This one is getting huge had to prune them the other day. My next mission is to learn the name of my plant, I just use to by them cause they look cute in the store.

Going to bed Roo, have a good day.

Your garden looks lovely and neat. I'm wondering if you might have the hibiscus too close together. They do grow quite big. Be a perfect screen for you there though. I like the cordylines, I have quite a few of the red ones and have pretty much grown them from cuttings, they are pretty indestructible. Love agapanthus too, I had a whole border of them in the bottom area of my garden, but they just kept growing and expanding and were taking over the garden so I pulled them all out. I kept a couple so I still have a clump or three, I love the flowers at Christmas. I really want to plant a NSW Christmas Bush, the red in the flowers really looks good with Aggies. Do you think your pink plant might be a pentas? ........... http://plantality.com/article/pentas/photos Very pretty.

Night, sleep tight, Angela.

As far as hibiscus, agree that it is a screen and that is why I want something there. I think that I will take the picture to the nursery and see what he says, he is really helping me with plants. I went with the stones cause it is neater and do not have to worry about changing out every year. The agapanthus is actually my favorite. It could be a pentas not sure. The cordylines been hard for me to grow though but figuring it as I go. Oh yeah the Christmas Bush is real pretty. So you think that it looks good and I really do not need anything there. I feel like I want to keep adding.

One last thing, I had bromeliads but when the roofers were doing my roof the contractor brought me what is maybe the pentas and the other one you named.

Agapanthus

I wouldn't put anything more there with the stones - I think you only need a minimalist look with the stones We used to have them to keep the weeds down but I preferred more lush look so got rid of them all and now we use woodchips for mulch. We use lillipillies here for hedges a lot but I think they are a native. They have a really pretty flower, but anything thick growing could be used in your space. Something with a variegated leaf could look nice too.

I have a heap of bromeliads my mother gave me many years ago and I had them growing up a tree fern but we had to take the tree fern out, it got too big and the little seeds were coming in the spare bedroom window and making too much mess, so now I'm looking for somewhere else to grow them. They are just sitting in the garden at the moment and are all out in flower so they look really pretty. Did you know each plant only flowers once and then they grow pups which provide the next lot of flowers. We had to cut a palm tree down years ago and I planted the trunk of it and am thinking of putting some hessian bags around it and putting the bromeliads onto that, they can multiply over each other and not take over the garden. Might get that done when BH gets back.

I'm surprised you have trouble with the cordylines, they normally thrive in tropical climates. Mine can get a bit straggly and I think it is because it is colder here. I bought a few new cordylines the other day and but are going to keep them indoors.

Do you have cliveas over there? They look like Aggies but have an orange flower on a short stem. There is also a cream one now but I think they are still a bit pricey. They are much slower growing than the aggies and prefer full shade - if you have a shady spot - although a lot of mine are in sun and are quite happy. They flower earlier than the Aggies too.

for the headache and sinus sufferers: has anyone tried yoga? i know people who swear it helps with migraines.
i was diagnosed with arthritis and siatica around 40 yrs old. refused any type of steroids because of side effects. yoga helped a great deal.

@DIAspoton - I did yoga for years, but I don't remember it having any affect on my sinus problems. I may not have been able to do certain inverted poses, when my sinuses were very clogged, because I just couldn't breath.

@astrea, well it was a thought. certainly doesn't work in all cases. i had a TB/Hanovarian filly hit hte ground with a major attitude. at 30 days old she kicked me in the face. broke my nose and i had to live with headaches for almost a yr til fully healed so sugery could be performed. the bone was pressing inward. no amount of yoga helped the headache except the 'zoning out' while in class.

Roo- the cliveas are pretty and U think that to certain extent I was not nurturing the plants but that has changed. Thought I had yo just water them. Here are some morning pics.

Angela, that is lovely, your plants are perfect for growing in pebbles. Love the colour of your house too and it makes a nice backdrop for your plants. Don't know if you have the same products as us but I swear by Dynamic Lifter for fertilising, it is very general and all my plants like it. I just toss it around every few months and water when necessary. About once a year I hit them with blood and bone, and BH will often spray Aquasol on them and the lawn about every three months. We compost everything and spread that around regularly for some organic feeding and to help keep the soil free draining.

Roo - What are "cockies" .. some sort of parrot?

Roo- thanks so much and it is a work in progress and will look at those things you suggest. You know that I love my orange.

I have a compost heap in my vegetable garden but I saw an article and gonna try to make one with a lid with all the dog crap.

Astraea they are Sulphur Crested Cockatoos, very cute and funny birds, extremely intelligent, noisy and a damned nuisance.

http://www.australiazoo.com.au/our-animals/amazing-animals/birds/?bird=native_parrots&animal=sulphur-crested_cockatoo

Scroll down and read about Anthony.

Roo - Are they native flying around, or just pets? I remember seeing a program where there were parrots that were very destructive; not sure if it was Australia, New Zealand, or somewhere else in the area. They'd attack cars at parks, ripping the trim off them!

what the heck was I going to post? : )

oh oh migraines. yeah. migraines, stroke, and heart problems..all related for some people. very scary. I was always afraid I was one of them because of some of the episodes I had over the years. Have you read My Stroke of Insight. it's a great book and I found it inspiring.

Hi there mouse.

Hi Angela :) I hafta get my coffee refill. be right back :)

okay so what's up with you today? i'm getting new tires in about an hour.

Astraea - they fly around in quite large flocks - maybe 20, 30 or even more in a flock and are native. Although they are cute when they talk - my uncle had one that greeted everyone at the door and offered them a cuppa tea - they are extremely raucous and can cause neighbourhood angst. Ripping the trim off cars would be one of their pranks and they love to eat wood and will eat away at houses. Feeding them is a no no for this reason, although their rellies, the Lorikeets are great to feed and don't cause damage.

Oh, mouse, you are an OLLD!!! You definitely belong here

Nothing much, school, training but just saying hi.

oh no :) and I don't even know what OLLD stands for :)

school and training is a lot. you are an ambitious person and I admire that...what I mean is that you give of yourself for others.

Old Ladies Love Design

really?? omg omg so i'm OLD??? :) when did THAT happen?

Yeah, I often wonder how that little old lady in my bathroom mirror each morning gets in my house.

I try mouse, learned that from my mom. I also believe in what you put out comes back. I have been so lucky at times and I know that it is because I had done some good along. Even though I can he bitchy at times.

Mouse-I quit my job at 44 to follow my dreams.

Angela - I'm so glad you said that; I "retired" at 50 .. but it was just to get away from the grind! We had some young 'uns here now; makes me feel more OLLD than before :))

Astrea-I feel OLLD when the 21 year olds in the class in opens their mouth to ask a question that clearly to me is stupid but then I have to remember that I have one at home. I wish that I could retire sometimes and I am hoping that with this profession I can just do perdiem versus daily grind because with retiring from military I do have some income.

Angela - Any time a youngster tries to act superior, because of today's technology, you can tell them that Jay Leno ran a test a few years ago, and 2 Morse Code operators beat a couple of kids texting the same message!

Astraea honestly on a whole I get a lot of respect from most of them. Maybe it is because I am a mother first and always and most of them know that. I was out sick last semester and half the class called or texted to check on me. so it is a blessing.

several years ago I took a class and then a trip with a group of young people, all just barely 20..and they treated me with disinterest at best, mostly with annoyance. I tried to get along because usually I get along with young people really well having been one myself :) but they wanted nothing to do with me. I spent the whole trip alone and it was quite a sad experience.

@mousemaker - sad; was the trip tied to the class, and a subject in which you all shared an interest? The only group trips I've taken lately, are thru the community college. Since they're done mid-week, almost everyone is retired. Sometimes the group is a little too old, but at least I'm not being ignored by kids!

Sad mouse, I find that it is the opposite for me. Sometimes I wonder if I have mom punched on my back. My last internship working in low income neighborhood. All the kids called me mom much to the dismay of my supervisor.

yes, they were tied together. the class was the pre-trip part. it was more than an age difference issue, i'm afraid. some of them were just really immature in self centered ways. it was unfortunate. and yet I have taken other classes and I am still friends with some of the young people I met, so go figure! :)

Angela if your supervisor had a problem with it's their problem not yours.

It's all in the people... has nothing to do with age.

I was an only child growing up in a multi-generational home, with a lot of adults. I was expected to behave, and be responsible, even as a child. I honestly don't relate to children, unless they're intelligent, curious & communicative.

some adults are just large children :) and you relate to us just fine, Astraea :)

so I've been posting in a thread about an old retro bathroom. no one appreciates my humor. and it's not bathroom humor!! I did apologize for ...oh no! butting in!!!...but I couldn't help it, I saw the humor and wanted to share.
I even posted pictures. not a peep of laughter.

Share the post link mouse so we can all descend on it - that is what OLLDs do.

http://www.houzz.com/r/5/487048/ZmU1MmJl/e/v1/enaqtc//u/UuzDW-zKOQY

I hope that's it. it's about trashing an old bathroom :)

This is the most beautiful garden I have ever seen in my life. Wow. Thank you for sharing. Very inspiring.

Very old post now, but I know army girl with thank you Dagmar, and she still keeps working on it and improving it.