After 2 weeks of intermittent but welcome rain and a total of approx. 100mm the garden has loved it. The humidity has been high and my tropical plants have thrived, while I have wilted. But today the breeze has turned South/East bringing a cooler, pleasanter temperature and I have been tempted out into the garden with my camera.
Being a Pom, born in Yorkshire, my first love is cottage gardens. The riot of annuals intermingled with roses bringing their unique beauty and perfume. Herbs and perennials scattered through. A glorious pallet of colour. That is the garden I had in New Zealand.
But that selection of plants wilted as fast as I do in the heat and humidity of a Queensland summer. So now I go with the flow and my garden is a tropical paradise. A backdrop of palms and broad-leaved plants of the rain forest. The bright, vibrant splash of colour as the various tropical plants flaunt their beauty among the many shades of green.
I will show you some of the more unusual plants and the more common ones that are flowering now.
These Birds of Paradise (Strelitzia) seem to be having a conversation
While this Heliconia is home for ants.
One of my favourites is the Croton. The flowers are quite insignificant, but the leaves are so varied.
This croton is called “African Bells”, if you look carefully you will see the small extra leaf formed on the end of the main leaf. I was given this shrub 12 years ago by the garden club as a thank you for opening my garden for the club to visit.
There are many different shades of croton and they are a favourite as they always give a splash of colour.
This Bauhinia is a visitor from next doors garden. I trim it back after flowering but it always comes back.
These variegated rhoeos, also known as Moses in the basket, make a neat and tidy edging and ground cover.
The blue ginger is just starting to flower.
The Banksia has long since finished flowering, but look at the interesting seed pod it leaves behind.
Succulents are always easy care and love this climate.
The next two unusual plants live on insects, flies and mosquitoes are tempted inside them.
Finally I will leave you with a gallery of a few other plants in the garden.
Now the weather is cooling down slightly the next major job is pruning back the jungle growth.
gypsy life 
I am amazed Pauline, at your skill and variety of plant life that flourishes at your touch. Banksia is really fascinating!
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Thanks Paula, I am lucky to have a good climate (unless a drought comes along) for gardening
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Never heard of rhoeos but I like their delicate beauty. I’m quietly envious, Pauline. 🙂
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What a delightful garden. Your efforts are well rewarded. I have trouble growing grass. 😦
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Wonder what sort of grass you are trying to grow!!! 😉
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Just the lawn the council planted on my nature strip.
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All so beautiful, Pauline. The Banksia pod is neat and the Blue Ginger is fabulous looking.
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Thanks Jane I love the Banksia pods.
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I noticed my comment didn’t go through last time…so having another go…..your post brought back many memories of my mother’s garden in Port Macquarie, and trips we have done to Queensland. The plants are so lush and vibrant, and all seem to grow without fuss…however, I do know what you mean about the humidity and heat…very energy draining! I loved the blue ginger, and my mum had lots of the ”Moses in a basket” (she would have loved the name.)…brought back lots of memories.
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Pleased this post brought back memories for you. Tropical plants are mostly easy maintenance, so long as we get the rain.
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I love how you said you now go with the flow! And Pomme, your hand palms really do great with those green palms! Lol
The one taut ears misquotes is pretty handy and colorful – and let’s see – out of all of them I like the just flowering blue one because the bud to the lower right has a bit of a mood! 🌾🌾🌾
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Thanks for your lovely encouraging comment Y. I like the blue ginger for its vibrant, rich colour.
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💜🌸🌺
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Your garden beautiful as ever, camera work so good, the humidity was terrible, rain great, now cooler for a bit, which is lovely.
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G’day Joan, it has been difficult with the humidity, but that rain was so welcome.
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Truly amazing where you are. 🙂
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Thank you Nomzi
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You are welcome.
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Beautiful! Interestingly, we had insect-eating pitcher plants (looking quite similar to yours) and sundews growing on a peat island in a lake in Vermont when I was growing up. It gets very cold and snowy there in the winter. Amazing that the plants can thrive in such different extreme conditions.
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I thought these were tropical plants so it is amazing that there is a variety that can grow in that colder climate. The plant kingdom is so diverse it is amazing.
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Plants are amazingly adaptive. The pitcher plants in Vermont look outlandishly exotic and tropical but apparently are very cold hardy (Sarracenia purperia–purple pitcher plant).
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Visiting your garden is like walking in paradise. Love the rhoeos, the blue ginger, the pitcher plants, the ixoria, the desert rose. You have cultivated a wonderful tropical haven. I wonder what I can offer you in return?
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You must be so looking forward to getting your hands into your own piece of dirt Jude. Creating a garden is one of the best activities and absorbing hobbies.
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let’s hope it stops raining enough to be able to get outside!
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Have you got a moving date?
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No, not yet, but should complete on Wednesday – only 8 months of waiting! And there is Sylvia in Florida all done and dusted in a few weeks!
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You must be so looking forward to your move by now. Fingers crossed. Today is Wednesday so hope all the i’s are dotted and the t’s crossed by now.
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Very lovely plants, Pauline. many of them are the same as we had in our South African garden. Love the Banksia seed pods. 🙂
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Living in your own little tropical jungle – sounds great!
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It is quite a hide away. But getting a bit out of control…
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Birds of Paradise are also one of the symbols of Madeira Island 🙂
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They are a lovely tropical looking plant.
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indeed, they are! 🙂
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I’m so envious your weather is cooling, Pauline. It’s SO hot here and raining all around us, but always seeming to miss us 😦
I love the croton and those little leaves they have at the end. I don’t think I’ve seen one of these before.
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Hope you do get some rain Dianne before it all disappears. Croton is very slow growing, but worth waiting for.
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Last night it cooled right down (isn’t that always the way? The weather made a liar out of me) 😀
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You would have a good nights sleep then Dianne?
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It was the best I’d had for a while! 😀
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🙂
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Love your tropical garden, Pauline. Easy to see how May Gibbs created the ‘big bad banksia men’ – yours would pass an audition for a role 😉
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Thanks Ken, those Banksia’s have so much character, I love them.
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What a gorgeous variety, Pauline!
janet
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Thanks Janet
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Gorgeous Pauline and I so envy your rain. It was 87F today at The Holler!
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That is so hot. Is it humid too…
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What a lovely garden!
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Thank you.
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Beautiful Garden! I am fascinated by pitcher plants and other carnivorous plants.
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G’day pleased to hear from you. I agree carnivorous plants are fascinating.
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What a beautiful and varied collection you have. Many of your specimens would never survive our winters.
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Nearly all of them are frost tender.
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