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Sunday, July 25, 2010

A Mid-Winter Wander Around my little Courtyard Garden.

The other garden areas on my property are all rather boring and drab ... there are lots of palms, ferns, hibiscus and duranta repens shrubs, acalyphas and some crotons, but these areas don't change much at all during the year ... remaining, for the most part, various shades of green with a little colour here and there throughout all the seasons. 

There are no great expanses of lush green lawn.  There are no lovely borders full of stunning perennials.  There are just a few trees that bloom at different times of the year ... but that's the full extent of any seasonal change in colour.



The Courtyard Garden however, is my sanctuary where I can have other colours.  So here's a look at how all the potted plants are progressing as we approach Spring.  July in this part of the world is mid-Winter ... and my location in Australia means it's always a mild winter (similar to Summer in other parts of the northern hemisphere!)

Just an extra little note:  prepare yourself for the dulcet tones of my Aussie accent on the video!!




15 comments:

  1. A nice wander around of your courtyard garden. We always have summer here, varying from hot to wet...
    ~bangchik

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  2. I love your courtyard garden. Your accent is lovely and the little tour was a nice way to start this morning. It was so peaceful with the rustling leaves, the breezes and the birds. It is hot and steamy here in s.e. FL.



    Have a nice week ~ FlowerLady

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  3. A beautiful splash of colour in your courtyard. It must take you forever to water them all.

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  4. Bangchik .... thanks for dropping by. It's pretty much summer all year round here too ... our temps don't change that much during autumn, spring and summer. Our winter though is definitely slightly cooler ... which is lovely.

    Flowerlady ... thanks for your lovely comments. It will be hot and steamy here again in just a couple of months ... glad I could help start your summer day off well.

    Diane ... yes it does take a little while to water all the potted plants, but I don't mind in the least. It's a lovely relaxing way to either start the day or end off a working day.

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  5. Hi Bernie! Love your colourful flowers. Spotted impatiens from the video. First time when I grow impatiens they died fast. Now I find them quite lasting. And can those lovely violas (cover pic of your video) last long?

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  6. It looks like you have a lot of great winter color in your garden! A lot of those plants also bloom well in winter here in Florida.

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  7. We really do share so many of the same plants in our gardens! Enjoyed your tour. The Courtyard looks like a lovely, peaceful place. I too find watering to be very pleasant, relaxing. Unfortunately, our water is very expensive here, not to mention water restrictions, especially during the dry season. Therefore, I have to restrict my container plantings.

    Someday, I'll have to do a video so everyone can hear the dulcet tones of my Florida cracker accent. ; )

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  8. aloha,

    this was a very nice tour of the garden, i love the music and your sweet commentary also, thanks for sharing it.

    help me decide on a photo from my plant fanatic blog, if you don't mind?

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  9. I do love courtyard gardens where you can view your plants up close. I do love Violas and cannot wait to plant some again when fall comes around in the US :-)

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  10. Enjoyed your lovely courtyard very much. The sound of birds and occasional sound of chime and rustling of the leaves just so mesmerising.
    I noticed you had also placed some candles - Im pretty sure your evenings must be very romantic.

    Those monkeyneed seedpod look so stunning. Do you collect and make any craftwork with them?
    Amazed that you manage to have both the tropical and the temperate plants in your garden.
    Looks like time had stopped still in your garden.

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  11. Stephanie ... yes I've found the New Guinea Impatiens to be the most reliable out in the Courtyard Garden whilst the Impatiens walleriana are reliable in my shadecloth covered Greenhouse Garden. Those little violas will last out in the courtyard until early Summer.

    Rainforest Gardener ... I love the colour in the Winter but I work hard at keeping the pots lasting as long as possible.

    Floridagirl ... we have water restrictions here too so I get around that problem by making sure I have a good water retaining potting mixture in all the pots ... I've finally worked out a great mix that works for me.

    Aaron and Noel ... thanks for your nice comments.

    Noelle ... glad you enjoyed the tour. I just adore Violas ... and have them every year.

    James ... yes there's quite a few candles out in the courtyard as we use it for dining in the evenings quite a lot during our Winter and Spring. No I don't use those seed pods for anything actually ... not much of a crafty person at all.

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  12. I had a chance to get these seedpods one day when a tree fell due a strong thunderstorm in my place. And so happen, I used it for a wedding decoration where placing the tea-light candles inside the seedpod.
    And for some, I had placed the pods inside a jar and filled it with water and placed floating candles on it. Its truly an unforgettable evening looking at those orange skins.
    Try it and you might be mesmerised by it.

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  13. thank you Bernie for inviting us into your courtyard garden...very enjoyable...

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  14. I enjoyed the tour of your wonderfully colorful courtyard garden. I could almost feel myself there, with the sounds of the wind chime and birds in the background. Delightful!

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  15. James ... just catching up with your comment. What a fabulous idea ... I will definitely try that the next time for have friends over for dinner. I bet the seedpods looked fantastic in the jar with the candles.

    Hazeltree and Debsgarden ... thanks for visiting and I'm glad you enjoyed the garden tour.

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