Rose Garden Terrace

The latest project in our garden is the 4 level terrace
 It will become the Rose Garden.

The beginning of the project

Shoot the levels and organise an excavator and bobcat to shape the terraces

We estimate that this job will take about three and half days to set up 4 terraces, dig trenches where the retaining walls will go and tidy up and spread left over soil.
Update - Now that the job has progressed we know that it will take 4 days for the excavator and bobcat to complete the shaping of the 4 levels and digging the trenches plus half a day for a smaller machine to dig the trenches that the large one cannot get to.

End of Day 1 -  Excavation level 4 (7 am - 4 pm)

The machines (excavator and bobcat) have been in for day 1 and leveled off for the 4th terrace at the bottom of what will be the rose garden

Mid-day Day 2 - Excavation level 3 (7 am -5 pm)

End of Day 2 - Excavation level 3 

The levels were all covered in black plastic so as not to wash out when it rained

16th April 2014
The blocks being unloaded for the retaining walls of the Rose Terrace.
They will be delivered in 2 loads so next week we will receive the final delivery, today we have received 6 pallets which is 1/3 of the order
Enough to get started with!
Straight blocks, left corner blocks, right corner blocks and capping blocks

Day 3 - Excavation

The machines are back today and will tidy up the top 2 levels of the terrace to enable the retaining wall to begin.

Trenches for the retaining walls

Work being done to construct the retaining walls top two levels 

The machines will return in 2 weeks time to finish shaping the bottom 2 levels and digging the trenches for them

Packing down the crusher dust in the trenches

 String line is set up before placing the first blocks on the crusher dust to be sure it is level

Blocks are put in place on the crusher dust

The first layer of blocks being cemented into place using the string line to be sure the blocks are level

Place the joiners

Fill the blocks with gravel

28th May 2014

The top level of the terrace is close to completion with just the roses to be planted.

There has been a hold up with the machines due to problems with the truck that is used to transport the machines so we have been on hold but today we have 2 machines in to excavate and shape the rest of the levels for the terraces. This should bring us close to being able to build the walls and get on with the job.

July  2014

Four terrace block walls are now in place and the roses have been planted

How to care for your Adenium (Desert Rose)

Information from http://adeniumseedimporters-wa.com.au/#/home/4578697578

Fertilizers to use on the Adenium

Add aged cow manure to potting mix each time you re-pot

Use a slow release fertiliser ever 6 months

Liquid fertilizer: hydroponic flowering formula 3 mls per litre and season 50% of the recommended strength every two or three weeks in the growing season 

How often will you re-pot your Adenium? 

During the first year you will re-pot the Adenium 2 or 3 times increasing the size of the pot each time and then after 2 or 3 years after the winter rest period of the plant.

If you plan to cut the roots of the Adenium you should let the roots dry out for 24hrs. before re-potting.

How should you style your Adenium?

2 exceptions on this method of pruning are the Adenium Arabicum or Bonsai (see explanation below)

Give all other Adenium plants one heavy pruning after the winter rest period to increase the trunks and the number of flowers.  

The 2 exceptions -

1. Arabicum needs to keep its own shape

2. Bonsai (see below)

Bonsai styling method

Light pruning and shaping will give you flowers and form.

The Watering of the Adenium

If kept outside in the hot sun in hot climates then you should water 2 or 3 times a week - the plant will lose leaves if over-watered

The Adenium needs very little water in the winter, especially if it is kept cool.  If kept over 27c the plant should not lose leaves in the winter but will require watering 'at least' once a week.

  If you have checked out the website I have listed at the top of this blog you will see how amazing the Adenium plant is - yes I'm hooked, I will not be happy until I have a reasonably sized collection of these :-)  

Adenium Obesium- my new additions to the Adenium family

Adenium Obesum - Desert Rose

I purchased the seeds online from a seller that buys wholesale seed from Africa direct from the grower.
I have purchased 2 packets with 10 multi-coloured seeds in each packet. This will be a trial run for me, depending on how successful I am with them. Hopefully I will eventually grow a variety in my collection of Adenium plants.

This is the link to the website and I can assure you it is worth a look.  I had no idea of the variety that is available and it has really set me on a mission to gather a collection.  The flowers are beautiful and the structure of the plant is a piece of art.

http://adeniumseedimporters-wa.com.au/#/home/4578697578

This information I share below is from the above website- 

About the Adenium

Adeniums are native to East Africa - their common name is Desert Rose
Adeniums variety of colours- white, black, red, pink, yellow, purple and blue - from seed they can revert to the most common colour which is pink.

Planting the seeds

• First soak the seeds in water for 2 hours
• Plant each seeds 3 to 4 mm deep in coarse perlite
• cover the seeds in a mix of medium perlite and coco peat or peatmoss
• keep seed moist not wet at all times
• Place in good light (not sun, lights are best)  I kept mine in a hot house with shade in Feb bringing them out into the sun on days that were not too hot - and they shot 9 from 20 seeds)
• Keep the area they are in between 18-27c is best
• Pot up as soon as you can handle the seedlings, use a very well drained mix (see below for mix)
• they must be in a humid environment, under glass or in a mini hot house

Adenium potting mix - not for germinating seeds, this is for plants only

• 8 parts coarse perlite
• 3 parts 4mm stone (washed gravel or very coarse river sand
• 3 parts aged cow manure
• w parts pine bark
• 2 parts high quality potting mix
• 2 parts coir

The mix I used

Transplanted from seed mix to plant potting mix, my 9 plants from 20 seeds

Chilli plants

We now have 4 different types of chilli plants (tricky spelling as Americans use chile, UK, Aus. and NZ use chilli. As I am in Australia I will be using the 'chilli' version of the spelling.

Capsicum grows on a small bush and can be used when it is green or you can wait until it turns red, I sometimes pick ours when they are half red and half green. Great added to salads and many cooked dishes.

 1.  Capsicum

2. Chilli

The Chilli can be chopped up and used in many dishes.  The Chilli is graded from 1 to 10 with 1 the least hot and 10 the hottest of chillies.  I like to make a sweet chilli sauce and will write up the recipe I use in my next blog (after experimenting and changing recipes to suit our taste).

3. Chilli

4. Chilli

Keeping Chickens for Eggs

My husbands has completed the chicken enclosure and purchased our first 4 chickens, Lowen Browns, that have had one laying season prior.
We bought them from the local markets (they were just getting their feathers back so looked a bit ragged) and the seller told us that it would be about 3 weeks before they begin to lay again. Just 1 week later we started to get 1 egg a day, 2 weeks later 2 eggs a day so we are hoping the trend continues.

The chicken enclosure

The enclosure takes in part of the orchard: 2 Orange trees, 1 Lemon tree, 1 Mandarin tree and 1 Kumquat tree, the remainder of the orchard is outside of the enclosure and accessible for the hens when they are free ranging.  We have surrounded the bottom sections of the trees with wire mesh to stop them from getting pecked at.  The 'girls' love scratching around in the compost section around the trees and I am sure the trees will benefit from their 'deposits'

'Girls' house

We purchased this hen house online, it did say it is suitable for 5 hens but we are finding it too small for 4 hens so another one is in the plan in the not too distant future.

Free ranging

Every morning the hens are let out to free range and are having a great time in the newly dug area that will eventually become the rose terraces.  They are sharing the many worms with the Kookaburras that seem to have built in radar when a project is going on and in they come.  Last week while the machine was taking off the topsoil the Kookaburras were diving in and having a great feast.

  

10/03/2014 yippee now we are getting 3 eggs a day and hoping for 4 eggs a day soon

1/04/2014 4 Eggs yesterday so all of the girls gave 1 egg for the first time - Looking promising!

The first Egg