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Category: My Dry Tropics Garden | Posted: Sun Jul 21, 2013 4:59 am

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Kookaburra sitting in a gum tree ( photo / image / picture from Bernieh's Garden )

July is our mid-Winter month, but we have a very, very mild winter here in the tropics. This year July has been particularly mild. Our daytime temps. have hovered around the top 20s ... 25 to 27 deg C (77 - 80 deg F).

Our night time temps this month have been all over the place though. We've a night or two where the mercury has dropped down to 10 deg C (50 deg F), which is very chilly for us; but we've also had nights where it's shot back up to 21 deg C (69 deg F). Over the last couple of weeks though it seems to have stabilised more and we're getting between 16 - 18 deg C (60 - 64 F).


Mid-Winter Sunrise 2013 ( photo / image / picture from Bernieh's Garden )

We've woken up to a few overcast, dreary days and we've had some very very light showers. Whilst it's been refreshing, the rain hasn't been able to actually penetrate the soil here. We've only had 3.4 mms of rain (0.1 of an inch) all month so far. We're in our dry season now. Our last really decent rainfall was back in March/April.

Let's see what's been blooming so far this month around my garden ...


Schlumbergera or Zygocactus - peach ( photo / image / picture from Bernieh's Garden )


Schlumbergera truncata bloom ( photo / image / picture from Bernieh's Garden )


Schlumbergera truncata ( photo / image / picture from Bernieh's Garden )


Clerodendrum ugandense ( photo / image / picture from Bernieh's Garden )


Celosia ( photo / image / picture from Bernieh's Garden )


Pelargonium ( photo / image / picture from Bernieh's Garden )


Petunia 'Bumblebee' ( photo / image / picture from Bernieh's Garden )


Petunia 'Bumblebee' ( photo / image / picture from Bernieh's Garden )


Rosebud Pelargonium ( photo / image / picture from Bernieh's Garden )


dwarf Azalea ( photo / image / picture from Bernieh's Garden )


double white Impatiens walleriana ( photo / image / picture from Bernieh's Garden )


Crossandra infundibuliformis ( photo / image / picture from Bernieh's Garden )


double Petunias ( photo / image / picture from Bernieh's Garden )


double Petunias ( photo / image / picture from Bernieh's Garden )


Turnera subulata ( photo / image / picture from Bernieh's Garden )


Euphorbia pulcherrima ( photo / image / picture from Bernieh's Garden )


dwarf pink Euphorbia pulcherrima ( photo / image / picture from Bernieh's Garden )


Impatiens walleriana ( photo / image / picture from Bernieh's Garden )


more Impatiens walleriana ( photo / image / picture from Bernieh's Garden )


Plectranthus 'Mona Lavender' ( photo / image / picture from Bernieh's Garden )



Last edited: Sun Jul 21, 2013 5:00 am

This blog entry has been viewed 599 times

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eileen wrote on Sun Jul 21, 2013 11:09 am:

I love your Clerodendrum ugandense and the Bumblebee petunias although everything else is just beautiful too.
We're having really high temperatures here in Scotland which are outstripping your winter ones. We haven't had rain for a few weeks now. Maybe we should swap places!!

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Netty wrote on Sun Jul 21, 2013 11:17 am:

Lovely blooms!I find it very interesting that your warm winter temperatures are the same as our cool summer temperatures here in southern Ontario! I would be one happy girl if I could garden all year!

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Frank wrote on Sun Jul 21, 2013 11:39 am:

That Petunia 'Bumblebee' is wonderful Bernie!

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Bernieh wrote on Sun Jul 21, 2013 12:18 pm:

Eileen, sounds like I might enjoy the swap! The Bumblebee Petunia is one of my all-time favourites. I just love it.

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Bernieh wrote on Sun Jul 21, 2013 12:19 pm:

Netty, that's one advantage with living in the tropics. We can garden all year round, and have something blooming year round.

While our winters are simply glorious, the summers here are real shockers.

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Bernieh wrote on Sun Jul 21, 2013 12:20 pm:

Frank, the Bumblebee Petunia always creates interest and brings about the most comments. It really is an eye-catching flower.

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cherylad wrote on Sun Jul 21, 2013 9:02 pm:

They all look fabulous!
I have/had a Clerodendrum ugandense also. It did well last year giving me lots of blue butterflies (blooms). It died back over the winter. Came back up, has not been growing... it's only about 1 foot tall and just has a few leaves. Guess it just couldn't take these temps.

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Bernieh wrote on Sun Jul 21, 2013 9:32 pm:

That's a shame, Cherylad. Hopefully it will rally a bit more for you. It's such a great plant when it's covered in those gorgeous butterfly flowers.

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Jewell wrote on Sun Jul 21, 2013 9:47 pm:

Love those double petunias. Wonderful group off flowers.

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Bernieh wrote on Mon Jul 22, 2013 6:36 am:

I grow those doubles every year, Jewell, and I never tire of them. They're eye-catching.

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Droopy wrote on Mon Jul 22, 2013 8:35 am:

*nudges Netty* We have the same summer temps here, and we sometimes drop down to a single digit C during the night.

Lovely flowers Bernie. All are summer blooms or house plants up here. I especially like the Clerodendrum and the Crossandra.

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Bernieh wrote on Mon Jul 22, 2013 10:30 am:

Thanks Droopy. As you've already worked out we have very mild winters here. Of course the summers are hot, hot, hot.

The Clerodendrum and Crossandra grow outdoors here and have a couple of blooming cycles in one year. Actually the Crossandra has very long blooming cycles.

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