New Gardening Projects ... My Dry Tropics Garden Journal ... Mid-Winter, Week 30, July 2025

Garden Journal Entry - Week 30

This week's weather:

Seasons:  mid-Winter & Dry Season  (also Bushfire Season)
Daytime Temps:  23°C - 27°C            
Night Time Temps:  13°C - 21°C
Humidity Levels: around 70%     
Hours of daylight:  11 hours
Rainfall:  5 mm ( inches)

Dry Season Dilemmas

After a refreshing couple of weeks away down south, I returned home to the expected sight of slightly droopy, thirsty plants. We are now deep into the dry season here in the northern tropics, and my short absence resulted in the interruption of the usual watering routine. No real harm done, but the wilting leaves were a gentle reminder of how crucial a regular watering schedule is during this long dry spell.

Over the past week, we’ve had mostly rather dreary, overcast days and a touch of rain - not enough to soak into the soil, but just enough to rinse the dust from the foliage and perk up the potted plants in the courtyard. These small refreshes are common in our dry season, offering a visual lift more than a true drink for the garden beds.

A Bittersweet Bloom

One of the first things that caught my eye upon returning was the stunning display of my beloved Tabebuia impetiginosa, standing proud in full bloom. The frilly pink trumpet flowers were simply glorious, cascading from its bare branches like nature’s own confetti. This tree, now about 30 years old and reaching a height of around 30 feet, shares its corner with a towering Eucalyptus platyphylla (Poplar Gum). The two have coexisted in their tight spot for decades, creating a layered and dramatic canopy.

However, a couple of months ago, a hefty branch from the Eucalyptus came crashing down, damaging one side of the Tabebuia quite severely.  I wrote about this event in a previous post (follow this link:  The Start Of The Dry Season). It took a huge effort to remove most of the fallen limb, but the largest chunk was simply too heavy to budge - so I’ve decided to leave it and make something whimsical out of it: a gnome home. 

It’s my first foray into garden fun and frivolity, and I must admit, the idea has grown on me.  It's a work in progress.

But my joy in the Tabebuia’s flowering was cut short by a discovery that made my heart sink. High up in the branches was the tell-tale sign of an arboreal termite nest, complete with mud tubes snaking along the limbs. We've always known termites were in the area - we’ve had yearly professional treatments ever since we moved here - but this is the first time I’ve seen signs in a major tree. The fear is that the termites will hollow out the trunk from within, weakening it until it eventually crashes down - right across our entrance driveway.

As heart-breaking as it is, the Tabebuia impetiginosa will have to be removed. Its beauty, when in bloom, will be very sorely missed.

A Generous Gift and New Projects

On a brighter note, a kind-hearted neighbour recently offered me a bounty of plants that he needed removed from his property - an offer far too good to refuse! Inspired by the influx of new greenery, I’ve launched two exciting new garden bed projects.

✨ The first area is at the end the long entrance driveway, where tall Chrysalidocarpus lutescens, also known by its synonym Dypsis lutescens (Golden Palms), and a native Planchonia careya (Cocky Apple Tree) have thrived, but the understorey has been largely bare. 

With a bit of effort—clearing out leaf litter and enriching the soil - I’ve now created space for ferns, Neomarica longifolia (Walking Iris), Tradescantia spathacea, and Philodendrons. These plants are all wonderfully low-maintenance once established, perfect for that dappled-light zone beneath the palms.

🌿 The second project is tucked in beside the old chook pens, underneath the sprawling branches of a Tabebuia heterophylla. Once again, the process began with clearing out weeds and other debris.  My dearest then hauled loads of rocks up from the bush paddock to create small terraced rock garden spaces over the slope.  I then began layering fresh garden soil in preparation for planting.  This area is shady and peaceful, with great potential to become a lush hideaway garden.  There needs to be more soil added here before I start planting.

Yes, there are two enormous fallen trees lying across the old chook pens behind the newly created garden beds!  I've told the story of that event previously (follow this link:  Challenges Continue), and obviously we have not removed that mess just yet - it's a 'to-do' project waiting for funds and resources.

Highlights Around The Garden:

During my wanderings this past week, I've taken real pleasure in observing the quiet activity of our garden visitors and pollinators.  The courtyard garden is particularly vibrant at the moment, with flowering potted plants drawing in a delightful crowd.

Here's a native Delta arcuata (Mud Dauber Wasp) delicately foraging through the Pentas blooms.

A flash of iridescent blue reveals a native Amegilla cingulata (Blue-banded Bee) darting around the Salvia, diligently collecting pollen.

I'm delighted at the progress of the garden space under the pergola - the rockery - out in the courtyard garden.  It's been an on-going project since the start of this year.  One of the latest changes has been the removal of all the bedraggled remnants of the previously planted Torenias, and the addition of lots of Dianthus.  These attractive frilly, fringed flowers are loving their position in the partially shaded rockery under the pergola.

Adding a splash of cheer to the courtyard garden are the Pansies, their bright and expressive little faces brightening up this corner near the rockery section.

Another delightful sight, out in the shade house garden, is the Begonia nelumbiifolia coming into bloom.  this elegant plant, with its crisp white flowers, had a rough start to the year after being decimated by grasshoppers, but it has made a remarkable recovery.  It's now looking much healthier.

Looking Ahead

While losing the pink Tabebuia impetiginosa is a real blow, the opportunity to plant anew has brought some much-needed optimism. The garden, as always, is a place of change—loss and growth intertwined. With every new bed and blooming plant, the story continues.

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

My Garden Starts To Dry Out ... My Dry Tropics Garden Journal ... Beginning of Winter, Week 26, June 2025

Garden Journal Entry - Week 26

This week's weather:

Seasons:  Beginning of Winter & Dry Season  (also Bushfire Season)
Daytime Temps:  24°C - 27°C            
Night Time Temps:  15°C - 19°C
Humidity Levels: around 70%     
Hours of daylight:  11 hours
Rainfall:   2 mm (0.07 inches)

June In The Northern Tropics

Here in the northern tropics of Australia, June heralds the official start of our rather mild wintertime - and what a beautiful time of year it is. Our winter months are typically dominated by glorious weather: crisp, dry air, mostly fine days, and daytime temperatures rarely falling below 21°C or climbing much above 27°C.  It's a welcome relief after the intense heat and humidity of summer.

The Shift To The Dry Season

We're also firmly stepping into the dry season, which in Townsville usually stretches from May through to October. It's been quite a year so far weather-wise. The wet season at the start of the year was record-breaking, leaving our region with an astonishing 2,532 mm (about 100 inches) of rain by the end of June - already smashing past the average annual rainfall of just 901 mm.

There is now a noticeable browning off happening in the front yard

But this month has brought a clear transition: only 25 mm of rain has fallen in June, slightly above the monthly average but a sure sign we've moved into the drier months. Around the garden and in the surrounding bushland, things are drying out fast. Grass cover is browning off, and native trees are starting to drop their leaves in preparation for the leaner months ahead.

Bushfire Season Preparations

With the dry comes another reality of life in the tropics: bushfire season. Our City Council began hazard reduction burns late in May, carefully managing fuel loads to reduce bushfire risk. At home, we've started work on creating a fire break along our bushland fence line - a yearly ritual that's essential for safety.

Garden Watering Routines Begin

While the couple of very light showers this month were welcome, it's clear that moisture has disappeared quickly from the soil. I've already resumed my dry season watering routine, especially for the younger plants that have started to look a little stressed.

Fortunately, the cooler daytime temperatures - sitting comfortably between 24 and 27°C - mean that a good hour of watering every week is enough to revive the garden beds.

The potted plants, however, are another story!  The courtyard and shade house garden areas will now demand a more intensive watering schedule as the dry season progresses.

Garden Jobs Completed

Once the driveway had dried out completely, we started filling up some holes with road base

The gardening workload has eased significantly over the past six weeks, which has been a nice change of pace. One of the biggest tasks we tackled was repairing parts of our entrance driveway. The wet season had left it riddled with erosion, so we spread fresh road base to even out some of the lumpy, bumpy surface leading into our property.

My shade house garden

The shade house garden also got some much-needed attention. The pathways and tiled area had become slippery and overgrown thanks to rampant algae and weeds. Everything was whipper-snipped and then power washed, transforming the area into a safe and inviting space once again. It's wonderful to be able to stroll through the shade house without fear of losing your footing!

Signs Of Winter In The Garden

Along with the change to milder weather, winter reveals itself subtly around the garden. On my wander today, I spotted:

- Lagerstroemia speciosa, commonly known as the Queen Crepe Myrtle: Leaves changing colour

- Lagerstroemia indica, commonly known as Crepe Myrtle: Branches covered in seed pods

- Koelreuteria elegans subsp. formosana, commonly known as the Golden Rain Tree: The three-sided papery capsules are browning off

- Euphorbia leucocephala, commonly known as the Snowflake Bush: In delicate bloom

- Iris domestica / Belamcanda chinensis, commonly known as the Leopard Lily or Blackberry Lily: Seed pods dotting the ends of the stems

Highlights Around The Garden:

• My Aloe vera plants have surprised me by blooming for the very first time - a lovely splash of soft orange among the greens.

• The Jasmine that rambles over one end of our pergola is still flowering, infusing the courtyard garden with its gentle, sweet fragrance both day and night.

Top left and centre:  Pentas
Top right:  Justicia carnea and Tabernaemontana corymbosa
Bottom Row:  Plectranthus and Gerbera

• I'm also thoroughly loving all the splashes of crisp white blooms scattered here and there, adding a fresh brightness to the garden's winter palette.

Potted Impatiens in the courtyard garden

• All of the potted Impatiens have recovered beautifully from their wet season drowning and are now looking healthy and vibrant once more.

Looking Ahead

Oriental Lily bulbs pushing through and sweet Viola faces on show

One of the reasons I love this time of the year so much is that it's the perfect time to start adding little pots of flowering annuals and to plant out bulbs and perennial seedlings. As winter progresses, there will be more fabulous colour appearing in both the courtyard and shade house garden spaces as a result. I'm looking forward to the bursts of blooms that will brighten these cooler months and carry a touch of springtime joy into the tropics.

A tropical wintertime sunrise

Until next time,

🌸 Happy gardening from the northern dry tropics!

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day ... August 2013 ... Our Last Month Of Winter

I'm a little late in posting, but as I missed last month's GBBD I thought I would try and catch up this month.  Downunder, August is the last month of our winter.  Here in the tropical north we're starting to feel the weather warm up considerably, and that fierce sunshine can definitely be felt now in the middle of the day.  The nights are warming up as well, and the doona has been pulled off the bed. 

Our daytime temps have been hovering up around the late 20s ... 26 to 28 deg C (78 - 82 F) ... and the humidity levels have started climbing up around 70%.  Skies have remained bright blue and fairly clear.  We've had no rain for the month of August, as is usual for our long dry season. 

Now, when I say our skies have been fairly clear, I should have said mostly clear, as it's burn-off time and bush fire time around our city.   Smoke from controlled burn-offs, and smoke from uncontrolled bush fires in some of the bush areas around our city, have created some hazy days of late. 

This is the time of the year when our Fire Brigade and Volunteer Fire Service members actually do set fires in various locations around our city as part of the annual fire-prevention measures.  These burn-offs are designed to create a protective barrier around various residential suburbs, as during this dry and cooler time of the year, the risk of fire is very high because of the tinder-dry vegetation all over our region.  There are also a couple of bush fires blazing in a couple of areas on the outskirts of our city.

Looking at this photo taken from my side yard this morning, you might be forgiven for thinking those are rain clouds hovering to the north, but no ... that's smoke from a bushfire that's raging in one the ranges near our outlying rural suburb.  We're in no danger from this fire, as it's quite a long way off and will never make it to this location, but this is the time of the year when we have to vigilant in suburbs like mine.

Now onto what's blooming around my place. 

As you enter the property and pass through the gates, you will see the Calliandras in bloom on either side.

These Powderpuff flowers are looking fabulous at the moment.

As you drive further down you might notice the last of the Tabebuia impetiginosa blooms high up amongst the tree tops on the left hand side.

The flowers are quite beautiful if you can get close enough to see.

Right towards the end of the driveway, you will then see one of the Bauhinia variegata tree covered in its stark white orchid-like flowers.  It's a fabulous sight to come home to after a long day at work.

When you stop at the end of our long driveway, you might also notice that there are still some gorgeous pink bracts and little flowers on my dwarf Euphorbia pulcherrima in the tiered garden beds,

and as you wander down the concrete driveway that leads to the house, you will see the potted Eucharis grandiflora, that's sitting under the African Oil Palm next to the concrete driveway, blooming beautifully at the moment.

Upon stepping into the courtyard garden, you will see lots more colour.  This space is a favourite of mine at this time of the year, because you forget about the dryness and dreariness of the surrounding dry-season landscape, and you can enjoy all the lovely blooms.

Some of my favourites right now are ...

the Salvia splendens hybrids

the Rosebud Pelargonium

Cleome 'Senorita Rosalita'

Angelonia angustifolia

Petunia 'Bumble Bee'

Petunia 'Bonanza Series'

the dwarf Azalea

and the Torenias.

There are lots of insects buzzing around the various blooms in the courtyard at the moment, but the Salvias certainly seem to be a favourite right now.

After you've enjoyed a cuppa whilst sitting out in the courtyard and enjoying the bird song, you might then wander through the house and enter the shadehouse garden that runs down the entire western side of our house.

There's quite a bit of colour out there at the moment, mostly provided by the various pots and hanging pots/baskets of Impatiens walleriana and Dragon Wing Begonias.

There's also a couple of hanging pots of Streptocarpus caulescens in bloom,

and some rhizomatous Begonias flowering.

This space is another of my favourites at this time of year.  I really enjoying just wandering around in the shadehouse doing the watering every couple of days before I head off to work in the morning.

There are so many little corners just filled with great colour and texture.

I'm joining Carol for her terrific Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day meme.