Our Summer season has begun and here in my north-east corner of Australia, the heat is on! We've had quite a few days when our daytime highs have hit 32 or 33 deg C (89-91 F) and the humidity has started to climb up over the 70% mark. We've had a few light showers of rain which signals that the seven month long dry season is about to end, and the short intense wet season is about to begin. Out in the garden one of the poor wallaby-munched Dahlias has somehow managed to bloom and it's quite lovely. Dahlia - unknown variety ( photo / image / picture from Bernieh's Garden ) The Petunias are still powering on. 'Bonanza' Petunias ( photo / image / picture from Bernieh's Garden ) My all-time favourites are most definitely the 'Bonanza' series with their frilly petals. Most have the white edges such as the bloom above ... 'Bonanza' Petunias ( photo / image / picture from Bernieh's Garden ) ...but others just have the gorgeous frills. Either way, they just do it for me! ; ) Of course, this year I discovered the brilliant 'Bumble Bee' Petunias and just fell in love with their brilliant colours. The black and gold are an unexpected combination that just seems to work ... and these Petunias pair so well with the Vanilla Marigolds. 'Bumble Bee' Petunias and Vanilla Marigold ( photo / image / picture from Bernieh's Garden ) All the Petunias and Marigolds have been blooming non-stop since August, but they've just recently all had a cut back as they were getting so leggy and ugly. I'm sure they will now bloom on for quite a few more weeks, at least until the monsoonal wet season rains arrive. The Pelargoniums are now hitting full stride and showing off their blooms. Pelargonium ( photo / image / picture from Bernieh's Garden ) Ivy-leafed Pelargonium ( photo / image / picture from Bernieh's Garden ) Pelargoniums ( photo / image / picture from Bernieh's Garden ) The Mussaendas are parading their striking colourful bracts and teensy weensy yellow star-shaped flowers. Mussaenda philippica 'Bangkok Rose' ( photo / image / picture from Bernieh's Garden ) Mussaenda philippica 'Calcutta Sunset' ( photo / image / picture from Bernieh's Garden ) There's still more to share, but I'll leave that for another day.
Thanks, Bernieh, your pics are lovely and as several have already indicated, you folks in Oz help keep our flower need fed during this time of the year.. Hank
Yes the southern hemispherians (is there such a word?) will be most pleased to feed your flower fix over our Summer and your Winter. I'll do my best, that is until those monsoonal wet season rains arrive, then it will be difficult to take many photos.
This is wonderful. I always sat on Google all Winter in the past years to get my pleasures. (looking at all the flowers of the world) Now I don't have to do that anymore. I am getting my 'dirty little pleasures' here at The Stew. 8) Barb in Pa.
Lol, my photos have never been called 'dirty little pleasure' before! That's a first! Glad to brighten your day, Waretrop!
Oh it's so good to see your photographs Bernie. I love petunias and yours are really striking. I'm so glad we can relay on folks like you to see us through the depressing winter months. :-D Care to swap places?
Eileen, I'm not sure I could handle your Winter and I can state categorically that our Summers are horrid!! I wouldn't mind swapping your Autumn though!
Gorgeous blooms, B. I especially liked the Mussaenda "Calcutta sunset" and the Ivy-leafed Pelargonium...but they were all splendid in their own way. You can grow so many tropical plants there. I like seeing them very much.
Sjoerd, the 'Calcutta Sunset' is a newer variety and I was lucky to be able to get two of them last year. I haven't seen them in the nurseries since then, as apparently they didn't sell well! I just love it, but obviously I'm in the minority ... oh, apart from you! Lol!
Well I really do like that colour, B. I have seen 4 o'clocks that look like them(similar colour patterns, I mean), and I like those too. You know the Mirabilis has such a wonderful fragrance to me--does the Calcutta have a distinctive fragrance?
I think I need to become an old-age pensioner and start roaming the southern hemisphere when we've got winter! Your blooms are lovely, and I'm very glad you show them. We've got a hailstorm on, and tomorrow we're getting a sleet storm complete with thunder. Oh, the joys of winter on the Norwegian coast.
Thanks Cherylad, Carolyn, and Droopy for reading this post. I'm so glad you enjoyed the flower shots. Sjoerd, that Mussaenda doesn't have a perfume, but I'm happy with the colours. Droopy, we're heading into our wet season here. It's not a great time of year. We get torrential downpours of rain, lots of overcast dreary days and we usually get a few cyclones as well. It's very dark and overcast outside today and the rain is falling lightly but it's very welcome after a long dry season.
