Come walk with me in the garden…

It is spring in Australia, the garden is thriving. The heat of summer is still around the corner but at the moment nature is revelling in the warm, gentle temperatures and all round my garden the flowers are showing their appreciation with a vivid tropical splash of colour.

I love to walk around early in the morning and welcome the new growth.

Come with me and I will introduce the beauty of tropical Queensland.

Paperbark tree.

Winter has been kind this year, quite cold for this area, down to approx. 8-10 deg at night, but there has been a reasonable amount of rain. Unusual as winter is normally the dry season. It shows in the lush green foliage and this paperbark tree has never flowered so well.

Below are the fish ponds created, by Jack, from 3 old bathtubs.

The bees are gorging themselves on the nectar. Can you see one coming into land?

The fish ponds

When we arrived back home, after 8 months travelling around Australia and house sitting, I planted some herbs and lettuce seedlings in pots. In front of the ponds is a lovely sheltered and sunny position and now 3 weeks later they are almost ready to use.

The Star Jasmine is in full flower and the scent wafts delicately around you as you pass this section of the garden.

Walk along to the other corner of the back garden and there is another pond.

Can you see Buddha?

The water is stirred into waves by the fish

This is the sunny corner of the garden and we have a raised bed full of plants grown from cuttings put in by my friend June, who looks after the garden while we are away.

Nasturtiums

??

Hoya growing through the frangipani

?

Bougainvillea

Round the side of the house and through the gate hidden under the shrubs and into the front garden

A rustic brick path meanders through the back of a wide border and past the compost bins.

Can you see the bench? Jack made it from all old recycled bits and pieces he found at the rubbish tip. It is wide enough to have a lay down if you are tired. But today we will just pause to take in the view.

I put folk art around the outside and across the top it says

“Sit and rest a while for the joy of life to catch up with you”

There is another seat over the other side. Seats are everywhere.

The house nestles among the trees and shrubs, so now let’s walk around the other side of this border. Past that other seat.

The road is just in front of these beds but the shrubs hide it.

Hippeastrum

Pentas

New Banksia

Browalia

Browalia flowers

Bromeliads

Impatience, busy Lizzie

A selection of some of the things flowering at the moment.

Finally walk past the front of the house and along the drive.

Grevillea

Look what Jack found.

******************

This walk is inspired by Jo over on “Restless Jo” she takes us on lovely walks each Monday and has formed a cyber walking group of people from around the world who will show you some of their favourite places to walk. Why don’t you join them?