Spring is just around the corner

Spring is almost here, this year the winter was unusually cold with many frosty nights and cloudy days, this strange occurrence gave me a little glimpse of what gardeners in colder climates experience every year: the plants halted their growth. Last yeat I had water lilies and hibiscus blooming in winter as I showed in previous entries, but this year there was nothing blooming, the cold made everything go dormant, now days are getting warmer and plants are slowly "waking up".

Clivia miniata is blooming now

Camellias

First Ranunculus blooms

The common peach trees are blooming too

See you next time!

Camellias!

 One of my biggest passions is the camellia plant, I've been fascinated by this perfect flower since my early childhood. I love camellias as much as I love Roses but unlike with Roses I don't have to struggle month after month to get them to succeed.

Are you enchanted by the beauty of camellias as well?

Winter!!!

Winter starts today in the southern hemisphere. It is my favourite season: I love cold days and it seems this winter will be unusually cold, it was still autumn when we had 3 nights with frost and below zero temperatures!! This hadn't happened since 2015.

The last roses before the prunning.

In the pond a stubborn water lily refuses to go dormant

Hibiscus don't like cold and their leaves look sad

But they will continue blooming through the winter, frost might damage their foliage and blooms but never lost an hibiscus to cold here

Enjoy winter if you are in the southern hemisphere and embrace summer if you live in the north!

See you next time!

Rainy days, sunny days..

It's been a really really boring week in my garden, many rainy days and few totally clear days

But I am happy because my common peach trees are blooming! I love peach trees!

The flowering peach is blooming too, here on a sunny day

Can you spot the hummingbird?

On a rainy day

The spiraea cantoniensis looks beautiful

I'll grow new plants from cuttings in summer, I want more spiraeas in the garden

This pink climbing rose is blooming nicely

It blooms only once in a year in spring

Unfortunately most flowers are too high up to take good pictures of them!

On a Rainy day..

See you next time!

Spring is just around the corner...

The signals of spring are here and some plants anticipate it with their blooms..

the first Iris flower of the year

And Rhododrendrons!

 Spiraea cantoniensis is a plant that epitomizes spring here

Climbing roses are blooming!

Hibiscus bloom almost year round here but look especially good in the warmest months.. Spring here is very short and quickly checked by summer heat, the spring lushness is short lived here and stops with the first heat waves of late spring so I will enjoy this nice time while it lasts!

See you next time!

Another rainy day

It's been a boring week: the rain continues and I can't work in the garden, some plants seem happy anyways...

Camellias, undisputed Queens of winter

The flowers of the Spiraea cantoniensis look even more delicate after the rain

Clivias can bloom at any time of the year..

I also have yellow Clivias but they are less prolific bloomers

Today I discovered the first Rhododendron buds!

In the pond the water lilies are sending up new pads! can't wait to see them bloom!

See you next time!

Rainy day...

Today the rain (and back pain) keep me from working in the garden. Besides Camellias not many plants are blooming right now.

This white Camellia is usually a late bloomer and last year the heat ruined her buds before they opened, I'm glad she bloomed earlier this year!

See you next time!