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

In A Vase On Monday ~ Pastels

When I went outside to collect flowers for a vase yesterday afternoon for Cathy’s In a Vase on Monday meme at Rambling in the Garden, I was swarmed by a thousand mosquitoes! Okay, maybe not a thousand, but when you have your hands full of roses and can’t easily swat flying insects that are after your blood, it feels like thousands. 😉

So it was a matter of cut and run. I had waited for the showers of rain to ease before going outside, which is undoubtedly why there were so many active mozzies in the garden. Once in the vase, I decided to wait until today to take photos as the house seemed so dark with the overcast weather. I shouldn’t have waited: we have drizzling rain again today and the house is once again dark.

Last week, the pink Gerberas had only spent flowers, but this week I was able to cut several to bring indoors. There are also plenty of buds opening, so I may even bring in more to add to the vase later in the week. You may also notice some lilac-coloured Society Garlic blooms behind the Gerberas.

There are plenty of pale pink blooms on my Souvenir de la Malmaison rose bush. I wish I’d had longer to choose some to bring indoors, but by the time I reached that part of the garden, I’m sure the mozzies had told their family and friends I was there!

I love the delicate combination of Lavender and pink Gerberas together. When the weather improves, I would like to bring in more of the two for another vase. 🙂

Roald Dahl roses have a weeping habit, as is evident in the way they droop down the vase. By the smile on his face, they seem to be keeping my little duck ornament happy. 🙂 The Roald Dahl rose bush is also covered in blooms but again, I needed to try to outrun those mozzies!

From my kitchen window this morning I spotted a newly opened Hibiscus flower, so I zoomed in on it and caught a photo early. The rain will probably make the flower droop by tomorrow if this weather continues!

I do believe that as much as I enjoy all flowers, pastel colours are my favourites. 🙂

Thanks again, Cathy, for hosting In a Vase on Monday. 🙂

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

Cooler weather …

Today it has felt like winter may be on its way. Even though the days have been cooler, I haven’t felt like cuddling up under a warm blanket at my desk while studying yet, which is something I often do during winter.

The sky turned a subtle shade of orange at sunset, looking very pretty, although not as dramatic as yesterday’s sunset. If you missed it, it’s worth taking a minute to go back to yesterday’s entry to take a look at when the sky and clouds put on an breathtakingly dramatic display.

The cooler weather hasn’t stopped my summer flowers from blooming yet. I noticed today there are a few new hibiscus on the hedge beside the pool.

On Monday, I gave my potted fuchsia a light prune, making sure I left a few unopened buds on the plant – just in case … and as you can see, they are already in bloom! Perhaps not growing as vigorously or as luscious looking as during the summer months, but still very lovely and much appreciated.

During the weekend, I plan on doing some more pruning around the garden. It’s that time of year for us here in Australia after all. 🙂