Friday, October 22, 2010

Flower Flaunt on a Skywatch Friday - another mid-Spring flaunt from Downunder


This is the time of year that makes gardening such a joy.  Every day I head out to the Hemerocallis bed to see if there are any surprises.  I only started this bed late last year and while the clumps of Hemerocallis are so small, there's the promise of great things to come.  This week it was Hemerocallis 'Jamaican Me Crazy' that opened up ... such a cheery sight!

As our middle month of Spring is drawing to a close, the weather has remained unpredictable.  We've been experiencing gusts of wind that have whipped leaves off trees and showers of rain that have drenched the garden albeit rather briefly. The morning skies have been quite dramatic.

I'm going to take a detour from my property first and head out into the bushland surrounding my home.  I know I can't take credit for these blooms, but I would love to share them anyway.  Right now, out in the bush, our native Planchonia careya or Cocky Apple trees are blooming profusely.  I've never seen so many flowers on these trees in the years I've lived out here ... an indication of just how our usual 'dry' season did not really eventuate this year.
While the tree itself is rather an untidy scraggly looking thing, the flowers are magnificent.


The bees are loving the profusion of blooms ... and they're buzzing around the trees every evening as the sun goes down.

The reason the bees don't turn up until early evening is because the flowers on the Cocky Apple won't open up until around 5.00 or 6.00 pm in the evening.  It's a strange quirk of nature that the stunning Cocky Apple's flowers will only open at night and will fall off the next morning.

Alright, back onto the property now.  One of the huge trees that's flowering right now is the Albizia lebbeck, sometimes called the Siris Tree.  It's a very tall tree, reaching well over 30 feet, so it's difficult to get great shots of the flowers.  They look like greenish-yellow pompoms.


Another one of the tall trees on our property that's covered in flowers is the Tabebuia pallida.  These flowers are not all that noticeable on the massive tree as they are such a delicate pale pink colour.  But if you get up close you can see how lovely they are with their yellow throats.

 Elsewhere around the property, the Bougainvillea is putting on its display ....

and the first flowers are appearing on one of my Plumeria rubras.

This is the gorgeous pink Plumeria rubra or Frangipani. 

My Brunfelsia latifolia syn. bonodora or the more commonly known 'Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow' shrub, has begun to bloom.

Out in the Courtyard Garden my Kaempferia elegans has woken from its slumber and some of its gorgeous little pink flowers are showing their faces again.


Other plants out in the Courtyard Garden that are flowering now include the stunning Ixora 'Twilight Glow', which is covered in flowers once more ...

and the Jacobinia carnea syn. Justicia carnea which is showing its fabulous white plumes again.


Petunias are still flowering out there ...

and so are the Plectranthus 'Mona Lavender'.

My favourite little miniature Dahlia is still flowering ...

... and my Impatiens balsamina is in bloom out in the Shadehouse Garden.

Flower Flaunt / Fertiliser Friday is a reminder for me that it's time to head out and feed those fabulous plants that are rewarding me with such great blooms.  Please drop by Tootsis's blog to see loads of other great Flower Flaunt / Fertilizer Friday posts.




For more fantastic sky posts, pop over to Skywatch Friday

9 comments:

  1. Bernie, if I ever get to Austrailia I will at least know something thanks to you.

    Eileen

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  2. Hi Bernie,
    I haven't heard from you in a while, had to drop by and see whats new. You posted my favorite, the Cocky Apple! I would so love to see that in person, I bet its even more beautiful when you are right there. Is it fragrant?

    Les and I have almost completed one section of the compost fence. I worked on the last six rounds today and tomorrow I will put them in place and fill with leaves. Drop by sometime.

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  3. Eileen ... Oz is such a vast place and my little corner here in the north-east is a spot not many know much about so I feel it's only right to share all its beauty and exceptional features.

    Hi Emptyhead ... which I know you're not!!!! I've been so busy with work this term ... last term of the year is always like this. To answer your question, no the Cocky Apple flower has no fragrance ... and yes it's quite stunning up close. It's such an intricate flower and the form is fascinating.

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  4. Wow! Love those native blooms! Beautiful! Your plumeria, white shrimp, peacock ginger (mine's going dormant as we speak), and that gorgeous daylily! You have me missing spring and summer, and they're hardly over....

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  5. Love the Cocky Apple's flowers. They look wonderful. And your carnation looking petunia flowers are beautiful! Have a great week.

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  6. Hi Bernie; The daylily looks terrific, love the colours. Beautiful SW scenery with the distant hills or mountains in the shade of the clouds. wonderful, unusual cocky apple with its gorgeous flowers. I had once an Albizia but with pink flowers, I think it got to big where it was flowering....it is history now, perhaps I should plant an other one in a more suitable place.
    I enjoyed very much your shade house tour. Fantastic plants and I admire your hanging baskets. I liked to hear your voice!I grow Kaemperia but I never knew its name...thanks for that. I send my comment and google said oops! annoying, so it never arrived. Thank you for letting me know that the plants do well. You have a wonderful garden.

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  7. Hi Bernie,
    while we are used to so much rain it seems you are not, but the plants around you seem to be flourishing. Beautiful photos as usual.

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  8. Oh Bernie you are getting such lovely blooms in your garden and on your property. I love the pink flowers of the Tabebuia pallida. I am going to feast on your flowers this winter.
    Have a wonderful weekend!

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  9. Is your garden called Paradise!?! It certainly appears to be to me. Absolutely gorgeous! Thank you!! Cathy

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