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
