Friday, February 15, 2013

An End-Of-Summer Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day ... February, 2013

It's the last month of our Summer here and the conditions have turned a little cooler.  Our daytime temps are now hovering around a much more pleasant 31deg C.  Today was a particularly lovely day with light showers of rain have drifting over the city.  We've seen a few days of grey cloud cover in the last week, but it hasn't amounted to much at all.  So far this month our rainfall total has only reached 8.6 mm (0.3 of an inch), which is a very different story to this time last year.  So it seem our wet season continues to be a dismal no-show!

Out in the still rather parched garden, there are the regular end-of-summer bloomers.


The Tabebuia heterophylla is blooming, although this blooming cycle started a little later in the summer this year compared to previous years.  The pale, pale light pink flowers are rather unassuming in amongst all the green foliage, and from a distance are hard to spot.  When you get up close however, you notice that brilliant yellow throat and crinkly texture of the petals.


Another of the tall, tall trees on the property that has begun its summertime blooming cycle rather late is the Citharexylum spinosum.  Finally though there are wonderful white flower sprays covering the branches and attracting all sorts of insect life.


There are still the occasional bunch of blooms on the Plumeria obtusa, although they're now becoming harder and harder to spot as its blooming cycle comes to an end.


The Allamanda cathartica 'Sunee' is showing off its golden yellow flowers once more.  These bright cheery blooms certainly add a great splash of colour in the front garden bed.


There are now rather large flowerheads on the old Ixora coccinea at the back of the courtyard.


Other Ixoras are also blooming nicely as well.  This lemony yellow variety is one of my favourites.


The trusty old common red Gerbera always makes me smile.  It's one of the most reliable year-round bloomers at my place.


The fabulous white Musseanda philippica 'Aurore' is covered in its white bracts and little star-shaped yellow flowers.


It's great to see the white flower sprays of the Salvia leucantha 'White Velour'  popping up out in the tiered garden beds.


Another of my lovely Mussaendas, Mussaenda philippica 'Bangkok Rose', is on the wane, but still looks fabulous against the background of the red Russelia.


I'm seeing the purple-pink plumes of the Pennisetum advena 'Rubrum' one more,


and I've been surprised to see quite a few blooms on the dwarf Azalea growing in one of the front garden beds.   That's not a common sight this late in the summer.


My maturing Lagerstroemia indica shrubs are showing a few more flowerheads this year.


One of my Lagerstroemia speciosa trees is now covered in buds and some of its pretty purple flowers have opened.



Out in the shadehouse garden a couple of my pass-along Brassocattleya (Bc) Maikai hybrids are showing off for the first time.  I really love the form and the colour of these little Orchids.


One of my Hemerocallis, Hemerocallis 'Rue Madelaine' is turning out to be one of the longest blooming Daylilies in my little Daylily patch.  I've never seen a Daylily blooming this late in the Summer before.  Don't you just love the surprises that greet you when you have a garden? 



One of the blooms I'm particularly enjoying at the moment is my beautiful Water Lily.  It's another pass-along plant, so I have no idea of its varietal name.  I just call it 'Gorgeous'!


I'm joining Carol for  Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day


27 comments:

  1. What a sensational set of bloom’s. I can imagine walking into your garden the sound of the birds and fragrances of the flowers must be amazing... far better than damp decomposing leaves and Magpies squawking!

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    1. Thanks Sue. Yes the background soundtrack here is definitely birdsong. It goes on nearly all day, but at the moment the Cicada song is also noticeable. It's not anywhere near as loud as in previous years, but it's typically always happening during our Summer.

      Damp decomposing leaves now, but an explosion of Spring colour very soon. I'm sure it's not too far off now. Those Magpies will be joined by other winged beauties, and there will be some more delightful little garden visitors hopping around in no time. There, I hope that's helped those winter blues lift a little!!

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  2. You are winding down as we are cranking up for Spring. Your tropicals are always a delight to see, both the ones that grow here and the more tender. Happy Bloom day.

    I always have trouble posting a comment here. You will either get too many or none at all.

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    1. Sorry that you seem to have so much trouble leaving a comment here, Nell. I'm not sure why, and I wish I knew how to help. Anyway, thanks for visiting. Hopefully your Spring is not too far off now, and it will soon be time to plant out lots of those wonderful plants holidaying in your greenhouse at the moment.

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  3. Beautiful blooms!
    It is fun seeing flowers I am unfamiliar with, but good to see some that I know, too!
    The Day Lily is really lovely!
    Happy Bloom Day!
    Lea
    Lea's Menagerie

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    1. Thanks Lea. It's been lovely to see the Daylily blooming so late in the summer. Most unexpected, but very welcome.

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  4. That's a lot of flowers to open for the Lagerstroemeia. I've always wanted to get a white Mussaenda but haven't brought in yet. That big Ixora, is it really coccinea. I thought those with big leaves and taller trunks are javanica. They also have big umbels, we have it as a small tree or maybe a big bush. Your temperatures are going down at 31C, while ours at 31C is going up!

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    1. Kalantikan, the Lagerstroemia speciosa or Queen's Myrtle will be covered in flowers soon. It's always a fabulous sight. I really love those trees.

      You may be right about the Ixora. I was told by another gardener that it looked like coccinea, but mine certainly has big leaves and tall trunks. It grows like a large shrub.

      Yes our temps have been going down lately, and hopefully that will continue. I've now had enough of the horrid summer.

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  5. Another gorgeous garden post. I love to look at your posts when we are almost at the end of a very dry summer period here in Northern Tas and hardly anything is flowering and we have our fingers crossed for rain soon because everything is so very dry. Cheers for putting a colourful elegant touch back into my day :)

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    1. I'm only too glad to brighten your day, roadtoserendipity. Up here in the northern tropics we usually always have something blooming all-year round, in spite of the long dry season we have every year. That's a real bonus.

      We're still hanging out for rain though, like you. I hope we're both fortunate to hear decent rain falling very soon.

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  6. Lovely!! Lovely!! Lovely!!
    The tabebuia is a weedy shrub here.
    Loved the orchids and the azaleas which I wish would do well here.

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    1. Glad you enjoyed your visit again, Virgina. What a shame the Tab is such a nuisance over there. Here the Tab pallida is often used as a council planting on nature stips. They always make a great display. I'm very lucky that Azaleas do well here. I really love their blooms. I only have a couple of Orchids, but I'm slowly building my collection.

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  7. So many beautiful flowers! Well, you always present a lot of beautiful flowers, Bernie, but today they were especially beautiful, many of them white or cream, but the star was the Hemerocallis. I have been thinking of getting a few more for my garden, and a deep red/purple is on my list. 'Rue Madelaine' is lovely!

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    1. I hadn't realised there was a bit of a colour theme in this post, but you're right. There are a lot of white and cream blooms around here at the moment. 'Rue Madelaine' is a star, and one of the Hemerocallis that gets noticed very quickly. It's that fabulous deep rich colour.

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  8. Such a pretty selection for Bloom Day. I especially love those orchids, Bernie, and your waterlily. I've got a small yellow one, but the blue version is my favourite colour.

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    1. Marisa, I was given the Water Lily and it's just taken off in my pond. I've been amazed at how quickly it settled in and started blooming. I'm thinking of getting more Water Lilies now.

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  9. Hi Bernie,
    Lovely collection of flowers, sadly I commented in your other blog, I am determined to get this blogging right...one day !!

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    1. Well you found your way here just fine, Bramblesgarden. It's great to have you visiting and it's great to hear you enjoyed the photos.

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  10. I really enjoyed seeing your February blooms Bernie and so interesting to see so many new to me plants. I imagine that some of them probably would not grow in north west England - probably not warm enough and too wet but it's still nice to dream. Oh such beautiful orchids - I'm green with envy :)

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    1. Anna, my Orchids survive pretty much on their own thankfully. I've never really been interested in them previously, but I seem to be getting more and more pass-along Orchids and my collection is very slowly building. I might have to learn just how to look after them properly soon.

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  11. Gorgeous is a good name for that water lily! It really is! You have a lot of blooms. So sorry to hear your rainy season wasn't so rainy. That's never a good thing. Love that Aurore!

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  12. Hi Bernie, you always have such a nice variety of blooms, no matter what time of year I visit! I am most charmed by your little purple and white orchids, as well as your red Gerbera.

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  13. Hi Bernie, I'm really impressed with all the blooms in your garden. Your Russelia is most stunning in throwing out so many tiny chilly red blooms.

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  14. just curious. Testing. If I have a problem leaving a comment? I use Google Chrome and I'm NOT getting a malware warning for your site.

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  15. We share a lot of plants but of course we both live in dry tropical climes. But that musseanda is splendid!

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  16. Hi Bernie, your photos are exquisite. Gorgeous blooms!

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  17. Gee thanks for the fave Bernie, I am not on blotanical anymore and I haven't been for awhile.

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