Hedge care and Dogs of Leisure

Hi

It never ceases to amaze me but Lucy always has to have the cushion pushed down so that she can sit on top of it. A little, like that old nursery story with the princess and the pea under the mattress. Picture this, a kinda chunky (well maybe a tad fat) Scottie dog curled up on top of the cushions on top of the couch.  Holly the schnauzer will wander past and she'll snarl or snap as if to say. Keep away.  The other cute little trick that she does is scratch or itch her back against all our Buxus hedges and they are all her size
It's those short legs that makes the hedge just the right height.

To help maintain that hedge

Now while on the subject of hedges. These need a few maintenance tips. It's important to keep them weed free while they are becoming established. Once established you'll find that they then keep the weeds at bay by excluding the light at ground level. Try and keep the base of the hedge slightly wider than the top. Probably more important with larger hedges but it will mean that the lower part of the hedge won't be shaded by the top. It's a good thing to spray them every now and then with Copper Oxychloride and spraying oil. Most plants will get scale and this will keep this little pest at bay. They will love a feed too; I suggest spring and autumn and give them a variety like sheep pellets, compost, slow release ferts for new hedges and ordinary fert in moderation for those established hedges. Another lesson that I have learnt over the years is once that they have reached the desired height, be tough and keep them there. As I say to those that trim my Lonicera hedge, that half a cm four times a year ends up being a good inch extra every year in height.
If you are planning on putting in a hedge then this is Autumn has been the most perfect time for planting.

 
                       

Feedback from one who knows
I learnt something new the other day! Now I  know that a Feijoa needed to drop or be really close to be perfect for eating. So we are out there everyday picking up our Feijoas as they don't keep so long once they have dropped. Dropping is not ideal as the fruit will bruise. Our plants are only a couple of years old and they don't have far to fall. Well I gotta an email to pass on this handy tip and I quote

Hi!   Lloyd and Harry,  ----Feijoas------ before retirement we had close to 2,000 tres and exported many and dealt with local trade. You are quite right when you say,---  let them drop and enjoy. But, if you want shelf life, you have to pick them, for if they are ripe and drop, they bruise.   To pick, lift a fruit which looks about right, and give it a twist------- if  it comes off in your hand without a "tail" , it's mature. If  you pull it  and it has a" tail", it will never attain it's potential flavour, You should stew it and add apple , cover with a crumble, and bake. Serve with ice cream ---------- c'est manifique.


Pumpkin Cheesecake in a gingernut crust

Now nobody pulled me up on this but I forgot to put this in last week.  Im not sure that my photo does it justice but what a yum dessert. Dad made it and brought over along with his oxtail stew. The original recipe used gingersnaps but Dad improvised with Gingernuts.

1 ½ Cups of crushed gingernuts  dad whizzed these
½ cup finely chopped nuts
¼ cup brown sugar
4 Tbspn butter melted


Filling
2 & 1/5 containers  250g Cream cheese
3 Large Eggs
¾ cup sugar
¼ tspn salt
1 tspn vanilla
1 1/3 cup pumpkin puree
¼ cup cream
½ tspn Allspice
½ Tbspn Cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C. Crush the gingernuts. Mix the gingernut crumbs with the nuts, brown sugar, and melted butter  in a nine or ten inch springform pan. Press the mixture into a crust across the bottom of the pan and up the sides. Put the crust in the fridge to set up while you prepare the filling.

Mix the cream cheese, eggs, sugar, salt and vanilla together with your stand type mixer using the whisk attachment. Beat until smooth and fluffy which should take six to eight minutes.
Set about 1 ½ cups of the mixture aside for the topping. To the remaining filling add the pumpkin, cream and spices. Beat until well mixed. Pour the filling into the prepared crust. Carefully spoon the topping which was set aside over the top of the pumpkin cheesecake filling. Bake for 70 to 80 minutes or until the top starts to brown and the centre of the cake is just barely jiggly.
Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack for ten minutes. Run a knife around the edge of the pan to loosen. Remove the ring and let the cheesecake cool completely. Refrigerate for several hours before serving.

Dont forget that our Autumn sales is still on, Heaps of great value plants, perennials, hedge plants and ornamental tree and even fruit trees  so come on out

We got invited out for dinner but Harry wasnt having a bar of it as we are all at home watching the royal wedding so we renogiated dinner at our place.

I now have my sister and father coming here for the royal wedding, hope that they both are dressed appropriately, complete with tiara! LOL The Queen mother has been Dads favourite and Harry has alway had a soft spot for Lady Di.

Whatever youre up to for the weekend , make sure that its a good one

 

Have a great weekend

Cheers, Lloyd and Harry