Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day April 2013

As we enter into mid-Autumn here in Brisbane this Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day, there is not a great variety of blooms in the garden, but there is still plenty of colour. We are once again very much 'in the pink', courtesy of a new dahlia and those fabulous troopers, the cosmos.

Dahlia 'Araluen Katrina'

Love the pink of the cosmos with the slightly blue-toned foliage of aloe and Yucca 'Purple Royale'

Here is a better shot of the Yucca 'Purple Royale' (back right) with Tradescantia pallida or Purple Heart in the front.

I can't believe I still have a daylily blooming.

Daylily 'Passion for Life'

Here's the slightly chewed cosmos with variegated alstomeria and white ixora

Coleus, salvia 'Heatwave Sizzle ' and variegated alstomeria

One of the bromeliads on the driveway is out.

This little dahlia was bought last year as one in a punnet of seedlings.

Finally, one of the orchids is in bloom. This is an Oncidium.

There will be lots more to see over at May Dreams Gardens where Carol hosts Garden Bloggers Bloom Day on the 15th of each month.

In the pink

I first came upon this quote by American photographer Dorothea Lange courtesy of my desk calendar, but it was one that immediately registered with me:  “The camera is an instrument that teaches people how to see without a camera.”

Before our recent storms and the flood damage that followed through much of Brisbane and Queensland, the garden had taken a pounding from the intense heat. On many a morning, I wandered down to the front garden to feed the goldfish, and there seemed to be little in flower. But since I started this blog and have began taking regular photos, I have become more attuned to my garden and see so much more, whether I have my camera with me or not.

One of the little details that I have come to love are the twisted spent blooms of the Leopard Lily Belamcanda chinensis.

Here a spider lying in wait for an unwary visitor mirrors the shape of the flower above.

Continuing the pink theme in my garden and just as reliable as the leopard lily are the cosmos. Both self seed fairly freely, but never enough to be a nuisance.

Cosmos about to bloom

and in full flower with attendant spider

The scabious has been a wonderful addition to the garden this year, and I have enjoyed it in all its phases. There is a very subtle variation in the shades of the flowers; many are more mauve than pink.

Scabious just beginning to bloom.

Scabious with pink salvia 'Heatwave Sizzle' in the background.

Scabious seed heads

A new unnamed  variety of pink salvia that I picked up at the markets.

Another recent acquisition Ginger Globba winitii 'Red Back'

The final pink bloom that I am sharing this post is the beautiful pink cassia Cassia javanica. Sadly, it isn't in my garden, but a tree I spotted on my return from the supermarket. While I have seen a few others around the neighbourhood, they are frequently too tall to be able to get a good photo of the flowers. 

Once I would have driven past probably without paying much heed, but luckily I had my camera on board.

Miss Bella always looks pretty in pink too.

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!