C3 community parkland and walking track week 38

I love spring! It provides the perfect amount of warmth and sunshine to motivate keen gardeners like myself. It also helps when allowed to raid a friends garden and rip out an abundance of plants. Thanks Pete & Dan :)

I am also keenly motivated by the lack of uni assessments due. Yay for free time! I can't believe how much we have achieved this week. In only 2 days, the garden is starting to be transformed. But don't just take my word for it, look on...

Monday was plant collection day. Here is a rather large clump of agapanthus. I expected around a dozen plants from this baby. How wrong was I!!!

I absolutely adore agapanthus group plantings. So on Tuesday, I was so keen to plant out a section beside the pathway, I got a bucket full of separated aggies ready to go.

In between, I planted out some more plants, purchased from Bunnings earlier that day. This little plants, whose name has currently escaped me, are perfectly suited to the garden bed beneath the trees.

Back to the aggies, planted out in their new bed. Now, to keep the water up and wait for the blooms.

Another angle of the same bed. Perfect addition to the path.

Now, we arrive at Thursday. Here, the ride on is having a rest in the shade after once again having the belt come loose. A loose belt means no blades turning.

Thankfully, it was swiftly fixed and went on to mow again.

Here, Mick & Paul are putting the fence together, and doing and awesome job!

The boys all worked hard today, assembling the fence and new gate.

That left me free to garden. Yay!

I attacked the slope and planted some more aggies down one side. 

I also read up on how to plant frangipani cuttings. If I've done it right, the 2 I  planted on the slope will grow in several weeks time.

Until today, I really wasn't sure where I wanted to plant out the remaining aggies. When Ben offered to help me dig holes, I got an idea. And here is Ben, digging hole after hole along the bottom edge of the slope.

The agapanthus baby plants seemed never ending, I must admit. Even though it took some time, each one has found a new home. 

And here it is, the newly improved slope! I've  removed a daisy bush, added several agapanthus and 2 frangipani trees. I absolutely love the new look, and can't wait to see it flourish.

The daisy now lives here, between the trees :)

Look, a new fence! The guys did an amazing job-it looks so good!

The newly planted out flower bed is slowly prettying up. Thankfully, all the flowers have taken well. Regular watering and a bit of rain has helped too.

The aggie slope looks fantastic! Go me, and Ben :)

I have some plants in mind for this. Actually, I have some plants in the boot for this! To edge the slope, these planter boxes will be filled with a simple plant I removed from a friends garden today. Sometimes, simple, inexpensive plants can have dramatic effects.

Watch this space.

There you go, another week of great achievement. I'm so excited to show you what I plan to do with the remaining frangipani cutting and 20 liriopes we have been gifted with. 

So much going on-it's all just a bit exciting!

Until next week, thanks for reading :)

C3 community parkland and walking track weeks 36 & 37.

Here is the latest! Follow the pics to see what we've been up to :)

The epic shed assembly has begun. Not an easy task when some bits weren't in the box, which of course means I have no completed shed to show you.

A new side fence needs is going in, to protect little kidlets from accessing the work area/sheds. 

Hubby and I did an early morning Bunning's run to get the timber.

Mick, and our newest worker, Paul, going hard at it, digging post holes.

Today, I swept the path from the trillion spiky casuarina seed pods, other leaves, and of course, copious quantities of sand. Then I placed the remaining hardwood containers where I wanted a garden edge.

As some kids pilfered a planter box for the bike track, then destroyed it after I attempted to move it, I wanted to use these before they succumbed to a similar fate.

Awesome Ben dug out the edge so the planters could be neatly placed just off the path.

So neat! My planter path is nearly ready. Just need to add a lick of white paint and plant these babies out.

I purchased some humble colour whilst at Bunnings this morn. The bird of paradise has been patiently waiting to be planted after being gifted to us months ago.

After a spot of weeding by me, the boys started dumping real soil onto the prepared site.

If I was brave enough to go near this to give you a scale, I would have. Never before have I seen an ant this HUGE! It came courtesy of the new dirt. Yikes!

Ben and Paul are loading the dirt from an unused section of the property. 

Hubby getting his workout for the day.

Another load of real dirt...

Followed by some more. Great team work, boys.

Once the dirt was down, Mick and Ben started digging holes where I guided them. The garden planting is my domain, the back breaking work is theirs!

Some cow poo, organic compost and potting mix was added to give the plants a little boost. After planting, the boys covered the area with leaf mulch, free from the property. Why spend when you can reuse.

Lastly, after watering in well, I added some seaweed solution.

And here you have it, a $57 new garden bed, filled with vibrant colour and a few transplanted daisy bushes. Cottage charm coming up!

Not much to look at now, but in the coming weeks, this bed will flourish. Thankfully, it has been raining on and off since planting out-I haven't needed to stress about keeping the water up.

There you have it, two more weeks down. There will be much more planting, prettying up and new construction too. Stay tuned!

Until then, thanks for reading :)

C3 community parkland and walking track weeks 34 & 35

I'm just so excited to bring you a community gardens update that I'm putting it in front of uni assignments. No, I'm not procrastinating. Really. Ok, maybe just a little. 

I am thrilled with our progress though. Another picnic table has gone in, bricks and pavers have been cleared, long grass has been slashed. Take a look for yourself...

Ok, while these aren't my rain lilies, I'm a bit excited to see mine erupt into flower like this. 

See, another setting in place, near the bike track so that parents can keep an eye on their offspring. The bracing will be removed later and the area will be leveled and grass sewn.

I purchased some weed mat felt squares. They work great, as these gazanias growing on a sandy slope show. They not only suppress weeds, but keep the plants moist.

Thanks to hubby doing a bit of overtime, we have a complete shed base. Now, to find some able bodies to help build a massive shed...!

My sweet little garden helper. I love how much kids love this garden :)

Hubby and Mick had the fun task of clearing a path for the ride on mower. Not easy when the heavy shed is covered in wet cardboard thanks to an air-conditioned shipping container roof.

It's spring, the season of growth, and snakes. 

The new grass has already reached a height that allows for mowing. 

can't wait to have a complete grass lawn soon.

Oh dear, the belt came off again. A vital screw seems to be missing, but Mick and hubby saw to it quickly. Granted, i may have been a tad adventurous with the mower. 

Note to self, it isn't a 4WD.

The little veggie patch, just prior to harvesting, 2 types of carrots and beetroot. The next crop to go in will be cherry tomatoes.

This guy is becoming a little bit cheeky and bold, especially round lunch time. My 2 year old is terrified of him. 

This area has been cleared of all the excess bricks and pavers, brush cut, and now has a string line marking out the new garden bed edge.

Can't wait to build it up and plant it out.

It's amazing what a difference a mow makes, even when the edges haven't yet been trimmed. And a dumped foam mattress really does make a brilliant weed mat.

Sitting on the bench appreciating the view.

*Sigh*

Looking forward to seeing blooms as I glance across this view come summertime.

And there you have it, the up to date details. I know, I'm excited too! 

More soon! Until then, thanks for reading :)

C3 community parkland and walking track - week 33

I've got to admit, pretty darned thrilled with the progress that has occurred this week! The C3 College students worked their butts off over two days. Hats off to the youngsters, some of whom had never even used a shovel before :) It's fair to say, hubby and I were impressed! And grateful.

Below is a snapshot of the week...

A mystery flower is revealed, a hippeastrum. So thrilled to see free blooms appearing after transplanting some stray bulbs discovered on clearing months ago.

Oh dear, some inconsiderate people ripped a path heading towards the creek. Lucky for us, the ground was still too boggy, making their very large wheels struggle. We are assuming that these dears were attempting to dump in the creek yet again :(

Hubby and I back at Bunnings, loading the trailer with cement for the shed base.

A picket fence it is then! This small section of fence was removed from another inside area. I got an idea, and it's a winner, so we are now getting a dear octogenarian to make us a larger version to line the top and bottom section of garden. Can't wait to see it completed.

A palm I've never been particularly fond of came down-yay! It was spiky/stabby and growing weed trees in it. Now, the church signage can clearly be seen from the road, we have a space for the upcoming Christmas production, and a blank canvas for the planned cafe area. Exciting progress!

Here, hubby is showing Ben what needs doing. Ben did an awesome job helping reduce the tree into movable pieces.

I had the help of a lovely girl, who smashed out the garden edging for me. Looking forward to getting proper concrete edging in place, and the bench seat painted/ paved underneath.

It's amazing how great things look with a weed and a tidy up.

The front flower garden was looking a bit neglected, and the weeds were higher than the daisies in places...

So, beautiful, sweet Ruth helped me weed. Talking to this girl was the best and made the task and easy one. 

The pile in front is the amount of weeds removed. Thanks Ruth! 

The back of church is getting a desperately needed makeover.

With this wall painted, we can get onto assembling a herb wall here now.

So thrilled with the help these girls gave in clearing the creek out, even those terrified of bugs and spiders.

A child's bike, some concrete edging, and an entire back car seat was removed from the creek bed, buried under years of growth. 

All we need is a digger (or some amazing people!) to dig the leaf litter out and create a creek that flows, not overflows.

These girls rock! They managed to pull out building reinforcing steel.

Youth and enthusiasm is awesome. I watched in fascination as this guy jumped on the shovel each time he wanted to dig. If I tried, the outcome wouldn't be pretty :)

These girls smashed digging out the patio area.

These boys mixed cement like a pro. 

And considering these girls had never laid pavers before, I'm blown away at their effort. New shed base coming up.

Hubby and the boys getting ready to install a new picnic setting.

Work in progress...

And the completed table and chairs. All it needs now is a concreted base for stability.

What a week! With so much done, the motivation is at an all time high again. Seeing progress is always encouraging.

Hubby came up with an idea that has at last put my mind at ease regarding the bike track too. With local kids making their own 'improvements,' I was getting a little stressed, but hubby suggested we start collecting tyres and line the track, making it clear, and safe. He also said we would add a checkered flag starting line. I love the idea, and hopefully, the locals will too. 

So, you know what you can do with any old tyres lying around guys :)

This is your lot for the week. And what a week, wouldn't you agree!

Until next time, thanks for reading :)

Please note this is a repost from my wifes blog http://arabelleswindow.blogspot.com.au