Autumn has arrived Downunder ... and in my corner of our great country, it's most welcome. Here in the tropical north, Autumn signals the beginning of the best time of year for our gardens. After the devastation wrought by the recent cyclone and the seemingly endless 'wet' season, it's difficult to find much in my garden that is in fact blooming.
The trees and shrubs are in a state of recovery as they have all been severely trimmed back ... as shown by the ever rising green waste pile in our fire pit.
I have to rely mostly on my potted plants for signs of flower displays. Unfortunately, they too have suffered as a result of the leaching from heavy rainfall and from the lack of sunshine. The only other spot that has just a few blooms is the tiered garden bed which also suffered from flooding as a result of the gushing water flowing downhill right through this area.
So let's see what I found as I wandered around. I was amazed to find ...
... the first bud on my new Justicia brandegeana or Shrimp Plant
... the first ever bloom on my Spathoglottis plicata or Ground Orchid.
It was almost as if my garden was apologising for its demise and was attempting to offer some type of salve for my rather saddened gardening heart.
There weren't many other flowering finds apart from ...
... a few sprays of flowers on my reliable Pentas
... a bloom on my oldest and obviously hardiest Gerbera
... and just a couple of flowers on some of my Salvia splendens.
As if to make up for the pitiful lack of colour out there in my garden, I've noticed a couple of colourful visitors popping by almost every day. Can you see the colourful couple high up in the trees?
This pair of Rainbow Lorikeets have been hanging around looking for food ...
... and one of them looks like it's been in the wars, poor thing! I've been wondering if the wound was suffered during cyclone Yasi.
For more Fertiliser / Flower Flaunt Friday posts, please go and visit Tootsie at Tootsie Time
I'm also joining in Today's Flowers meme, so please make sure you go over and visit to see some lovely flowers.
I enjoyed your photos Bernie, and thanks for the comments on my folia pages. Isnt it nice to get a bit of sunshine? I see you are enjoying it as well, and I am hoping the sunhine will make everything wake up and bloom again. .
ReplyDeleteBeautiful blooms. I love the Ground Orchids, we have them here in Texas, too. Hopefully this fall will be quiet for you.
ReplyDeleteBernie, I wish you a wonderful recovery period!
ReplyDeleteEileen
White is my fav color for Pentas. Butterflies visit the deeper pinks and reds.
ReplyDeleteShrimp Plant will winter over in a vase of water on a window sill and bloom.
That Orchid is to die for, Just gorgeous!! As all all your other blooms ♥ So neat to see Lorikeets in their natural surroundings. Do they screech alot? Just see them in pet shops here. We currently have a Rose Breasted Cockatoo, I believe you call them Galahs. Love her to death, she about 13 yrs old now. She was born and bred here and we've had her since she was a baby.
ReplyDeleteGot off track there a bit....you have beautiful gardens♥
*hugs*deb
Oh what a lovely selection of plants you are growing...it's still winter here...almost spring...can't wait..all I have here blooming are daffodils! Thanks for sharing your lovely pictures..have a great weekend.
ReplyDeleteMiss Bloomers
Hi Bernie, i am glad your environment has recuperated from the devastation. Maybe they really are more resilient than us. But i love those rainbow lorikeets, when i was there i had wonderful time looking at them from the window of CSIRO in North Ryde. Even if im alone they keep me company! Now i am down memorylane again, LOL.
ReplyDeleteWonderful flowers and birds. Oh, yes, one of them is injured. I wonder if the feathers will grow back. They should, right?
ReplyDeleteHi Bernie, It's great to see signs of recovery. Your Orchid is gorgeous, and so is the Pentas. It's good to see the birds returning to your property to. I saw a mug in a shop the other day it said "A garden is a friend that always their for you no matter what." How true that is. :o)
ReplyDeleteSue
AfricanAussie ... it's an absolute pleasure seeing the sunshine even if it's just for an hour or two. Unfortunately it looks like there's a fair bit of rain expected during this month as well.
ReplyDeleteTufagirl ... the appearance of the ground orchid was such a lovely surprise. I'm looking forward to a much quieter time for the rest of the year!
Eileen ... thanks for your kind wishes. I'm on the lookout for the signs of more recovery out there ... but there only appearing gradually.
Nell Jean... I have quite a few different coloured Pentas but white is my favourite. It's a real stunner in the garden. I'm looking forward to seeing the Shrimp Plant bloom open up.
Even when you have few blooms and little color, you have gorgeous shots of flowers! That brush pile looks like a monster... can you burn it? Something that big will take a long time to break down.
ReplyDeleteSorry about your ever changing weather...you did manage to find some gorgeous flowers to share. I must, I must get some pentas! Oh and you have the most colorful birds.
ReplyDeleteBernie, I am sorry about the cyclone. I know it caused a lot of damage. I do see some beautiful flowers there, though. Love the ground orchids and your shrimp plant! Your first photo of the sky is absolutely stunning. Loved seeing the birds too.
ReplyDeleteBeth
I enjoyed the tour of your garden. I hope your autumn season gives you some time to clean up from the extreme weather you've experienced. The tropical flowers are beautiful. And what fun to have the lorikeets visiting. Will they stay? We have fed lorikeets at the zoo, but certainly have nothing like that in the wild around here! ~~Rhonda :)
ReplyDeleteHappy Autumn Bernie! Your exotic flowers are so beautiful and almost jump off the screen. Wonderful Lorikeets!!
ReplyDeleteI'm sure the garden is calling to you, saying to you don't give up we will brighten your day again soon. I wonder what the birds and animals do in a cyclone.
ReplyDeleteWonderful flower pictures!!
ReplyDeleteBut the birds are very pretty too.
Autumn is arriving in your area, we are waiting for spring.
But snow is covering my garden again:(
- Cheers from Canada.
Those are beautiful blooms!
ReplyDeleteMy Flower post, have a blessed Sunday!
So nice to meet someone else who likes to call their plants by their proper names.
ReplyDeleteYou do have quite a few survivors, after the storms in your area I am surprised you have so many blooms. Orchids respond to thunderstorms and usually bud up with the extra nitrogen in the air, and yours is a particularly charming one.
I don't know what is worse, having great deluges or, like us, just dry searing N. winds from the Simpson desert and no rain to speak of.
dear bernie, isn't it wonderful how resilient nature is? the loikeet looks battered but OK, and there is already lots of green renewal. autumn is a wonderful season, although every season down here is wonderful except very hot summers - certainly not the case this year. cheers, cm
ReplyDeleteHi, Bernie from Long Island, NY. It is so wonderfully resilient of you to photograph the plants and birds that have survived and come through such extreme weather conditions. The Lorikeets are so special. the Pentas are so pure. I wonder if they would grow outside here? So glad to read you posts again. Cheers from the Jarvis House Garden.
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