Africanaussie

After our week in Brisbane admiring the amazing gardens everywhere, I came back with lots of ideas.  Gardening, crafts, food, my gosh I am going to be busy :) On Sunday I started out in the back, weeding and once again cutting back the mandevilla. I love that plant - it never seems to stop flowering, but it is very big and the branches can get quite heavy.  I dragged out some of the remains of our gazebo frame and managed to create quite a nice sturdy support. I have moved the orchids over here as well - they really don't get noticed over in the other corner behind the gate.  I have two branches of flowers on the white one, an orange orchid and then another one is in bud that I don't know what it is going to be.  This white one flowered a couple of months ago.  :)   My franzipani has not flowered for some reason - it looks rather healthy, but I think the...

Once the rains start in, everything seems to grow overnight.  I would love to get out and cut some things back, and do some digging, but no - I am being very careful with my back, and just observing the garden from  the safety of the swing.  One of the first plants to herald the arrival of the rains are the bromeliads - The tips of this one turn a bright pink - like a painted fingernail... My neigbour told me that bromeliads with spikes like more sun...   I have heard this one referred to as the hurricane bromeliad, so they are right on time. This is  the cyclone season as it is called in the Southern hemisphere. From this dingy rosette of green leaves a gorgeous flower pops up, and the best thing is that they stick around for weeks.  another plant showing its colours is the red anthirium - it is a tiny plant, and I got a little pup from my neighbour ages ago - suddenly it has a lovely flower.  Lovely ...