What flowers are these?

They look like an Allamanda up close but from a distance they look like hibiscus.  I must check.

Roses, Roses........................

Two roses, a day lily and agapanthas at the Brisbane Botanical Gardens.

Gardenia

I didn't realise that there were miniature gardenias as well as the larger ones, here are some of Janet's gardenias.

Day Lillies

These are some of the day lillies in my daughter's garden.  She's not a good gardener - but somehow some things manage to flourish.

Mum's Roses

These photos were taken of the roses in my parents' garden November 2010 - one of the roses is the Minnie Watson, which our family is very proud of.  My father's mother was Minnie Watson, though the rose was not named after her.

Spathiphyllum

There are two pots of these plants which throw up copious shiny green leaves, and piercing the green, are the buds that open out to these amazing flowers.  Quite extraordinary. Read all about the spathiphyllum here..

Agapanthus at Southbank

The "aggies" are coming out now.  There are some tall buds pushing skywards in the garden here, but these were in full bloom in Brisbane's Southbank on Saturday.  We don't see "beds" of them here - I think I saw in New Zealand great fields of them, and they are spectacular.

Jacarandas

October and November is the time when jacaranda trees are in flower all around Brisbane (and no doubt other parts of Australia!), and in the back yard here they are spectacular.  Two big trees full of blooms, and as the spent flowers drop, they form an amazing carpet.

Iris

I remember in China I saw iris plants growing in or near water, but I don't recall seeing it very much here.  AT the house where I am house sitting there are two ponds (with gold fish) and a large urn with small fish, and all have iris plants growing.  This week the plants flowered.

The plants are tall, with a number of flower heads.  Spectacular really.

A wonderful display of Hipeastrums

My daughter had a clump of hipeastrums growing in front of their house, and each year there was a great display, but in the last 12 months as they set out to regenerate their garden, they moved them to another area in front of the house.  They broke up the soil, filled it in with a lot of horse poo, and waited to see what would happen.

Imagine their surprise and delight to have a wonderful display this spring.  Amazing.  Enjoy.

Anthurium

These are spectacular flowers - the anthurium - and not easy to grow, but these are all flowering at the house where I am house sitting.  In fact there are several plants and they all have several flowers on each plant.

It is my duty to keep these flowers alive and well - and they sit on a small table on the back deck, for the moment looking very healthy.

Hippeastrum

I love these flowers - hippeastrum - large bell like flowers that appear in spring, from a bulb that spends most of its life in a dormant state.  I'vegot some in pots, but where I am house sitting they are in the garden and are quite a surprise as they push through the other under growth.

They don't last well as cut flowers - a shame, as they would be dramatic in a vase.

In My Friend's Garden

Some flowers in my friend's garden - December 2009.

Real or Fake?

These were in a vase near the front door in a friend's house.  Do you think they are real?

Clover

It is surprise to see patches of green clover in China.  Here in Australia we tend to see it as a weed and I don't recall at any time seeing it as a feature in a garden.  It actually looked quite spectacular!

Flowers at Qiandao Hu

Thousand Island Lake or Qiandao Hu as the locals will call it is an extra ordinary place, in Zhejiang Province south of Hangzhou. I recommend that one reads the story of this man-made lake that swallowed up some cities in its making. It is full of spectacular scenery and is a magnet for tourists - I've never seen so many boats! They all seemed to be leaving the harbour to head out to the huge lake at the same time!

At the entrance to the boat harbour where tourists arrive and meet the boat that will take them out onto the lake are some spectacular gardens. I don't know the names of the flowers - many were a mystery to me, but the show was grand. Well worth a visit for the floral displays, but there is much more to this place.

Hydrangeas

Another pot of flowers that are around the campus are hydrangeas. Fabulous flowers in pots. Enjoy.

Canna Lily

It is canna lily time. At the end of June 2010 these were in full bloom near the guard house at the main entrance of Yuexiu University, Shaoxing.

A great show of colour!!