A week of high temps. and harsh humidity!

We crave a decent 'wet' season here in my corner of north-eastern Australia ... as we have a very, very long dry spell which lasts for many months of each year.  When we see those dark rain clouds looming during summertime, we literally jump for joy.  Rainy, overcast days are an absolute pleasure!

But, of course, there's a downside!  The build-up is excruciating and the after-effects are stifling - we have to endure blinding daytime temperatures up around 35 degrees C and we swelter as our levels of humidity just rise and rise ... sometimes as high as 90% ... and to top it all off, we sometimes receive torrential monsoonal rainfall. 

Of course the plants are experiencing the same problems ... they are lashed by heavy downpours of rainfall and then suffer the muggy conditions created by extreme temperatures and humidity.  This really tests the resilience of the plants around here.

A striking beauty that stands up to everything the 'wet' throws at it and then carries on brilliantly well all during the 'dry' is the Cordyline ... and what a beauty it is!  This is one of my favourites - the 'Red Wing.'

 Another of my favourite resilient tropic plants is the Torenia ... I'm such a big, big fan of these gorgeous things.

 And finally ... a plant that comes through the 'wet' year after year ... tolerates the 'dry' ... and blooms almost unceasingly throughout the year is the Crossandra ...my hero!