A Record-Breaking Wet Season ... My Dry Tropics Garden Journal ... Beginning of Autumn, Week 13, March 2025

Garden Journal Entry - Week 13

Seasons:  early Autumn & end of Wet Season
Daytime Temps:  28°C - 32°C            
Night Time Temps: 24°C - 26°C
Humidity Levels: 80 to 100%     
Hours of daylight:  12 hours
Rainfall:  357 mm  (14 inches) 

As March comes to a close, so (supposedly) does our 2024-2025 wet season - but what a wet season it has been!   These were the figures from our Bureau of Meteorology at the start of this week:

Since 1 January 2025, Townsville Airport has received 2,042 mm (80 inches)!

This is almost double the annual median of 1,083 mm (using 84 years of records) and we are only in March.

Our annual rainfall record for Townsville is 2,399.8 mm (94 inches), set in 2000.

February 2025 was the wettest month on record (for any month) at Townsville Airport with 1,198
mm (47 inches) – over four-times the February median rainfall.

Our rainfall, so far, for March (1 – 24) has been 761.8 mm (30 inches) – our wettest March on
record, breaking the previous record set in 2011 of 696.2 mm.

Looking back over the entire wet season, 1 October 2024 – 9 a.m. 24 March 2025,
we’ve had 2,686.6 mm (105 inches) of rain!













In the five days since these figures were shared, the weather station at the airport has recorded another 244 mm making the total 2,927.2 mm (115 inches).

That means we've now exceeded our all-time annual record in just six months!

The sheer volume of rain has transformed the landscape. My rural suburb is completely saturated, with standing water everywhere. In fact, a neighbour recently shared a jaw-dropping photo of water gushing out of the top of a borehole—something that simply doesn’t happen under normal conditions! 

Usually, boreholes are drilled deep underground to access groundwater, but this season’s relentless rain has pushed aquifer levels so high that water is now bubbling up to the surface unassisted.

With nowhere left to go, the rainwater is pooling in enormous puddles (some are more like lakes at this point). The soil is beyond saturated, and my garden is feeling the effects. Everything is lush and green, but after months of overcast skies, my plants are desperate for sunlight. The sun has made a few brief appearances, but it never seems to stay for more than an hour or two before retreating behind thick clouds again.

When there's sunshine, no matter how briefly, there is a sudden influx of butterflies and other insects carrying out their pollination duties.

Gardening?  Not So Much!

Gardening tasks are almost impossible right now. The ground is so sodden and slippery that it's actually quite dangerous—especially for someone like me, who's been battling with knee and mobility issues. I’ve attempted a bit of weeding here and there, but it’s a losing battle. Within days, the weeds are back, growing even more vigorously than before.

One plant, in particular, is proving to be borderline invasive in the shadehouse garden — Strobilanthes alternata (syn. Hemigraphis alternata), also known as red ivy, red-flame ivy, or waffle plant. It has taken full advantage of the wet conditions, popping up everywhere, even in hanging baskets! 

While I’ve tried to remove it from the more accessible areas, it simply mocks my efforts, bouncing back stronger each time.

Fighting Pests And Plant Damage Amidst The Rain

If the weed growth wasn’t frustrating enough, the hordes of hungry pests certainly are! 

Hawkmoth caterpillars have completely devoured several of my Impatiens and Pentas, stripping them bare.

Grasshoppers have been having their own feast, tearing into the leaves of my Begonias, Coleus and Plectranthus.

Some of the Impatiens plants, which had grown nearly half a metre tall, simply rotted away at the base of the stems due to the constant moisture.

Thankfully, I'm now seeing signs of new growth emerging from underground, which gives me hope that they will return to their former glory.

I've been making the effort to get out daily and do damage control in the garden spaces I'm able to access — the shadehouse and courtyard garden spaces - and I've been relocating hawkmoth caterpillars, crushing grasshoppers, and wiping off aphids. Despite my efforts, many plants are still riddled with holes, but some resilient beauties continue to push through.

I can’t deny that the wet season has brought some spectacular growth to the garden, but now I’m hoping for a shift in the weather—some bright, warm days to dry out the soil and give my plants the energy they need to thrive. 

Moments Of Beauty In The Chaos

Despite the challenges, my garden still has its highlights. 

While wandering around in between rain showers, I startled a mother Agile Wallaby and her joey as they foraged for food. 

Most of the other Agile Wallabies have moved back into the surrounding bushland, but for some reason, this mother has chosen to stay near our property.

 I often see her lounging in our “yard,” which is really just an overgrown weed patch at this point!

This Week's Garden Highlights:

🌿 Murraya paniculata (Mock Orange) has been taking turns to flower, filling the air with its heavenly scent.  (Top left in the collage)

🌿 Pseudomussaenda flava (White Wings) is covered in bright yellow flowers and striking white bracts.  (Top right)

🌿 Tabebuia heterophylla (Pink Trumpet Tree) has started another bloom cycle, showing off its delicate soft pink flowers.  (Bottom left)

🌿 Allamanda cathartica continues to put on a cheerful display of bright yellow blooms.  (Bottom right in the collage above)

🌿 Impatiens, Coleus, Torenias, and Cordylines persist, despite all the efforts of pests to reduce them to nothing.

Even in the midst of this extreme wet season, there are moments of beauty and resilience to be found. I just hope for some strong, dry sunshine soon to help the garden (and myself!) recover from this relentless rain.