Friday, August 30, 2013

Flower Flaunt On This End-of-Winter Friday.

Today is the last Friday of our tropical Winter, as Spring officially begins on Sunday.  The weather has certainly been warming up this week, and I'm lamenting the end of our glorious winter conditions.  Everything is bone dry around here, as our dry season continues into the coming Spring.

There's not an awful lot blooming away from our house around the property. 


Down the driveway, there are still a few blooms on the couple of Bauhinia variegatas.  Those brilliant white blooms certainly draw the eye away from all the parched dry brown grass.


As you get closer to the house, you will notice some of the buds have opened up on one of the Cadaghi Gum Trees, otherwise known as Corymbia torelliana.  The Rainbow Lorikeets have been dropping by to feast on the nectar of these puffy blooms.


When you step onto the courtyard and look up, you will see the bare branches of our native Sterculia quadrifida, or Peanut Tree, gloriously decorated in its green or red seed pods.  These are attracting lots of birds at the moment, as they try to find the delicious seeds inside the open pods.


The Corymbia torellianas, which are just starting to burst into bloom, form a pretty backdrop to the stark look of the Sterculia tree.  Of course, the bare branches of the Sterculia allows plenty of direct sunlight to flood the courtyard at this time of the year.  This is great for all the potted plants.

In the courtyard, there are a quite few potted plants in bloom right now, adding some lovely colour to the space.


Impatiens hawkeri


Cane Begonia


Pelargonium


Azalea


Petunias


It's surprising to see one of my Schlumbergeras just starting another blooming cycle on this second last day of winter.  That's never happened so late in the year before.  Still, I'm not complaining.  I don't mind seeing these gorgeous flowers once more.


Out in the shadehouse there are lots of Impatiens walleriana flowers to be seen.  This is the best time of the year for them, and they always fill the shadehouse garden with fabulous colour around now.


There's also lovely Begonia blooms to spot, like this Begonia 'Tiger Paw',


and this unknown Begonia.


I'm a big fan of Begonia blooms.  They are simply beautiful.


Out in the shadehouse, you will also spot the purple Anthurium blooming ... it blooms all year round ...


and you will see lots of flowers on the Streptocarpus caulescens and Dragon Wing Begonias ... which both also bloom all year round.

I'm joining Nix for Floral Friday Fotos









and Mona's Floral Love





17 comments:

  1. Considering the time of year Bernie, your garden is delightful! and I too, am lamenting (very loudly) the end of our tropical winter.
    (I adore those frilly petunias)
    Have a lovely weekend!

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    1. Thanks Rose. Yes it's sad to see another wonderful winter come to and end. Already we can feel the rise in temps and humidity levels up here. Boo!!

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  2. Lovely collection of flowers! I'm sure your garden must be really beautiful with so many gorgeous blooms around.

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    1. Jama, the garden itself is nothing to speak of, but I do have some lovely flowers.

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  3. Hello Bernie,
    what a wonderful series of amazing plants and flowers!
    Thank you for these nice pictures.
    Wish you a happy weekend
    moni

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    1. Thank you very much, Moni. I'm glad to see you popping by to visit.

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  4. Your flowers are lovely. The tiger paws begonia is sure sporting a lot of blooms. How pretty! I love all your strange and tropical trees. Wish they grew around here. We have had the wettest spring and summer I can ever remember. Also the coolest. Now it has gone back to the 90's and no rain for a week. Everything is beginning to wilt in my yard so out with the water hose! Have a good day Mama Bear....LOL!

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    1. Lol, yes thanks Jean. Mama Bear, indeed! That Tiger Paw Begonia always puts on a great show. The lovely flower spikes contrast beautifully with that terrific hairy foliage.

      You speak of having the coolest spring/summer, well here we've had one of our mildest winters I can remember in a long time. Not that our winters get all that cool, but we usually have at least a couple of weeks of quite cool conditions. This year, we had a couple of days.

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    2. I think we are predicted to have a cold winter. Seems all the weather is doing strange things but then it's weather and not so predictable. Dont forget to make the porridge!

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  5. Your plants all look so healthy and well loved. We are rather spoilt having such mild winters aren't we.

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  6. I'm mesmerized with Australia. We share very similar weather. I love learning all these species on this post.

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  7. Lovely flowers! I always enjoy "visiting" your garden.

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  8. Gorgeous, Bernie!

    The bauhinias are still flowering in Atherton. What beautiful trees!

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  9. Your end-of-winter garden is just beautiful, Bernie! It seems strange to me to hear you lamenting the end of winter, as I am saddened by the end of our summer. I love that purple Anthurium! P. x

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  10. Bernie,
    as usual you have showcased some marvelous flowers. I am also totally in love with rex begonias, their blooms seem to last forever.I love your Tiger paw! . I notice you have one you call cane begonias. They talked about them on Gardening Australia a while back, and I am not sure what they actually look like. Can you show a full photo sometime?

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  11. Loving you winter blooms. i think our weather soon would be like you winter. I am not looking forward to our winter at all.

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