Hello fellow gardenistas (if that’s not a word it really should be!).
It is that time again. Time to visit the Propagator to see all the glorious sixes and add your own for viewing pleasure!
https://thepropagatorblog.wordpress.com
My six this week is partly my garden and partly my parents in law. We share cuttings and plants often so I love coming to visit and see what surprises are in store…
1. Aloe sp. I have this at the block but this is the parent plant in bloom.
2. Crassula ovata. Another parent plant. I have grown so very many plants from pups from this plant. I love the flowers.
3. Not a plant but definately in the garden. The woodfired smoker my Father in law made (he is a steelworker). Pork roasts, soaked in brine, smoked for hours and then boiled and cooled. Mmmmmmm. He made us one too for our block. Food and gardening is the best combination.
4. Lantana montevidensis (the non prohibited groundcover species) in flower. I love these even if they don’t smell very nice. Common Lantana (L. camara) is a declared weed in WA.
5. Euphorbia flanaganii (Medusa’s Head). I grew this one from a piece broken off my Mum’s plant and gave it to my Father in law. He loves it and it has just thrived in the shady spot he keeps it.
6. My little friend at the block. I was collecting coffee rock for the dry stack retaining wall this week and this little cutie was hiding under a rock. I took a photo and then replaced the scorpion and the rock. Well that’s my neck of the woods for this week. I look forward to checking out all of your sixes too!
Loved seeing these plants – the aloe I’m familiar with but not the medusa’s head. Such a great name!
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It is a favourite of mine. The yellow flowers just make an already interesting plant even better. And yes it’s name fits doesn’t it 😊.
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The smoker is terrific, what a great addition to the garden. I have crassula as well, but unfortunately just as it comes into flower, the frosts start so I have to tuck it away as it isn’t hardy. I’m not very keen on your little friend, don’t have them in my garden thank goodness, although we saw them at the olive farm when we were living there. Have a good week!
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Yeah the crassula struggles with the frost at our block too but I love it even when not flowering. Your six this week was excellent by the way. I really enjoyed it.
As to the scorpion… Those I can deal with but I run a mile at the centipedes. They’re massive and give me the heebie jeebies.
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What a fab Six once again, I just love to see what incredible things you grow in your part of the world. As for that smoker – wow, would love one of those! I couldn’t agree more about the garden and food combo, we cook outdoors as much as we can all year round. I also think ‘gardenista’ should be added to the official English language dictionary immediately! 🙂
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Hmm I’ll have to check the dictionary. It does sound like a real word somehow. We’re the fashionistas of the garden world. 😂😂. I keep telling my other half he and his Dad need to sell these smokers. The meat is delicious. We did smoked sausages too recently.
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Oh definitely, I bet there would be a market for them – I’ve always fancied taking up smoking (of food, naturally!). The best barbecue we ever owned was made by a metal worker, we bought it when we lived in Cyprus and it was amazing – even had a little motor to turn the kebab skewers like mini-spits! Gardens deserve great kitchen equipment in my humble opinion! 🙂
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I agree. Some of the best memories I have are of outdoor meals. Barbeques mostly. I think every garden needs a bbq, a fire pit and a swing seat. The three ingredients for enjoying your creations.
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I am loving the pictured you put up. I love flowers. The scorpion not so much lol 🙂
Anyway lovely post.
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Thanks Faiza. Have you checked out the Propagator’s website? In the comments there are heaps of links to gardens. You’ll have flowers on your mind for days 🌸🌸🌸
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lol I will check them out for sure.
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Wow! I was impressed by your aloe and then I saw the Medusa’s Head! What an incredible plant. And a very apt name.
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Thanks Ali. Guess what? I have got a rose on my must have list! It’s from a six on sat 😊 (http://thissimplelife954.wordpress.com/). Woohoo you knew I’d convert eventually. Yeah the Medusa is cool. I will have to wait for her to flower. She’s lovely.
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The scorpion is just a bit terrifying – poisonous? I heard just about everything down there is. I approve of the barbecuing!
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Hehe no I don’t think they’re poisonous. Hubby got a sting not long ago and swelled but wasn’t sick. Thanks for checking out my six and joining in 😊
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Absolutely, enjoy!
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Aloe arborescens is a very popular big perennial around Santa Cruz. It does quite well even on the cliffs over the beach. It makes large mounds or striking foliage and blooms exquisitely. I am certainly no fan of aloes, but I really like this one for its resilience to coastal conditions. It does well elsewhere as well, but I don not notice it too much in the easier spots.
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Awesome Tony! Thank you for the ID. I wasn’t 100% what it was apart from gorgeous 😂
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Oh, I did not know that you did not know. It happens to be quite common.
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Amazing aloe flower! I’m reading you for the first time and these are 6 good choices. Frightening scorpion fortunately we have not here
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Hello Fred and welcome! Thanks for coming to visit West Australia 😊. “Here” for you is France is that correct? It is lovely to see such a variety of gardens.
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Yes , France. Have a nice day !
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Our very poorly neighbour just went into a home and his long nurtured Crassula ovate is languishing in his garage. Your picture makes me think I should rescue it, he won’t be coming back to the house. Scorpions I can manage without and as a longtime vegetarian I’m not mad about all the neighbours firing up their barbecues. I shouldn’t complain, it doesn’t happen often.
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Hi Jim, yes yes yes rescue the Crassula! Or at least take a piece to propagate. They are very easy. Maybe you could grow one in a pot for your neighbour. A little piece of home.
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Also very envious of your wood-fired smoker. Among the other kitchen experiments I have underway at home is processing half a pig. That smoker would come in very useful…!
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How are you processing the pig? I do love reading about homesteading. Your blog is very interesting. I’m enjoying it.
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Hi Nat, so glad you are enjoying blog. So far with the pig I have made back bacon and streaky bacon testing out different recipes and types of cures. I’ve frozen a back leg which is hopeful destined to become a nice ham and planning on making a giant homemade porkpie this week. I will write a blog about it soon. Have been posting on Twitter about the pig #halvesonhalfapig You might also enjoy blog posts here Game for Game and Meat and Me
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My first visit to your blog & I was wondering where you lived, that you could grow aloe outdoors, then got so excited when you mentioned your location as WA. I’m thinking, if it can be grown in Washington State, then . . . o, a scorpion. Wrong WA. But all’s forgiven cuz any gardenista who thinks food & gardening is the best combo, well, that’s someone after my own heart. Glad I found your blog amongst the SoSers!
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Hi Lora and welcome. Thanks for taking the time to reply and check out my six. I do tend to use Western Australia in full for that exact reason. I got lazy! 😊.
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Don’t change a letter. You’re keeping this old gardener on her toes.
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A wonderful collection of some very prickly looking plants. The scorpion you can happily keep along with all your poisonous spiders and snakes.
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Hehe thanks 😊 so I’m truly alone thinking the scorpion was cute? I suppose you all didn’t see how tiny it was.
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Lovely flowers and am envious of your slow roaster, but scorpions cute, really? I live in fear of them and we don’t even have them in the UK.
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Oh dear I was right out there calling it cute hehe 😂. Nearly everyone has said the same.
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Afternoon. That smoker, wow. Great bit of kit. I also like the medusa thingy. The scorpion, not so much.
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