Poor Bamboo, so misunderstood

Why is it that anyone over 50 has this inane fear of Bamboo? Given that nurseries have been selling clumping varieties for years, I find it hard to understand that people still think of Bamboo as this rampant evil menace, from shores to the north, ready to take over the land (funny, I thought I read a similar story in the Fin Review this week - so xenophobia is apparently still alive and well in Oz).

Anyway, as I was saying before my mind wandered (just like the old days of running Bamboo) these clumping varieties are just fab for those of us wanting instant gratification and a little privacy. Think of Bamboo as the 'instant noodles' of the plant world, just add water and voila! This is my kinda plant - not shelling out wads of cash for mature varieties, go the smaller pots and you can watch it grow before your very eyes. It also helps if you have an avid gardener on hand who knows all the secrets to have your garden realise its full potential.

Gareth always says that when you plant a garden you are planting for the next generation. He's certainly not wrong in saying that, I can just hear the next generation now "how much do you reckon we'll get from Uncle Pete's estate - lucky they had those beautiful gardens, should add a fair bit to the sale price!".  Funny enough, this may not have been exactly what he intended when he made that statement. However, I do hope some future generations enjoy them for their beauty.

Now, what was the reason I originally sat down to write this post? Oh yes, the Bamboo. We recently planted 150m of Bamboo along our front boundary to give us the ultimate in privacy (read cheaper than a fence). Unfortunately, it was planted during a month of searing temperatures and no rain and it initially looked a little worse for wear (read dead). I lost all faith but Gareth said no fear, Bamboo is here. With a little bit of rain, it's flourishing again and it no time I'm sure it will look like another row of Bamboo we planted a little over a year ago.

Here is that row last November (left) and today (right) and Oscar running through it (below) with our gardener extraordinaire in the background (who never likes to be in the spotlight).

Bamboo. Clumping away to its hearts content, not a runner in sight. We'll feel safe in our beds tonight. Happy gardening.

Before and After

Now we all like a good before and after shot (that is of course if the 'after' is better than the 'before').  I can't always say that this has essentially been true for me at times, but when it comes to our little piece of paradise in Carool, the after is most certainly better than the before. It's just that these things take a little time.... and as Gareth says "you plant a garden for the next generation" (though, selfishly I'd like to stick around to see the fruits of our labours). Fortunately, this gorgeous climate of ours puts the plants on steroids  - check this photo out of Molly and I a few years ago and compare it to the gardens on the blog title photo above (even these have grown since it was taken).

There's been some major goings on this week. We've finally started building the tropical gardens on the right hand side of the entry to compliment Gareth's magnificent work that is the subject of much praise.

We've also started our bamboo tunnel in 'Bambusa Chungii' a beautiful blue/grey Bamboo, which will be a walkway from the cottage to the main gate. This should be around 4 metres tall in around 18 months. That's what I like, instant garden. That being said, just 1 more hour of daylight and time to shovel another 10 barrows of mulch.

Did the earth move for you?

I was always accustomed to a bit of heavy machinery, having excavated the backyard at Stanmore before (well, not me personally), but landscaping has taken a whole new meaning at Carool.... and the machines are on steroids! It's amazing what one can do a Sunday afternoon - check out our new road (well, actually its a 'track' but it will be surfaced at some point in the future). Even Oscar approves - though he appears somewhat distracted in this photo.


This week sees the arrival of an excavator and bobcat to put in our new driveway, build some drains and lay the foundations for Gareth's new tropical gardens that will frame the rhs of the driveway - like the ones on the left he has already established. And speaking of gardens, this shot at the right shows the beginnings of our 'succulent' hill.

With all this digging, whoever said life was boring in the country probably just doesn't enjoy being dirty!

Lot's happening over the next few weeks - our container from Bali arrives tomorrow - so I will keep you posted. Gareth's folks are still here from Northern Ireland till Friday week - been great spending time with them - wish I didn't have to go back to work.

Have a great week! Oh, and by the way, many of you receive these updates via email, but we would love to see your comments on our blog from time to time. x

A little Bali Inspiration

We recently made a last minute decision to head to Bali for a buying trip - you all know how much I hate shopping :-). Fortunately we were able to share  a container with our friends Eric and Josh from Villa 76 http://www.villa76.com/welcome/  and have bought some great new items to enhance Gareth's beautiful, ever expanding sub-tropical gardens (see stone water bowl and carved head in this picture - just one of some 28 items we purchased.

The villa that we were staying in Seminyak also gave us some great inspiration for our pool and we're bringing in the same tiles you see featured in this picture (in fact, we will be incorporating a number of design elements from this in our construction - which we're getting very close to commencing).