When inside tasks are done and dusted, nothing is better than starting the day meandering in the garden. For me, fresh air, peeping sunshine a
nd the glow of the mid winter season draws me in. At the moment our garden is a bounty of limes, cumquats and mandarines which have been great in supplying ourselves and visitors with freshly fragrant fruit. With each new day what natural wonders appeal to your senses? Perhaps when you look around it may be something small that is beautiful. Shapes, movement, texture and colour of leaves or the delicate patterns left by insects on the bark of the trees. At Ramesa farm we have tall and beautiful Eucalyptus trees of orange/brown tinged bark; being habitat to the occasional Koala. I love the sounds of the chirping birds, magpies, double barred finches etc and the dazzling designs of spider webs in the morning dew. Nature really is amazing.
I remember last week when the sun was mild and I could see what seemed like a thousand things that needed doing in the garden. Winter weeds had pushed their way through some shrubs and the winding pathway of the back garden was growing more narrow with the encroaching grass. Although the overspilling flowers needed to be tamed they were quite beautiful in a wild kind of way. With many gardening tasks to be done it’s great to have the mindset of a Five Minute Gardener. Perhaps it’s true that everyone can cope with a five minute commitment especially when we feel our job lists are growing. (They never get shorter do they?) If we tell ourselves that we can easily spare five minutes doing something needing to be done, we are more likely to start this task than fall prey to procrastination. It might be something like weeding or something more interesting such as planting or picking flowers. What are your favourite tasks in the garden? When I think about mine I have two favourites which seem poles apart. My first is following, photographing and admiring butterflies and the other is cranking up my 4 stroke Honda whipper snipper.
Today we drove up to the beautiful Bunya Mountains to enjoy the markets, scenery and stop in at one of the cafes for a leisurely lunch with friends. Our South Burnett area of Queensland offers so much natural beauty and it’s great when we can take the time to enjoy it. Such majestic trees are the Bunya Pines; with the area being important to traditions of welcoming ceremonial gatherings. When thinking about the Bunya Mountains landscape I really appreciate the flora and fauna. The towering trees, fern understory, vines, epiphytes, fungi and bacteria as well as the wonderful wallabies. Until next time “Happy Gardening” everyone and I hope you enjoy your five minutes gardening and beyond. Kind regards, Romaine Undery (Ramesa Nursery, Kingaroy).
Image 1 “take time to smell the roses” is so true; it may be something small that is beautiful.
Image 2 A beautiful cluster of Strangler Figs on the way up to the Bunya Mountains