Mosaic Monday ... Oh For Smell-O-Vision!!

Maybe that should be ... Oh For Smell-O-Monitor-Vision!  Anyway, my Oriental ladies are blooming and the fragrance is heavenly.

This is only the second year I've grown these grand ladies and I'm now hooked!   I'm not one for cutting blooms to bring inside but I couldn't resist the urge to bring a bouquet of them into the house. They're taking pride of place on the kitchen bench right now, but the fragrance fills almost every room in the house.

These huge blooms came in a mixed pack of bulbs, so I don't know the varietal names. I have to say, even though I don't know who they are, they're most welcome in my home.   Now all I have to figure out how is just how can I keep them coming back each year.

This is my 200th post for this blog and I can't think of a better way to celebrate than to show off these fabulous flowers.  This is why I enjoy gardening so much!

I'm joining Mary's meme Mosaic Monday.  Do go on over and check out all the fabulous mosaic posts. 

Flower Flaunt Friday ... On A Warm Spring Day.

Our mid-Spring month is now almost over and I can feel Summer just waiting around the corner.  The days are getting warmer, but thankfully the nights are still comfortable.  It's getting hectic at work now that the end of the school year is approaching.  It an absolute joy to come home from a long day at school and find the Oriental Lilies blooming and filling the shadehouse with their exotic perfume.  Oh if only we had smell-o-vision!  I could share the wonderful fragrance with you all.

These are from a mixed pack of bulbs so unfortunately I have no idea of their specific varietal names.  They are such beautiful blooms and absolutely huge!  Now from the giants to the midgets.

Another fantastic surprise this week was the sight of the first tiny little blooms on my Hoya bella.  These flowers are only around 1 cm across and also have a lovely fragrance.  I wish my camera was better so I could take macro shots.  If you look right up close to these flowers, they look almost like beautiful cake decorations.

The Asiatic Lilies have been blooming for a couple of weeks now, but out of all the lovely blooms that came from the mixed pack of bulbs, I really adore the colour of this particular Asiatic Lily. 

My pretty Callistemon 'Pink Champagne' is throwing out more and more blooms now.  The lonely first bloom appeared a few weeks ago, but now there's more and more of the dainty bottlebrush blooms appearing. 

My Salvia madrensis has started its second blooming for the year.  It bloomed mid-Autumn.  I cut it right back mid-Winter, and its now putting on its mis-Spring display.

One of my favourite Pelargoniums is looking fabulous.   It's one of the few Pellies I managed to get through the last wet season and I'm so glad I did.

The Rex Begonias continue to show their sweet little flowers and I'm always amazed at the intricacies of these tiny flowers as well as the spectacular foliage patterns.

The last offering for this flower flaunt today are the bracts and eensy weensy blooms on my variegated Bougainvillea.  I just love the colour of these bracts.

Now, make sure you pop over to visit Tootsie now and you'll find loads of great Fertilizer Friday / Flaunt Your Flowers  posts.

I'm joining Tina for her meme, Weekend Flowers, so follow the link to see some more lovely blooms there,

and I'm also joining Today's Flowers where you will see many beautiful flower photos.  Enjoy!

Wordless Wednesday ... A Gift From A Friend's Garden

Join in the fun on Wordless Wednesday

Mosaic Monday ... Will The Real Jamaican Stand Up Please!

Well I've only had two very brief years experience growing Daylilies, so I'm not all that clued up on how it all works ... yet!  When the first bloom of my Hemerocallis 'Jamaican Me Crazy' opened up, I was a little taken aback.  It looked quite odd with its crinkly petals and bizarra maroon streaks.  I wasn't sure what was going on. 

Well I think he was just playing with me.  Trying to live up to his name!  Thankfully, I think the real Jamaican is back.  Today another bloom opened and it seems 'Jamaican Me Crazy' is back to his old self. 

Can you spot the difference?

For lots of wonderful Mosaic Monday posts, visit Mary at Little Red House

Flower Flaunt Friday ... On This Mid-Spring Day.

Yet another Flower Flaunt/Skywatch Friday has begun.  We've had some strange weather lately.  It's been very gusty and windy with grey clouds hanging around heavy with the promise of decent rain.  That hasn't eventuated in my suburb, but apparently there has been heavy showers in other areas around our city area.  Here, we've had some very very light drizzle which barely touches the ground.  The garden, however, seems to be a bit more cheerful and happy.

In my mid-Spring garden the Hemerocallis have begun their show for the year.

At the beginning of the parade of colours was Hemerocallis 'Blackberry Jack', with a whole lot more yellow in his attire than he is supposed to have.  He was out front all by his lonesome for a week or so before being joined by

Hemerocallis 'Francois Verheart', Hemerocallis'.

It didn't take long before Hemerocallis 'Archangel Eyes' joined in.  There's quite a few Hemerocallis waiting in the wings to join the parade, but they haven't appeared just yet.

There's been some lovely colour out in the Shadehouse Garden.

The Asiatic Lilies have been on show,  

as have the Stromanthe sanguinea 'Tricolor',

 the Costus productus or Orange Spiral Ginger,

the Begonia 'Tiger Paws',

the Cane Begonia,

and the Neomarica longifolia clumps are all in bloom right now.  These lovely Yellow Walking Iris flowers only last one day but there are loads of flowerbuds waiting to take their turn to bloom.

The Courtyard Garden is also full of lovely colour ... it's just a shame quite a bit of it is sitting up on the table far away from the nibbling mouths of the Agile Wallabies.

The Petrea volubilis or Sandpaper Vine draped over the pergola is blooming.

The Salvia guaranitica decided to bloom once more, but unfortunately the wallabies discovered it last night and the little thing is not as full of blooms this morning.  It's a shame they haven't developed a taste for Coleus flowers because there's plenty of those!!

The Salvia splendens, Crossandras, Ixora, Pentas and Cleome make a great combination of colours at the back of the courtyard.

The Spathiphyllums, Duranta repens 'Geisha Girl' and Lavandula dentata are flowering now as well.

It's great to see the Duranta in flower out in the courtyard, as I've been missing the fabulous display of Duranta blooms that's usually on show down the driveway at this time of year.

I'm also absolutely loving the flowers on the Gazania 'Big Kiss' series.  They have been loving the dry season conditions.

Out in the tiered garden beds, my baby Justicia brandegeeana or Shrimp Plant is beginning to bloom again.

Now for a most unwelcome bloomer.  Quite a bit of Lantana camara is popping up in the driveway garden beds, obviously blown in during Cyclone Yasi earlier in the year.  This Lantana is a 'weed of national significance' in my country and in my northern state it is a declared Class 3 species weed.  It very quickly gets out of control and can form massive great thickets.  We're surrounded by bushland that's filled with very dense thickets of it and despite my husband's best efforts over many years, we have not been able to remove it.  It is extremely difficult to kill off.  I'm having lots of trouble keeping it out of our property now as well.  Lovely flowers, but not wanted!

I know one of the gardening chores that will be on the list for this weekend.  Enjoy yours!

Today I'm joining Tootsie for her Fertilizer Friday / Flaunt Your Flowers meme.  Make sure you pop over to see what's happening in gardens from all corners of the globe.

Go and visit Today's Flowers as well and you'll find some beautiful blooms.

I'm also joining Skywatch Friday where you will find some fabulous sky shots, so please do put that on your list of blogs to visit as well.

Darling Daylilies For Bloomin' Tuesday

I'm joining Jean's Bloomin' Tuesday meme for the first time today and I can share the first of my Hemerocallis bloms for this Spring.

Hemerocallis 'Blackberry Jack' bloomed first, as he has done for the last two years since I planted my very first Hemerocallis bulbs.

Then today, when I arrived home from work, I noticed Hemerocallis 'Francois Verhaert' had suddenly appeared.

These boys are in fine form and make a great first post for a Bloomin' Tuesday.

Do go on over to visit Ms Green Thumb Jean and see what's blooming in other gardens.

Mosaic Monday ... On A Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah Day!

Well I know I've been complaining a little lately.  The dry season sometimes gets me way, way down, and that's been the case this year. Six months without means hard work for the garden and gardener.  But, something awoke me this morning and I thought I was dreaming.  I heard thunder!!!!  I cautiously and hopefully made my way out of the bedroom, onto the verandah to see this ...

... and this!

Now I didn't want to get my hopes up, but I couldn't help but smile.  There was that delicious, delectable hint of rain in the air.  After the searing temperature the last few days, there was also a welcome coolness and freshness to the air.

From somewhere in the deep dark depths of my Walt Disney movie watching soul, came the memory of a song called "Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah, Zip-A-Dee-Day!"  I've been humming it ever since.

The rain did fall.  Well, I won't get carried away with the use of the word 'rain'!  I really should say 'sprinkles of teeny tiny water drops'.  Yes I went strolling under those dark grey clouds and I think at least five or so raindrops splashed my nightie in that ten-minute stroll.  How wonderful.

There was a splash of moisture on the pavers out in the courtyard.  There was a smattering of little puddles on the verandah.  There were some gorgeous raindrops sitting on the Crossandra bloom.  It didn't last too long before there was a hint of blue sky once more, but I'm feeling a little more cheerful today.

Drop by to visit Mary and join in her Mosaic Monday meme, and feel free to join in with the song that's been in my head this morning.
(PLEASE NOTE:  you will have to scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on the stop button of the playlist before enjoying the video clip)