Updates as the wet season tries to end

The beehive gingers are eventually dying down and forming compost around the base of the plant, just as nature intended.  They have created a lovely show for months now.  I have also been cutting back the branches as they die down and removing the leaves.  I get a lovely strong stake out of each one - it will probably only last one season, but free is good!


The Geisha girl is coming alive with colour and I love how it looks against the yellow leaves on the bush next to it.  That bush should have orange berries and blue flowers, but  maybe they will still come.  I do keep cutting it back to keep it small, maybe that is why it doesnt flower....mmmm
I will never tire of the tree fern fronds, and it has really shot up this wet season.  I wonder if there will be a slowing of growth now?
We went up to visit some friends in the rainforest over the weekend - I dont like it there during the wet season - so hot and humid!  I keep thinking this rainy season will end, but still no end in sight.  We get an hour or two of sunshine, and then it pours down again.  All along the sides of the roads are ditches filled with water that has no room to soak into the already sodden ground.
We were lucky enough to see a cassowary along the roadside.  It is amazing how they will blend right into the forest within a metre of the road.  This one just calmly ambled along picking berries off the ground for a few minutes and then turned and did a vanishing act once again into the greenery.

At least I dont have to water my little seedlings in the veggie patch, but I know they would appreciate just a few more hours of sunshine every day.  Oh well it will come, the seasons will change, they always do..

Comments

  1. Grower JimWed Mar 31, 08:39:00 PM

    I never thought of using the beehive gingers for stakes! I'll have to try that next year. Thanks for the tip!

    ReplyDelete
  2. BernieHWed Mar 31, 10:00:00 PM

    Love your idea of using the beehive stems as stakes! I think you've probably hit the nail on the head in regards to the duranta that's not flowering ... I've got a few of the tall varieties and they do produce a wonderful display when allowed to grow a little taller.

    Great shot of the cassowary ... we only see these beauties when we go up to Mission Beach for a break. As for the rain ... we're still waiting of the end of the 'wet' down here too!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Steve AsbellThu Apr 01, 12:50:00 AM

    I like your ginger idea! Totally biodegradable and as you said, free!
    Life in a real rainforest is pretty crappy, buggy, sticky and aggravating but I'm glad you were still able to focus on those beautiful shots. When I'm hiking in summer I get a good workout since the only way to avoid the mosquitoes is by breaking into a sprint long enough for them to lose you for a short while.
    However when I relax and ignore them I don't even swell up at all, but that wouldn't be an option in the tropics with all those diseases.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Adrian Ayres FisherThu Apr 01, 01:58:00 AM

    In Illinois our big ground birds are pretty drab turkeys--to me it looks like you live inside a Planet Earth episode.

    Steve--the upper Midwest USA has mosquitoes thiiiiis big, and hungry, too. Then there are the black flies... I have moved fast while waving my arms about on the Lake Superior Trail for similar reasons.

    ReplyDelete
  5. FloridagirlThu Apr 01, 05:22:00 AM

    So many wonderful things in this post! Beehive gingers, dewdrops, tree ferns. Love them all! But, wow!!!, that cassowary! So cool to just encounter one in the wild like that!

    ReplyDelete
  6. africanaussieThu Apr 01, 08:08:00 AM

    Grower Jim Steve and Bernie, I think they eventually rot down, but the ones I used for my asparagus have been in the ground for a couple of months now. I make sure to dry them out and harden up first.
    Bernie, thats what it is called,thanks! I just remembered the name golden dewdrops. my DIL was asking if the berries were poisonous as they have lots in their yard. I will let it grow a little taller.
    Steve and Adrian, I think even the mosquitoes have drowned! - I really havn't noticed any, but I suppose once the rain stops, that will be the next thing to worry about. You arent considered a local until you have had Ross River Fever - I got that last year. Dengue is a bad one though - you dont want to get that.
    Floridagirl, I was pretty excited to see this once up close, and was scrambling around for the camera.....

    ReplyDelete
  7. KimberlyFri Apr 02, 08:57:00 AM

    I've never seen this bird! How cool!!!! Thank you sooo much for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
  8. TracySun Apr 04, 11:52:00 AM

    Hi, I just clicked over from KGI and have loved looking around your tropical garden. So very different from my cold/temperate spot in the New England region of NSW.
    Happy Gardening.

    ReplyDelete
  9. africanaussieTue Apr 06, 08:44:00 AM

    Hi Tracy, thanks for visiting, yes I would like to do more travelling around and see the different parts of Australia.

    ReplyDelete

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