Shades of Autumn

Here are some photos from around the garden and farm yard today. Hopefully a few rainclouds will venture over this part of Northern Victoria soon!

A few more guinea fowl have been added to the flock over the past few months. They are loving the grasshoppers in the neighbouring paddocks.

Sunflowers and dahlias

Grasshopper watch

Autumn burn-offs are happening all around in preparation for the sowing of winter crops.

Every creature seems to love the sunflowers, including the wandering lambs who managed to chow down on at least 10 of the freshly blooming flower heads!

Robinia Leaves

A watercolour painting inspired by the lush green canopy of the robinia trees growing along the back fence of the garden.

Springtime at Lucindale

With Summer officially kicking in on Monday, it's high time I uploaded a few snaps of my springtime garden with its new residents - Daphne and Violet the guinea fowls (named after where I picked them up from, Daphne Street in Violet Town, North East Victoria)  I'm not entirely convinced they are both females as they are yet to produce any eggs, although a loitering brown snake may have something to do with that.... 

Daphne and Vince perhaps?

Misty morning

The farmyard was shrouded in a fine mist that lasted until midday. Winter has arrived!

A little gentian - a lovely new blog with a focus on gardening

Thank you to journalist, photographer and gardener Penny Harrison for featuring my ramshackle country garden on her new blog A Little Gentian. Isn't that a lovely blog name? You can take a look at the post here: http://alittlegentian.blogspot.com.au/2014/05/gardens-textile-designer-illustrator.html

Busy on the farm

There is a lot going on outside my window farm wise - all of the tractors are busy spraying paddocks in readiness for sowing the winter crops. Here are a few photos of my version of farming throughout the seasons for a UK bed linen customer!

                           

Autumn colour in the garden

Here are a few shots from the garden and my new salvia patch - I seem to have unintentionally settled on a purple and red colour combo for some reason.

I have just finished planting spring bulbs in random spots around the garden, in keeping with my Nana's gardening style. So far I have added alliums, snow drops, blue bells, white daffodils and Arab's Eye lilies, lots of good drawing material for new designs!

Early Autumn blooms

After a long hot summer (and a wandering ram with the munchies) the flower garden is slowly moving into Autumn mode.

Summer blooms

So far we have had a pretty mild start to summer, but there is a heat-wave in Perth right now so I don't think the air conditioner will be idle for much longer.... The garden has provided lots of drawing subject matter over the past month, hopefully I will be able to show some of the floral designs I have been working on in January!

I'm slowly filling up the flower beds along the front pathway with dry tolerant lavenders, salvias, pelargoniums and daisies.