We went shopping for lavender yesterday ...

... for bee attraction and feeding purposes and came home with a new tree.We were not in the market for a new tree, we've stuffed just about as much tree-life into our tiny top paddock (front garden) and the long, thin backyard as we thought possible.
Only, in wandering through the new nursery we found recently (Mr Neighbour put us onto it, he'd bought his new Japanese Box plants there) looking for lavender I inadvertently ambled into the mature(ish) tree section. I found the tree, I fell into a trance of lacy foliage stroking and soft murmurings of leafy desire. It was quite clear to Mr Brown that I had fallen in love and, because he's a lovely bloke who knows me so well, he sidled up and whispered in my ear "shall we buy it?". A joyous yelp was his answer and onto the trolley it went, company for the pink & purple lavenders. I was still in a tree-patting blissful state, with a grin splitting my face, while Mr Brown handed over the credit card.
One of the nurserymen spotted me, "beautiful isn't it?"
"Yes, and it's coming home with me!" I trilled. I may have come across as a trifle unhinged.
We aren't quite sure if it's an Acer palmatum 'Dissectum Atropurpureum Ornatum' which has an Autumn colour of brilliant orange; or an Acer palmatum 'Dissectum Inaba Shidare' which has an Autumn colour of crimson. I have a feeling it's the latter but I guess we'll just have to wait until Autumn to be 100% sure. That's ok, we can wait (no, the label on the plant is no help, it reads Acer, Weeping - Short).
There's been quite a bit of rearranging the garden to accommodate Ms Acer. Mr Neighbour helped Mr Brown move the lemon tree from the front garden down to the back.You may remember we planned to move the lemon tree, after the great lemon theft of May 2010! Well moved it is, no more middle-class marketeers are going to get their thieving hands on MY lemons!And lemons there will be. Just look at those blossoms.
We moved the little native lime tree too, it's a spiky little bugger and we had it near a path. Mr and Mrs Next Doors' little girl isn't walking yet, but she will be and I'd hate to be responsible for a savage eye poking. Mr Brown built that stand and painted it with leftover paint so it matches the window bars! (which I helpfully cropped out of the picture, gah!) How's that for thrifty McHousehusbandry?
The new tree is going into the spot where the lemon used to live at the front, in the huge pot that was our failed fishpond experiment. See, we recycle too.
The lavender went in. We selected fairly large specimens so the bees would get something out of them this season.
We've also put in a Buddleia. And a Heliotrope for the bees' dining pleasure.
I'd better hear some industrious buzzing soon.