Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day February 2012

After the dryness of the closing months of 2011, we have had plenty of rain since the New Year. Here is a snapshot of what is happening in my garden for Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day. This meme, hosted by May Dreams Gardens, provides the opportunity to visit the gardens of other bloggers around the world to see what's happening in their gardens each month.

This month I was pleased to see my white Ixora 'Kampon's Pride' in flower, and with the new growth finally assuming a more upright posture after doing a good prostrate imitation for a while there. It seems to be working quite well with the cordyline backdrop and the variegated alstomeria and a variegated pineapple for company.

There are still a few patches in this garden after I was a bit ruthless with the salvia and the cosmos. I need to handle 'succession planning' a little better, but it won't be long now. The self-seeded cosmos are almost ready to flower and the more exotic varieties that I planted are hot on their heels.

This is another ixora, 'Pink Malay'. I have a row of them behind the spider lilies on the driveway that are quite advanced, but this was a late addition to extend the border. The flower is almost as big as the plant.

New buds and white berries from the last flush of the Night-scented Jasmine Cestrum nocturnum

Plumeria obtusa

Plumeria pudica

Another new appearance in the garden this month has been this dahlia 'Marie Antoinette'. It's been flowering like mad. I am looking forward to Spring when I can order a few more dahlia tubers.

The leopard lilies are still flowering well.

Firespike Odontonema (I had seen this around for years, but never had a clue what it was called till I became a garden blogger!)

I remember buying this at a tropical garden show, but I can't remember what it was, maybe a canna. It has never flowered and dies down every winter.

More coloured foliage courtesy of a croton.

Spiral ginger Costus and brugmansia have dominated the backyard all summer.

One of my new orchids, a miltonia.

An oncidium orchid.

Hints of what's to come in the autumn garden, zinnia seedlings.