Tag: A week of Flowers 2023

Australia · flowers · gardening · in my garden · subtropical weather

A Week of Flowers ~~ Day 7

Joanne25 Comments

Seven days simply is not enough time to share all the flowers that are in my Southern Hemisphere garden now the summer is here. A Week of Flowers, hosted by Cathy at Words and Herbs is an annual event where bloggers are encouraged to share photos of their gardens in all their glory. Not only does it brighten the days of people in the Northern Hemisphere, where brightly coloured flowers dancing in the sunlight are a distant memory until spring returns, but it has also encouraged me to return to my own garden with a camera in hand. All through the cooler months of the year I have dug, removed, relocated, planted and mulched in my garden. Now hotter days have returned, it is time for me to stand at my windows, cool drink in hand and enjoy the landscape I have created during the cooler months.

Frangipani trees love the subtropical weather. I have four in my garden, the largest and most mature trees strategically placed near our pool and bar-be-que area. Being deciduous, during winter, when we want to allow the sun’s warm rays into the garden, the branches of the trees are bare. As the warmer weather arrives, so do the leaves, giving us beautiful dappled shade in the area of the garden where we spend most of our time during summer. And the added bonus is that frangipanis have the most beautiful flowers. Close up, the five-petaled flowers are a work of art. From a distance, the view of the two trees together is breathtaking. 🙂

Cathy, where has the week gone? I still have more photos to share! Thank you so much for the inspiration to share flowers with other bloggers every day for a week. I have met more like-minded bloggers through your challenge this week and I am learning more about plants, and how they grow in the Northern Hemisphere. ❤

I believe I will have to blog more regularly now summer is here. 🙂

Australia · garden flowers · gardening · in my garden · native Australian birds · native Australian plants · photography · seasons · subtropical weather

A Week of Flowers ~~ Day 5

Joanne19 Comments
Brachyscome Mauve Bliss – cut leaf daisy

For Day 5 of A Week of Flowers, hosted by Cathy at Words and Herbs, I am sharing photos of some native Australian plants growing in my garden, along with two other plants which, although not natives, blend perfectly with their dainty features.

Most Australian natives are drought-tolerant plants, they have to be to survive our often harsh climate conditions. We are fortunate in our subtropical zone to have a high annual rainfall compared to other areas of the country; however, all plants suffer during drought. Low water requirements do not mean no water is required!

The Brachyscome Mauve Bliss, pictured above, is a pretty little native groundcover. I recently renovated a very large sloping garden at the front of my house, situated in full sun for most of the day. The five flowering plants featured today are all growing happily in that particular garden, even thriving in the plus-thirty degree temperature we had recently, for four days in a row. I will plant more Brachyscomes now I have discovered how easily they grow. Next time, I will buy some of the pink and white varieties.

Leptospermum Ballerina

I often order plants online from a nursery located a couple of hours north of here, which is also in a subtropical zone. The company specialises in tube stock plants, so usually, when first planted, I have tiny plants that can easily disappear into the background of mulch. When I first planted my tiny native Leptospermum Ballerina I could hardly see it until right up close. Yesterday afternoon, I took a few photos of the garden when the sun had almost set and the day had cooled. As I was heading to the seaside daisy, which is the next photo, I noticed my Leptospermum has a flower now! So this dainty little pink ballerina definitely had to be included today.

Erigeron – seaside daisy

The description of Erigeron seaside daisy is that it spreads easily, has a weeping habit, and is a great groundcover for hot positions – perfect! The mass planting I did in October is already beginning to spread across the garden, which is now covered in tiny white native daisies.

Seaside daisies, with another new Australian native addition to the garden. ❤

This morning, I had my first sighting of one of this year’s baby magpies. When I took my camera out to grab a quick photo, I startled baby Maggs, who retreated into the seaside daisies. Two Australian natives together – it doesn’t get any better than that. 🙂

Cuphea ‘Honeybells’

Although native to South America, the Cuphea is similar to the Australian Correa in both appearance and climate requirements. I found this beauty at a local plant nursery, and it hasn’t stopped flowering since it arrived in October. Apparently, frost can end the flowering season, but we rarely, if ever, have frosts. That will keep bees happy all year round. 🙂

Diascia ‘Flirtation Pink’

The slope of the renovated garden, in some areas, has been formed into a rockery, where this ‘Flirtation Pink’ Diascia, a South African native plant, with its cute little pink flowers, seems to be happily growing. It hasn’t missed a beat with flowering since being planted in October. I have read that Diascias only need extra water during hot, dry spells, so the amount of rain we have had recently seems to agree with this new addition to my garden.

Thank you for hosting A Week of Flowers, Cathy. I took over a hundred photos around the garden yesterday afternoon, which is far less strenuous than gardening in hot, humid, summer conditions. 🙂

Australia · garden flowers · gardening · in my garden · roses · subtropical weather · summer

In A Vase on Monday

Joanne9 Comments

… and A Week of Flowers ~~ Day 4

The vase I chose to use this week is one I bought several years ago on a whim, and have rarely, if ever, used. That will change from now on, as I hadn’t realised – because of not using it – that this vase is perfectly sized and shaped for displaying narrow-stemmed flowers, such as gerberas and Susanna Mitchell daisies.

Amid the colourful gerberas and pale yellow daisies, I have also added two Olivia Rose Austin and two red roses …

I bought the red rose bush several years ago and planted it among other rose bushes. None of the plants grew well in the position I chose; some didn’t even survive! So a couple of winters ago, I transplanted the surviving rose bushes. The red roses are from one of them. Clearly, the plant is much happier growing in its new garden bed.

This beautiful, delicately scented, pale pink rose is Olivia Rose Austin, a David Austin rose named for his granddaughter. After seeing the gorgeous flowers on the first Olivia I bought a few years ago and enjoying them so much, this winter I bought a second plant.

I received my first gerbera plants as a gift about twenty-five years ago, and they are still growing well. In my subtropical climate, I have learned that if a plant thrives, even when neglected, it’s a keeper. This palest pink gerbera flower is a recent addition to my garden. I love the fine, two-toned petals, pink at the ends with white closer to the centre of the flower.

This orange gerbera, while not as finely featured as its neighbours in the garden, is an extremely striking plant. Visitors often comment on how lovely it looks.

The red gerberas are from my original plants. If you look closely you will see a small hitch-hiker, in the top, right-hand corner of the photo, who ended up indoors with the flowers. Escaping from the heat of the garden, obviously. 😉

Anthemis ‘Susanna Mitchell’ daisies are a new addition to my garden this year. They seem to love everything about the soil, heat, drought and rain my subtropical climate throws their way, and are thriving! Susanna is a spring bloomer and her flowers are coming to an end; there are still plenty of blooms left, however, to enjoy indoors.

Like last week’s vase, this week I have positioned my vase on the mantlepiece in the family room. By next week, I will have started to decorate the room for Christmas, so space will be limited in this room and every other room in the house! I will always find somewhere for another vase of flowers though. ❤

Thank you to two Cathys – Cathy at Rambling in the Garden for hosting In A Vase on Monday each week. And also to Cathy at Words and Herbs for suggesting A Week of Flowers to brighten everyone’s days for the week.