Saturday 15 December 2012

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day December 2012

The final Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day for 2012 seems to have come around very quickly. When I compare the garden in its current state to how it was this time last year, it is looking a little sad, but that is only to be expected when it was left to its own devices for over 5 months this year.

I have been home now for nearly two months, but there was no clear dividing line between finishing my work in Jakarta and resuming my regular job, so I have been time poor. Fortunately, a few snatched hours over the weekends and a couple of wet days rather than regular watering have produced the beginnings of a turnaround.

The daylilies and spider lilies looked the most pathetic on my return but have come back with a vengeance.


Daylily 'Royal Rego'


Detail of its wonderful gold braid



'Strawberry Fields Forever'


Native bee visiting bitone 'Raspberry Delicious' 


'Double Cranberry Ruffles'


'Ash Rosie'


'Spacecoast Whiteout'


My new addition from last year 'Russian Ragtime'.


'Frank Teele' is a more Christmasy red than it looks in this photograph. 

'Spacecoast Seashells'


This is how the daylilies looked on my return. This is 'Ash Rosie'

... and 'Cherryburst'. Looks like I got home just in the nick of time.

Spider lily in front of a flush on new growth on one of the cycads


The spider lilies on my return. They had a battle on their hands with opportunistic mealy bugs.



This nondescript flower belies the wonderful perfume of the night-scented jasmine  Cestrum nocturum



Here is the cestrum in full flower behind an Evergreen Frangipani Plumeria obtusa


I love how the Leopard Lily self seeds and manages to pop in all the right places.




Another unexpected pop-up in my oh-so-weedy lawn.



Looks like my very first Yucca flower is on its way.



Jasminium sambac 'Grand Duke of  Tuscany'


Not exactly a bloom yet, but peaking through the soil at top left is 'Kitty' one of the mail order dahlias I planted a few weeks ago.



The variegated alstomeria that was a great cut flower this time last year has taken a thrashing but will bounce back.

The poinciana went from this (on a stormy day)...


...to this in just a week.



Finally, just a sample of some of the bromeliads coming into flower at the moment. To see more of what is flowering around the world, visit Carol at May Dreams Gardens who hosts Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day each month.










       





12 comments:

  1. What a lovely collection of daylilies, something I can only dream of in my London garden in December! I love daylilies, it's hard to pick a favourite here but I think I like 'Spacecoast Seashells' best of them all. The bromeliads are lovely too, an indoor plant in my part of the world :-)

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    1. Thanks, Helene. I change my mind every other day about which is my favourite daylily. The broms are very handy in the garden. Most of mine are planted under a huge poinciana tree where nothing else will grow.

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  2. Daylilies in December is just a dream for me. It is a dream I love. Thanks for showing your dl's on Bloom Day. :)

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    1. One of the great things about bloom day is being able to visit gardens in other parts of the world and knowing that it is summer somewhere.

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  3. You have an amazing number of the same plants as me-delonix. spider lily, yucca, etc. I love cestrum and jasmine. Your bromeliads are lovely too, but I just cant keep them alive!

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    1. The broms are pretty tough here. I only lost one while I was away and luckily it was a pretty common one that I can get a replacement pup or two from my brother when I visit over Christmas. Happy GBBD!

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  4. I so rely on my Aussie friends to keep we warm in the winter here in Amrika! How fortunate you are to be by the sea and to have such lush, delicate, exotic gardens to enjoy!
    Thank you also for your comment on gifts from the sea. We lived by the sea and I miss it so.
    Happy gardening and happy holidays!
    XO Lisa

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    1. Thanks Lisa. I am looking forward to spending time at the beach with the dogs over the Christmas break.

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  5. Wow, reading this post made me feel like I was visiting a plant nursery. What a lovely selection of daylilies....with such exotic names....they are all truly beautiful.
    You are the first person I know that also has a Duke of Tuscany.

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    1. I love that jasmine - such luscious plump blooms.

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  6. Marisa, daylilies are my favorite flowers for spring and summer. You have got a fantastic collection. Always amazed how quickly they jump back from neglect. As it is so dry I have areas of neglect where I do water only occasionally just to keep everything alive, so most are tough plants which can stand dryness but do not look their best in this situation. I love to look at your plants some are familiar. The bromeliads are spectacular.They are a good staple of the tropical gardens. I love fungi on old wood and they are fun to find in the grass! You have got a beautiful and interesting garden.

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    1. I just have no willpower at all when it comes to daylilies, Titania. Even though I would love to have more space for other plants, I keep thinking of heading back to Meads daylily nursery to see what catches my eye this season. Maybe early in the new year... and I will try to be strong!

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