Diary of a weekend gardener

From spring to autumn in 24 hours

Yesterday we were in Sydney, Australia in warm spring sunshine, admiring the Jacaranda trees decked out in their pretty purple spring flowers. Today we're back home, watching gale force winds strip the last of the autumn leaves.

We've been away for three weeks in Cairns, Brisbane and Sydney and by all accounts it's been a lovely autumn here - mild, sunny and colourful. I've not missed it all though. The birch tree is all but bare, but Sorbus 'Joseph Rock' looks fabulous with golden berries against the scarlet leaves. And there is as much beauty in a witch hazel or a cyclamen as in a frangipani or a gardenia if you are minded to see it. I've taken a few quick photos here but I really need the sun to come out to capture it properly. Also, it needs a good tidy up but it's far too cool and windy.

Anyway, apart from having a brilliant time down under (great people, superb climate, wonderful food, beautiful landscapes, two world heritage wildlife sites etc....) I learnt a bit about horticulture in the tropics. So I'm planning to warm this blog up during the winter with some occasional photos and tales about Australia's tropical plantlife.

Berberis 'Harlequin' dripping with shiny scarlet berries.
I have finally found a spot where hardy cyclamen will naturalise.
Joseph Rock shines again.
One from Oz - a huge stagshorn fern. These epiphytes are common in the Queensland tropics and usually grow high up in the rainforest canopy. This one was massive - about 5' high. I took this photo from the veranda of a cafe we stopped at for lunch just outside Cairns. Large rainforest epiphytes were apparently nicknamed 'widow makers' because so many 19th century loggers wre killed when these giants fell off trees they were cutting down.

posted by Sue Beesley @ 11:53 am