Flowers/vegetables/gardening

[tori0609]

Hello,

 

I am a keen gardener and just wondered if anyone knows which British flowers grow well in Adelaide? Does anyone know if peonioes/lavender/hyacinths/hydrangeas/sweetpeas etc grow ok over there (or even if they are available/affordable?) Also, are home-grown fruit and veg easily available to buy to grow at home? we grow our own veg here but guess the veg is very different in SA? Any advice most appreciated!

[Guest moonraker1959]

Hi,I'm also a keen gardener,although not so much in the flower department,more the fruit and veg!I was pretty much living self sufficiently when I lived in SA.I think veg growing is easier in SA to be honest.I used to just plants the seeds(any variety)straight out in the veg plots.No growing indoors over there!:biglaugh:And I grew a wide variety too.You will have to keep a close watch on them drying out much quicker,and might be wise to have atleast one rain water tank,if not more,depending on the size of your garden.I had a few fruit tree's(plum,apricot,apple and peach)and a walnut tree.As far as flowers go,I did grow lavender very very easily as it is great for the climate.You will easily see quite alot of english cottage style gardens,in the older suburbs and country towns,but I know my own family and friends struggled to keep them alive during the long drought.People tend to focus more on drought resistant type gardens these day I think!You can buy veg seeds online and you will find them also(with seedlings)in garden centres and larger shops.

[Guest Guest75]

I'm a keen gardener.

 

 

As Moonraker says...................... water dictates everything in the warmer months. You must have a large rain water tank set up or it will cost a fortune in water charges.

 

Bedding plants are not quite as popular here but hanging baskets are a good option. We have several around the house, kind of looks Mediterranean.

 

Most garden beds are filled with shrubs, specimen trees, whatever is in fashion or fruit trees.

 

A lot have fruit trees in their gardens, I think from the large Greek / Italian influence.

Some have Olive trees , you need a few for a harvest but for pickling you might be OK. They also make a fantastic hedge.

 

Lavender loves it here - as do all the grey silver plants from drier climates.

Might struggle with Peonies as they like constant moisture??

Sweet peas? we grow tons of em.

I'm also growing Dahlias for cut flower and lots of Gladioli.

 

Have Queensland Blue Pumpkins, 3 varieties of Tomatoes,Rhubarb,stringless beans,Chillis and two varieties of onions on the go at the moment.

I'll be planting winter stuff soon such as Cauliflower, sprouts and Broad Beans.

I'll be having a crack at Chrysanthemums this year as well for cut flowers.

 

A lot of the shrubs / plants we have in the garden beds are very hardy such as succulents, grasses,Diosma and natives.

I do a lot of dividing and cuttings.

 

Fortunately we have our own water supply though in the form of a water bore.

 

For a general look at info have a look here.........

 

A growing way of life - Home garden products and gardening advice - Yates Ltd

 

Diggers club can be interesting as well.

 

Diggers Club - Direct to your door - Garden Vegetable Seeds - Mail Order - Online Catalogue - Heirloom Heritage seeds - Heronswood St Erth Flower Organic Fruit Tree Nursery Drought Tolerant Tomato Potato Heirloom Tomatoes Purple carrots nutritional w

[tori0609]

Hurrah! fantastic news - thanks so much for that to both of you. I have been a bit sad at the thought of missing my gardening so that's great news, lavender is one of my favourites so as long as that grows well I am happy!!

 

Thanks so much for the links as well, great to have, really appreciate your help!

[Anne B]

I'm not a great gardener but the garden of the house we are renting at the moment is really nice. It has loads of palm trees and smaller palms, rose bushes (grow well here and bloom throughout winter), lavender, rosemary, geraniums (which grow in the ground, not in pots, and grow huge), daisies, a huge hibiscus which has masses of large pink flowers all through the summer, bougainvillea (reminds me of Portugal), jasmine, and others that I can't remember the names of. It does have an automatic watering system, I don't know how well the plants would do without it.

 

Other popular plants are oleander, frangipani (absolutely beautiful), bottle brush, magnolia, agapanthus. I also really like the native australian plants that are popular as they cope with the weather better than foreign plants. When I get my own garden I will definately plant some.

 

We live near the beach and the soil here is really sandy and absolutely teeming with ants, which I must admit takes away a lot of the pleasure of gardening (plus the fear of accidentally disturbing a spider!). Gardening here is certainly different, there's a lot less mud !

[tori0609]

Ahh - more music to my ears Anne! Love loads of those plants that you have mentioned so really pleased about it! I hate spiders over here so will no doubt scream the first time I see a real Aussie spider!! My garden here is by no means very impressive but we have moved every 2 years so that's prob why!

 

I think that with it being Spring here in the UK then it's making me think about it more too, your garden sounds lovely, can't wait to hopefully have my own piece of Aussie garden to get my mitts on!

 

thanks again for your very helpful words!

[Guest marknmand]

Hi I am a Florist in Adelaide. It is very difficult to grow anything here in the hot summer months as the ground dries out I would suggest that you only plant in the Autumn months as the rainy season starts this way they get well established when the summer arrives making them more tolerant of the drought. I have in the past tried to grow what i would call Pretty Flowers but I have found that anything delicate really cannot stand the high temperatures and really do have to be watered morning and night on hot days if you dont have the time for this then they will surely die the same goes for fruit and vegetables. I do however see many people with well established rose gardens and again as long they are well watered there is no reason why they cant be grown but do need a lot of care. The native flowers of Australia are obviously the most drought tolerant such as proteas, banksias leucadendrons they may not be pretty but they are something different to what we may be used to and I personally love them!