Flower Flaunt On This End-of-Winter Friday.

Today is the last Friday of our tropical Winter, as Spring officially begins on Sunday.  The weather has certainly been warming up this week, and I'm lamenting the end of our glorious winter conditions.  Everything is bone dry around here, as our dry season continues into the coming Spring.

There's not an awful lot blooming away from our house around the property. 

Down the driveway, there are still a few blooms on the couple of Bauhinia variegatas.  Those brilliant white blooms certainly draw the eye away from all the parched dry brown grass.

As you get closer to the house, you will notice some of the buds have opened up on one of the Cadaghi Gum Trees, otherwise known as Corymbia torelliana.  The Rainbow Lorikeets have been dropping by to feast on the nectar of these puffy blooms.

When you step onto the courtyard and look up, you will see the bare branches of our native Sterculia quadrifida, or Peanut Tree, gloriously decorated in its green or red seed pods.  These are attracting lots of birds at the moment, as they try to find the delicious seeds inside the open pods.

The Corymbia torellianas, which are just starting to burst into bloom, form a pretty backdrop to the stark look of the Sterculia tree.  Of course, the bare branches of the Sterculia allows plenty of direct sunlight to flood the courtyard at this time of the year.  This is great for all the potted plants.

In the courtyard, there are a quite few potted plants in bloom right now, adding some lovely colour to the space.

Impatiens hawkeri

Cane Begonia

Pelargonium

Azalea

Petunias

It's surprising to see one of my Schlumbergeras just starting another blooming cycle on this second last day of winter.  That's never happened so late in the year before.  Still, I'm not complaining.  I don't mind seeing these gorgeous flowers once more.

Out in the shadehouse there are lots of Impatiens walleriana flowers to be seen.  This is the best time of the year for them, and they always fill the shadehouse garden with fabulous colour around now.

There's also lovely Begonia blooms to spot, like this Begonia 'Tiger Paw',

and this unknown Begonia.

I'm a big fan of Begonia blooms.  They are simply beautiful.

Out in the shadehouse, you will also spot the purple Anthurium blooming ... it blooms all year round ...

and you will see lots of flowers on the Streptocarpus caulescens and Dragon Wing Begonias ... which both also bloom all year round.

I'm joining Nix for Floral Friday Fotos

Tracie for Cottage Garden Party

and Mona's Floral Love

The Hills Are Alight .... The Year In Photographs ... August 21, 2013

This was the view that greeted me from our verandah this morning. 

It's dry season here, and we often see bushfires blazing in the ranges around this time of year. 

August is not only the last month of our winter, but it is usually the time when the bush fire season is in full swing.  We have been seeing lots of smoke around our rural suburb for around two weeks now, as the flames make their way slowly along the ranges in the distance.

Thankfully the flames are a long way off, and we're quite happy to just put up with the smoke.

Flower Flaunt Time ... In Our Last Winter Month

So, August is the last month of our extremely mild and glorious wintertime.  The weather has been absolutely fabulous with lots of comfy, coolish, clear-sky days and slightly cooler nights.  The days are starting the get longer thank goodness, so the nights are no longer drawing in around 5.30 in the afternoon.

Finally I have something new to share this week.  I've noticed some stunning white blooms on a pass-along plant that I think might be Eucharis grandiflora, otherwise known as the Eucharist Lily.  I'm sure someone out there will tell me if I'm on the right track with the I.D.

The flowers are absolutely gorgeous.  Of course many of you will know just how much I love white in the garden, so I'm over the moon with these wonderful flowers. I'll be adding this plant to one of the new garden beds as soon as they're finished.

There are more and more flowers appearing on the rhizomatous Begonias at the moment,

like Begonia 'Tiger Paw',

and this unknown.

I'm joining Tootsie for Fertilizer Friday / Flaunt Your Flowers

Nix for Floral Friday Fotos

Today's Flowers

Floral Love

Cottage Garden Party

Weekend Flowers

Unexpected Visitors ... The Year In Photographs ... August 3, 2013

Our next door neighbour's goats wandered into our bush paddock this afternoon.   That's something that hasn't happened before.

The kid was quite adventurous, looking around for new places to explore.

The older nanny was keeping an eye on me,



and an eye on the little one.

Flower Flaunt As Our Last Month of Winter Begins.

As August begins, our tropical winter is nearing an end.  This is the last month of our winter, and the very mild winter conditions have continued throughout the last couple of weeks.  The skies have continued to be bright, sunny and blue, and our dry season rolls on.

At the moment the Begonia blooms are out and proudly on show.  Whilst the Dragonwing Begonias and Bedding Begonias bloom all year round for me, the Cane Begonias and Tiger Paw Begonia begin their blooming cycle at the end of Winter and continue on into Spring.

unknown Cane Begonia

Begonia 'Tiger Paw'

Dragonwing Begonias and Begonia semperflorens or Bedding Begonia


I think these flowers are rather unappreciated by most, but certainly not by me.  I really love the form of these beauties.


I'm joining Tootsie for Fertilizer Friday / Flaunt Your Flowers

Tracie for Cottage Garden Party 

Mona for Floral Love

Nix for Floral Friday Fotos

and Today's Flowers