My sister's garden

My family have always loved gardens, plants, flowers etc, and my sister who lives in a small apartment has made good use of the small amount of space between the house and the footpath.

She has a wonderful array of plants under some large palm trees, with a fish pond (complete with fish) and a variety of plants in pots.

Despite the drought and lack of water in South Australia, she manages to keep them alive, though some like the magnificent tree fern has succumbed and while currently still with a little life, it is finding it hard going and I suspect it will not survive.

The fish find life difficult from time to time, and though they don't have a long life span, the heat of summer or the cold of winter can create havoc and new fish need to be purchased from time to time.

Above there are two triangular sails that do something to protect from the hot sun in summer, and the outdoor eating area is a delight and we have had many family events there.

It certainly is a haven - a delightful fresh, green oasis.

Freesias,

These are delightful flowers, but not seen as often as they should be. This bunch of freesias was given to my sister, and she put them in a glass vase and allowed them to "spill" in a very delicate way.

These are native to Africa, but have been popular in Australian gardens for years.

To read all about these flowers on Wikipedia here.

Camelias

Right near the front door of my parents little unit in Adelaide is a camelia plant that seems to bloom non-stop.

These pink "double" blooms just flower and flower and always make a great picture. Often my mother will pick some and carefully arrange them in a bowl.

It is often hard to get camelia's sitting pretty in a vase as they often are on the side of the stem.