Friday, February 5, 2010

A week of high temps. and harsh humidity!

We crave a decent 'wet' season here in my corner of north-eastern Australia ... as we have a very, very long dry spell which lasts for many months of each year.  When we see those dark rain clouds looming during summertime, we literally jump for joy.  Rainy, overcast days are an absolute pleasure!


But, of course, there's a downside!  The build-up is excruciating and the after-effects are stifling - we have to endure blinding daytime temperatures up around 35 degrees C and we swelter as our levels of humidity just rise and rise ... sometimes as high as 90% ... and to top it all off, we sometimes receive torrential monsoonal rainfall. 


Of course the plants are experiencing the same problems ... they are lashed by heavy downpours of rainfall and then suffer the muggy conditions created by extreme temperatures and humidity.  This really tests the resilience of the plants around here.

A striking beauty that stands up to everything the 'wet' throws at it and then carries on brilliantly well all during the 'dry' is the Cordyline ... and what a beauty it is!  This is one of my favourites - the 'Red Wing.'


 Another of my favourite resilient tropic plants is the Torenia ... I'm such a big, big fan of these gorgeous things.

 And finally ... a plant that comes through the 'wet' year after year ... tolerates the 'dry' ... and blooms almost unceasingly throughout the year is the Crossandra ...my hero!


8 comments:

  1. Yeah, I'm not enjoying the rain and humidity in Sydney at the moment,
    Sydney - City and Suburbs

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  2. I'm with you Jbar ... it's times like these I'd actually think of moving to Tassie!!

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  3. And here is was posting in my blog today about how I wish it would quit raining, and you're hoping for it LOL.

    Our humidity in the summertime is pretty bad too. Probably not quite like Australia, but bad enough for this Canadian! :D In the winter, it's just dreary...

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  4. It is very humid and rainy, the garden rejoices.
    Torenia is a pretty flower it looks like an Orchid. I grow cordylines which I love. There was a time when they did not find much credit with the garden "fashionistas". They see to have found their niche now as so many new ones are used in new gardens. Tough and beautiful!

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  5. Hi Kyna ... we don't mind the rain if it's the lovely drizzly type but the torrential rain which goes on for days and days (sometimes a couple of weeks) is just horrid! Then there's the humidity that comes along with it. It probably evokes the same feelings as your dreary winter ... you just want it to be over!

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  6. Hello Titania ... you are so right about the cordylines. They went out of fashion here too for a while ... but now with all the terrific new colourful varieties, suddenly they're the latest thing. The one above named 'Red Wings' has been around for a long time ... but it's one I just love.

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  7. Our heat and humidity is horrible every summer. We live down here in sub-tropical s.e. FL. We just want to hibernate when this weather starts, and it goes on for about 6 months, not to mention that it is also hurricane season.

    I have several Cordyline, all the same kind, have grown Crossandra and Torenia, but lost them both. I'm trying to grow more natives these days, and more perennials too.

    Looking at your pictures definitely has me wanting to get outside to work/play.

    FlowerLady

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  8. Those colours are just beautiful! Such rich reds. Thanks so much for visiting my blog and happy Fertilizer Friday to you.

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