Wellbeing check

Before it rained again I nipped outside to do a wellbeing check.

My primary focus was one of the 2 Azara microphylla (vanilla) trees. The left one hasn't done so well over summer. I couldn't understand why. They're beside each other, the right one was ok and the left one had obvious signs of stress.

My Japanese gardener friend (who sculpted my cloud tree) said the unusually high rainfall made the ground softer. When it was windy, the tree moved more, damaging the fine roots.

I trimmed the dead ends and re-staked both trees. This time I've used 3 decent posts per tree, not 2. The tree on the left hasn't got the new growth that the other one has. But it doesn't look stressed like 2-3 months ago and I spotted a new bright green leaf.

I keep them topped and they have a distinctive branching habit. In spring they smell like vanilla. What's not to love.

Chionochloa flavicans is the miniature toi toi. They seem happy. The Aussie ground cover, Grevillea Mt Tamboritha, is doing its winter flowering, gifting colour and attracting beneficial insects.

Wearing a beanie would have been a good idea. I don't know if it was even 10 degrees.

Today's gratitude: For the definite change to winter weather. Tomorrow the mountains will be covered in snow.