The garden is in the PINK

PINK is a pale red color that was first recorded in the 17th century to describe the pale red flowers of pinks, flowering plants in the genus Dianthus. This color stands for beauty, grace and goodness. The color pink itself is a combination of red and white. Other tints of pink may be combinations of rose and white, magenta and white, or orange and white.
Roseus is a Latin word meaning "rosy" or "pink." Lucretius used the word to describe the dawn in his epic poem On the Nature of Things (De Rerum Natura). [2] The word is also used in the binomial names of several species, such as the Rosy Starling (Sturnus roseus) and Catharanthus roseus

A rain bedraggled Elina looks a little put out....I wonder why?

Catharantus roseus, Madagascar Periwinkle

Azalea "Bettina"

Cryptanthus, Earthstars are true terrestrials. If you would like to know more about them go to:Cryptanthus Online:http://members.iinet.net.au/

An early flowering Camellia sasanqua.

Hibiscus "Fiji": Hibiscus grow from cuttings made over the warmer time of the year. I cut a half ripe piece about 20 cm long, just under a node, dip it into a hormone powder and plant it in a pot with sandy soil or clay cat litter. In a few weeks small roots have formed and one has to be careful when replanting it, as the roots are very vulnerable at this stage.

Cordylines are the easiest plants to propagate. Cut off a stem and plant it.

Grevilleas grow and flower all year round. It is actually hard to prune them because their tips are always crowned with flowers. There are many species. Some are only for dry areas. They don't like wet feet. (Who does?)

Grevillea - Propagation:
http://asgap.org.au/grev2a.html.

This pink Bougainvillea flowers all year round. With short resting periods in between. In spring it mingles with a wisteria.

Majolica plate made by L.

Hibiscus are reliable, easy shrubs to grow.

Anthuriums make great cut flowers.

Lipstick pink Horsefallia loves to climb. It is a summer bloomer. End of winter it has lost all its leaves and is ready to be lightly pruned for its next exuberant display. It also plays host to a myriad of Nectar seeking insects. From the tiniest native bee, ( if you enlarge the picture, you can see a tiny trigona carbonaria on the top left flower.

The glam, pink leaves of Lillypilly, Syzygium luehmannii, try to pronounce syz...I think I stick with Lillypilly!

Camellias are adding a lot of colour to my winter garden. They are excellent to plant under trees as they have only a small root system. They are not demanding plants. They may be pruned or left alone.

They are evergreen shrubs and small trees 2–20 m tall. The leaves are alternately arranged, simple, thick, serrated, usually glossy, and 3–17 cm long. The flowers are large and conspicuous, 1–12 cm diameter, with (in natural conditions) 5–9 petals; colour varies from white to pink and red, and yellow in a few species. The fruit is a dry capsule, sometimes subdivided into up to 5 compartments, each compartment containing up to 8 seeds.
The genus is generally adapted to acidic soils, and does not grow well on chalk or other calcium-rich soils. Most species also have a high rainfall requirement and will not tolerate drought. Some Camellias have been known to grow without much rainfall. Wikipedia

" Dreamtime", a crossbreed Azalea/Rhododendron. It is a very vigorous grower and flowers freely and generously. I always prune it back. If I let it grow it will reach a height of more than 2 m.

Believe it or not:

Peas and beans planted during the increase of the moon will climb; planted in the wane they cling to the ground.

Organic tip of the week:

Repelling pests and Attracting Help
Some plants emit chemicals from their roots or leaves, called allelochemicals, which repel pests. As an example, tomatoes repel caterpillars from diamondback moths, which like to use cabbage leaves for food.
Other plants attract insects that prey on pests that would otherwise damage nearby plants. As an example, beans attract insects that eat corn pests, such as leaf beetles. You can learn a lot more about how to fight specific pests organically at the Organic Pest Control web site.

Copyright T.S. Yesterdaytodayandtomorrow in my garden 08

Photos from my garden T.S. 08

Enjoy and have a nice day!