Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day April 2012

I am a little early for Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day, which is hosted by Carol at May Dreams Gardens on the 15th of the month to enable gardeners around the world to showcase what it is happening in their gardens. My excuse is that I have been frantically trying to get organised to start work in Jakarta next week, and I actually fly out at 6.30 a.m. on the 15th, so no hope of posting that day. I thought I would have already left, but a minor hiccup with my visa has resulted in a couple of extra days to enjoy the pups, home, garden, and fabulous Autumn weather, so here is what's in bloom in my garden for March GBBD and my 100th post.

First up is this bromeliad Guzmania wittmackii. Although I posted a photo a week or two back, the colour has continued to develop, and it is now at its peak. The inflorescence will last for several months.

In another part of the garden, another G. wittmackii is just begin to colour up. This is the purple form, and,  although isn't as tall as the red, it's another very welcome sight. I was worried I had lost these two, among the very first bromeliads that I added to my collection.

The brugmansia has flowered wonderfully over summer and is still in bloom. It currently has one branch that towers above the rest of the tree. I should have pruned back to maintain a more regular shape, but I must admit I love this over-the-top growth spurt. It reminds me of an exotic parasol.

The row of cordylines I planted along the driveway were all cuttings from a very old and overgrown plant in the backyard.  They really seem to love this spot and are all in bud at the moment.

Another star along the driveway is the Bird of Paradise Strelitzia reginae. I hope I will have a chance to weed their bed before I go, and somewhere down the track I will consider the fate of the neighbouring pentas. I love them almost as much as the bees and butterflies do, but if I'm really honest, they clash with the colours of the Bird of Paradise. Perhaps the grey blue of Agave attentuata would be a better companion.

This little salvia 'Heatwave Sizzle' is still flowering and looks very pretty against the variegated alstomeria.

And both the salvia and the alstomeria provide a backdrop to a white Zinnia 'Polar Bear'.

Nearby, a rhoeo Tradescantia spathacea 'Vittata' serves as backdrop to a pink zinnia 'Pastel Dream'.

Cosmos with more of the variegated alstomeria and variegated pineapple. None of the fancy schmancy cosmos seeds I planted have done much, but the self-seeded ones are thriving.

Salvia 'White Velour' with Aloe 'Diana' behind it.

Looking back to last winter, I really enjoyed pots with mixed varieties of succulents. Since then, the different varieties have grown at varying rates, and some of the combinations that worked last year aren't the harmonious balance of shapes and sizes that they were. They would probably all benefit from re-potting, which I won't get a chance to do in the near future. When I do, I probably have more than enough different varieties to work with, but I couldn't resist adding one more into the mix. This gorgeous kalanchoe(?), such a lovely combination of chocolate and teal.

Well, this will be my last post from Australia for a couple of months. Sorry I have been remiss responding to comments and visiting your posts lately. I look forward to catching up on all the latest, and, rest assured, I have already packed the important things and look forward to sharing lots of exciting tropical plants and images from Indonesia.

The essentials!