Friday, August 24, 2012

Friday Flower Flaunt ... On This Nothing-New End-of-Winter Day.

Nothing much has changed in the way of bloom variety over the last two months or so, and of course the dry season conditions means even the year-round blooms are not quite as plentiful at this time of year.


All-year-round bloomers like the red-flowering Hibiscus continue their show as usual, but with fewer flowers on the shrubs.


Wintertime bloomers like the Calliandras are still flowering, but the number of powderpuffs on each shrub is becoming less and less each week as our winter draws to a close.


The white Bauhinia, which blooms during the winter here, is looking fabulous.  My poor stunted recovering tree is doing so well and throwing out loads of flowers,


but I'm particularly enjoying the display on the two white Bauhinias that droop over my fence from my neighbour's yard. 

Another of the wintertime bloomers, the Tabebuia impetiginosa or Pink Trumpet Tree, has now finished flowering but, on the other side of the coin, both my Zygocactus, which are usually well finished their wintertime display by now, have started throwing out buds again.


Yes ... those are flower buds on both my Schlumbergaras or Zygocactus plants.  I can't remember either of them ever having a second flowering cycle in one year before.  Maybe it's because they're more mature and this is going to become part of their regular flowering life from now on.  If that's the case, then I'm well pleased!


My two Plumeria rubras, which are deciduous during our winters here, are beginning to show signs of re-growth.  In another month or so, the two trees will be covered in leaves once more.


My sole remaining Euphorbia pulcherrima, the dwarf pink, is still showing its winter colours.


The lovely little variegated Serissa foetidas, commonly known as Snowleaves, are all covered in their teeny weeny pure white flowers.  


These flowers can only really be appreciated with a close-up view.


Of course, out in the courtyard, the Petunias continue their show.  The three potted Petunias have now become quite leggy, after a couple months on show, and I really should trim them way back.  They've had one trim back already since they were planted out as little seedlings back in April, and I really let them go too long this time.  The problem is I always find it difficult going without their bright cheery flowers for a couple of weeks until they fill out again.   But I will make it my first gardening job this coming weekend to get the Petunias ready for a springtime display now.


The potted Begonia semperflorens or Bedding Begonias are always showing their lovely faces.  They are year-round bloomers out in my courtyard.


The two potted Azaleas, which flower from late Autumn through our winter, are still throwing out blooms.  They've been putting on a great show this year.  I'm thinking of getting another variety now and adding it to the wintertime flowering mix.


My gorgeous Salvia splendens carry on without too much help from me.  They too bloom pretty much all-year round.  In a few weeks it will be time to cut them right back though, and I will have to wait for them to throw out their new growth and begin blooming once more.


Then, there are the Snapdragons, which are a must for me as part of the wintertime flowering display out in the courtyard.  This particular dwarf variety has been spectacular.  I love the colours!


The Streptocarpus caulescens or Nodding Violet is gearing up for another great springtime display.  Whilst these plants do bloom all-year round, the best display is definitely in the Spring.

More year-round bloomers out in the courtyard that are on display right now include ...


the double white Impatiens walleriana,


the Impatiens hawkeri 'Celebrette', which as the weather heats up will both have to be moved from their spots into more shady corners of the courtyard,


and there's the potted Portulacas.  They, however, will enjoy the stronger fiercer sunshine and the more exposed spots.


There's also a lovely display of  Angleonias and Salvias out in my potted courtyard garden right now.  They are all enjoying the warmer conditions as our winter temps. are now well and truly over.


Finally, the potted Asiatic and Oriental Lilies have started popping up at last and, with the arrival of Spring in September, I'll be counting down the days until the flowers appear.


I'm joining Tootsie for her Fertilizer Friday / Flaunt Your Flowers meme,


Tina for Weekend Flowers,


and Nix for Floral Friday Fotos




50 comments:

  1. Your winter is ending as ours is approaching. There is a cold wind blowing today which makes it feel wintery. I really dislike the winters here.

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    1. Jennifer, I really enjoy the winter here and I'm now really regretting the end drawing near. I feel the same way about our summers that you feel about your winter. I dread the coming summer. Already the temps have warmed up considerably and it's starting to be unpleasant out in the garden in the middle of the day.

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  2. Hello Bernie, you don't really have anytime of the year without less blooms, it looks like they are blooming all the time. I love most those red Begonia, because we cannot grow them here outside. Only covered nurseries grow them, as my area is too dry and hot during the dry season. I miss the Friday posts, i wasn't able to post to link.

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    1. Kalantikan, that's very true of my garden. There's never a day without a bloom somewhere, and usually there's a few. The year-round bloomers are exactly that and can be relied upon to show a few blooms every single day. The Begonia semperflorens thrive out in my courtyard, but they do get a little shade from the midday sun. Sorry to hear you've had to miss the flaunt today.

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  3. You have a beautiful begonia there and that pot of azalea is amazing. But still the most wonderful plant this time round is that two pots of nodding violet! Wish I can find this plant here. Thanks for this Friday photos and have a great weekend! Remember to prune the petunia haha...

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    1. Stephanie, I'll definitely be trimming the Petunias and the Dragon Wing Begonias out in the shadehouse as well this weekend. That will get them ready for a lovely spring display. The Nodding Violet is a fabulous plant. It's a shame you can't find it there, as I'm sure it would be very well in your climate.

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  4. Dear Bernie.
    That´s the art and filosophy of gardening I think, having blooms around the garden, all year. And you sure do, and it´s sooo lovely to see. Always a joy to visit your blog, also during our grey dull wintertime, when it´s too cold and wet for flowers, it´s a real pleasure visiting you. Very enjoyable. Here we have late sommer right now, and the leaves are partly falling off the trees.
    What´s the name of your lovely Snapdragons? They´re beautiful. Funny you show buds in the Schlumbergeras, as it happened to me too, ´out of season´ ;o)
    Thanks for sharing your garden beauty. Have a lovely weekend.
    Best regards Iris.
    Ps. Will try and search for the Streptocarpus caulescens next spring. It´s gorgeous and I´m ´hot´ on BLUE flowers ... ;o)

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    1. Iris, we do tend to take it for granted though I have to admit ... having blooms all-year round is so common for us that we don't even think about what it would be like if it wasn't so! I'm afraid I don't know the varietal name of the Snapdragons. Sorry about that.

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  5. Hi Bernie,
    A Friday flaunt to make the heart sing again. You know what I’m going to say that beautiful white bauhinia is just the star in your garden ….well it is for me just stunning. I know I’m a girl with simple tastes so I’m easily pleased …Lol!
    The air was cold this morning and a heavy due on the grass and plants….Autumn is on its way!
    Must tell you I had a conversation with Monty Don this week he is lovely.
    Have a great weekend in your garden
    Sue :)

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    1. Sue, it's nice to know I'm not boring absolutely everyone with my photos of my white Bauhinia, lol! I'm also a girl with simple tastes, and I just love white in my garden.

      It's funny you should mention Monty. I've been watching a series all about his visits to Italian gardens and enjoying every moment of it. How wonderful that you got to spend some time with him. I can imagine it would have been an interesting conversation.

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    2. Monty is a fountain of knowledge we talked about his garden Longmeadow where Gardeners World is filmed every week my favourite TV program. It was such a privilege to meet him he's just an ordinary guy not the big "TV star”

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  6. Hi Bernie
    I always love to see your flowers pictures from you garden!
    Many annuals you show are available in Canada as well.
    But I would love to have the 'Tree of a Thousand Stars'
    Serissa foetidas. But it is a tropical tree:(
    Gisela.


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    1. Gisela, the Serissa is indeed a tropical plant, but it's a shrub and will only reach around 60 cms in height. It's really more suited to the sub-tropics but it does quite well in my garden here. I really adore the pure white flowers and the variegated foliage on mine.

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  7. Replies
    1. I appreciate you visiting and leaving your lovely comment, thanks Linda.

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  8. Replies
    1. Thanks very much Fitness Buff. Your reds and pinks look great together.

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  9. Replies
    1. Thanks Modern Mom. I dropped by to see your lovely yellow blooms and recognised them immediately. That's definitely Pachystachys lutea. It's a very common plant here.

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  10. Bernie, glad to see you again! Your winter sounds about like our spring. SHORT! Have you tried the Encore Azaleas there? They seem to bloom a bit more in the fall than the spring and it's a welcome sight for gardeners when most everything else is fried. Your flowers are lovely and I love the white too. It just brightens up any spot!

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    1. Yes Jean, unfortunately our lovely winter is rather short. The conditions during the wintertime here are just glorious. By now though, just a week before Spring arrives, the daytime temps have climbed and so have the humidity levels. I could only work out in the garden for an hour this morning before it started becoming a little hot and uncomfortable.

      Thanks for the tip on the Encore Azaleas. I will have a look for those and see if they can survive here.

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  11. Wow! The white Bauhinia is gorgeous!

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    1. Thanks Anastasia. The white Bauhinia is a favourite tree of mine. I'm sure I bore everyone silly with the amount of photos I always post of it during our wintertime.

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  12. Everything is always a pleasure to look at in your gardens...and I love the double petunias...what great trees you have too. The containerized lilies look great, they made me smile.

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    1. Darla, I'm a big double Petunia fan. I grow those every year and much prefer them over the singles. I just can't wait for the Lilies this year. I only started growing them three years ago and now I'm completely hooked!!

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  13. Bernieh,

    I love coming to see your blooms. Some are old familiar friends, like the wonderful array of impatiens, while others are things I have never seen before, like your stunningly beautiful Serissa foetidas. It would be wonderful to have such beauties even in your winter.

    Yael from Home Garden Diggers

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    1. Impatiens are a staple in my garden, Yael. They fill lots of shady spots here and there, and never let me down. I've grown Serissas in every garden I've had and they are such a brilliant hardy plant for our conditions. I'm finding it hard to source them these days though, so I guess I'll have to learn how to propagate them.

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  14. Wonderful flowers! It's always so hard to believe these are winter pictures when you have so many flowers blooming. Have a lovely weekend!

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    1. Yes this is typical of a tropical winter here in the north of Australia, Gunilla. We are very lucky to be able to have blooms all year round, even through our winter which of course is really just a mild version of summer.

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  15. Beautiful colors on your prolific flowers. So nice you live where something is blooming all year.

    We are just ending our summer hibernation and preparing for a second gardening season this fall. Already the temps are dropping and it makes such a difference here.

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    1. There's always something blooming here, Shirley, and I guess I never really appreciated before I started learning about other gardeners and their gardens. I rather took it for granted. There's really only very slight differences in the seasons here, and really no huge differences in gardening seasons. It's just one big gardening season all year round.

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  16. It's always such a treat to see your beautiful garden in any season!

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    1. Very kind, thanks Klaraau01. I think your beautiful Orchids are a real treat!

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  17. Bernie,

    This sure looks like my kind of winter! I am getting ready next month to put bulbs in the ground, some daffodils, tuilps and lilies. It will be a long fall and winter for us waiting for them to bloom. It is always fun to see what you have blooming when we have cold outside.

    Eileen

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    1. Eileen, my Lilies are just coming up now and I'm really counting down the days until I see the blooms. Of course, Daffs and Tulips won't grow here, so I have to be content with the Lilies during Spring. It's not too far off now.

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  18. Bernie, so much to see of your fabulous collection of colourful plants. I think you should go on ABC gardening with your courtyard flowers. I have never seen such wonderful, healthy displays of potted plants. I know how much dedication it needs to keep all the plants so tidy and flowering.
    I have become quite fond of the salvia splendens, and made many cuttings, they are so easy to propagate. Your Lilies are looking good too. I grow the very tall Christmas lilies which tend to peek from between the shrubs. I like that frilly, double, purple Petunia, quite a show off!

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    1. Oh Titania, you're a sweetie. Thanks for the compliments. I don't think I would let ABC's Gardening Australia anywhere near my courtyard right not. We still have lots of work to do to fix the pond area, and I'm waiting for the climbing Jasmine and Petrea to re-establish themselves over the pergola. It's slow going, but I suppose it's looking a lot better than this time last year at least.

      I've been learning over the last three years how to keep the containers going, and I'm still learning. I have however slowly discovered what plants work well, and how the light conditions change in the courtyard throughout the year. There's always a lesson to be learned.

      I've never tried the Christmas Lilies. I've had such success with the Asiatic and Orientals though, and I'm happy to keep going with them. I only started trying them out three years ago now, and I've been very pleased with them.

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  19. You are definitely the polar opposite of our clime...our Plumerias are fully leafed, and the orchid trees are certainly not doing their thing. Your white orchid tree is gorgeous! All lovely photos. Love the calliandras! They are favorites of mine.

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    1. It will be a while before the Plumerias are fully covered in leaves here, but the cycle has begun. The Bauhinias will be flowering for a few more weeks yet, and then they start dropping their leaves, while the Plumerias do the opposite. It's a fascinating cycle no matter where you live.

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  20. Bernie, I never get tired of visiting your garden as it is always filled with blooming, colourful flowers. I love your white bauhinia tree. It is going to be raining flowers! Your winter is like our highlands planting zone. I wish I have your kind of winter here in my area :P

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    1. Autumn Belle, both my neighbour's white Bauhinia trees are covered in flowers and thankfully they arch over my fence, so I get to enjoy the display as well. There are white flowers scattered across my driveway when I get home from work each day. I really enjoy that sight as I drive in.

      Our winter is almost over and already we're feeling the heat and humidity increasing. Another warm Spring and hot Summer are just around the corner ... moan!!!

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  21. Bernie, like Stephanie, I too wish I could find nodding violets in some nursery here.I like the white Bauhinias which are loaded with flowers.Do you grow snapdragons in pots?

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    1. Lotusleaf, yes I always grow my Snapdragons in pots. Most of the plants out in my courtyard are potted, including all my annuals.

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  22. Wonderful series! I love the snapdragons!

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    1. Thanks very much Vincibene, you're very kind. The Snapdragons are wonderful, I agree.

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  23. Hi Bernie. What a beautiful bush that SNowleaves is. Love those variegated leaves and white blooms.The double white impatiens are so lovely too.I am always drawn to white blooms in the garden.I am going to enjoy your Lily blooms this fall and winter.

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  24. I am always shocked to see so many of your winter blooms in my summer garden..and what we call Christmas flowers here you have growing outside there....Euphorbia pulcherrima and Zygocactus (mine is outside in summer). Just amazing the beauty of your winter blooms. My summer blooms are stunted or dried up due to the dry summer we are having.

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  25. I am so looking foward to the winter months and all the flowers.

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