garden bloggers bloom day, June 2014



It was a mild autumn and up to now it's been a mild winter.


The last leaf has fallen and the branches are bare on the Crabapple tree.


The purple flowers on the French lavender bushes are starting to open.



The flowers on the Liriopes are tiny and inconspicuous, but pretty.



I dug up most of the garlic chives, just keeping a small clump. The white starry flowers have gone, replaced by seedheads.



Many of the Correa 'Dusty Bells' flowers still have closed petals, but one by one the bells are opening and offering up their pollen.




The leaves of the Cotinus (Smoke bush) have provided dramatically changing colour before drying up and blanketing the soil below.


The dainty Erigeron daisies don't enjoy the hot summers, but somehow manage to survive and give joy and appreciation.


The foliage of Hellebore argutifolius shines even without its green flowers.


I planted Geranium 'Seaspray' for groundcover. It's still patchy, but one or two flowers have appeared.


Always interesting to see what turns up in the compost. It's like a scientific experiment to find out what is biodegradable. I think this is what's left of my scruffy worn out jeans.


This tiny unidentified fungus looks a bit like a lollipop, but it wouldn't be sensible to taste it.


Something could be seen in the possum nesting box. Could it be a sleeping possum? The telescopic lens found the answer. 


Despite its attempt at camouflage I managed to capture a Pied Currawong with my camera. 


I'm linking this to Garden Bloggers Bloom Day, hosted by Carol at May Dreams Gardens.  Check out this meme to see what's happened this month in gardens all over the world.

Comments

  1. Hi Sue! I fell in love with erigeron while visiting Europe and planted some white/pink plants in my garden. I also like your Seaspray. What a cute groundcover!

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    1. Sounds, like me, you love pretty dainty daisy-type flowers.

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  2. Sorry, I signed up with my other account. It's me, Tatyana@MySecretGarden

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  3. You have the most interesting birds but the Pied Currawong looks a little like our common crows crossed with a starling. Bloom Day seasons are always such a difference across the world. That is a pretty fungus and does look like a tasty treat.

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    1. Most of the birds in the garden are not as colourful as your birds. Re the fungus, I realize I get the most satisfaction from plants like that that I didn't plan.

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  4. Hard to think of winter in this hemisphere.

    We have meadows of erigeron and consider it common, but it is uncommonly pretty in a huge sweep.

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    1. meadows of wild erigeron must look divine.

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  5. Hi Dear,
    so very beautiful and so very strange for me thinking of winter at the moment, summer is starting here!
    Have a wonderful time
    all the best from Austria
    Elisabeth

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  6. Seaspray, both sounds and looks lovely!

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    1. I fell in love with it when I saw it in the catalogue but it's only been in a few weeks, so I'm not yet sure how it will look throughout the year.

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  7. Erigeron karvinskianus grows prolifically on the central coast of California where it is goes by its common name of Santa Barbara Daisy. I just love the cottagey look it gives to gardens. And it's drought tolerant, too!

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    1. Although it's pretty drought tolerance, it doesn't like really hot weather, and kind of dies back, but it usually comes back again.

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  8. Hi, love your pictures! Funny that you found that piece of material at your compost pile. I'm also surprised it's winter in your town, we're about to start summer!

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    1. have a lovely summer, so pleased you love the pictures. I put all kind of things in the compost, including old clothes so I often find zips and buttons and stuff that doesn't rot down.

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  9. Happy Bloom Day! I like your winters better than mine! How interesting that your jeans decomposed in the compost. I'm not sure mine gets quite that hot, although it's still amazing to see it all mix together into rich compost. Great photos!

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    1. Happy Bloom Day to you too Beth. Mine is an open heap with random things put into it, so it doesn't get that hot, but it seems to work. I regularly and often put water saved from the kitchen on the compost, and I think that helps.

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  10. How long did it take your jeans to decompose? I think my compost heap will take many years to devour a pair of jeans. It even struggles with certain types of tea bags.

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    1. I don't remember exactly when I put in the jeans, but probably about 4 to 6 months ago. Do you keep your compost pile moist? There are some tea bags on the market that are not biodegradable. I don't buy them any more.

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    2. I try to keep the compost moist. But only when there is enough water in the rain barrel.

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  11. That fungus DID look like a lollipop. Pre-licked even.

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    1. Yuk - I wonder who licked it, and what's the state of their health?

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  12. I wish I had so many flowers out in our winter, you have so many! Had to laugh at what is left of your jeans, I will admit to cutting up a jumper for the compost but jeans, not yet!

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    1. I don't even cut stuff up, just chuck it in as is. It is so interesting to see what is biodegradable.

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  13. You have a wonderful array of winter colour Sue, I am particularly taken with the Correa and that dainty Geranium 'Sea Spray' which has caused a bit of a conundrum. I looked it up as I am into Geraniums at the moment and found that it was grown on Orkney, N. Scotland as a cross between G.Traversii var. elegans X G.Sessiliflorum Nigricans and is listed as being available from Misty Downs Nursery in Victoria. I then found it listed as Geranium x antipodeum 'Sea Spray' so now I am totally confused, which is not too unusual! Nevertheless it seems to be a wonderful little plant which I will keep an eye out for.

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    1. I got the G. 'Seaspray' from Diggers Club in Dromana, Vic.

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  14. I am guessing you are enjoying the mild winter and I can understand why...still having some nice blooms in winter would be such a treat.

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    1. I think winter's starting - lower temps predicted, lower temps being felt. Br-rr.

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  15. I love your Helebore argutifolius! Autumn days are wonderful for exploring the garden for those small details in the garden that may be overlooked during the lush summer season. I have never put old clothes in the compost. That is a thought!

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    1. synthetics don't work, but cotton and wool break quite quickly. Enjoy your summer.

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  16. Hi Sue, I have not seen that Geranium 'Seaspray' before. The little shrub look lovely. So are those Correa 'Dusty Bells' flowers. I bet they will attract many hungry butterflies :-)

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    1. I hope so, Steph. No butterflies around yet - too cold for them.

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