Garden Photography Challenge : Essence of Summer

In early summer, October and November in this part of the world, summer is heralded in with the glorious, flamboyant display from 2 trees, that to me, shout “summer is coming”.

Neither are natives, but they have been planted as street trees in many areas.

The lovely lavender shades of the Jacaranda mass planted are a joy to behold.

The display is only short-lived. Often wild winds will devastate the display and a carpet of leaves are all that is left.

The town of Grafton, about 300 kilometres south of here, is famous for its streets lined with these beautiful trees and each year they have a Jacaranda festival in early November. This year I am going to be there and have pre-booked accommodation. Expect many more Jacaranda photos then…

As the Jacaranda fades the vibrant Poinciana takes centre stage.

Our local shopping street has them featured. I also have a young one in my garden. As yet it has to come into full flower, maybe it will this year, it is now about 10 years old.

June has slipped by and this is the last of the “essence of summer” challenge from Jude, “earth laughs in flowers”. I have enjoyed remembering summer as winter is now biting down under, but the shortest day has been and gone and we are now on our way back to summer…

Next month we will be looking at the “edible garden”.

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Garden Photo Challenge : Essence of Summer.

The absolute essence of summer is the scent of the frangipani.

The delicate perfume pervades the air, especially at dusk as the sun goes down.

A perfect time to sit in the warm tropical evening after a day in the garden and share a glass of wine. This is summer in my part of the world.

But that is just a memory.

It is now mid winter and the frangipani have dropped all their leaves and the bare branches reach for the sky.

But look closer, 2 very confused buds are just opening…

Like the world over the plants are quite confused with the seasons. It is supposed to be winter and  our dry season and temperatures should be cooler. But it has been the warmest April and May on record and now we are having record rainfall.

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Jude at “earth laughs in flowers” hosts a garden photography challenge and for June she says…

“This month I want to see what summer means to you. Still focussing on the garden or parkland let your photographs tell me your story of summer-time wherever in the world you live.”

Garden Photography Challenge : Tropical Summer…

Last week I reminisced about my English past and the roses that brought the “essence of summer” to mind from that bygone era.

This week I am  back in the present and what the “essence of summer” means to me now. I live in the sub-tropical area of South-East Queensland and the summers are hot and humid. The flowers and foliage are vivid, dazzling, showy even flashy. Demanding attention they flaunt and show off often surrounded by luscious tropical greenery. So here is a gallery of some of my favourites.

Bird of paradise.

Heliconia

Nasturtium

Banksia, native Australian shrub

 

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In the northern hemisphere it is mid-summer. Maybe the sun is shining, hopefully the flowers are flowering. But down under, in Australia, it is now winter in this topsy-turvy world, but our sun is still shining, well most days. So I have to go back to December, January and February to find these signs of summer. As Jude (Earth laughs in flowers)  says:

“This month I want to see what summer means to you. Still focussing on the garden or parkland let your photographs tell me your story of summer-time wherever in the world you live.”

Garden Photography Challenge : The Essence of Summer…

This weekend winter arrived in Queensland, Australia.

Torrential rain, 90km/hr winds and the temperature plummeted to 19c degrees. Now that may be balmy in the Northern hemisphere but down under, after an endless summer of 25-30 degrees, it meant dragging out the winter woollies.

This month the theme Jude (Earth laughs in flowers) has chosen is “the essence of summer“

“This month I want to see what summer means to you. Still focussing on the garden or parkland let your photographs tell me your story of summer-time wherever in the world you live. “

So I have travelled back in my memory to a perfect summer I spent in Adelaide and visited the Adelaide International Rose Garden.

The Adelaide International Rose Garden takes visitors on a heady journey that’s a delight to the senses. As you wander the garden you’re drawn through a series of colourful spaces, each cleverly revealing a rose collection from a different style of garden.

The garden displays over 2,500 roses, including areas devoted to Australian bred roses, single roses, heritage roses and pillar roses. A walkway in the garden highlights roses selected for specific Australian causes (Olympic Gold, The Children’s Rose). Mixed companion plantings add lots of seasonal colour.

Together with the National Rose Trial Garden – which began in 1996 to help the rose industry establish which roses not yet for sale in Australia are best suited to our climate – the International Rose Garden is a great favourite with national and international rose lovers alike.

Roses are one of my favourite flowers and, unfortunately, I cannot grow them in this sub-tropical climate. There are species bred for this climate, but they are hard work. The humidity attracts all kinds of bugs and viruses meaning constant spraying and pampering to survive and thrive. So I love visiting rose gardens when I am travelling.

It is 10 years since I visited these gardens so this is a 10 year younger me…

Thank you Jude, it has been an enjoyable browse back through my archives. I can almost smell the roses.

Jude has also chosen rose for her post this week. Pop over to see more summer scenes.