Spring has Sprung - the Magnolias Bloom

This time of year in the area of China where I am visiting is lush with greenery.  Every tree and shrub seems to have more than its fair share of green foliage - it is a pretty awesome sight.  The bamboo that four years ago was just being established is now tall and thick. Spectacular.

One of the shrubs that always impressed me at this time is the Magnolia - these trees line the streets, and are featured in many gardens.

I am lucky in that there are two trees close to the appartment I am in, and I have been able to watch the buds form, and then the flowers open.  The flowers have a short life span.  One day they are buds, the next day they are in full bloom, and the next they are deteriorating.

I found a large historic Magnolia tree - but it was not easy to photograph it.

Hollyhocks in China

Each country/culture has its own way of using flowers - and in China flowers are cultivated in pots often and then used in amazing displays.  While these flowers were not in any spectacular display, they certainly painted an attractive picture near the main entrance of the university.

Kerryville Gardens

I wrote about the Kerryville Garden in my other blog.   These are some of the flowers from that garden.

Heliconia

Rose of .....

Heliconia

Heliconia

Orachid

Hibiscus

Heliconi

Ginger Flowers

I have had a "love affair" with many flowers - in particular ginger flowers, gerberas and orchids.  The following photos were taken at Australia Zoo - and there were others that somehow escaped my camera.  One day I will go on my own, and with my camera.  Then I can capture more images of the wonderful gardens there.

This one was at Caboolture Historical Village.

Australia Zoo ginger.

Orchids

I love my orchids.  Once upon a time I would have though they were too difficult to grow, but have learned over time that I can and I have had some great success.

I first came to own orchids when we lived in Sydney way back in 1972  - we rented a house north of Sydney and the lady of the house was a keen orchid grower.  She was concerned that her orchids would be neglected during her overseas holiday and our rental period there, so I was keen to see them at least survive.  When she returned she was pleased that not only had they survived but by some divine good luck I suspect, they were flourishing.  She gave me several pots.  Over the years I have kept them growing, though there was a period when I was travelling that they didn't get my good care and some died.

When I moved to Beachmere, I brought some of them with me.  Eventually my fernhouse arrived and they flourish in there.

The photos are of catteleya orchids.  I have them adorning my house.

Crocus in Flower

It was a surprise to me to see my pot of Crocus in flower the other day.

And then at the Caboolture Historical Village I found many in flower near the old Council Chambers.

They are supposed to flower in Spring, so much of the material I read reports so I hope they do flower again in about 4 months time.

Gardens at Australia Zoo, Queensland

Fabulous staghorn

Heliconia

It was a pretty wet day and I did not take my Canon SLR into the park so I used my little point and shoot Samsung camera. (I have bought an annual pass so that I can go with camera on a fine day!)

The gardens are fabulous and I look forward to going back one day to see more!  Read my post about our visit here.

The Little Orchid

This is the little orchid that grew out of what I thought was a dead orchid plant.   I had hoped that it was a Cooktown Orchid - but it does not have the deep purple of that variety of Dendrobium.

The Cooktown Orchid is the state flower of Queensland.

Frangipani

I love the scent of frangipani - generally the pale yellow ones appeal to me, but I found this wonderful display in a Narangba garden a couple of weeks ago.

Sturt's Desert Pea

As a South Australian by birth, I am familiar with the flower which is the floral emblem of that state - Sturt's Desert Pea.  

It is reported that the first specimen was actaally discovered by William Dampier in 1699.  There is more information about the flower and its history in Wikipedia.

Further you can read the story about the South Australian emblem here.

This specimen was in the gardens of Kings Park, Perth.

More from the Lotus pond

An Orchid Revives

I have always loved flowers - perhaps because my mother and grandmother also loved and grew flowers.  My mother took classes on floral art including Ikebana and entered Floral Art Competitions when I was in my early teens, and I learned from her, and also entered some competitions and won awards. All these years later I still have some of my certificates.

Then for a number of years flowers took a back step in my life, and around 1972 we rented a house in Sydney.  The lady of the house was reticent about leaving her wonderful orchid plants and  she instructed me on their care.  We were there for around 6 months, and when the family returned she called me and asked me to visit.  She presented me with 6 huge pots of cymbidium orchids as she was so thrilled that her orchids had flourished under my care. Some time later we returned to Queensland and the orchids came with us.

Over the years they continued to flourish and I repotted some eventually having quite a collection.  

However in the early 2000's I had trouble - I needed an "orchid house" as they needed to be protected from the raging Queensland sun in summer, and I lost a few.  When I worked overseas in 2008 - 2010, and then left home leaving them at my daughter's place, they suffered again.

Earlier this year when I moved to Beachmere I brought some of them with me, and later my "orchid house" came to be with me.  I am working to help them recover.

Some of the cattleya orchids were also damaged by the sun while I was away late last year.

There was also a "dead" orchid - still in a pot, with a hint of green it its stem that I refused to throw away.  I was thrilled to see new growth and indeed two buds on one of the orchids - I am not sure if it is a Cooktown orchid. Only time will tell, but it looks like it is flourishing.

  The two buds....

One of the cattleya is also showing great signs of life, with what looks like two buds protruding from a leaf.

I am hoping all is well.

Amazing Lake of Lotus

Lotus is not seen very much in Australia, but I recall seeing many beautiful lakes in China with gorgeous displays of these flowers.  During the dormant part of their life there is nothing to see - in the lake near the entrance to the university where I worked in Shaoxing, there were pots sitting on the base of the pond - lined with tiles I might add - and frogs and fish would often appear to be sleeping on the soil that was in the pot.  Nothing else - until suddenly leaves started to protrude from the pot.

The leaves would grow up to 4 feet or so, and eventually an amazing bud would appear, which soon opened up to reveal a perfect flower.

I remember that a few years ago I found some Lotus growing near Gumdale (Brisbane, Queensland)  in a dam and I visited occasionally to take photos.

Honestly, I can't recall seeing them anywhere else.

One day recently I found a huge display of Lotus - though sadly I had come across them towards the end of their flowering season - at seaside Sandstone Point, in Queensland.  The afternoon I saw them I was actually running late for a meeting, and as I hadn't been in the are before I had missed a turn off.  Despite being late, I stopped the car, grabbed my camera and took nearly 10 minutes to take some photos.

I have been back several times, but the flowering season is at an end, and the  buds and flowers that protrude from the huge leaves are few and far between.  I think the best time to see them at their best would be late December or early January.  I will make a note to myself to visit this spot in 2015 after Christmas.

The buds and flowers are so perfect that it is no wonder that the Lotus flower appears in religious texts e.g. Hindu.  There is much myth around the flower too.

Tibouchina

This is one of my favourites - a tree which in full bloom produces masses of purple flowers - and as purple is my favourite colour, I am a big fan of the tree.   We had a healthy tree in our garden at Wynnum West, but my new abode has nothing other than ground cover.  And my pot plants - those which have survived my moves and travels.

The Tibouchina is native of South America.