It has rained for over a week now. Good steady rain that soaks right down to the roots. Even our outback farmers have had rain, the first for them in over 2 years. With the rain comes the heat and humidity.
Look at my garden it is like a jungle and all the tropical flowers are flaunting their beauty.
The fish ponds are covered in lilies and the water hyacinth makes its short but beautiful burst of colour.
Remember I grew some sunflowers from seed? Well they are now settled in to their bed in full sun and they are racing away.
They look so healthy and I talk to them every morning!!!!
Look can you see the flowers starting to form. I’m so looking forward to seeing them in full bloom.
The veggies are scattered around in different areas of the garden and we have eaten lettuce since the beginning of December. I am into the second crop and also rocket, spinach, silver beet and lots of herbs.
Remember the cradle we built? Well I have put a shade cloth over it as well as the bird netting, the sun has been fierce, 30+ degrees by mid morning. But see how they are lapping up the attention.
The climbing beans at the back are racing up the frame and will soon be ready for Jack to climb them in search of that giant!!!!!
Rosemary in full flower
Spinach Aubergine and lettuce cluster around the rosemary bush
Oh dear something else is sharing the kale with us. Baby grass hoppers have made an appearance, so it will be a race to see who gets the most, them or us…
Two more sleeps left in 2014 then it is a new year and time to start thinking of new dreams, decisions and destinations.
Best wishes to all my blogging friends, it has been lovely getting to know you through your comments and visiting you in your part of the blogosphere during 2014. I’m looking forward to following your adventures and sharing Word Press journeys with you all.
gypsy life 
lovely to see all your plants and especially the water hyacinth as a neighbour has just given me one to go with my blue water lily. Beautiful photos
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The water hyacinth flower for such a short period of time but they are so beautiful.
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what a beautiful garden..
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Thank you for visiting my garden and leaving a comment.
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You must write a book, with your photos in it as well, or even something for the GC for visitors or advertising for the Gold Coast Information, you do so well with it all, congratulations I say
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Thank you Joan, that is a lovely compliment.
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Stunningly colourful display. Beautiful!
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Thank you for your encouraging comment. We are having a very good growing season this year
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love the diversity!!
and had to share this quote from my inbox!
“The gardening season officially begins on January 1st and ends on December 31.” –Marie Huston
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Love that quote… 🙂
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I’d love to live in a tropical location fragrance of frangipani wafting in my garden and pointsettias grow in huge colourful bushes
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G’day Jennifer, it is a lovely place to live, but can get a bit hot and humid at this time of the year, but the tropical plants are stunningly vibrant.
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Your garden is so beautiful, and so varied. The blazing brightness of the heliconia and the delicacy of the water hyacinth particularly caught my eye.
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Thanks Meg those heliconia flower for so long they are really good value in the garden, whereas the water hyacinth only last a day but keep pushing up new flowers.
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Oh wow PP – heliconia in your garden! I only ever see that in a glasshouse over here. I am definitely coming to visit you and Jack on my next visit to Australia 😉
HNY to the both of you – safe travels in 2015 xx
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You would have a great time with your camera over here Jude, always got some exotic thing flowering. We would love to have you visit.
HNY to you too. Keep warm…
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This tropical garden looks so inviting – must be heavenly to sit in and breath deeply! Good luck with those veggies and so nice if you to share them with other creatures. A happy new year and I look forward to your posts in 2015.
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We have put seats all around the garden to sit in, but I must admit I only sit for a while then I see a weed!!!!
I don’t mind sharing with caterpillars they turn into beautiful butterflies, but grasshoppers are a different story, they just get bigger and bigger with an appetite to match… 😦
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How tall will you see your sunflowers to grow to I wonder Pauline … they sure are winners in the annual growth race . Lovely to see how much effort you and Jack have out into your patch in such a short time since you’ve been back . Enjoy all those goodies 🙂
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They’ll grow as high as an elephants eye Poppy… Actually the seed packet said 5ft. I have put in 2 different varieties, so they still have quite away to go as they are only up to bees knees at the moment… 🙂
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Your garden is lovely! It’s so nice to see green again!
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The drought years are long forgotten in this corner of Australia, but who knows what is round the corner in this unpredictable country…
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Wonderful colours! Big smile on my face!
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It always brightens my day when I go for a walk around my garden Leya. Pleased it brought a smile to your day too
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It looks like everything is thriving–just beautiful. It makes my fingers itch to get in some soil. I could never travel full time because I would miss gardening too much. Happy New Year.
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Those are my sentiments when we are on the road too. I like the house sitting style of travel now as it is a compromise I still have some one else’s dirt to get under my finger nails… 🙂
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This is wonderful. It is so dreary here. Thanks for the morning sunshine 🙂
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You’re welcome Dawn. Wish I could have just a smidgen of your cooler weather it is SOOOO hot and humid over here.
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Isn’t that funny 🙂
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Fabulous garden, Pauline. It looks so well cared for. Good luck with those naughty grasshoppers and the kale. 🙂 Happy New Year to you and Jack.
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Thanks Sylvia I can see a major battle ground with those grasshoppers, they grow to an enormous size over here. Hopefully they won’t get to plague proportions… 😦
Happy New Year to you too
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Wow..that looks like a Darwin garden, only better! So beautiful!
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It is so hot and humid and, so far lots of rain, that it does almost feel like Darwin. Even had the thunder storms.
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All the best in the new year!
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Thank you for the kind wishes.
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Your garden looks so beautiful after the rain! It is 39 degrees in Perth today but will be much cooler by tomorrow – fortunately the sea breeze will be back 🙂 Very best wishes for 2015 to you!
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I hope it cools down for you over there, 39 is HOT. Do you have aircon? We don’t so I spend a lot of time in the shopping centres or the local library…
Best wishes back to you for 2015
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