Friday, February 6, 2015

Friday Flower Flaunt ... on this first February Friday.

February is supposedly our last month of Summer, although there's little change even when March rolls around.  At the moment it's hot and humid.  We've had some lovely rain during the month of January and even in this first week of February, but it's been intermittent and not up to the usual wet season standards.  Still, can't complain.  The garden has needed some of that liquid sunshine after the usual long dry season last year.


I'm just sharing some of the lovely blooms that are out there around the garden this first Friday of February.


 Citharexylum spinosa, commonly known as Fiddlewood has the most beautiful perfume.


Hibiscus schizopetalus


Dwarf Ixora chinensis 'Peggy'.


Lagerstroemia indica, or Crepe Myrtle.


Mandevilla 'White Fantasy'


Galphimia glauca with its wonderful red stems.


Sometimes the Galphimia is referred to as the Gold Shower bush.


Summertime is the time for Mussaendas to put on a show.  This is Mussaenda philippica 'Bangkok Rose'.


Pseudomussaenda flava, commonly called White Wings.


There's been some lovely perfume around the garden in the last couple of weeks.  The fabulous Gardenia 'Soleil d'or', picture above, has filled the air with such a gorgeous perfume.  It's been flowering for a few weeks now.


My Jasminum officinale has begun another blooming cycle and adding to the perfumed air.


Hedychium coronarium, or White Butterfly Ginger, adds an amazing aroma.


The Murrayas have also added a stunning perfume to the early morning breeze and evening air.

Not only have I been treated to perfume in the garden, but I've also been witness to some fabulous forms and shapes in blooms as they mature.


This Hymenocallis, or Spider Lily, begins a blooming cycle with this fantastic shape where the petal ends are all joined at their tips.


Slowly the ends fall away,


and the flower opens like this.  It's simply amazing watching this happen.

Then there is the form of the brilliant Gloriosa Lily flowers as they open up.




The petals turn themselves upside down to create this wonderful spectacle.  I just love these blooms.

I'm joining Floral Friday Fotos

and Today's Flowers

22 comments:

  1. Bernie,
    I havent been on your site for a while, and once again it is lovely to see all your lovely blooms. I also am in awe of the fact that you actually know all those plants names. I have that white butterfly ginger in my veggie garden. Someone first gave that to me and said it was galangal (which clearly it is not) So glad to see your spider lillies are going well.

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    1. Lovely to see you again Gillian. I haven't been posting regularly for quite a while now, so I expect lots of my regular readers have dropped off by now. As for knowing the plant names, I've become quite adept now at labelling my photos as much as possible to help me remember them properly. I often get a mental blank and zip into my photos folder to check on names.

      Yes, thank you so much for the Spider Lilies. They have done brilliantly in my new garden beds. I'm now able to do some splitting and moving so I can add them to a couple more spots. They have been a most welcome addition.

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  2. Your garden has so many gorgeous blooms, Bernie!

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    1. I am a plant nut, I have to admit it. Whilst the garden itself is not picturesque at all, I do have some lovely things in it. Thanks so much for your lovely comment, Liz.

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  3. As always I am delighted by all of your blooms.

    Happy Gardening ~ FlowerLady

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    1. It's always lovely to see you dropping by Lorraine.

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  4. Gorgeous flowers in your garden. I've seen some of them in our Botanic Garden. Enjoy your weekend.

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    1. Thanks Gunilla. It's amazing to think that so many of our tropical blooms are so familiar around the world and it's all a result of the work that's done in the fabulous botanic gardens in every corner of the globe.

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  5. So many beautiful flowers. The spider lily and the Gloriosa lilies are amazing. Great captures.

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    1. They are amazing aren't they? I've often disregarded them as they're just so common around here, but the more I use my camera in the garden, the more I begin to appreciate the beauty of these common things.

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  6. Beautiful garden! Looks like Heaven! :)

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    1. Thanks Anastasia. It's lovely to see new visitors dropping by. Yes, this is my little piece of heaven.

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  7. it's always a pleasure to visit your garden and see all the beautiful plants

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    1. Long time no 'see' K. How wonderful it was to see your message. Hope all is well with you.

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  8. The weather sounds heavenly...I think my fav so far is that hibiscus.

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    1. The rain is teeming down right now, Donna. The sound of those heavy raindrops hitting our corrugated iron roof is one of the best sounds in the world! I think the garden is going to get a really good soak today. That Hibiscus is my all-time favourite and I'm always taking photos of the flowers.

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  9. You have some flowers I have never seen!! I envy you their fragrances!!! And your summer, when we are having another snow storm...

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    1. It was lovely to see you coming by for a visit, Judy. I'm so glad the photos were of interest to you. I can imagine you're hanging out for your summertime now.

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  10. Hi Bernie, you do have some special plants. The Spider Lily and the Gloriosa Lily in particular, and I like that you show different stages of the blooming cycle. When you describe the weather I wonder about how we live on the same continent but in incredibly different climates.

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  11. These are great, a lovely series of bright and cheerful sunny flowers to see on a cold chilly day here in Virginia. Thank you very much for linking with Today's Flowers, and I wish you a very happy week :)

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  12. A lovely collection of photos once again, Bernie. Nice to see you back.
    Thank you for participating in Floral Friday Fotos!

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  13. Bernie, everything is just gorgeous. As I look at your photos, I can only imagine the heady scent offered by many of those luscious blooms. :)

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