Flower Flaunt on Friday - end-of-Spring in Oz.

November is the beginning of the end for us here ... the end of Spring that is.  Summer is creeping closer and closer and the increasing heat, humidity and the arrival of more rain is certainly having an effect on the garden.  After reporting that the weather had fined up finally in my last Flower Flaunt Friday post ... Flower Flaunt on Friday - mid-Spring Downunder, today is yet another dreary drizzly November day in a string of rainy days over the last fortnight.  This year's 'dry' season has turned out to be a rather wet 'dry'!!!

Plants like the Pelargoniums are not doing all that well any longer ... nowhere near enough sunshine for them and they're not liking the rain or the humidity!  There's fewer blooms on them at the moment.

Strangely, the potted Azaleas out in the courtyard are throwing up a few flowers here and there.  That's rather unexpected for my garden.

Out around the yard I have two Lagerstroemia speciosa - Queen's Myrtles - that are beginning to bloom ... they will continue to flower through early Summer.

Hemerocallis - Daylilies - continue to bloom.  They're providing lovely splashes of vibrant colour right now.

Hemerocallis 'Jamaican Me Crazy'

Hemerocallis 'Francois Verhaert'

Hemerocallis 'Bela Lugosi'

Hemerocallis 'Sabine Baur'

My Mussaenda philippica 'Bangkok Rose' ... also known as 'Queen Sirikit'  ... has begun to bloom again and providing a great show with its pink bracts and small yellow star-shaped flowers.

Lastly, I thought I'd share the flowers on my Costus productus - Spiral Ginger - which is showing off in the shadehouse once more.

For many more great Flaunt Your Flowers Friday/Fertiliser Friday posts, go on over to visit Tootsie at

Tootsie Time

Wildlife on Wednesday ... the Pheasant Coucal.

Can you spot it?

... the Phantom Pheasant!

NO ... it 's not the 'Ghost Who Walks', more like the 'Bird Who Walks' ... because this bird finds it very difficult to get off the ground at all, let alone stay in flight mode!  This Wildlife on Wednesday post is all about the bird named the Pheasant Coucal.

Now, this bird is not a Pheasant despite having Pheasant as part of its name.  Centropus phasianinus ... Pheasant Coucal ... is, in fact, a 'pheasant-like' Cuckoo!!!   It's the only member of the Coucal family that lives Downunder.

It's a black bird with brown/chestnut wings, red eye, large feet and a long tail.  In fact, this Cuckoo is a ground-dweller ... primarily because its long, long tail makes flying any great distance a real chore!!  Trying to get off the ground with that tail is an onerous task ... and watching the poor thing trying to take off does cause me to chuckle a bit!  It's such an awkward affair ... not the least bit graceful!

This bird is found all across Australia's top end and down the east coast all the way to Sydney.  Its diet consists of mainly large insects and small animals, and it lives in permanent territories mostly in grassland areas.

Pheasant coucals form lasting pairs and they are a common sight here in the foothills.  Out in the bushland close to my home, they take up residence in the enormous clumps of Lantana.   That's where the pair will build their nest.  It's the male that will incubate the eggs and feed the young, although the female will help with the feeding.

Mosaic Monday ... our last month of Spring has begun.

Yes it's the last month of Spring and we're heading towards the dreaded time of year here ... well at least that's how it is for me.  Summer looms and all that it entails, so I'm enjoying what's out in the garden as much as possible now.

We're spending lots of time sitting out in the courtyard right now ... sipping our morning cuppa, enjoying a leisurely weekend breakfast amongst the flowers and the trees ... or dining out under the stars in the evenings.  During the Summertime, it's just too hot out there and we retreat to the verandah instead ... or the air-conditioning inside!

For other fantastic Mosaic Monday posts please visit Mary's blog: Little Red House

Flower Flaunt on Friday - mid-Spring Downunder.

The weather has definitely turned the corner and the patterns are becoming very 'summery' ... our mid-Spring days are once again clear, bright, sunny, hot and humid. 

Gardening time is now reduced to an hour of watering in the morning or evening.  Quite a few of my potted plants are coming to the end of their time, so there's not as much colour out in the Courtyard Garden any more.  They have not flourished as well as last year, possibly due to the overcast, showery days we experiences throughout the Autumn to early Spring. The outdoor garden beds are drying up quickly ... and with the ongoing watering restrictions there's not a whole lot I can do about it.  Thankfully the plants out there are survivors.

Anyway, right now the Lilies, the potted Salvias and Angelonias are powering on and still showing their lovely blooms.  They don't mind the intense sunlight, the heat and the humidity ... and they survive on the occasional watering.

Hemerocallis 'Sabine Baur'

 Oriental Lily - unknown variety

Angelonia serena

Salvia guarantica 'Black and Blue'

Salvia splendens

To see what other gardeners have to flaunt for Flower Flaunt Friday, pop over to visit Tootsie's blog  

Tootsie Time