My Garden in flower - Winter 2009
Winter here in my part of northern Oz is the middle of the ‘dry’ season and most of the large flowering plants like the snowflake/roseflake hibiscus, the ixoras, the mussaendas, the plumeria, the poincianas and the jasmine are not in flower.Finding a flowering plant at this time of year – during winter – out in the large garden bed areas of my property is difficult apart from:
Ardisia Elliptica – not flowering but showing its berries
Bauhinia Variegata
Calliandra haematocaphala
Calliandra surinamensis
Hibiscus – my oldest hibiscus flowers continuously
Russelia juncea
Scaevola
Spathodea Campanulata – African Tulip Tree
Tabebuia Impetiginosa – Pink Trumpet Tree
and there’s some hint of what might be called ‘autumn’ colours (even though these colours appear in winter) on the Lagerstroemeria speciosa
The driveway garden beds showing the bauhinia and tabebuia in flower.
Most of the flowering plants at this time of year are in my courtyard garden, the greenhouse garden and the downstairs garden beds.
Azalea
Begonias
Brachyscome
Euphorbia Leucocephala – Snowflake Bush
Euphorbia Pulcherrima – Pink Poinsettia
Euphorbia Pulcherrima – Red Poinsettia
Impatiens
Pelargonium
Pentas
Spathiphyllum – Peace Lily or Madonna Lily
Streptocarpus
There’s lots of annuals and perennials that flower in pots out in the courtyard or in the greenhouse (and, of course, some will continue flowering on into spring and early summer):
Alyssum
Antirrhinum
Celosia
Cockscomb
Hyacinths
Nasturtiums
Salvias and Pelargoniums
Torenias
Verbena
Violas
The courtyard garden – really filling out with colour now.
And now there’s some colour in the new garden beds outside the greenhouse:
Bacopa
Bracteantha bracteata
Calibrachoa var. sunbelore
Gazania
Gomphrena leontopodioides
Kalanchoe Blossfeldiana
Pelargonium Peltatum ‘Lulu’
Scaevola
All around the property the gums have finished their shedding and are showing off their new bark – this provides beautiful whites with hints of pink.
Eucalyptus
The acacias are now full of seed pods,
so is the Cassia Fistula -
and the Poincianas:
South-East Trade winds dominate the winter months here and the weather is fine. During winter it’s clear blue skies, warm days and cool nights. July is the coolest month averaging a maximum of 24.0 degrees C and a daily minimum temperature averaging 13.5 degrees C.
