Tag: finger lime

Australia · autumn · Changes · garden flowers · in my garden · native Australian plants · rain · subtropical weather

Feels Like Autumn

Joanne16 Comments
Magnolia ‘Little Gem’.

We had 15 mm of rain – 0.6 of an inch – yesterday, and so far today we have had double that. The temperature has dropped substantially as well, today reaching only 23 degrees Celsius – or 73 Fahrenheit.

Finally, it feels like autumn is in the air!

The wet garden looked so pretty, so I took my camera out to the front veranda and took a couple of photos, nothing spectacular, just “feel good” photos of my garden soaking up the refreshing rain and cooler weather.

Just the other day, I dead-headed the summer-tired flowers on the Magnolia ‘Little Gem’, leaving just new buds on the shrub. Today, the pure white flowers have opened – shown in the first photo. I was sorry I couldn’t take my camera out into the rain for a closer look! So zooming in on the flowers from the protected veranda gave me a clearer view.

A Jade plant, of sorts.

The second photo is of a plant my mother always called a Jade. I’m not convinced that’s it’s actual name, as I have seen Jade plants that look different to mine, but to me, it will always be Jade.

Salvia and Hydrangea.

This Salvia is looking lovely right now, although it has been, at times, a tad frazzled over summer. The Hydrangea next to it provides some protection from the hot afternoon sun. As for the Hydrangea, I am amazed that it is still covered in so many lush green leaves at this time of year! It is really enjoying the rainy weather.

Gardenia.

The Gardenia is beginning to flower again now, after a quiet summer of dormancy. It’s a shame these flowers do not last for long looking this soft and velvety or I would bring them indoors for a vase.

Chameleon Roses.

Yesterday morning, when choosing flowers for my vase, I didn’t pick any Chameleon Roses as I can see they will drop their petal soon. Today, however, they are still hanging on, possibly due to a new lease on life with the rain. The lilac bud in the top-left of the photo is a new Society Garlic flower.

An opened Finger Lime.

And finally, I promised I would share a photo of a Finger Lime fruit – and here it is. Those tiny caviar-like balls are so full of limey taste; I am surprised there isn’t a Finger Lime tree growing in every garden in Australia!

Who knows if this lovely autumn weather will continue, but for today, I am enjoying every cool minute of it. ❤

Australia · garden flowers · in my garden · native Australian birds · native Australian plants · rain · subtropical weather · summer

Australian and New Zealand Native Plants

Joanne23 Comments
First ‘Little Ewan’ flower

In previous posts, I have mentioned that during the past year, I have focused on revamping my garden, by removing plants that I wasn’t happy with and trying new plants in their place.

A new plant to me was ‘Metrosideros Little Ewan’, otherwise known as a dwarf New Zealand Christmas bush. I thought I’d give it a go, so bought three tube stock plants. Much to my delight, I noticed this week that I have my first Little Ewan flower.

‘Little Ewan’, looking down into the centre of the flower

The clusters of red spires look to be growing from a yellow base; also, there is the tiniest hint of yellow at the end of the soft spires. The plant is still tiny but grows to one metre in both width and height. It will be lovely to see the plant in flower when it reaches its full maturity.

First finger limes

Finger limes are native to Australia. Referred to as “bush tucker” by aboriginal people, the fruit, when cut open, has the appearance of caviar! My tree is young, and this is the first summer it has fruited. I have been lucky enough to try finger limes previously when my neighbour brought some off their tree for us to try. When I cut open my first lime, I will take photos to share here. 🙂

Finger lime tree in bud

I am still learning the intricacies of finger lime tree growth, but I predict we may have a few more limes appearing before summer is over.

Lilly pilly buds

Also in bud is my native Australian Lilly Pilly shrub. This shrub is growing in a pot currently, but I have plans for it to become a feature plant in one of my newly renovated gardens.

Wet, wet, wet!

A post of Australian natives wouldn’t be complete without a photo of kookaburras. As you can see, we have summer rain here which I am thankful for – it is keeping the temperatures lower each day, even if the humidity is a tad high! During the mid-month of summer, I am grateful for any reprieve I can get from the heat. 🙂