Many years ago an
Italian friend had his garden almost destroyed by high winds and hail. When he
saw it he said "Mama Mia!!" So, when I thought of creating this Page I
thought of my friend and titled it ... "Garden Mia" ... My Garden!
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Narrogin is approx 200 KMs South East of Perth W. A. ... Here's some history about our home town:
The Town of Narrogin was gazetted as a municipality on the 13th April 1906. Its emergence as a regional centre for the Central South region can be traced back to the construction of the Great Southern Railway Line between Albany and Beverley in the late 1880's.
Between 1905 and 1926 new railway lines were constructed to Collie, Wickepin, Kondinin, Dwarda and points beyond. Narrogin remained a major rail centre until the late 1970's when
competition from road transport saw a reduction in the railways workforce from some 280 people to less than a dozen in 1995. Narrogin's previous role as a major railway junction has acted as an attractor for agricultural service industries as well as government departments and agencies.
Over the years the town has accumulated significant public infrastructure - mainly in the health and education areas. This infrastructure serves as the base for the modern regional centre that Narrogin has become today.
Unlike many other rural regional centres throughout Australia, Narrogin is enjoying a strong and constant growth of approximately 2% per year. This growth is sustained through new developments and renewed value in "Country Style" living in comfort and further to the extent that Narrogin acts as a sponge for the slight population loss from smaller surrounding towns and agricultural areas. In many ways the loss in population in the surrounding rural areas has acted as a spur to the community in making sure that it has control over its destiny.
Just in case you're new to the Country of Oz; an Alien just landed from Outer Space, a Victorian or New South Welshman, here's a photo of Perth, the Smog City capital of Western Australia, taken from Kings Park among the Kangeroo Paws.
Well, at least it was there the last time we visited and providing it hasn't crumbled under the weight, drifted out to Africa I guess it is still there.
After spring has sprung and the flowers have done their thing, the
wife gets rather excited about trimming them back and weeds get special
treatment too.
We have an annual debate about the pros and cons of
weeds! Mary reckons they should go! I reckon they should remain! Mary says
they rob the plants of nutrients. I say they protect the soil from the sun
and mulch the soil. Where in Nature do you see "weeding" being
practised?", I ask ... all to no avail! I always protest loudly, and often
about weeding, that's if I condescend to do it all!
However, one glance at "She who must be obeyed" with stock whip in
hand, I usually find something "very important" to attend to ... well away
from the garden ... and the weeds!
Now, the soil out the front is very poor, so we have
switched to having our garden in pot plants. Oodles of them ... that's
quite a lot, OK? We've potty trained everything, from Apple trees to
"you-name-it". I prefer the "you-name-it" variety, because unless they
wear an I. D. I have absolutely no idea what the heck they are! To me a
flower is a flower is a flower! Mary can rattle off names a mile long. Me?
I'll stick to Weed Protection and you can call it what you darn well want.
The great thing about gardens
is that you can do so much with them! There's the "All Lawn" approach;
Tree and shrubs; Flower Beds Galore; Native and even the humble "Wild
Oats". A matter of "To each his/her own"!
Our front garden is not
of the Gob Smacking variety, more of the "Bloody Hell!!" type! One of
those gardens that upsets the rhythm of the early morning joggers as they
gawk in wonderment that someone got away with having such a display! A
display not necessary of brilliance but more of outright eccentricity!
Here's a photo of Mrs Blue Titties. A favourite of visitors to our front garden.
When the very first "creature" appeared out
front an elderly gentleman was so intrigued by it that he very nearly
drove into a neihbour's fence! When another creature appeared slumping
over the handle of a lawnmower another passerby thought he'd had a heart
attack and went over to assist! Other creatures followed and the press got
onto them ... and so did the vandals! One creature was kidnapped and
discovered in a phone booth in town and returned by some young ladies from
the hockey team. I still have visions of that creature making a phone call!
Mary, showed me an advertisement for a
childs "Sand pit". It was a blue Plastic Clam shell. The sand was meant
for the base and the other half, the "Lid" to protect it from cats and dogs.
They make excellent fish ponds! Cannas were
inserted into tubs (plastic pot plants), of gravel stones and placed into
the Ponds. Lettuce were added later. Lettuce lend themselves very well to
hydroponics. Wet feet don't bother them at all. Just the occasional mist
spray of a weak liquid fertilizer and they're happy as Larry!
Every now and then you think to yourself that Mother Nature got it
wrong!
Well, that's what I thought when I painted the lower
branches of a shrub a nice golden bronze colour! A passerby asked me what
variety it was and I told her it was a quite rare "Golden Branch
Australis". She enquired at the local garden nursery who in turn informed
her that no such shrub existed! And she told me so too!!
Not long
after this edifying event I was doing some Art work and discovered I had
an excess of paint. It was a beautiful purple colour and for the life of
me couldn't think of any use for it. That is until I spotted the Gum tree
out front!! My friend Dani has a thing about all things purple and I
thought how nice it would be if she had a Purple Gum Tree dedicated to
her!
Sometime later I was standing back from the tree admiring my
latest bout of eccentricity when a voice next to me said:
"Never seen a Purple tree
before!!!"
"What purple tree?"
"That one...there!"
That's not
purple!!"
"Yes it is!!"
"No it aint!"
"Well, what colour is it
then?"
"Brown! Those over there are purple!!" I said, pointing to
brown branched trees over the road.
The old codger looked over at the
trees then back at the purple tree, repeating this a few times and then
slowly shook his head. "I need my bloody eyes tested!" He mumbled to
himself as he walked away!
One of the joys of life is to see how children enjoy "interesting" objects in
your Garden. It is a great Blessing indeed sharing these things with the young, and the young at heart! To see their eyes light up and the smile on the face as they see something
they love and can relate to. Everything has its own reward and their joy
is our reward. What more could you ask for?
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