Spring Awakens In The Dry Tropics ... My Dry Tropics Journal ... Beginning of Spring, Week 38, September, 2025

Garden Journal Entry - Week 38

This week's weather:

Seasons:  Beginning of Spring / Dry Season / Bushfire Season
Daytime Temps:  28°C - 32°C            
Night Time Temps:  19°C - 22°C
Humidity Levels: 50 - 70%  in a day    
Hours of daylight:  12 hours
Rainfall:  0 mm (0 inches)

🌿 Subtle Signs of Seasonal Change

Early spring in the dry tropics:  twelve hours of daylight, dry landscape,
and the lingering haze of distant bushfires.

September marks the first month of Spring here in the southern hemisphere.  The term "spring" can be misleading when referring to the tropics, as it doesn't bring the usual connotations of a northern hemisphere spring, or even a temperate Australian spring.  Our "dry tropics Spring" is quite a contrast and is marked by:

• rapidly rising temperatures, both day and night 
• a dry, brown landscape
• increased fire risk from the dry grasses and ground cover 
• the emergence of reptiles
• and the anticipation of the coming "wet" season after months of the "dry" season. 

For now, the seasonal shift from winter has been gentle and subtle, more like a gradual unfolding rather than a sudden transformation. Days and nights are definitely hotter (as noted above), humidity is slowly rising, the UV index sits at 'extreme' for most of the day, and we're five months into the dry season.  

Rainfall since the start of our dry season:

May - 49.2 mm

June - 24.8 mm

July -  16.4 mm

August -  0 mm

September (so far) -  0 mm

🔥 Fire Season Continues

Spring here is not all about a lush green landscape.  It's the opposite - there's parched ground and vegetation, the fire risk is high and it's time to remain vigilant.  The combination of rising air and soil temperatures, general dryness, and strong winds creates ideal conditions for bushfires. 

Rising smoke from the bushfire that began in the ranges more than a week ago - this photo
was taken on day two.

• Fires have already flared in bushland areas around our city, including a massive blaze in the ranges surrounding our rural suburb.  
• Thankfully, these fires are far from homes, posing no threat to life or property, but the lingering smoke hanging over our rural suburb for more than a week now reminds us of the season's hazards.

Wide areas of bush land growth have been whipper-snippered down to the ground
to create fire breaks along our property fence line.

Preparation Tip:

The creation of fire breaks along the fence lines of our property is an annual job, and essential at this time of the year.  This job was only just completed a few weeks ago.  It was a back-breaking work for my hubby, as the growth in the bush paddock had exploded after the wet season at the beginning of the year.  

This year's growth in the bush paddock, especially from noxious weeds and invasive species like Chromolaena odorata (Siam Weed), Lantana camara (Lantana), Sicklepods and Snakeweed, made the job particularly challenging.  These weeds increase fire risk, so need to be cleared from the edge of our property.

💮 Eucalyptus In Bloom

Amidst this dry, dusty backdrop, spring is quietly celebrated by nature. The Eucalyptus platyphyllas - one of the dominant eucalypts in our region - are a standout at this time of the year, cloaked in their clusters of fluffy white flowers.

Fluffy white Eucalyptus blooms dripping with nectar attract native bees and wasps,
filling the air with a honeyed perfume.

These nectar-laden blooms attract native bees and wasps, and when the gusts of wind pause, the soft droning of pollinators and the sweet, honey-like fragrance of the blossoms make it feel like spring has truly arrived. We are lucky to have a couple of these trees on our property, bringing the surrounding bushland into our garden.

💧 Garden Under The Dry

Yard areas around the house are now almost completely browned off
and will remain that way until the wet season arrives

The long dry season has left its mark:

• Yard areas and surrounding landscapes are crisp and brown.
• These areas aren't prioritized for watering to avoid exorbitant bills.

Both the established Murraya paniculatas (Mock Orange) and Crotons
have responded to the deep watering by flowering, outside their usual blooming period.  

• Older, established plants sometimes need a deep watering, which helps sustain them until the rains return. Some even reward this care with flowers - a quiet, "thank you!"

The grassed area near the entrance to our house remains a priority for watering
throughout the dry season.

Areas prioritized for watering, despite the cost involved:

• Grassed area near the entrance to our house
• Shade house and courtyard garden spaces
• The newly planted garden projects

With the rapid drying out of these spaces, what was a once a weekly watering routine has now turned into a daily necessity, especially for all the potted plants out on the courtyard and in the shade house.

The two new garden project spaces are both doing well.
The plants have all settled in and receive lots of attention and care in this establishment phase.

With the heat rising and days starting earlier, I'm out very early in the mornings to do basic gardening jobs:

• Tidying (mostly involves picking up dropped Golden Cane Palm fronds) and weeding
• Deadheading
• Turning on / moving the sprinklers and soaker hoses.

These early hours remain a peaceful time to enjoy the garden before the heat of the day sets in.

🍃 Creeping Fig Challenge

A major pruning task this week, in the space between the house and the pergola area of the courtyard garden, involved a rather thick Dypsis lutescens (Golden Cane Palm) stem that had been bent down by the weight of Ficus pumila (Creeping Fig / Fig Ivy).

For those who have admired photos of Ficus pumila (Creeping Fig) and its ability to create lush green walls or hide unsightly structures - take heed!

In its juvenile stage, this creeper is a gardener's delight: delicate, small leaves form an attractive, vibrant covering (as seen on our shade house garden entrance - seen on the left - and the rock wall beside the entrance - seen below).

However, it requires regular pruning to stay manageable and maintain its charm. Left unchecked - as happened in this corner of my garden - the creeping fig quickly enters its mature stage. The leaves grow up to five times larger, stems thicken into woody vines over an inch in diameter, and it begins to produce fruit, eventually becoming a serious landscaping challenge.

Before:

This video shows the bent palm stem completely and thickly covered with the creeping fig.  It had created a canopy that was never intended!

During & After:

The bottom photo shows the now cleared and open area between our house and the pergola area.

This experience has been a reminder that even the most beautiful climbers need careful attention, especially in areas where they can overwhelm other plants or structures.

🦋 Life Among The Dryness

Even in the midst of dryness though, there’s plenty of life. Birds flit among the trees. Agile Wallabies me short work of weed piles left in the parched yard.

Early morning strolls reveal birds, wallabies, butterflies,
and the busy life of the garden, even during the dry season.

Lots of butterflies, including the stunning Papilio demoleus (Chequered Swallowtails), move between nectar sources introduced in the courtyard garden.

🌸Spring Colour Pops

Spring colour brightens corners of the garden, offering a cheerful contrast to the surrounding brown bleakness.

The Tabebuia impetiginosa (Pink Trumpet Tree) down the driveway is putting on a final flourish of flower sprays,

while Adenium obesum (Desert Rose) plants scattered around the property are blooming once more.

In the shade house, the Neomarica longifolia (Yellow Walking Iris) have begun flowering again,

and the Evolvulus (Blue Eyes) and Begonia semperflorens (Wax Begonias) continue their show.

The pots of Oriental liliums fill the air with their magnificent perfume.

The courtyard garden is a riot of colour this month. Of course, this colour is deliberately introduced to lift the mood, offering a cheerful contrast to the surrounding brown.

Potted annuals - Pansies, Alyssum, Petunias, and Calibrachoas -

thrive alongside flowering Impatiens, Begonias, and Pentas. It’s a vibrant patchwork of blooms, a reminder that even in the dry tropics’ challenging conditions, spring arrives with its own quiet magic.

💟 Highlights From The Garden

The purple Spathoglottis (Ground Orchids) and the yellow Phalaenopsis are showing off their stunning blooms.

I've just added a few new Orchids to my small collection and they've been placed in the bright, dappled light of the shade house garden. I know very little about Orchids, so this is the start of a new learning curve.

The first is labelled: Dendrobium (Spider Magic x Dark Dame) x Dendrobium canaliculatum. Apparently this is not a single Orchid hybrid, but rather three distinct Orchids.

The second is labelled: Dendrobium Mao Gold x Dendrobium Discolor. This is a hybrid.

The third is labelled: Brassocattleya Yuan Nan Star War. A hybrid that is apparently a large-growing orchid that produces a lovely fragrance.

At the moment, I'm enjoying their flowering cycle but will need to spend time accessing information about their growth habits, needs and care requirements.

Until next time,
🌸 Happy gardening from the dry tropics!