Sunday 12 April 2009

One more.....April flowers;

April is the month when Aloes start to flower. I think the closed buds are as attractive as the open flowers. The birds do not think so they like to hang on to the small , open bells and sip the nectar.




I do like this Coleus, golden yellow infused with green. An added attraction are the scalloped, wavy edges of the leaves. This plant is easily propagated by cuttings. (Please click the pictures to see details)



This floriferous small shrub is a mutation of the bigger one I have in the garden. The Name got lost. The leaves of the tall shrub are slightly hirsute, while the leaves of this plant are glossy. It self seeds sparingly.

A creeper exits as well which is awfully self seeding like a weed, so it looks beautiful with red bells.



Hibiscus, I call Carnivale, it is nearly over the top with its starry, dark red eye looking from the soft yellow-white petals.



A small Orchid called Doritis, sounds like a disease, does it not? The orchid is a little blurred but I do not mind it, it gives the 'jungle' behind a certain ambiance.



Thunbergia, black eyed Susan, is scrambling all over the shrubs. It has taken hold of a Banksia, a small palm, a tall Bromeliad and a few more. I was ready to tear a good portion away when the friendly, golden flowers were nothing else doing than what they are doing best, climb, crawl and tumble over other shrubs and trying to soar to the very top. So I let them be for a while longer!



Love the Rose of Sharon. Until now the rain has not yet spoiled the flowers. Easily propagated by cuttings.



One of the tall Salvias, yellow flowers. Grows up to 1.20m, a soft leaved perennial shrub.


My all time self seeded favourites. Miniature Zinnias. This colour matches well the pebbles in the herb garden.


Photos TS.
Believe it or not:
Believe nothing just because a so-called wise person said it. Believe nothing just because a belief is generally held. Believe nothing just because it is said in ancient books. Believe nothing just because it is said to be of divine origin. Believe nothing just because someone else believes it. Believe only what you yourself test and judge to be true.: Buddha - Hindu Prince Gautama Siddharta


The beehive in the garden; be happy, enjoy and thank you for your visit.







26 comments:

Anonymous said...

Beautiful flowers and colours, this post is excelent for me as I dont know yet the names of most of the flowers here in Australia, well some of then I know the names in spanish but not English.

Thanks for sharing

Mary Elizabeth Blog.

CanadianGardenJoy said...

Hello Titania !
What gorgeous blooms you have in your garden : ) .. I find seeing gardens from Australia and New Zealand so interesting since they are on the opposite season schedule to ours and so very far away .. gardening really connects us all doesn't it ?
Joy

Elisabeth's bright side said...

That was many beautiful flowers and leaves. It is always a joy to look at your photos. You really have a beautiful garden to show us. I guess it's a lot of work too.

Laura in Paris said...

Oh, my Paris deck looks shys away when seeing all your pictures ... Beautiful. Takes time and energy and patience, doesn't it?

Maria said...

What a beautiful series of pictures! I never saw Aloe blooming. Great picture!

Janie said...

You are such a wealth of information on plants. And you certainly grow some lovely ones. Doritis sounds like a potato chip to me!
I like your Buddha quote. Good advice.

diane b said...

You have a beautiful garden. Many different flowers than I have and so knowledgable with the names. For some reason I can't remember their names I see my garden as a piece of art and as long as it looks nice I'm happy and don't worry about the names.Do you think this still makes me a gardener?
The constant rain has turned my garden into an overgrown jungle and I have a sore back at the moment and can't go and cut it back. Too bad!

Anonymous said...

Lovely and informative. Thanks for sharing.

Lavender and Vanilla Friends of the Gardens said...

Mary Elizabeth, I forget the names too; it happens...to many...The ones you are interested in you will remember.

Garden Joy, You are right, I like to see the cold and temperate gardens. At the moment the spring gardens are beautiful.

Elisabeth, Yes it is, sometimes it grows over my head...literally!

Laura, at times I dream of a cozy balcony garden! (this big garden always beckons, come...work to do.

Thank you Maria for your comment. There are so many different Aloes but the flowers are similar.

Thanks Janie;

Diane, It is really not necessary to know all the names. You are on the right track, you love your garden and enjoy it as a piece of art, that makes you a very good gardener. Yes here too the rain plays havoc, especially in the vegetable garden. The vegetable gardener is very upset with the mud around his beans!
I hope your sore back gets soon better. Have a rest and let the jungle grow! I do too.
Thank you for the url ABC.

Thanks Ilana for your visit.

Unknown said...

Your flowers are just wonderful!!

Antigonum Cajan said...

What can I add with words to this beauty, but that I found thanks to a gardener in Dave's Garden.com, the botanical name of
Hibiscus cannabinus, and I wanted to share my joy with others!

Until then.

MedaM said...

This post is excellent! Your really have so gorgeous flowers of different shapes and colours as well as decorative leaves in your garden. Your yellow/green Coleus look so beautiful and interesting; I’ve never seen that combination of colours in private. That small shrub with lovely pink flowers looks really gorgeous and I would love to have it in my garden too. Hibiscus is lovely with its red eye. Black eye Susan I use to see in some other gardens over here and I always enjoy in those beautiful flowers, and your photo of it is really beautiful. The white/pink rose is so charming; and it is new for me that there is also yellow Salvia, I only know for red one. I just planted four seedlings today when I came back home from work. My mother loves them very much. I too use to have zinnias in my garden in various colours and I am happy to know that you have them too.

Tira said...

Everything is so beautiful i cant decide on my favorites! You do a great job with your garden.

VALKYRIEN said...

I am envious! So many lovely flowers in your garden! But that Aloe is interesting, I have never seen it in bloom! I will patiently wait for a photo of that one in full bloom!

Gail - Fort Rock Glimpses said...

Thank you for putting a smile on my face. Absolutely gorgeous flowers. You are a lucky woman Titania, to be surrounded by all those wonderful flowers. That coleus looked edible!

sweetbay said...

Wow, what wonderful flowers, so different from what we have here. The hibiscus is gorgeous, as is the Rose of Sharon. We have Rose of Sharon here, but I've never seen one that looks like that, so full and two-toned. Your garden has such a wonderful tropical ambiance.

sweetbay said...

PS Is your Rose of Sharon Hibiscus mutabilis?

Barbara said...

Die Rose Sharon gefällt mir ganz besonders (obwohl ich sonst kein Fan von panachierten Pflanzen bin) und bei der Orchidee musste ich über deine Bemerkung des Names schmunzeln, habe ich im Moment auch eine "...itis", allerdings ist sie nicht so "schön" wie die Orchidee ;-) !! Im Garten gibt es auch bei uns momentan sehr viel zu fotografieren, alles scheint auf einmal zu blühen. Die Pracht dauert dafür dieses Jahr nicht sehr lange, es ist als wolle die Natur wieder in ihren Fahrplan kommen :-).
Wünsche dir einen wunderschönen Tag und grüsse dich sehr herzlich,
Barbara

Ann, Chen Jie Xue 陈洁雪 said...

I didn't realise that Aloes bloom only in April. In Singapore, I think the species I had is non flowering type, the ones I use for medical purposes. May be because I use the leaves, the plants don't like me, and don't give me the enjoyment of flowering.

Re: honesty stalls, yes, it is sad that a few rotton appples spoil it for the rest. My sis-in-law in the Gold coast goes for organic honey. They are very expensive. If a person is dishonest, oh! the poor bee farmer.

Ann, Chen Jie Xue 陈洁雪 said...

I didn't realise that Aloes bloom only in April. In Singapore, I think the species I had is non flowering type, the ones I use for medical purposes. May be because I use the leaves, the plants don't like me, and don't give me the enjoyment of flowering.

Re: honesty stalls, yes, it is sad that a few rotton appples spoil it for the rest. My sis-in-law in the Gold coast goes for organic honey. They are very expensive. If a person is dishonest, oh! the poor bee farmer.

Tira said...

Ann: different types at different times. My aloe maculata blooms all year round, as do some other types. The aloe vera you have blooms where I live in December to May, but its very dry here, in Singapore it will get too much water to bloom.

Tarolino said...

Found my way to this blog too and my goodness what wonderful flowers you have in your garden. Really spectacular varieties and colours. The hibiscus is to die for and to think that you can have such orchids outdoors that we can only keep as potplants in our houses.

Ann, Chen Jie Xue 陈洁雪 said...

Titania,

Sorry for being a Doubting Thomas, I linked you twice in my other blog:
http://ann-mythoughtsandphotos.blogspot.com/2009/04/aloe-vera.html
http://ann-mythoughtsandphotos.blogspot.com/2009/04/aloe-flower-in-april.html

I didn't deliberately set out to look for aloe flowers yesterday, and I saw four bushes with flowers.

I learn so much from you. Thanks,

Ann

LadyLuz said...

What a beautiful sight, as always, full of interest in your garden as you enter Autumn. The bromeliads are stunning - wish I could keep mine intact - the flowery part keeps dropping off although I do water them in the centres.

Hort Log said...

Any name for that Hibiscus ? It looks very unusual !

Mariah Kinnley said...

what a beautiful picture with the bees and flowers on them. It has tons of effort shown in it and i love the colors and how much beauty is in the pic.