Floral fragment

Seated Scribe (Miniature Portrait of a Turkish Youth) 1479-80
Gentile Bellini, Venice 1429-1507
Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston

This is possibly a portrait of Sultan Djem who was a great poet and man of letters from an early age. At odds with his richly patterned and colourful clothing is the floral fragment partly erased from the wall, seen to the left of his turban.

Plant pathology:Leaf roll on Broadbeans

My broadbean crop has developed 'leaf roll' disease. This is caused by Clover stunt virus which is transmitted by the Cowpea aphid (Aphis craccivora). The seed may have been infected with the virus before I planted it but the more likely cause is that I neglected this particular patch during the early months of autumn/winter and let some self sown zucchini grow and fruit, thus crowding out the developing broadbean plants. I also didn't keep up the water to them sufficiently as well. So I blame myself partly for their poor performance. This week, right on cue, black aphids made themselves at home on top of the already sick plants. What is interesting about these aphids is that they travel such great distances to get here. They migrate from western country districts (Western Slopes and Plains of New South Wales) after breeding on pasture legumes and other suitable plants , rising to the upper atmosphere and blown to the coast by north westerly or westerly winds which are common in early spring.

Aphis craccivora Cowpea Aphid(Photo: Zara Ludgate)

Happy Wattle Day

Acacia suaveolens
 Sweet Acacia (drawing by Kathleen McArthur)

I was reminded that it was Wattle Day after watching the evening news. Members of our caretaker government were wearing a sprig of wattle in their lapels. So Spring is here and it's warm, humid and a thunderstorm is forecast for tomorrow.....
This is one of my favourite wattles. It is found all along the east coast usually close to the sea. It lives up to its name by having a very sweet perfume but flowers during June/July and then forms bluish purple seed pods which are quite decorative.

Lavandula dentata 'Pure Harmony'

Lavandula dentata  'Pure Harmony'
White French Lavender

This species of Lavender has a profusion of flowers at this time of year and the batch I have grown looks fantastic massed together. However despite the great cultivar name, I don't think you can beat the plain species with the lavender/mauve flowers. 'Pure Harmony' is just as hardy as the traditional form of French Lavender and would make a great addition to a garden where white flowers are chosen as the theme.
2017 update: i no longer grow this form.

Sideration:The use of green manure

White Lupin 
Lupinus albus

Fenugreek
Trigonella foenum-graecum

This winter I grew these plants as green manure on my plot at the community garden. Both are just starting to come into flower and are at the perfect time for turning into the soil. According to my well thumbed copy of Rodale's How to grow vegetables and fruit by the organic method, green manure plants are one of the best soil conditioners ever discovered. 'They cost little, take little time to use and provide the answer to good soil tilth'. Every gardener who may not have time to make enough compost for the whole garden area can get the fertility build-up, biological activation and disease and insect resistance by planting green manures.
I am tempted to save some seed of the Fenugreek as it is such an aromatic Indian spice. In Hindi it is called methi and is a traditional ingredient in the spice mix panch phora . The "Greek" part of the name foenum-graecum means Greek hay.

Plant pathology: Problems with peas

Downy Mildew
 Peronospora viciae

This fungal disease causes the upper surface of the leaf to turn yellow while beneath the leaf a grey brown furry growth develops. This is worse during humid weather. Watering late in the day should be avoided.

Powdery mildew fungus (Erisphe pisi) showing as white powdery coating on leaves while parasitic fungi 'black leg' (Mycosphaerella pinodes) and 'chocolate spot' (Ascochyta pisi) cause brown or black marks or spots on the stems and leaves.
In Australia, the pea variety Greenfeast, a New Zealand selection from Lincoln, has long been regarded as having good disease resistance though it may not be entirely free from an attack by powdery mildew. It is a recessive gene in peas so that even wild peas from which the modern cultivars have been developed are sensitive to it.The theory behind this is that mildew is encouraged by the plant as it attracts beneficial insects such as ladybirds which appear to feed on the fungal colonies, thus protecting the peas from a worse insect invader.

Other resistant varieties include the American bred Knight, Kodiak, Mayfair, Rascal, dwarf Oregon Snow Pea and the sugar snap variety Super Sugar Mel. Not all these varieties are available here.
A degree of control of fungal diseases in peas can be achieved by spraying with potassium bicarbonate or by using a sulfur powder.

Plant Pathology:Black root in radish

Radish 'black root' Aphanomyces raphani

This fungal disease of radish causes dark patches to appear on the root which eventually splits open. Spores remain in the soil for many years and are spread by running water. A degree of control can be achieved by improving soil drainage and practising good crop rotation.