Re: Monterey Pine
Bill et al,
I have the same problem here in Tasmania - 90 year old radiatas
beginning to die off. Of course their babies are everywhere. I only
kept them because there was an instant wind break for my new garden.
They are grown for farming in Tasmania so if your garden is in the
country, it is very hard to avoid seedlings in the garden and before you
know it, a very large tree! So expensive to cut down the 3/4 dead
monster
We have had the wettest Oct and Nov on record in Tasmania. The country
garden was open to the public and garden club visitors for 8 days over
that period and it rained non-stop for 7 1/2! Oh! Well there is
always next year!
And there is also the other side of the coin. The non-medit plants
loved it. The rhododendrons bent under the weight of the blooms
[imagine the dead heading] and at the moment the garden glows with
streams of Himalayan Primulas. I grow mainly old fashioned roses and
they are just coming into their glory which is late, so many flowers
this year and the perfume wafts all through our rather large garden.
The thugs like granny-knight-caps are managing to swamp the
forget-me-nots and that is some achievement!
Medit-plants - lavender seems not to mind the extra drinks, the dahlias
are already showing 2ft-3ft of leaves and that is early, the ceanothus
brightened the odd dry spots for many weeks but most perennials are at
least 3 weeks late.
I believe that you gardeners on the other side of the world are
suffering unseasonable warmth. I wonder if your weeds will grow for 12
months of the year as they do on this side where we garden with our feet
in the air and all year round?
--
Gay Klok Tasmania
December article: More photos of the early summer flowers and Christmas
Down Under:
http://www.suite101.com/welcome.cfm/tasmanian_gardening
http://www.geocities.com/RainForest/Vines/3411
http://members.tripod.com/~klok/WRINKLY_.HTM
