Friday, August 27, 2010

Flower Flaunt on Friday ... last week of Winter ... and another Skywatch Friday.

Such a weird week of weather this week.  It all began with the daytime temps. hitting the 30 deg C mark at the beginning of the week.  A bushfire broke out in the hills surrounding my rural suburb ... which is quite strange during Winter ... resulting in quite smoggy days with smoke-filled skies and the smell of smoke permeating every corner of the house!    Then, suddenly early yesterday morning the temp. dropped down to 19 deg C and barely reached 22 C during the middle of the day ... yesterday also started with a gloomy looking sunrise!
Then last night we had rain ... it was just a shower, but yet another surprising sprinkling of rain during our last week of Winter.  Today has been rather cool  ... maybe it's just a little reminder of what Winter could have been like!!   It has also been another dull, overcast gloomy day.

Anyway ... to lift the spirits I went out to fertilise ... and took my camera along to capture some of the blooms out in the garden while I was busy feeding the hungry hordes!

Begonia elatior hybrid 'Glorious'  ...

Cineraria ...
Pelargonium (unknown variety) ...

Plectranthus 'Mona Lavender' ...
Calliandra surinamensis (Pink Powder Puff) still in bloom ...

Croton flower spike full of buds ....

Just a few blooms left on the Tabebuia impetiginosa ...
... and the Pelargonium peltatum 'Ville de Dresden' is full of gorgeous flowers.
Unfortunately Spring is just around the corner ... Spring is just a fancy name for early Summer here ... there's almost no difference!!!  The days will be getting hotter, more humid and the sun should be endlessly shining with intense ferocity pretty soon ... it will be interesting to see if we get any more overcast days or maybe even rain during our Springtime ... it has been a year of odd weather so far.  This morning there was even dew on the grass!!!!

I'm joining in the Flaunt Your Flowers/Fertiliser Friday meme and Skywatch Friday meme ...  so please pop on on over to visit:

22 comments:

  1. Oh what beautiful flowers and for me it is so interesting reading about your seasons, so opposite of ours. Here in the Nebraska panhandle in the old USA it is hot, hot, hot and in we are in much need for some moisture. As fall is my most favorite time of the year I am looking forward to September and the beautiful colors and perfect climate that comes with. I really enjoy reading your blog. Happy days to you!

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  2. 19 sounds positively luxurious. We are getting maximums around 12-14 most days :-(

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  3. Hi Debbie ... I feel the same way about our Autumn here ... it's such a welcome relief after the Spring-Summer time. The heat and humidity here during Spring and Summer is just horrid ... Autumn-Winter is just so refreshing! ... and the garden loves it.

    Al ... I know, I know ... it's not really Winter up here ... more like a cooler Summer! I'm not sure how I'd go with days where the max. is around 12 or 14! We get occasional early mornings with temps that low ... but usually only one or two ... and it's when we're all snuggled up in bed!

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  4. Hi Bernie, I've been following your blog, you have beautiful flowers and plants in your garden.I have that 'Mona Lavender' in my garden too n I was skeptical when the local nurseries called them false lavender! Happy weekend!

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  5. Beautiful photos of your blooms...I get so confused with the different seasons across the world. It's hot and humid here!

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  6. Your pelargoniums are doing well. Will they survive the heat of summer? Mine seem to give uo when the mercury touches 35C.

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  7. I never realised that plectranthrus had flowers - and such pretty ones too. I always had thought of them just being foliage plants.

    Wonderful photos Bernie - can't believe that your winter is nearly over.

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  8. Sometimes I wish that we had winter like you and we could garden all year round.

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  9. Bernie, the flower on your Mona Lavander sure looks a lot more vivid than the plants at Home Depot. Are you able to grow any of your flowers in the spring and summer?

    Eileen

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  10. How interesting to see such a difference in seasons. Your photos are fantastic and I am getting a whole new education on the plant material you have in your garden. Thank you!

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  11. Hi Bernie. Oh my, where do I start girl. I love your begonias. What a gorgeous bright color. And the Cineraria is the prettiest flower. Wow.
    Your winter garden is beautiful and the sky shot is so pretty. Have a wonderful weekend!

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  12. Hi Bernie,
    It just is hard to image the month of August as being Winter. Your flowers seem to like the cool weather you are having. I especially like your Begonia blooms. Quite exquisite. Over and out from the land up over.

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  13. Thanking you all for your comments,

    Eileen ... yes some of the flowers do continue on through the Spring and Summer ... torenias, petunias, dahlias, straw daisies and the calibrachoas will be around for a while longer. My New Guinea Impatiens just keep on from year to year ... so does the Plectranthus 'Mona Lavender'. I'm hoping all the Pelargonium peltatums will get through the heat and humidity this time!

    Lotusleaf ... I find the ordinary Zonal Pelargoniums don't make it through our Summers, especially when the torrential rains come. I had a little bit of luck with the ivy-leafed Pellies ... the Pelargonium peltatums ... and I'm keeping fingers crossed for the coming 'wet' season.

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  14. That first photo is stunning and your flower shots are superb. Obviously your winter is different from ours. We don't have a bunch of blooming flowers in the winter. It is so much fun seeing the differences around the world through blogging. Thanks for stopping by.

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  15. G'Day Bernie, Are you the same Bernadette from QLD I have seen on the face book garden page? If so, I am pleased to find you in here :)
    Funny how we Aussies are obsessed with rain isn't it? Always watching the sky and cherishing any chance of the next bit of rain.

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  16. Thank you Kim ... glad you liked that first shot! That was an interesting sunrise ... and heralded a very strange day of weather!

    We are lucky here in my particular spot of Oz that we do have flowers all year round!

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  17. Bernie ... that Begonia is simply to die for! It stopped me in my tracks. (Not to take away from the other blooms, which were wonderful.) :)

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  18. Wow, beautiful shots of those blooms! The begonia and cineraria photos are simply breathtaking! Interesting that you are seeing your tab blooms in August. Happy late winter/almost spring! Spring is almost worst for us here than summer. Very hot and very dry. The county enacts water restrictions that time of year when we actually need to use our irrigation systems. Who cares if we are allowed to run it in the rainy season?

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  19. All of your flowers are gorgeous and it makes your garden so beautiful. I am envy that you have flowers like that. I can’t grow such a beautiful lavender flower like but I will try to plant some of it. I just hope that they can grow beautiful like yours.

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  20. Wow. pretty photos of flowers blooming. And also the background music suits the atmosphere! Really soothing. I feel like I don't want to go to work anymore. LOL. And I feel like crying! LOL

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