Our Tropical Wintertime Draws To A Close ... My Dry Tropics Journal ... End-of-Winter, Week 33, August 2025

Garden Journal Entry - Week 33

This week's weather:

Seasons:  end-of-Winter & Dry Season
Daytime Temps:  20°C - 29°C            
Night Time Temps:  8°C - 19°C
Humidity Levels: around 70%     
Hours of daylight:  11 1/2 hours
Rainfall:  0 mm (0 inches)

🌿 August in the Tropics

As we approach the close of winter, August has delivered the gentle rhythm of tropical late-winter weather that we've come to expect.  Nights have mostly hovered around the average for the month, with an occasional cooler evening reminding us that winter still lingers.  Daytime temperatures have been steady, mostly typical for August, though a refreshing cool day of 20°C and a few warmer touches of 28°C have provided some variety.

☀️ Weather Watch

The past weeks have been a dance between bright, sunny days and the occasional overcast spell.  Some days shift from cheerful sunshine to dreary clouds in a matter of hours.

Unfortunately, these grey spells have brought no rain, leaving the garden to contend with the drying effects of blustery winds and extended hours of sun.  Consistent deep watering has therefore become an essential part of weekly gardening routines. 

Even so, the occasional overcast day offers a quiet reprieve - a perfect opportunity to spend hours outdoors, tending to the garden and giving the new plantings a healthy start.

🌱 New Garden Projects Settling In

Both of the new garden spaces are now fully planted, mulched, and beginning to flourish.  (See the last post to discover why I began creating these new spaces: New Gardening Projects ) Adjustments to the dry season watering schedule have been necessary to ensure the newcomers thrive until the wet season arrives at the end of the year.

The new garden space at the end of the driveway

The new rock garden space near the old chook pen

🌱 Old Garden Project Progressing Nicely

Pergola Rock Garden - Phase Two

The back section of the rock garden space under the pergola has entered its second phase.  Some original Coleus, that were planted in the ground, struggled with frequent mealy bug infestations and were ultimately removed.  The area now features the addition of potted Coleus and potted Begonias adding renewed colour and vibrancy.  Having these plants potted, instead of planted in the ground, means possible future treatment and/or removal will be a whole lot easier for me.

I'm finding the transformation far more pleasing, with the pergola garden now looking lush and lively.

🌼 Shade House Blossoms

Recently I've been very busy revamping the hanging baskets in my shade house garden - adding fresh coir linings, replenishing the potting mix and planting new flowering plants - in preparation for a springtime show.

• Fifteen new hanging baskets have been planted up with new babies and will soon brighten the shade house garden space.
• Most baskets are filled with Impatiens hawkeri  (New Guinea Impatiens).  

Newly planted hanging baskets in the shade house garden

These vibrant plants are a perfect match for Townsville's warm, humid climate.  Thriving in partial shade, they bring a splash of colour among the greenery of the ferns, and their moderate water needs make them ideal for our dry tropics conditions.  I can't wait to see them mature and fill out the baskets.

🐝 Life in the Garden

Even in these drier winter days, the garden buzzes with life.  Native bees, butterflies and other insects flit from flower to flower, keeping the ecosystem balanced and healthy.  Their presence is a beautiful reminder of how interconnected garden life really is.

😟 Ecological Threat

Meanwhile, on-going efforts to manage Anoplolepis gracilipes (Yellow Crazy Ants) here in the southern suburbs continue to be a critical biosecurity priority for our Townsville City Council.  Treatment programs, running since October last year, use helicopters, drones and ground crews to distribute bait, designed to be taken back to the colony by worker ants in order to target the queen, and ultimately the entire colony.

According to the flyer distributed to all households last year:  "Yellow Crazy Ants form super-colonies consisting of multiple queens supporting multiple nests and millions of workers.  

They out-compete other ants and spray formic acid on other prey, decimating biodiversity."  

Our City Council considers that multiple treatments will be needed over several years to control each of the infestations, so we will be getting very used to the sound of helicopters and drones in our area every month for the foreseeable future.

Over the past two weeks, our area has witnessed yet more aerial and ground treatments, reminding us that vigilance is needed to preserve local biodiversity.

There was a helicopter buzzing around last week, dropping baits, 

and then this week a drone carried on with more targeted bait dropping.  Members of the Yellow Crazy Ant program ground crew also visited our place yesterday to further continue the treatment.  

🌸 Highlights Around The Garden:

• Agave Bloom:  I've been delighted to see one of the large Agaves blooming this year.  It was the first in the group to bloom and right now there are loads of little pups (bulbils) forming along the flower spike.  The mother plant is dying and throwing out lots of new little babies to take her place.  I'm just letting them fall to the ground to see if any of them will survive the dry season and grow roots before our harsh summer rolls around at the end of the year.  Given that this section of the garden only survives on rain from Mother Nature, it will be interesting to see if any of the pups will take off.

• Splashes of Colour:  There's a bit of pink splashed here and there in various garden spaces - Adenium obesum (Desert Rose), Calliandra surinamensis (Powderpuff), Ixora and Kalanchoe.

• Birdwatcing:  One of the things I love most about my place in the world is the variety of birdlife I'm privileged to see almost on a daily basis.  This past week I've noticed a few beautiful visitors during my wanderings around the place - 

Top row L - R:  A Coracina papuensis (White-bellied Cuckoo-Shrike), and a Lichenostomus flavus (Yellow Honeyeater)
Bottom row L - R:  a female Sphecotheres viridis (Australasian Figbird) and Dacelo novaeguineae (Laughing Kookaburra).

🌿 Looking Ahead

This end-of-winter period is a time of quiet growth and preparation.  The garden continues to show resilience, and the new plantings promise vibrant colour and life as we move closer to spring.  

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

Last Autumn Month ... My Dry Tropics Garden Journal ... End-of-Autumn, Week 20, May 2025

Garden Journal Entry - Week 20

This week's weather:

Seasons:  end-of-Autumn & start of Dry Season
Daytime Temps:  28°C - 31°C            
Night Time Temps: 19°C - 22°C
Humidity Levels: around 70%     
Hours of daylight:  11 hours
Rainfall:  0 mm 

A Taste of Summer Before Winter's Arrival 

As the end of autumn draws near, we've had a brief taste of summer's warmth this past week. Daytime temperatures reached nearly 30°C, giving us one last glimpse of what summer feels like before winter begins to settle in. While it was nice to have a bit of heat, the dryness that followed came quickly, and I’ve started to notice a few plants looking wilted and thirsty.  

Top Part of the Hillside Driveway Garden Bed

With only 3.6 mm of rain this month, which fell across three days in the first week, the ground has dried out much faster than usual. It seems I’ll be kicking off the dry season watering schedule a little earlier this year!

After a record-breaking wet season earlier in the year, I’ve finally managed to catch up on the weeding and mulching that was much needed across the garden beds.

Looking down the Hillside Driveway Garden Bed towards the section that needed weeding

The last section to get attention was the area near the end of the cement driveway, which runs down beside the pergola and courtyard garden, ending just outside my husband’s workshop. Though not visible to visitors, it was far too overgrown to ignore. In some areas, the weeds had grown almost a metre high!

End of the Hillside Driveway Garden Bed

I forgot to snap a ‘before’ photo, but I managed to take one towards the end of the task, with the last patch of weeds highlighted in the shot. It took two wheelbarrow loads of pulled weeds from just that area alone.

Back of the Courtyard Garden, opposite the end section of the Hillside Driveway Garden Bed

Thankfully, the other side was much easier. Now, I just need to finish off the mulching in that section.

Seasonal Changes

As the season changes, one of my favourite sights in the garden is the burst of colour from my Calliandra haematocephala (red) and Calliandra surinamensis (pink), commonly known as Powderpuffs.

The flower buds look like little raspberries before they bloom – first green, then red. Once they open, the flowers are small but clustered together to form the signature spherical inflorescences. It's a delightful sight, signaling the shifting of seasons.

Another exciting development in the garden is the blooming of my Adenium obesums (Desert Roses). I planted these just three years ago in various corners of the garden, and they've settled in so well. They thrive in spots with poor soil and full sun all day, and it’s wonderful to see them bloom again, adding a bright splash of colour amidst all the green foliage.

Looking Ahead

As we move into the drier winter months, I’ll be keeping an eye on the garden and adjusting care routines accordingly. With so much blooming despite the challenges of the changing season, there’s always something new to appreciate as we transition through the year.

This Week's Garden Highlights:

A Laughing Kookaburra sitting in a native gum tree, looking out for a delicious snack, as the evening closes in.  

The very last of the Agave flowers are on show at the very top of the flowering spike which is over two metres tall.

The stunning blooms of this potted Spathoglottis, commonly known as Ground Orchid, always catch my eye when I venture out into the courtyard garden.

Butterflies are a common daily sight at the moment.  This Common Crow Butterfly (Euploea core) was sitting on top of a weed pulled out from the hillside driveway garden bed.

I simply adore the vibrant pink of this potted Pentas that sits out in the courtyard garden.

I'm looking forward to seeing more colour after I start potting up additional plants for the courtyard garden ahead of our coming winter.

Until next time,

🌸 Happy gardening from the northern dry tropics!