A Modern Day Essene

We are having a very slow start to Spring this year, one day it is warm and sunny, the next cold and wet. We tend to have long summers that last through till May/early June so I shouldn't really complain!

The garden doesn't look the best right now. It is recovering from the winter and although there is new growth the plants look tired and the grass is full of spring weeds. In a couple more weeks the growth will take off and hopefully we will have a beautiful, blooming Summer garden.

I have planted a new variety of tomato, which apparently looks like a berry but taste like a tomato..........sounds interesting!

My Avocado tree is blooming with flowers. I only hope that means I will get fruit this year. The lemon tree has already rewarded us with some beauties but the citrus trees are struggling..........strange.

My white mulberry looks awful right now, there is little life to be seen except for a few new buds opening up at the bottom. I am prepared for the parrots this year! I have bought a tree net. I will be mad if the birds get to the berries before me again this year.

Our faithful passionfruit hasn't stopped fruiting throughout winter! Considering how expensive these are in the supermarket I am grateful for each and every one.

We have had some beautiful, Spring like weather, the past few weeks. The garden has beckoned me outside! Over Winter I did a lot of pruning (Many a problem can be buried whilst digging in the garden~) so I had a few empty spots that I wanted to fill.
On Saturday morning I was sitting down having my quiet time (Whilst all the children were still asleep, just me and a cup of tea!) and I started thinking about garden centres and plants. I knew that the average price of a plant was about $10-$15 so filling up my garden was going to be a costly affair. I remembered my Dad's good friend, Ruth. She is an avid gardener and is always collecting cuttings and potting plants. I rang dad and by sheer coincidence (Is anything a coincidence with God?) Ruth was selling lots of plants this very day at her church's jumble sale! Dad picked me up and I was so excited to see the large array of plants for sale. The dearest plant was $4! I bought about six geraniums, lots of nasturtiams, and four beautiful yet very unusual plants called Queens Tears or Bilbergia nutans.
I spent the afternoon planting. It was such a beautiful way to spend the day. The flowers of the Queens Tears just make me smile! they are so intriquetly beautiful in every way. The outline colour is a deep deep purple, almost black, it is stunning.
I can't wait for Spring to see my garden burst into flour. I wonder if my Avocado tree will stop "sulking" this year and bare some fruit?