It seems that people appreciate a succulent as a present (I think this is again the hardiness factor as when someone gives you a plant you are obliged to keep it alive so when they come over they feel good about their present).
4. Some have medicinal benefits. Aloe vera for example. Everyone needs an aloe plant for those pesky sunburns! 
5. They kind of are just great and I'm starting to see the "I like them" answer as being quite a legitimate one. These little suckers are quite remarkable plants.....and I think the more you love them the more they love you (hhhmmmm, weird succulent lover anyone?!)

 

 

Final verdict......Convert!

  

Brunswick has many cool places that make it a totally wonderful place to live, and one of those happens to be Ceres Community Environment Park.

 Not only is this lovely place set amongst amazing landscape and has Merri Creek and bike track leading off it, It has chickens.....I mean CHICKENS! Woo! It's a not for profit organisation (although that has currently lead them into an amazing amount of debt due to mismanagement which the Moreland council has had to help dig them out of, but we are only talking positives right now!) which boasts research facilities as well as educational programs and a super duper market. The wonderful research that goes on here and the heaps of land space to do it on has helped make Ceres a recognised international leader in community and environmental practice.

All waste and water is recycled and they are currently putting into action the plan to be completely carbon neutral by 2012! Go Ceres!

As well as all these too good to be true facilities, and wonderful work that goes on, they have an amazing nursery to top it off! How can one place be so great!

 Ceres permaculture and bushfood nursery is the best place for the backyard gardener to visit to get their seedlings. With their vast knowledge on all things organic and earth friendly, if your a carer for this earth and what we are doing to it then this place is a much needed haven. And, it's just a wonderful place to go and feel relaxed.

For more information on Ceres click HERE! Ceres photos and information in this blog post was all gathered from Ceres website.

 Wow, how much more rain can we get before winter officially starts, mother nature....hhmmmm? With all this water coming onto my garden I wasn't sure what the best way was to keep my garden happy (I did assume that no water was necessary, please don't think me dumb...) so after hearing about a new watersaving website created by Melbourne Uni I clicked myself over there and started to look around.

I like the idea of a watersaving website with tips and information on our climate.....and here it is! When originally signing up you create your garden in "plant areas", slightly confused at this to start with I simply did it as my front yard and backyard (which kind of made sence and I think has been the right thing to do!). From there you actually add the plants that you have in those plant areas. My garden consists of edible plants from herbs to vegies, as well as small shrubs, succulents, ferns and grasses, all of which are available for adding in your vitual garden.

 

Next comes watering options. I use a watering can which is considered the hose....to calculate the amount of water you need you have to estimate how much water goes into a 9litre bucket and how long it takes to get an idea of water pressure. Once this is all done and mulching has been chosen you are ready to see what your garden requires, waterwise, to be happy and healthy. As mine is a small area it told me that January needs the most (makes sense due to hot weather), however it did tell me to only water every 2 weeks, which I simply don't agree with as I believe my garden needs much more water than that, especially the ferns. However, so far April and May have been correct as the watersaving website advices me not to water at all....woo hoo!

With the hotter months being really the only thing I disagree with so far with the SmartGardenWatering.org.au website I have to say I have found it quite interesting and so far quite helpful. As I play around with it further and check out other peoples gardens I'm sure I will get a better grasp of this wonderful concept, as well as an even better understanding.

As i said in my first post I am hoping to capture the diverse range of gardens that are around Brunswick.  By having guests on the blog, who are super kind enough to share their gardens with us, gives us a look into established gardens to ones that are just starting out. Gardens take a long time to get established and it's the starting out process that can be the most frustrating yet the most rewarding as things slowly start to grow and take shape.

Our first guest on Hipsters and Hibiscus is Kate, a lovely lady who lives a couple of streets away from me. Kate and her family purchased their house 6 months ago in the happy suburb of Brunswick, citing that the parks and Ceres are a much loved part of the area for them. When they moved in there was no garden (just concrete) and, like most people who have just purchased a house, states that starting to establish their garden is going to be a slow process. However, the space they have is amazing and Kate hopes to eventually have a full kitchen garden as the years progress. Kate's main pleasure in gardening comes from growing her own herbs and veggies and also loves to show her kids how to grow and care for them. 'We were given a raised garden bed for Christmas last year, all made from recycled material, which we have started to grow some veggies in" Kate describes of their much loved present. As well as the patch, pot plants from their old place have followed them to Brunswick, as well as their compost bin. With such a perfect and vast space for establishing a kitchen garden, it's going to be wonderfully exciting for them as they progress and start watching everything grow.

 

 

 

Oh man, I love it! It's always so exciting seeing people start a new garden. And the mounds of space Kate and her family have to eventually have a kitchen garden just makes me jealous (although the kids want to keep it as it is as they can ride their bikes around the backyard on the concrete)! Thanks a bunch Kate for letting me into your garden! Next post we look at the Smart Garden Watering website. See you then!

Yes, it's here. Hipsters and Hibiscus is finally up and running....always strange starting a new blog. It all looks so neat and tidy and, I suppose, slightly boring! Just means I'm going to have to get this thing going so we all have something lovely to look at. This blog is a documentation of all the super sweet, super interesting gardens that happen right here in Brunswick. From the veggie gardeners to the crazy super neat gardens of the ever lovely European families, there is such a diverse range of eye candy for garden lovers. And, the other thing that always blows my mind is the beautiful gardens all the renters continue to maintain even though they don't own the property.....now THAT is a love of gardening. My hope is to find willing gardeners to interview about why the garden as well as taking photos of their pride and joys.

Anyway! Enough babbling on.....to start with, my garden. I've only been in this house for about 8 months but got straight in and started gardening as soon as we moved in. The garden was pretty boring when we got here but is now slowly taking shape. From ferns, to flowers, to veggies and herbs, I'm trying to grow things that will look pretty as well as be functional and edible! It really is a waiting game, but the watching everything grow is simply part of why I garden. And now.....some photos (just a snippet as I'll continue to reveal my garden as we go on!)

 

So, there is just a taste of the garden I  am slowly creating. I've had non stop troubles with thrip, caterpillars, and snails at the moment however I am finally starting to beat them!

Well, that wraps up the first ever post for Hipsters and Hibiscus gardening through Brunswick! Next post we will have our first ever guest gardener!

Cheers.