Saturday, May 8, 2010

Snapshots of mid-Autumn ... which is April ... in my garden.

Rather than create a long post at the end of each season ... as I did last year ... I've decided to keep a record of what's blooming in my garden from month to month.  I'm hoping it will help me get a much clearer picture of just what is going on ... length of flowering, weather conditions, the plants that keep on keeping on, pests encountered, and lessons learned.  I will be omitting lots of my foliage plants and plants such as palms, crotons, acalyphas and ferns ... as the focus will be on the bloomers.

Conditions during April?

The Mid-Autumn month of April this year was particularly difficult because of the almost daily showers of rain we received and the number of overcast days we experienced.  Even though the amount of rainfall wasn't heavy, the constant showers after the torrential downpours of late summer certainly had an ill effect on many plants.  Usually we have clear days, so the lack of sunshine was another important factor that had an effect on so many plants this year.  Temps stayed around 29 to 30 degrees C, which is normal for this time of year.

Starting with the trees on our property ... what was flowering?
The enormous Fiddlewood tree - Citharexylum spinosum - burst into bloom in mid-April.  I just love the
creamy white sprays of perfumed flowers that appear at the branch tips.

The Queen's Crepe Myrtle or Giant Crepe Myrtle - Lagerstroemia speciosa - had been in bloom since mid-summer and was now showing it's last beautiful flowers and the occasional fruit.

Tabebuia heterophylla - the Pink Tabebuia - continues to produce flowers on and off. 


The Acacias in and around our property were also in bloom.


Next ... out in the Courtyard Garden, what was flowering?
Usually I have lots of potted annuals showing their first blooms by mid-Autumn, but that was not the case this year.  As mentioned at the beginning of this post, the conditions were not ideal at all for planting up annual seedlings.  Still there were lots of plants in bloom.

Wrightia antidysenterica 'Arctic Snow', Dalechampia Aristolochiaefolia (Silk Crepe Flower), Pentas lanceolata, New Guinea Impatiens and Poet's Jasmine.


Vanilla marigold, Zinnias, Bracteantha bracteata or Helichrysum bracteatum and Argyranthemum frutescens (Marguerite Daisy).   


Salvias splendens, Salvia guaranitica, Coleus and Crossandra.


More Salvia splendens, Gomphrena globosa, New Guinea Impatiens and Pelargonium.



Now ... which shrubs around the property were flowering?

Calliandra surinamensis, Ardisia Elliptica with its berries, and at the bottom ... the blooms and berries of Duranta repens.


Mussaenda phillipica 'Aurora' and 'Bangkok Rose', Ixora 'Raywards Pink' and Azalea indica


Glaphimia glauca, Plumeria obtusa, Combretum constrictum, Dianthera nodosa and Allamanda cathartica.


Last of all ... what was blooming out in the greenhouse/shadehouse garden?

Curcuma, Neomarica longifolia, Bromeliad, Impatiens, Tricyrtis x Empress and Begonia 'Dragon Wings'.








16 comments:

  1. I'm impressed with your plants, photos and naming of the flowers.Great informative post.

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  2. Bernie: First of all, I love your new layout! The picture size is just perfect to show the collage photos. Do you use the extra-large size of the pictre setting?

    Even with the less ideal weather condition, your mid-autumn garden looks so pretty with so many beautiful flowers. I especially love the color of Ixora 'Raywards Pink'. The pure white of Mussaenda phillipica 'Aurore' is lovely! Oh, all those broms, iris, orchids, and begonias in the last pictures, gorgeous! I have the same dragon wing (red) begonia. It is just so beautiful and easy! Love it!

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  3. Thanks for your lovely comment Aaron ... this is not the best time of year out in the garden, but there certainly are some lovely things in bloom.

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  4. Diane ... I'm slowly learning about the plants I grow. It's just been over the last year or so that I've started learning their names! I never really bothered much before ... if I liked the look of them, I would plant them without knowing much about them at all.

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  5. Thanks so much Ami. Glad you like the new layout ... I think the photos definitely look better now. Yes, I do choose the X-large size for photos.

    As I mentioned above, this is not the best time out in the garden, but lots of plants do look pretty good right now. I have to agree ... the Dragon Wing Begonias are just marvellous. So easy to look after and such gorgeous flowers.

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  6. I like the way you have layed out this post, Bernie. I really makes the flowers stand out. Unfortunately I am plant (flower) illiterate I just like the llok an smell of them.

    Have a great Sunday.

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  7. Your trees, plants and flowers are all so beautiful but I am drooling over those orchids....Christine

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  8. Bernie your trees, plants and flowers where so inspiring, and your photos are just beautiful. You can tell you have a passion for gardening.

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  9. Hi Bernie, I love the scent of the fiddlewood flowers. Many beautiful autumn bloomers in your garden. Some are familiar, some are new. The layout is pretty in its mosaic style. Happy days. T.

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  10. Bernie, what a beautiful garden you have. All the mosaics are just gorgeous! Thanks for the tour.

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  11. Hi Bernie..
    Curiosity got me..
    and am I ever glad!
    your blog is delightful..
    beautiful and interesting subjects in your Mosaics!
    will return!
    thanks for visiting me!!
    warmest hugs!
    Loui♥

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  12. Hi Bernie....I'm so wowed with your garden, greenhouse and field flower knowledge and mosaics. All so beautiful. Thanks for visiting Texas today...Sue

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  13. I have really enjoyed touring your blog! Your pictures are stunning!!:) I have enjoyed my trip to Australia,and I in turn have become a Follower. Your blog is Delightful!:)Have a great week!

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  14. I am a bit late here but your collages are great, until now i still don't know how to make them. How i wish i can just sit and learn making collages. By the way, that Mussaenda phillipica variety is 'Aurora' as they are bred in the Philippines long ago and many varieties are named after first ladies of the presidents. That one is the first lady of Pres Manuel L. Quezon.

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  15. Andrea ... Thanks for your visit. Making these collages is quite easy to do. I only learnt how to do it last year ... I use Picasa 3 which is free to download, and then I just played around until I stumbled upon the right way to do it!!! Nothing like learning from your mistakes.

    Talking of mistakes ... thanks very much for picking up the typing error. Yes, you're right .. it should read 'Aurora'! I'll go back and change that. I didn't know that it was the name of a First Lady ... so interesting!

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  16. Nice blog. Each and every picture on your blog looks perfect. The header image of your blog looks awesome. Keep on posting.

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