We had a most unusual week here in north-east Oz. Whilst we are in the middle of dry season, on Tuesday we experienced the wettest July day in over 70 years. The amount of rain that fell in 24 hours on that day seemed much more like a day during the short monsoonal wet season. It's also been raining intermittently every day since! I'm not complaining though. The plants are certainly loving it.
Here's what's blooming on this mid-Winter Friday.
The bees are loving the Turnera subulata.
There are little flower spikes at the end of the Acalypha 'Spitfire' branches, in amongst the gorgeous burgundy-red wintertime leaves.
There are tiny little blooms on the Ophiopogon planiscapus 'Phantom Black'.
The blooming cycle for all the clumps of Tradescantia spathacea around the garden has begun again. I really love spotting the white flowerheads poking out of their boat-shaped bracts.
There are bright red tassel-like flowers on the little Acalypha reptans 'Stephie' planted just a few months back. They certainly add a lot of interest in a rather drab spot along the driveway.
More red flowers can be found on the Malvaviscus arboreus as it is in the midst of another blooming cycle for the year. The long pendulous bright red blooms on this shrub never quite open fully and always look like unopened Hibiscus blooms.
The ever-blooming purple Anthurium is always showing off its shield-shaped spathe that surrounds the cylindrical spike, known as the spadix, which is embedded with loads of tiny little flowers.
There are a multitude of flowers on the Cyperus out in the front garden bed. It looks quite spectacular right now.
The Pentas flowers are attracting loads of butterflies and the Sunbirds at the moment. This is the fabulous male Yellow-Bellied Sunbird with his stunning blue bib.
I also noticed a female Yellow-Bellied Sunbird feasting on the nectar of the Salvia blooms. She is not quite as spectacular looking as her male mate.
I'll finish off today with a shot of the beautiful star-shaped white
flower of the Chlorophytum comosum 'Ocean', better known as the Spider
Plant.
and Tina for
Weekend Flowers
What a delight your blooms and critters are Bernie.
ReplyDeleteI love the purple Anthurium. I've never seen one before, very pretty. The sunbirds are wonderful.
Happy mid winter to you ~ FlowerLady
Flowerlady, I've only got the one Anthurium and I've had it now for many years. Of course, I am a purple lover, so it was a no-brainer when I stumbled across it at a nursery all those years ago.
DeleteHi Bernie, it's good your T subulata flowers are still up, here when it rains they melt down. I love that purple anthurium too, i only have the pink.
ReplyDeleteKalantikan, most of the flowers seemed to have withstood the downpours we've experienced this week rather well. It was just the Petunias which were flattened a little.
DeleteI love sunbirds. Do you have them nesting around your house?
ReplyDeleteWe've had about enough rain here. It's been light rain, but cold and miserable all week. Queensland is definitely not the sunshine state at the moment.
Missy, I know the pair of Sunbirds flying around together are nesting around here somewhere, as I see them collect material for their next. I just haven't been able to find the nest's location yet. Of course there's literally thousands of spots I would never be able to get too around here. As for Qld being the sunshine state ... liquid sunshine maybe! It's still overcast, dreary and drizzly up here today.
DeleteMy garden really enjoyed this dumping of rain! Gosh you got some great shots of the sunbirds - I find they wont sit long enough for me to photograph!
ReplyDeleteHasn't the rain been lovely? Those Sunbirds are very quick. I just keep on shooting and hope for the best. I often don't get anything good at all!!!
DeleteFantastic captures!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much Joyful.
DeleteBernieh,
ReplyDeleteI really love your offerings this week. The Reddish foliage of the Acalypha 'Spitfire' is wonderful as is the purple Anthurium. The sunbirds are beautiful and the male is outstanding. Hoping that you have a happy week.
Yael from Home Garden Diggers
Thanks Yael, the rain we've had this week has made it rather an unusual mid-winter week. Of course the plants are certainly loving it. The new wintertime foliage of the Acalypha 'Spitfire' is a stand-out in the garden at the moment.
DeleteBeautiful blooms and birds captured.
ReplyDeleteThanking you for visiting and leaving your kind comment, Jim.
DeleteThey are all too beautiful! Each photo. Have a nice weekend!
ReplyDeleteI appreciate you taking the time to stop by Anastasia. Thanks so much.
DeleteDear Bernie.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the gorgeous flowers, and the lovely sunbirds. They´re stunningly beautiful.
Great Anthurium. Here they can only grow indoors!
In Denmark it´s supposed to be summer! However, it´s raining on and off, and probably will do so for the next many weeks. What´s going on? It´s the summer holyday season! Back in 2000 we also had a ´wet season´ like this, so strange. The English roses do not like the wet weather, their flowers will get damaged by all that rain. Well, we cannot change it, just try and make the very best of it. How are the lovely roses doing, at your school?
All my best for a nice weekend,
Iris.
Iris, we are very lucky to be able to grow Anthuriums outdoors. If I had room for them, I'd plant more of them in a shady spot in a garden bed somewhere. Right now though my purple one lives in a pot in amongst all the ferns in my shadehouse garden.
DeleteIt seems there are quite a few spots around the world that are experiencing out-of-the-ordinary weather and conditions lately. It makes for an interesting time in the garden.
The Roses at school were doing so very well, but with the onset of this very unexpected wintertime rainfall, I'm starting to worry they will be looking rather the worse for it very soon. They're certainly looking wonderful at the moment though. I must take some photos of them to share!!
Beautiful flowers and exquisite photography! I can almost smell them. Cute birds.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing such a lovely post.
Hope to see you on my blog:)
I appreciate your visit Snaghamitra. I think it might be your first time here, so I'm glad to hear that you've enjoyed your visit.
DeleteBeautiful flowers and so unusual. I love the look of the Spitfire. We are seeing more and more tropicals in our nurseries here. Many are sold as houseplants but we are starting to see more and more used outside in the garden beds.
ReplyDeleteEileen
Eileen, the Acalypha 'Spitfire' is a great addition to my tiered garden beds, especially at this time of the year when it's showing off its fabulous wintertime foliage. It's strange to think that so many tropical plants are starting to make themselves feel at home over your way now.
DeleteHello Bernie H. I love the pic with the sunbird. Beautiful colors. Very well depicted! Have a great weekend.
ReplyDeleteSo many blooms! I bet your plants loved the unexpected rain. The sunbird pictures are fabulous. What gorgeous birds! I love that you got a picture of the male and the female, too. They look like they are really enjoying the blooms of your garden.
ReplyDeleteHi Bernie: What a glorious garden you have, and what magnificent pictures of the sunbirds in the flowers--gorgeous. Take care--have a lovely weekend!
ReplyDeletefantasic shots! love the little birds and the bright colors
ReplyDeletethanks for your beautiful weekend flowers! and cute birds :)
ReplyDeleteWonderful flowers and birds! My favorite shot is the first one with the bee.
ReplyDeleteLovely collection of flowers you have there, I can't choose one as my favorite as all of them are really lovely. You must have a gorgeous garden with so many blooms. I stay in a high rise apartment with only a pot of Money Plant in the kitchen, not really good with plants anyway. Most of my neighbours have potted plants outside their units and have become my target for photography. :)
ReplyDeleteLovely flowers as always, Bernie, and you are back to a collection of plants I hardly even know the name of! Loved the Malvaviscus arboreus and the purple Anthurium, but there was one plant I actually do recognise, your Ophiopogon. I have several Ophiopogon nigrescens myself, they are flowering right now, how strange that they are flowering at the same time on each side of the globe :-)
ReplyDeleteThis assortment of flowers is very interesting. I especially like the Acalypha.
ReplyDeleteDear Bernie.
ReplyDeleteOhh yes please. Some photos of the roses at school would also be gorgeous to look at. Thank you so much for your reply, and for sharing ;0)
Best regards, Iris.
In your pictures you have flowers and birds I've never seen.
ReplyDeleteSatu from Finland