Saturday 12 July 2008

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.
" 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!

15 comments:

Pia K said...

Oh, my favourite colour pink, sigh, how lovely it all looks!

And good tip on the organic pest control, thanks for that!

Kerri said...

I must echo Pia, I adore pink in the garden! Camellias remind me so much of my mother. I was surprised to see the sasanqua at the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens in NY City. I thought our North East climate was too cold for them.
I find myself wanting to chat about all your beautiful flowers and plants, Trudi. We could talk for hours, I'm sure :) It brings back wonderful memories to see them. The hibiscus, azaleas, bougainvilleas, all! How lovely the grevilleas are, and the Horsefallia is such a gorgeous color! It's a new one to me.
It's easy to see your love for your gardens. They're beautiful!

Unknown said...

Spent a long time here, admiring all the flowers. And so many shades of pink! I've tried growing azaleas but the climate isn't conducive here. Will definitely check out the Cryptanthus website. Thoroughly enjoyed my visit, Trudi.

Lavender and Vanilla Friends of the Gardens said...

Thank you, Pia, Kerri and Kanak for your visit. I appreciate your interest and kind comments.

Sisah said...

Wieder...tropische Vielfalt in Trudis Garten. Unbelievable! Azaleen und Kamelien, die bei uns in den Gewächshäusern im frühen Frühjahr blühen, sehe ich in Deinem Garten mit Bougainvilleas ( Geschöpfe des Hochsommers) zur gleichen Zeit blühen. Ich bin verwirrt. Macht sich der Wechsel der Jahreszeiten in Euren Breiten überhaupt nicht bemerkbar?
Ich wünsche Dir einen schönen Sonntag!
Grüße aus einem trüben Berliner Umland
Sisah

Lavender and Vanilla Friends of the Gardens said...

Sisah, ich danke dir sehr fuer dein "Bsuechli". Es gibt schon einen Wechsel, aber er ist minimal.
Es ist einfach kuehler. Viele Pflanzen haben keine Winterruhe. Zwiebelpflanzen wie z.B. Hippeastrums bluehen im Fruehling zusammen mit Agapanthus und Christmas Lillien. Dann ruhen diese bis zum naechsten Jahr. Taglilien bluehen von Oktober bis Ende Dezember, dann ruhen sie ein bisschen und fangen noch mal an zu bluehen bis in den Herbst. Azalen sind immergruen. Bluehen von Anfang Herbst bis in den Fruehling so Ende Oktober schliessen sie ab weil es dann heiss wird. Die Tage sind sehr kurz im Winter um 17 h ist es dunkel.

LadyLuz said...

Such a riot of gorgeous pinks - a real feast for the eyes.

The organic pest control website is really helpful, many thanks Trudi. I'll have to get organised for next year.

HaBseligkeiten said...

Liebe Trudi,

bei so einem farbenfrohen Winter ziehe ich gern die "rosarote Brille" auf!!

Sommerliche Grüße von Heidi

Sandra said...

Again, I must admire these fabulous photographs - they are great, so natural and unique! You're an artist.
Greetings from Croatia

Lavender and Vanilla Friends of the Gardens said...

Thank you for visiting; Ladyluz, Heidi and Sandra, and showing an interest in my garden.

Katarina said...

I keep falling for pink flowers - most of my roses are pink, for instance...
Your camellias are fantastic! I wish I could grow some in my garden, but they won't survive. So I keep my two shrubs potted.
I also love the hibiscus Fidji! So pretty!
/Katarina

Karin said...

I really do like pink! You have a lot of beautiful pink flowers...love your hibiscus! Take care and enjoy your week!

Lavender and Vanilla Friends of the Gardens said...

Yes, I love pink in my garden too which is obvious isn'it. I wish I could grow tulips and daffodils, I have to put them first for a long time into the fridge and than they only last for one blooming season! Thank you for your visit Katarina.

Karin, thank you for visiting and kind words.

Barbara said...

Warum stelle ich mir eigentlich einen australischen Garten mehr mit kräftigen Farbtönen vor und nicht unbedingt in pink? Unbewusste Vorurteile, nehme ich an....oder hart gesagt, Unwissen ! Du hast ja so viele schöne "Winterpflanzen" in dieser für meinen Garten typischen Sommerfarbe, dass ich fast neidisch werden könnte. Meine Hibiskus versamen sich gut von selbst, mit Hibiskus-Stecklingen habe ich es noch nicht versucht. Aber wenn ich mal eine Farbe sehe, die mir gefällt, werde ich heimlich "über de Haag länge" und es auch versuchen.
Liebe Grüsse, Barbara

Lavender and Vanilla Friends of the Gardens said...

Barbara danke fuer deinen Kommentar. Ja, im grossen und ganzen haben tropische pflanzen sehr starke Farben. Ich pflanze immer viel in rosa diese Farbe zieht mich immer an.