Category: in my garden

Australia · autumn · in my garden · Mount Warning · Tweed Valley

Golden Rain Pods

Joanne5 Comments

The weather may have broken a record for this month – we have had two sunny days in a row!

Walking up the driveway to the letterbox yesterday was just a tad slippery after The Great Wet, but today it had dried out somewhat. I took the photo of Mount Warning late this afternoon from the top of the driveway, and just look at the sky – not a cloud in sight. 🙂

The leaves and pods on the golden rain tree that I photographed from afar during the rain on Tuesday looked much more flighty, blowing in the breeze now the tree is drier, so I picked a single pod off the tree to photograph in more detail.

Singular pods are three-sided, with each double-layered side encasing seeds. Close up, you can see detailed veins on the pod case. The pods are quite sturdy, and it didn’t break open easily.

When I did break the pod open, this is what I found inside. These raw green seeds will dry out over the next week or two, fall to the ground, and if the seeds find the right spot in the soil to start growing, a new tree will shoot up.

Considering I don’t want my front garden to be overrun by golden rain trees, I will be busy pulling tiny trees out over the next month or two as they appear.

Australia · autumn · in my garden · native Australian birds · rain · subtropical weather

Golden Rain

Joanne6 Comments

The title of today’s post is referring to a large tree at the top of our garden, close to the street. It’s deciduous tree, and just before it loses its leaves it forms pretty yellow flowers, then these pink seed pods, as shown in the photo.

Husband curses this tree every year, as each seed has the potential to grow another tree, and they are rather large trees! We have two in the garden already – both of which we planted several years ago – so every year I go around pulling out the tiny trees as I see them taking root. Some people regard golden rain trees as a weed, but I quite like them, they are sturdy trees, and one of the few trees in our yard that change with each season.

There’s been plenty of the clear variety of rain falling from the sky today as well, which prevented me from taking my camera for a walk to the top of the garden to take a close-up photo of the tree. This photo was taken on full zoom from my front veranda. I spotted two kookaburras under the tree also, foraging for bugs in the wet earth.

For the next two day, fine weather is predicted! I’m sure you will forgive me for not holding my breath in anticipation of a dry day, but wouldn’t that be wonderful? Imagine, maybe I could do a few loads of washing, perhaps have a window or two open around the house, the dogs could spend some time out in the yard instead of indoors.

I might even see Mount Warning! We’ll have to wait and see what tomorrow brings.

Australia · autumn · enchanting · garden flowers · in my garden · mist · Mount Warning · sunrise · Tweed Valley

A Touch of Magic

Joanne4 Comments

The mist returned this morning, adding a touch of magic to the early hours of the day.

We moved into our newly built home here in March 1994, so twenty-seven years ago this month, and awakening to a misty valley scene never grows old, even after all these years.

This afternoon, I found more magic in my garden, a tiny toadstool, and suddenly a children’s story began forming in my mind. Imagine the possibilities of a whole village of tiny fairies living in the garden, with the golden toadstool being the focal point of their village!

This bright orange gerbera – complete with a tiny ladybird (can you see it there close to the top of the flower?) – would have to be the sun that lit up the fairies’ world every day!

Even my flowering gazania looked magical and other-worldly today. On the eighteen petals are eighteen burgundy comets, zooming towards the orange life-force at the centre of the flower.

We’ve had some pretty dismal weather recently which has prevented me from visiting my garden as often as I usually would, even during the hotter months of the year. It’s encouraging to find a touch of inspirational magic emerging as the seasons change. 🙂

Australia · autumn · clouds · garden flowers · in my garden · kitchen renovation · Mount Warning · Tweed Valley

Finding new growth in a windblown garden.

Joanne1 Comment

Today the temperature is suppose to have reached 26 degrees C. but I don’t think it quite reached that high. Today has felt like autumn is in the air, warmish, but with just a touch of cool air about. And rain. We had a few showers during the day, and during the last day we have had three-and-a-half-inches of rain, according to husband’s rain guage.

Our frangipani trees are losing their leaves early this year. Constant blustery winds and a cooler than usual summer has stripped many flowers off plants and leaves from trees. I noticed a couple of pretty new blooms around the garden today though.

Indoors, more progress is being made on the kitchen renovation. The tilers are here tonight, having double-booked and arriving late in the day. They asked if we minded them staying, and in the interests of having our kitchen finished, of course we agreed they could. Husband has gone out to find some sort of takeaway food for dinner tonight. I’ve been locked away in my office for most of the day, trying to listen to this week’s uni lectures, but not getting far. The benchtop men were here this morning too, finishing of their part of the klitchen.

Have I mentioned I’m looking forward to having my kitchen back?