Spring in Brisbane

Hello!

Well, we're on our last couple of days of Spring, and I had promised you a look at the jacarandas in flower. Unfortunately, it wasn't a good jacaranda season this year, so I didn't get photos of the full trees in bloom, but I did get a few close ups of the flowers to show you. I also took a few other photos around my garden, to show you the face of Spring here in Brisbane.

This is the jacaranda with new leaves and flower buds just starting to burst:

The flower buds and flowers:

I love the way that the flowers are almost iridescent, so pretty.

More flowers:

The rose leaves just coming out with their beautiful purpley-red blush:

I'll show you the rose flowers in my Summer photos. This one is a beautiful white, highly fragrant, multiflora. I can't remember its name right now.

Our gorgeous azalea:

It looks like white flowers until you get up close, and then you see that beautiful pink blush. Unfortunately our azalea bush is infested with spider mite. I hope to get rid of that sometime soon so that the leaves are as beautiful as the flowers.

This is Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow (I forget its botanical name). It is a highly fragrant bush that sits right beside our front door. All through September this bush sends dreamy perfume into my home. It is called Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow because the flowers come out dark purple and change to white over time  - Yesterday (white), Today (light purple), Tomorrow (dark purple), I think.

This is Murraya (otherwise known as Mock Orange). We have a hedge of this beside our pool. Again, highly fragrant. I almost swoon when it flowers and sends the scent along on the breeze. It flowers again in Summer also, right when we are using the pool and can enjoy it.

How about the real thing? Well, lemon, not orange, because I forgot to photograph the orange, lime, and mandarin flowers.  I have more lemon flowers that I took the other day in the rain. I'll show you those another time. I love the citrus flowers, the scent is heavenly and they are so pretty. I also love the fruit that follows!

Speaking of fruit, how about passionfruit? YUM. Have you ever looked closely at a passionfruit flower? They're amazing.

How about a little closer?

And now some tomatoes:

These ones have been eaten already. I had to fight off the scrub turkeys, but I got to eat most of them myself. I should take a photo of a scrub turkey for you one day. You can Google them - Scrub Turkey, Brush Turkey, Bush Turkey.  They aren't edible turkeys and they are protected, so we can't get rid of them. We have a family of them living in the yard next door (which is like a jungle).

And to finish off, the first hint of Summer, the frangipani (aka plumeria) coming into leaf. I love our frangipanis. We have three white-flowering trees, two right beside the house. I do love all the coloured frangipanis, but I love the scent of the white ones the best. And I love the white and yellow flowers, they're so pretty. Our trees are about to launch into flowering. I'll show you the flowers when they arrive also.

So, are you still with me, did you make it to the end of my marathon show-and-tell?  I hope you enjoyed the photos.

Michelle
xxx