The cool of the early morning and the shade of the late afternoon are the best times now to work and enjoy the garden. The heat chases me inside in between times! Topping up the sugar cane and lucerne mulches on our garden beds has been a priority this past few weeks, as we strive to retain moisture in the soil for plants over the coming Summer.
There are many flowers, blooming in our garden, ready to greet the new season:
Star-shaped Jasmine lines a fence! Inhale deeply when passing!
Little blue star-shaped Borage flowers. Bees love them!
Deep yellow zucchini flowers. Zucchinis to eat soon!
Blue and White Agapanthus. Front fence flowers!
A fancy, ruffled Cosmos flower. The most delicate of pinks!
The creamy, waxy flowers of Stephanotis. Sublime perfume!
Periwinkles (vincas) in bloom. Simple and sweet!
A cluster of tiny Cherry Pie (Heliotrope) flowers. The scent of vanilla!
Little yellow Marigolds. The colour of the Summer sun!
Pretty Society Garlic flowers. Edible and garlicky!
Native Ginger Flower spike. Blue berries soon!
All that work in the garden has its rewards, doesn't it!
Meg
I haven't grown heliotrope for years, and I miss its beautiful scent. Your photos are lovely. It must be delightful to walk around your garden with all the colour and fragrance. I had planned to do some more mulching this week-end but with a heat wave predicted I may rethink my plans. However if I do mulch some plants I want to mix some coconut fibre with the mulch first to see if it improves moisture retention.
ReplyDeleteWe are going on holiday on Saturday, Sherri, for a couple of weeks and I have my fingers crossed that our preparations will mean that the more vulnerable areas of the garden cope through the predicted heat wave (Summer is certainly announcing itself!) and drying conditions to come. I hope the coconut fibre works well to retain some moisture for you, it's so important for plants to be able to keep on surviving and thriving. Meg:)
DeleteStunning colours, flowers and photos. I just love gardens.
ReplyDeleteOh, I love gardens too, Cheryl. There's a well-known quotequote..."If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need." (Cicero)... pretty well sums me up! How is your garden growing? My zinnias are just forming buds, grown from seed they germinated very quickly. I'm looking forward to their bright, bold colours. Meg:)
DeleteMeg that is one of my all time favourite quotes. For me it just sums up what is essential to me for a good life.
DeleteAlthough you're experiencing heat now, I notice that your plants still look vibrant and damp. That's the difference between Queensland and South Australia. When our heat arrives, and it's on its way, the dryness will knock our gardens into a sad state until Autumn rain arrives. There is no way we could leave for two weeks and expect anything to be alive on our return, mulch or no mulch. Can you sense my envy creeping in here? Lovely photos of your beautiful healthy flowers. Yes, a garden and books, that is richness that money can't buy.
ReplyDeleteHi, Sally. There's nothing like rain for plants, is there! We were hoping for a storm yesterday and the heavy, dark clouds gathered but we got very little rain. That precious water went elsewhere. We have a big water tank and a smaller one that help with the garden. There are some plants here that survived the drought the year after the garden was first planted. They are tough! Things like native ginger, native iris, and funnily enough, michaelias. I find here that it's my veggie patch that suffers most. We are expecting a heatwave here, beginning tomorrow with 36C. Stay cool when your Summer heat arrives. Meg:)
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