Please do drop by and visit my other blog: My Dry Tropics Garden ... it provides a more informative look at what's going on in my garden out in the bush.

Friday, June 17, 2011

Foliage Follow-Up and a Flower Flaunt For This First Winter Month.

I'm joining Pam's Foliage Follow-Up  meme and Tootsies' Fertiliser Friday/Flaunt Your Flowers meme today. 

Right now it's our first month of Winter here in the northern tropics of Oz.  You know it's Winter here when you see the Poinsettias showing off and my Euphorbia pulcherrimas are showing their stunning bracts right now.  People often think the bright leaves or bracts look like flamboyent flowers.  But if you look closely in the centre of these bracts, you will see the rather insignificant yellowish cluster of true flowers.  Therein lies the reason for my posting about Poinsettias as part of Foliage Follow-Up and Flaunt Your Flowers.

Originally I had an enormous red Poinsettia growing in my front garden bed ... you might just be able to see it to the right in this old photo, behind the Russelia.  Unfortunately I lost that to drought conditions just over six years ago now.

It took me a while, but I finally have a couple of immature ones growing in my outdoor tiered garden bed.  I can't wait for them to mature and see them absolutely covered in their coloured bracts and tiny little flowers at this time of year.  For now though, they're quite young but they still put on a great display.

Here come the bracts on my red.  This was back at the end of May.

Now there are little flowers in the middle as well.

Here's the baby of the family.  It's my newest addition and it has creamy-white bracts.  You can see that the flowers have only just begun to show.

Here's my dwarf pink just coming into flower as well.   The pink Poinsettia is just a little behind the others with its' display, but very soon it will look like this.


Make sure you pop over to visit Pam at Digging and check out all the foliage follow-up posts listed in the comments section.  You won't be disappointed!

Then go to see what's in flower at Tootsie Time.  Enjoy!
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15 comments:

  1. MissyJune 17, 2011 at 9:30 AM

    Aren't poinsettias great in Winter? They make the garden so bright. I love the pink one. Mine are all from cuttings but I really should spend some money and buy a couple of different varieties.
    Hope you had a good time in Brisbane despite the miserable weather.

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  2. TootsieJune 17, 2011 at 9:48 AM

    BERNIE!!!!!!!! those are fantastic! I have never kept one alive for more than two weeks... so unless I purchase it huge...it will never get that way for me.
    your gardens are winter now...and mine are trying to see summer...it has been very cold here...and raining...for days now...I WANT SUMMER!!!
    thanks for linking in this week sweet friend. I always love the visit from you.
    My daughter says thank you for the wishes. She has had a tough year.
    I am not going to go away...so there better be something done for her at that school.
    hugs...see you soon friend

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  3. africanaussieJune 17, 2011 at 10:05 AM

    Bernie,
    I love all your different colors of poinsettia, this year mine has not done so well - it often gets those little white flies, and this year seemed quite bad - they have disappeared after water spraying them every day, but now it is taking its time to color up. So I will enjoy yours. :)

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  4. lotusleafJune 17, 2011 at 10:41 AM

    Beautiful poinsettias flowering when mine have gone to sleep!

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  5. Gatsbys GardensJune 17, 2011 at 10:44 AM

    Bernie,

    This is so hard to believe because we go to greenhouses for these in November and pay dearly for them.

    I say each year I am not going to go overboard with Pointsettias but I always buy more than I should just for the fact that it is a growing beautiful plant.

    Eileen

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  6. RBellJune 17, 2011 at 11:13 AM

    Hard for me here in Texas to even imagine growing Poinsettias outside - and for them to grow so large. Simply amazing.

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  7. BethJune 17, 2011 at 12:22 PM

    Bernie, Your poinsettias are absolutely stunning! We won't see any here (U.S.) until Christmas - they are a traditional Christmas flower here...and then, it will be inside, not growing in the garden. I enjoyed seeing yours!
    Blessings, Beth

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  8. BernieHJune 17, 2011 at 2:02 PM

    Missy, yes I have to agree. The Poinsettias add that splash of great colour during the cool months. We had a great time down in Brissie, thanks, despite the slightly chilly temps. It's always a joy to visit with my boys and grandchildren.

    Tootsie ... it's glorious winter weather here right now. Hopefully that summer will arrive for you soon. I do hope things work out for your daughter at her school. It's tough when school becomes hard to bear because of the unacceptable behaviour of others!

    Africanaussie, sorry to hear about the white flies infesting your Poinsettia. I haven't had that problem as yet, so fingers crossed it doesn't happen. I'm sure your Poinsettia will make a fabulous display for Winter's end.

    Lotusleaf ... they do have spectacular colour.

    Eileen ... there's not such an emphasis on Poinsettias as Christmas blooms here, obviously because they're growing in so many yards they're regarded as a rather common plant.

    RBell ... yes the Poinsettias here make rather large shrubs and herald in our Winter with their colourful show.

    Beth ... so glad you stopped by to see the Poinsettias in bloom.

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  9. idehavenJune 17, 2011 at 6:17 PM

    Wonderful pictures. And so many different colours and plants. Have a nice weekend. Helga, Denmark

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  10. LonaJune 18, 2011 at 4:26 AM

    I wish we could grow them outdoors here in the frozen northern states. Then maybe I could get them to bloom. My overwintering them here and blooming has failed but I keep trying. I love your white one Bernie and the red is just a favorite color in them. I love how they get so in growing outdoors in your milder climate. Have a wonderful weekend!

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  11. AnonymousJune 18, 2011 at 4:47 AM

    Bernie! Love your poinsetia's they are amazing@!!!! Thanks for s haring how awesome that you can grow them! Paula from Idaho
    http://bucketideasforgardening.blogspot.com/

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  12. Pam/DiggingJune 18, 2011 at 7:08 AM

    Thanks for joining in the celebration of leaves with Foliage Follow-Up! Your poinsettias are lovely, although I admit it's a bit disconcerting for this Northern Hemisphere gardener to see Christmas flowers growing at this time of year. :-) I think the dwarf pink is my favorite.

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  13. ShirleyJune 18, 2011 at 11:01 AM

    Oh my Bernie! I didn't realize you could grow Poinsettias in Australia but it makes sense. Happy Gardening!

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  14. flowers delivery in mumbaiJune 22, 2011 at 7:39 AM

    Wow these pics are so lush and splendid! Thanks for providing some visual relief over here.

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  15. AnonymousOctober 4, 2013 at 11:07 PM

    How do I get a dwarf pointsettia to bloom? It is special as I received it when my Mom passed away last Dec.

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