Africanaussie

This really is the most wonderful time of the year in the tropics.  The weather cools down, and we are still having the occasional rain which keeps the soil damp.  In the side area we now have a roll out awning, which is great as it keeps the open feeling of the garden, but still gives us protection from the rain. I spent some time clearing out the pathway and generally tidying up.  Tropical plants can take over and need to be tamed! The area that you look out on against the fence was looking a bit sparse and uninteresting, so I removed one of the elkhorn ferns from the tree and attached it to a frame on the fence.  The fan palms are growing too big as they used to block the fence, but the leaves are now all above the fence....  I hung a few bromeliads on the trunk of one of them, and planted out a few cordelines.  I also strung some solar lights along the fence so it looks pretty looking out onto the garden at night. Out in the back I am lov...

So here I am all packed and ready to go.  I have even posted my last post for the year wishing all my readers a very happy christmas. So organised am I in fact that I sat down to read a few blogs.  Rainforest Gardener issues a challenge.....  an epiphyte post! - no I dont have time - oh but there is that huge birds nest fern in my back yard I have been thinking I should do a post on - yes that one! Its a beauty isnt it?  there are a few weeds  taking up residence and this photo reminds me I must get the ladder and remove them. Look at the detailed lines on the leaves and then look behind the leaves! - these must be the spores. In the rainforest they seem to like living nestled in the branch of a tree like I have here, but then I also see them in a ring around the the trunk of a palm tree like this once next to our pool. Further down the trunk of the lychee tree are yet more epiphytes - funny I dont think of myse...

On the trunk of the lychee tree are a couple of elkhorn ferns.  They seem quite happy there and dont get any special treatment at all.  Occasionally if they look dusty they will get a spray with the hose.  The leaves are more slender than the staghorn fern, and every now and then I notice a new one forming, Why do we really think we are the gardeners?   This plant gets along very well without my help and yet I take all the credit! Sometimes I try to wrap my mind around how totally awesome this world is. The little things like a plant that continues on with its life cycle. These are the moments that take my breath away.