Garden heroes

It is a sign of the times - but hopefully only temporary - to see that I have only managed 9 posts so far this year, when I used to sometimes post that many in a month. But the blog is not all that has been neglected of late, so today I embarked on the a big tidy up in the garden. I don't think it's too late to get it looking prettier in time for Spring, but it was very much left to its own devices over Winter, our dry season. 

Thank heavens for the bromeliads.  What troopers they are, soldiering bravely on and producing their extraordinary flowers, many of which last for months, despite the neglect.

This is the same bromeliad as the previous photos but a little earlier, before the flowers had emerged.

These snorkel-like buds emerging from the foliage belong to one of my favourites.

The bloom revealed - I love this brilliant colour scheme of intense blue and red and had a great display this year.

Tiny mauve, peach and pink flowers on the same bloom



I secured this bromeliad with burgundy foliage to a tree branch to displaying the hanging flowers.



Besides being very prickly, the leaves of this bromeliad are patterned on the underside, which is unusual. 



This brom is one of my brother Tony's that I am coveting - such a beautiful blue.

Another of Tony's that I recently added to my collection.

There is two-way traffic between Tony and me - this is a Guzmania wittmarkii that I gave him.



Another beautiful, not-yet-in-flower Guzmania that has had each and every leaf shortened by mysterious creatures.

Mmmm -- butter wouldn't melt in their mouths!

This and the bloom below are the two most recent additions to my bromeliad collection, picked up at the markets last Sunday. This stunner is orange and charcoal (not as blue as photographed).

 

The second of my purchases from last week - this one has variegated foliage. Both, I think, are Bilbergias.

 

Finally, not a bromeliad, but my King Orchid, Dendorobium speciosum, which always delights me with its spring flowers despite being forgotten for much of the year in the top of my Poinciana.  I shared some wonderful specimens of this in my post on the Australian Native Orchid Exhibition last year.  Just click orchids  to visit.