Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day ... Early Summer ... December 2014.

It's been a while since I joined in Carol's brilliant GBBD meme.  I'm pleased that I've managed to fit in this post before 2014 ended.  December is officially our first Summer month.  Outdoors, the conditions here are hot, muggy and close. Daytime temps so far this month have been between 31 - 36 deg C  (87- 96 F), and there's only a slight change at night time when the mercury drops a degree or two. 

There have been a few dark clouds hanging around every few days or so, signalling the approaching end to our long dry season.  We've had just a couple of thunderstorms roll in, with brilliant lightning displays and some rain.  All up we had just over an inch of rain (37 mm), which fell in a couple of hours on two days in the last week.  Hopefully our wet season is not too far off now.

It's been another long dry season, which is typical for this area, and the soil is hard and parched.  While the surrounding bushland and our yard both look bleak and dry as a bone, there is some colour to be found in various corners of the garden where I've kept up the watering. There are no huge massed displays of flowers, rather little splashes of colour here and there amongst the garden beds.

There's a parade of various Hemerocallis blooms and it's a joy to spot them opening up one by one.  The colours are fabulous and a sight for sore eyes.

My one and only Cassia fistula is showing off its golden sprays, which are hanging from leafless branches.   The sprays could be mistaken for Christmas decorations hanging off the bare branches.  Great Christmas colour.

Another of the Christmas colours on show at the moment is the vibrant red of the various Delonix regias, or Poincianas, which are blooming on the property.  You'll see these splashes of red all over this rural neighbourhood  at the moment.  It a regular summertime sight.

Plumeria flowers are yet another of the usual sights here in the early summer, with my Plumeria rubra and Plumeria obtusa both blooming.

The Mussaendas are blooming,

and some of the Rain Lilies have been making an appearance.  I'm hoping that it's a sign of decent rainfall on the way, rather than a desperate effort to bloom with the merest hint of rain in the air.

Scaly-breasted Lorikeets have been enjoying the sweet flowers of the Eucaplytus and the Dypsis lutescens, or Golden Cane Palms.

Out in my shadehouse garden, there are pendulous blooms on my Anthurium gracile and Indian Rope Hoya.

In the tiered garden beds, there are blooms on the Iris domestica, Justicia brandegeana, Dietes, Gerbera and Adenium obesum.

In the driveway beds you will notice flowers on the Polygala, the Russelia and the Turneras.

Elsewhere, you will see blooms on the Lagerstroemia speciosa, the Wrightia, the Mandevilla, the Galphimia glauca, the Ixora and the Tabernaemontana corymbosa.

Lastly, I wanted to share the beautiful changing colours of my Gardenia 'Soleil d'or'.  I love watching the flowers change as they mature.  How I wish I could share the stunning perfume of these flowers as well.

That's it from this tropical corner of north-eastern Australia.  Summer is here and we're relaxing in the air-con while the plants tough it out in the heat and humidity outside.

I'm joining Carol's Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day meme.