Monday, November 22, 2010

The end of our Downunder Spring is nigh!

As Spring is drawing to a close downunder, here in my part of Oz it's been rare to spot blue sky.  It appears briefly, raising our hopes for a fine day and then disappears without a trace.  Here's one of those rare moments of blue-sky splendour.

Today I'm taking a look at what's blooming in my outdoor flower garden bed.  Some may remember a previous post about this wayward child of mine - My Wilful Younger Child  - well, it's looking a whole lot better these days.

My Sprekelia formosissima has risen out of the ground and the first flower has appeared for this year.  Commonly known as Jacobean Lily or Aztec Lily, these flamboyant red flowers look fantastic tucked in behind the Russelia.  I wish I had planted a whole more of these lilies ... they would terrific in a huge clump.  I think I'll have to find another spot where I can do that.

Another stunning beauty that's in flower right now is Turnera subulata - the White Alder.  I love the bright cheery flowers of this plant.  They have a yellow halo around a black centre.  Flowers open around sunrise (unless it's a really dreary overcast day!) and close before sunset.  It's a lovely sight on those mornings when the sun does make an effort!

Another of my Hemerocallis - Daylilies - started blooming this week.  This is Hemerocallis 'Continental Holiday' ... mmm oh how I wish!

The Angelonia serenas are flowering.  They will continue throwing out new bloom spikes for a few months now as they seem to thrive during the Summer months.

This is my favourite Salvia ... Salvia farinacea 'Victoria Blue'.  I just adore the beautiful colour of this.

Another Salvia that I do love is this ... Salvia splendens 'Van Houttei'.  It has the most gorgeous dark burgundy red colour and while it's certainly taking a while to fill out and flourish, it always has a little flower spike on it somewhere.

This brilliant red Gerbera makes a statement next to the white Angelonia serena.

Another plant that's taken a while to establish in this outdoor garden bed is my Scutellaria suffrutescens - the Pink Texas Skullcap or Cherry Skullcap.  Planted last year, it's waited until this Spring to start spreading.  I'm looking forward to seeing it really fill out.

I'm joining Mary at Little Red House for her Mosaic Monday meme, so please take a visit to see other wonderful mosaic posts.

I'm also joining Tootsie for her Flower Flaunt/Fertiliser Friday meme which is always a great place to see what's flowering in gardens all over this great world of ours.

30 comments:

  1. What lovely images to see from your season that is opposite ours. Just beautiful.

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  2. I LOVE YOUR Sprekelia formosissima! WOW! What a wonderful world of colour we live in!

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  3. Wow, your flowers make me wish wish it was spring here.

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  4. Oh I see where I'll be getting my flower fix for a few months to come! Thank you for the wonderful flower selections. The first is particularly gorgeous.

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  5. What beautiful flowers...our winter has just come and I am missing the flowers already!

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  6. Thanks for sharing these gorgeous photos with us...it's been overcast in Tennessee and I needed color!!!

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  7. Glorious blooms. They look so bright and fresh.

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  8. Wow! beautiful flowers. Amazing colors in the garden.

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  9. Gorgeous blooms and beautiful blue sky. The weather girl has just said a possibility of snow this week. Hibernation sounds good at this moment!

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  10. There is such hope in your mosaics. Reminds me there will be another spring for us! Thank you! Cathy

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  11. what a beautiful garden you have. I guess being in the tropical NOrth helps

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  12. It is amazing how far apart our gardens are, and yet, we grow the same flowers. My red gerberas are blooming just like yours are. Salvia Van Houttei is my favorite salvia - love the burgundy color. I am so jealous of your Aztec Lily. I have had them for years and never a bloom. Gorgeous daylily, too. As you are leaving spring time, we are just approaching winter, so it is nice to still be able to see warm-seasoned flowers on your blog.

    Jan
    Always Growing

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  13. Bernie, I left a comment but I think it got lost in cyberspace. I grow the Victoria Salvia but it is an annual here. I have great luck with Angelonia especially in the heat.

    Eileen

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  14. Your sprekelia is stunning. It looks good with the tiny flowers of the Russelia. I too like the blue salvia. All your flowers are lovely.

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  15. It's so nice to see flowers beginning tio bloom as ours are fading away. You ahve a lovely garden!

    Happy MM!

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  16. I do love taking a cyber trip to OZ and visiting your gardens Bernie! Thank you for sharing your wonderful colorful plants with us as the gray days here in NW Oregon begin to dominate the landscape! Cheers ~ Jenni

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  17. the white alder flower, a newie to me, is divine, I love creamy flowers - just went around my garden pullling out bright white things! cheers, catmint

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  18. That picture of the daylily with the deep maroon eye gave me a preview of our Spring which is months and months away. We are just getting into Fall weather, temperatures are between 40 to 60 degrees here on Long Island. I was hoping to go to the Macy*s Thanksgiving Day parade with my sister,but it may rain and turn a lot colder. We get weather from the west, the north , the south and the east. We never know what to expect and forecasting is very hard to do with any accuracy. cheers

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  19. Aztec lily is my favorite here, but all your flowers are beautiful! It's a pure pleasure to look at them now when we have snow.

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  20. Ooh, love that Jacobean lily! That is on my wishlist. I see them in old gardens, but never for sale. Oh, how I love seeing your daylily photos! You are lucky to be in spring right now, albeit coming to a close. I miss my daylilies!

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  21. Oh how wonderful to see all your blooms! Thanks so much for sharing at MM. :)

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  22. wonderful mosaics! They are so very lovely with the color contrasts.

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  23. if you don't have thanksgiving...do you have a similar event?

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  24. Bernie...did I leave a comment about how lovely it is to see your beautiful flowers? I think I clicked out of here before it finished uploading! If I didn't...will you let me know so I can come back and leave one? My comments seem to either not be working...or I am not waiting long enough sometimes...lol

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  25. Thank you all for your lovely comments.

    Jan ... what a shame your Aztec Lily never flowered! They are a gorgeous red. I wonder why they never showed a bloom?

    Tootsie ... no we don't celebrate Thanksgiving here and we don't really have anything that's similar. We're just waiting on Christmas and New Year now. Yes, your comment came through just fine.

    Catmint ... the creamy white Alder flower is very easy to grow and I'm sure it would thrive down there as well. Up here it can take off and become a bit of a nuisance, but it does do well if contained.

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  26. Oh, Bernie, your Aztec lily is so gorgeous! I love it with the tiny red blooms too. Lovely!

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  27. I'm going to have to see if I can find some of that crimson salvia - just beautiful. It must have been a while since I stopped by but I really like the new sky background on your blog. It makes me feel outside in the open even when I'm stuck inside on my computer! :-)

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  28. Fantastic photos.
    So many beautiful flowers and lovely colours.
    Here in Sweden all is covered with snow.
    You have fantastic daylilies, that one I would like to have in my garden.

    Have a nice week
    Gunilla in Sweden

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  29. I appreciate your visit and comments, Carol, Karly and Gunilla.

    Karly, that crimson Salvia is just so easy to grow and the colour is fantastic. Glad you enjoyed the new design.

    Gunilla, the Daylilies are new to my garden and I'm really enjoying just how easy they are to look after.

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  30. Wish we were moving into summer, its flippin freezing here in Ireland

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