Two bulbous plants
Quite rare plants in Tasmanian gardens, Josephine lilies, or Brunsvigias would be hard to miss, as their large (up to 6kg) bulbs grow on the surface. Their unique flowers appear in the Autumn months. As children we called our single specimen an Umbrella plant. The lilies were named after Napoleon Bonaparte’s favourite wife Josephine. They are frost resistant and extremely drought resistant. After flowering, they send up broad flat leaves from the crown, and also from those offshoots that develop on the sides of the bulbs. These may be sliced off and planted elsewhere in a dry sunny spot. Their tiny plentiful seeds are scattered about the parent plant, but as they take about 14 years to germinate, only younger gardeners should make an attempt at propagation. By contrast, the South African River Lily, Schizostylis coccinea (pictured left) flowers in April and their highly visible red flowers, reminiscent of miniature gladiolus, are enjoying this Autumn’s conditions, and will bloom on until mid June.

In the vegie garden
Swedes and turnips seem to revel in cold weather. Sow them in shallow drills lined with seed raising mix. Turnips develop earlier than Swedes so to give them more space, thin out the smaller ones and use them raw in salads. Swedes take longer – about three months – but mashed and served with salt, pepper and plenty of butter, are a great accompaniment for cold weather dishes. The gardening book says that peas both climbing and dwarf may be sown in June, but  a late frost spells sudden death to peas if it coincides with their flowering, so in frosty  districts, best wait until July. They should be ready to pick in around 16 weeks from sowing.