Finally able to get out into the courtyard garden!

After weeks of lovely showers and then a fortnight of torrential downpours, there was a break in the weather today!  ...  and I had an early wake-up call, so I decided to make the most of it.

(click on all the photos to enlarge)

As there were no rainclouds looming this morning I made up my mind to do something about the courtyard garden ... it was a hot, humid and horrid morning but that still didn't stop me ... I was determined to do somsummer cleaning in at least one part of my garden!

My courtyard garden is at the rear of my house and is bordered at the back by a very large garden bed that screens off the driveway behind it ... and bordered on one side by the pond area under a huge pergola.  The house forms a U-shape around the courtyard ... so the whole area is rather sheltered from the high winds we get here and is shaded by some very large corymbias and gums.  It's a real haven ... and usually looks great!

Here's a view of it in early December ... all set up for an early Xmas party.

Over the last year I've slowly been filling it up with lots and lots of potted plants ... trying to add some much needed colour to balance all the surrounding green!

 

But of course the summer heat, the humidity and then the torrential rain wrecks havoc with the poor potted plants.   While I so look forward to the rain during our 'wet' season, the heavy downpours have a huge impact on many of my drought tolerant plants!

On top of all that the grasshoppers moved in and had a banquet and there was an infestation of those dreaded mealy bugs. I lost quite a few plants ... my pelargoniums x domesticum, my salvias, the last of my petunias, my calibrachoas, my beautiful lavender!  ... and the most heartbreaking of all ... I lost this fabulous coleus!  I just couldn't look out at the courtyard without feeling rather down.

So, this morning out I went ... threw out all the dead plants ... re-potted some rather sick looking plants, potted up a couple of new plants that I'd grown from cuttings.  Then I started moving things around ... a few plants were definitely in the wrong places and suffering from over-exposure to the full sun or from too much shade.  It's looking so much brighter and happier!

Here are some of the survivors ...

... and very soon it will be time to pot up all the lovely annuals for their autumn - spring show!  Just can't wait.