Friday Flower Flaunt .... Mid-Summer 2025

Mid-Summer Garden Update:  Hot Days and Resilient Plants In Bloom.

As we settle into the heart of summer here in north Queensland, the weather has been as predictable as ever:  hot and humid.  It's the kind of heat that makes gardening a race against the clock - anything after 10.00 a.m. become a challenge.  Despite the discomfort, there's still joy to be found in brief, early morning strolls through the garden.  

This wet season has been underwhelming.  After an exceptional December with the highest rainfall totals in over a century, the new year has brought little relief.  The soil is parched, and the plants are yearning for more consistent rain.  Yet, even in these challenging conditions, the garden continues to offer small surprises and delights.

Blooms Spotted In The Garden  

While wandering through the various garden spaces, I've noticed several resilient plants resplendent in their blooms of many colours.

In the outdoor garden beds ...

Cassia fistula  (a summer bloomer)

Hibiscus rosa-sinensis  (all year round bloomer)

Lagerstroemia indica  (summer bloomer)

Mussaenda philippica x flava 'Calcutta Sunset'  (a summer bloomer)

Combretum constrictum  (a spring & summer bloomer)

In the sheltered courtyard garden ...

Coleus

Justicia carnea  (a spring / summer bloomer)

Various Impatiens  (all year round bloomers)

Various Torenias  (all year round bloomers)

In the shade house garden ...

Costus productus  (all year round bloomer)

Evolvulus  (all year round bloomer)

Dianthus  (spring & summer bloomers, and one of my all-time favourite perennials for this dry tropics garden)      

Calibrachoas (spring & summer bloomers).

I'm joining this week's Floral Friday Fotos.

Mosaic Monday ... Signs of the Approaching Wet Season

After a long nine-month dry season, we've been looking for the signs of the imminent arrival of the yearly monsoonal wet season. 

Over the last week or so, we've seen quite a few leaden-grey skies.  We've listened to the quiet tinkle of light showers of raindrops sprinkling on the rooftop and courtyard.  We've smelt that heady sweet smell of rain in the air.  These sights and that sweet perfume of rain coming are, we hope, a promise of decent rain on the way.

The showers are most welcome, and I really don't want to complain, but we really need the drenching saturating downpours now.

I'm joining Mary for her weekly Mosaic Monday meme.

Flower Flaunt Friday ... On This Dreary Rainy Friday.

We've had almost non-stop rain now since the beginning of the month.  This is just La Nina reminding us that the 'wet' season is most certainly not over yet, even though Summer is over.  I don't think we've seen old man Sun this particular week since about Sunday ... most appropriate!

As I work every day, except Friday, the rain really doesn't bother me.  I know how much the garden needs the 'wet' season rain and so far this year, it's been tolerable heavy rainfall ... not that horrid violent and torrential stuff we sometimes get.  But when Friday rolls around and there's no chance of getting out into the garden, I get a little miffed! 

That's the case today.  It has not stopped raining since about 6.00 am this morning, and it looks set in for the entire day.  So, unfortunately I can't share too much of what's blooming this Friday except what I can see from the verandah or from inside the house.

There's always Hibiscus blooms visible from the verandah, right next to spot where I sit and enjoy my morning cuppa.

At the bottom of the verandah stairs it's possible to spot some Ixora and Mussaenda blooms.  Note too, the fungi growing on the stairway railings.  That will give you an idea of just how much rain we've been receiving.

From the back verandah it's possible to spot the Torenia, Angelonia and Gomphrena flowers on the courtyard garden table, and the pots of Salvia in the background.  The view is a little obscured by all those container plants though.

They usually sit under the eaves that you can see on either side of the courtyard, and often miss out on the raindrops that fall during our wet season.  This morning though, I had the chance to drag some of them out so they could enjoy a refreshing shower.

From inside the house I can look out onto the shadehouse garden and, if I look carefully, I can spot Dragonwing Begonia blooms, some Impatiens flowers, a few Costus productus blooms, a Dendrobium Orchid in bloom, and my beautiful Hedychium coronarium which is showing it first flowers for the year.

In case you missed some of these, here are a couple of shots I took yesterday when I braved the light showers to get photos of the lovely Orchid flower and white Ginger flower.  It's bucketing down too heavily for me to go out there today.

Well, that's it for today.  I plan to stay high and dry inside for the rest of the afternoon.  It's been great weather for ducks ... not so great for wallabies.

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

Mosaic Monday ... A Welcome Return To Bright Sunny Autumn Days!

Oh what a difference a week makes ... It's simply glorious!  You might remember in my last Mosaic Monday post, I was bemoaning what seemed like the longest ever 'wet' season.  If we do see a 'wet' season here, and until around two years ago, they were scarce, it would last maybe a month or two.  This one was into its' fourth month and the garden was in monsoon season survival mode!

Well, our treasured friend the sun has returned and has booted out those gloomy grey clouds!  That golden orb has hung around for six days now ... whoohoooo!   This is the Autumn weather we're used to!
Bright, clear, sunny, blue-sky days.

It's a pleasure to see the sunlight lighting up the garden ...

and brightening up our world once more.

It's hard to describe just how wonderful it is to come out of a wickedly long gloomy 'wet' season, but I can truly say I'm looking forward to the 'dry' this year.  It's the best time for gardening here in my corner of the world .. suddenly there's a sparkle in my eye and a spring in my step.

Please visit Mary at Little Red House for some fabulous Mosaic Monday posts.

Mosaic Monday ... on a gloomy dreary Autumn day!

The weekend was a wash-out!  The sun seems to have gone on holiday ... possibly taking that long-awaited overseas trip!  We're left with bleak and cheerless at the moment. 

Sunrises ... lacking in liveliness!

Flowers ... drowned and dreary!

Can you tell the weather is making me glum?    Rain, rain, go away!  Today!  OK!

For fabulous Mosaic Monday posts, visit Mary at Little Red House

Yet Another Cyclone Is Coming ... Yep, Yet Another Cyclone Is Coming ... and it's a doozy!

‘Wet’ season here in northern Oz not only means heavy rainfall, but the possible occurrence of significant weather events like cyclones.

So far this ‘wet’ season we’ve had one Category 1 cyclone … Tropical Cyclone Tasha … which passed a little further north of us on Christmas Day morning. That cyclone deteriorated to a rain depression when it moved inland and went on to contribute significantly to the flooding experienced throughout central and southern Queensland.

Then on Monday this week, a borderline Category1/2 tropical cyclone, TC Anthony crossed the coast just south of us.  It made landfall in my home town where my Dad and brother still live.  Luckily there wasn't too much damage but they did experience 150 kilometre/hour winds and torrential rain.  Trees were squashed flat, caravans tossed around, some smashed windows ... but that was about the extent of the damage.

Well, today we're bracing ourselves for the arrival of possibly the largest tropical cyclone Queensland has experienced.  TC Yasi is on its way ... and it's a monster.  It will dump another massive amount of rain over Queensland as it deteriorates and moves inland ... and that is, of course, the last thing this state needs!

It's predicted to become a Category 4 just before it crosses the coast. Category 5 is the highest possible category for cyclones, this is going to be a bad one.  We've been closely watching it all day today and it's begun moving quite quickly towards the coast. No-one can be entirely certain where it might make landfall, but at the moment it's predicted to be further north, maybe up around Innisfail or Cairns.

Community Threat	Past Cyclone Details
Warning Zone - Gales within 24 hours Watch Zone - Gales from 24 to 48 hours	Past Location and Intensity Number Past Track and Movement
Current Cyclone Details	Forecast Cyclone Details (at 24 and 48 hours from issue)
Current Location and Intensity Number Very Destructive Winds Destructive Winds Strong Gale Force Winds	Forecast Location and Intensity Number Very Destructive Wind Boundary Destructive Wind Boundary Strong Gale Force Wind Boundary Most Likely Future Track Range of Likely Tracks of Cyclone Centre

It is however a huge system and we will definitely be affected. Nursing homes and one boarding school was evacuated yesterday ... and today most of the low-lying areas close to the coast have been warned to evacuate. There's a huge storm surge expected to hit Townsville and we will experience the outer edge of the destructive winds.

All schools are closed tomorrow and Thursday, so I get to stay at home. We have relatives living in the inner city who have been warned to evacuate so we'll be looking after them.  The supermarket shelves here are almost bare ... there's not a tin of Baked Beans or a roll of toilet paper to be found. On the way home from work this afternoon I saw incredibly long lines of cars waiting to fuel up at the petrol stations because we're expected to lose power for a while. People are queued at ATM's to get cash ... and there's not a battery to be found in this great city of ours!  I have to say too, lol, that there's not much wine or beer left in the bottle shops either!!! Typical for Aussies!

Ah ... the tropics! Anyone thinking of migrating for the wonderful weather??? Hmmm?