Intriguing;

Hibiscus schizopetalus; Alessi must have taken this hibiscus as a model for his platters and bowls.

Please do click the pictures to be intrigued!

Grevillia Hony Gem; the intricacies of the anthers make the flower.

Fungi with formidable patterns clustered together on old wood;

Hoya cumingiana var Santos;" Star" attractions are their waxy flowers in wonderful colours.

This one grows in the same orchid pot for many years and bears always many flowers.

Philodendron-and Bauhinia leaves mingling together; enhancing fragments of sunlight dancing on satiny foliage.

Lichen belong into any garden like flowers and foliage. Different Lichen grow on an old Euphorbia millii.

Rose Seduction; silky softness, baby pink petals, golden stamens, intrigued by its simple beauty.

Pineapple Lilly, Eucomis; emerging from its dark chambers in pristine, green condition.

Sanseveria trifasciata Hahnii, nestling together displaying their perfect zebra pattern.

Viburnum; secretive, hide away plants with tiny porcelain flowers, perfect for "neglected areas" in the garden.

A smile;

Have a nice Day.

SkyWatch Friday; Sunrise on a rainy day;

Here comes the sun...

...for a fleeting moment pink and blue;

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Thank you to the SkyWatch Team.

The Queen arrives!

Please click the pictures.

Known under many names, like large flowered Cactus. Night blooming Cereus; and many more, but my favoured is "The Queen of the Night" which I think is not more than proper fort this spectacular Cactus flowers.

Early this morning I saw the first of the blooms. They open at night, close and die early in the morning. It is a short but spectacular sight of the open blooms.

Climbing up a Jacaranda tree. This plant is nearly 20 years old.

The buds.

Believe it or not:

If a little dreaming is dangerous, the cure for it is not to dream less but to dream more, to dream all the time. Marcel Proust

SkyWatch Friday; Sunset by the sea;

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Atlantis rising...

The last glow...

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Thank you to the SkyWatch team.

Asplenium australasicum; Birdsnest fern;

I do like the Asplenium australasicum in my garden.

I intend to grow many more especially in my native garden.

The Bird's Nest Fern is a useful plant for shady areas. Being naturally an epiphyte or lithophyte, it's good for growing under trees where few other plants can compete with tree roots. The dramatic form works well with a modern garden style as well as a more naturalisitic rainforest garden.

Also called crow's nest fern. The commonly grown species is Asplenium australasicum but is still widely known as Asplenium nidus (The true A. nidus is not commonly cultivated.)

It grows in a great variety of sites in rainforests as an epiphyte on large trees or independently growing on the forest floor and rocks if good light is available.

It is found in Queensland, New South Wales to the south coast, and Asia. In southern Queensland and New South Wales the fern is generally larger than in northern Queensland, and there are suggestions that this smaller fern may be a distinct genetic race.

It is well adapted to the sometimes harsh conditions of the rainforest and recovers quickly with the assistance of rain even though the leaves may look wilted, brown and beyond repair.

Reproduction is achieved through sporing. The sori are located at the midrib of the frond.

The nest shaped radiating fronds catch dead leaves and other rainforest litter which is caught as the leaves bend outward with age.

The litter rots and forms a growing medium for the root system of the fern and other epiphytes.

The root system is small, considering the size of the fern, but it is dense and spongy and is covered with persistent brown root hairs.

Its genus contains about 650 species, 26 of them in Australia.

It is excellent for growing in a pot, tub or basket (due to its small root system), but is also suitable for culture in the ground. It dislikes being in full shade and wet soil and prefers filtered sunlight and a dry situation such as under eaves or large gums for example.

Particularly due to its tussock of radiating fronds, it is very popular in cultivation throughout the world.

Courtesy Chambers wildlife Rainforest Lodges.

Sun washed flowers;

End of summer provides a riot of colour.

All these plants are never watered by hand only by rain. Please click the pictures;

Daylily Street Urchin;

Spider daylily "Neva";

Cryptostegia grandiflora;

Daylily Jean Taylor is very floriferous;

Tibouchina; one of many different ones.

Bougainvillea;
Daylily Egyptian Ibis; in spring the flowers are darker nearly a mauve.

Cassia fistula a dazzler;

Calliandra never misses a flower;

Russelia a red tumbler;
Zephyrantes comes into its own after a storm, also called storm lily.

This Tecoma has a subtle yellow which fits well everywhere;

Portulac a little self seeder, conveniently into a pot!

Believe it or not: Where the sun touches a thousand diamonds sparkle!

Planting a mainly native garden;

Converting 3/4 of the Orchard into a native garden;

Some of the new plants (tubes) we have already planted. Please click the pictures)

Many different Eucalyptus trees food for Koalas as they are living here too;

Banksias mainly from this area;

hardy Grevillias;

Callistemons in the shade of the rainbow, wildlife adores them.

Wattles, some are short lived but we are too! There is a flowering wattle for every month in the year.

And many more to the delight of the winged, four- and two legged species.

We grow many different Melaleucas;

The flower of Grevillia Lyrebird.

When you are gentle with Nature the most wonderful creatures come and visit you;

flowering Callistemon;

This is a Mulberry tree in the orchard. It provides food, shade and protection for many;

A native shrub Hovea acutifolia with the most darling little pea flowers in a soft purple shade.

Beautiful Daniella longifolia is easy to grow;

I have planted many Buckinghamia celsissima they are beloved by all the insects. I leave the native grass, it is protection and also provides food for many small animals, birds and insects.