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Tuesday, December 16, 2014

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.



26 comments:

  1. Wonderful to see Summer blooms while we here in USA are entering the Winter months and blooms are hard to find.
    Happy Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day!
    Lea

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    1. Yes our summer has just begun, Lea, and it's expected to be a hot one. The plants have done really well to get through another long dry season, so it would be so great to see some decent rain soon.

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  2. When Autumn comes and then Winter, I tend to forget the glories of the summer garden. The magic of Hemerocallis is just a memory in my garden now. Your Daylily blooms are beautiful. Making a note here to remember to start some Cassia seed early spring. Happy Bloom Day.

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    1. I'm really enjoying the Hemerocallis this year. They have done so well to get through the year without much attention from me. Cassias are simply lovely aren't they? The golden yellow flowers certainly brighten up the place.

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  3. I thought that your Cassia fistula would certainly be the most beautiful thing I saw this bloomday, but then the Delonix regias took my breath away!

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    1. They both brighten up this property at the end of our long dry season, that's for sure Danger Garden. Christmas colour in amongst the brown!

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  4. Now you have me (upstate New York) dreaming of hot muggy days and flowers that just won't grow here - which is just about everything you have except for the day lilies. Meaning - I enjoyed your post so much. Thank you!! Now, to have some hot soup....Alana (RamblinwithAM)

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    1. Oh if only I could share some of these hot muggy days, Bookworm. This is not my favourite time of the year, and I will be complaining loudly for the next couple of months. It's not the time for gardening unfortunately, which doesn't help my mood, lol!

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  5. Wow, that is an amazing diversity of Hemerocallis blossoms and I love the Cassia. In fact, all of your blossoms are gorgeous. Christmas in your garden is obviously a very colorful affair!

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    1. Thank you Dorothy. We are so lucky to be able to have lots of colour out in the garden during our summers. That is one good thing about summertime in the tropics!

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  6. You have a wonderful selection of flowers, colour everywhere and such beautiful blooms. Hemerocallis are just a memory for me, you have such a variety, really gorgeous! Your garden will be a delight for Christmas.

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    1. Pauline, the Hemerocallis certainly add loads of colour at this time of the year, which is brilliant because the surroundings are so dry and parched.

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  7. Cheers to the end of your dry season! Looks like a triangle palm maybe in the last photo?

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    1. Yes indeed, Denise, we're hoping that the rains come very soon. You're indeed correct. That is a Triangular Palm in the last photo.

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  8. Oh, your hemerocallis selection is lovely, I am particularly fond of the very dark ones and have a few on my wish-list. My last hemerocallis has just finished flowering. And I love seeing your hoya, it will be my number one plant if I ever get a greenhouse. You have so many lovely plants in flower, hard to tell it is your dry season!

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    1. I wish I had more space for even more Hemerocallis, Helene. They are so reliable after a long dry season. I lost my other Hoya unfortunately. This Indian Rope Hoya has been brilliant. It's been a very hardy specimen. Plant choice is so important in an area like ours where we have such a long dry season. They have to be able to survive without much rain for most of the year.

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  9. I'm wishing you some decent rainfall soon. I enjoyed all your lovely blooms and I loved the photo of the lorikeet munching away on the palm flowers.

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    1. The birds have been enjoying all the blossoms around here lately. The Gums and Palms are obviously a great source of food for them after a long dry season. No forecast of decent rain for this month, Virginia, but that's not uncommon. We usually see the first heavy downpours occurring around either New Years or the last couple of weeks in January. Fingers crossed!

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  10. How wonderful to see all your vibrant flowers on a dismal December day. I love them all, difficult to pick out a favourite. Fabulous!

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    1. Chloris, I'm so glad my photos could cheer you up on your dismal December day. Thanks for dropping by to visit.

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  11. Your flower collages are beautiful! The lorikeet is gorgeous too. It was a treat to come here and see your tropical flowers and birds, especially since we are expecting cold rain tomorrow.

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    1. Sorry I've taken a while to reply, Sweetbay. I just wanted to thank you for your comment and let you know I appreciate you taking the time to stop by and add your thoughts.

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  12. Gorgeous flowers and the lorikeet is wonderful. I enjoyed seeing all the colours. It's been very grey here.

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  13. Lovely blooms. Thanks for the visit.

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  14. Hi Bernie.

    I got here from gardenstew where I go by the name Brisbane Trees. I love your photos and have lots to learn here.

    I notice a philisophical difference between us, concerning trees. You love them all. I on the other hand, cringe at Murrayah paniculata and Cassia fistula. Environmental weeds cause our beautiful natives to lack natural environment and our flora to suffer. Not that I'm in the 'natives are good, exotics are weeds' school of arboriculture, it's just the weeds I have learned to loathe.

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    1. Hi David, great to see you popping by for a visit. I can totally understand your point of view. Both the Cassia and the Murraya can be such a problem and there are certain areas of our state where they are starting to get out of control. The ones that are growing here were established long before we moved in and I've been keeping my eye on them ever since. Thankfully our patch of ground is not conducive to rampant growth or the spread of either of these. All our neighbours keep an eye out too just to see if they're spreading anywhere else. We've had the local Healthy Habitat people at our place and they were happy enough with out vigilant efforts. I know it's not the best scenario though.

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