Taste Testing the Orange Trees

The old orange trees that form the basis of The Citrus Grove here at The Drip are unique.  Planted in the 1880s and still fruiting they are sour oranges, ideal for marmalade and of unknown provenance.  But they are showing signs of age and we worry that soon they may be no more.

We decided to get organized and invited one of our local food people, Aaron Cole, of the Market Street Cafe in Mudgee town,  to do a taste test and see if he feels they are worth preserving into the 21st century.  If so,  we will graft new trees onto appropriate rootstock.  In order to figure which varieties are best we have individually identified samples of fruit from the five surviving trees as shown in the photo below.  

The positions of these trees in the grove will now be mapped and placed on the relevant page of our website which is rapidly becoming a very useful database listing everything of significance in our gardens here.  To see more on The Citrus Grove click here

Bud Burst

Whilst blossom trees are the blowsy Prima Donnas of the spring garden, there are others whose charms are more discrete.  

The tracery of the bare branches against a clear spring sky, with just the first hint of new growth bursting from full buds is in some ways more beautiful.  It speaks of the promise of the season that is to come.

This Scottish Wych Elm in The Forecourt displays these tiny bursting buds for just one day before the new leaves form. 

What's Blooming This Week?

Spring is definitely in the air this week and the gardens are filling with blossom.

This crab-apple tree, Malus floribunda, is one of the star performers right now, with cherry blossom to follow soon.

2011 is shaping up to be one of the best spring displays we have ever seen, with many of our original plantings now achieving maturity after twenty years.

In Memoriam

Jen Creighton was born one hundred years ago today on September 4, 1911 in Alligator Creek near Townsville

To commemorate the Centennial anniversary a large ceramic tub has been placed in The Camellia Grove which is dedicated to Jen's memory. The tub is ideal as float bowl for camellias.

Jen's birthday falls in the middle of camellia season so she is assured of an increasingly splendid display each year on her birthday as the grove matures.  For more on The Camellia Grove click here

King Parrot in the Old Orchard

 

A family of King Parrots are frequent visitors here.

The Old Orchard is a favourite hangout.

At this time of year it is the bloosom on the fruit trees that interests them.  Later it will be the fruit.  Nets are needed if we want our share

Spring is Here.

 

It is officially the first day of spring. 

That means the daffodils are now at their peak. With thousands of individual bulbs and over forty varieties in The Old Orchard it looks pretty damn amazing right now.

This gallery of images by Clive shows some of the varieties that we have selected for division this year.  By doing this each year we are gradually achieving a quite spectacular display which is becoming one of the seasonal highlights of these gardens at The Drip.

Paths through the Daffodils.

 

The paths between the  daffodils and jonquils in The Old Orchard  are becoming more clearly defined each year as the bulbs multiply. 

These paths, important structural components of the design of the orchard, are a seasonal feature, changing in Winter, Spring, Summer and Autumn.

The paths will be kept mown through to December by which time the foliage of the bulbs has died down and the entire orchard can be slashed and kept short for the summer fruit picking season.  In late autumn, the fruit trees become dormant,  the bulbs re-emerge and we return to mowing only the paths. For more on The Old Orchard click here