Blc Burdekin Futhure"Sharon" x Blc Sylvia Fry 'Esse'
It's a beautiful time of the year to spend time in the garden in the Tropics, as the weather cools down but the temperatures don't plummet significantly, bringing much needed relief from the humidity. One of the joys of retirement is being able to sit out on our patio over a leisurely breakfast and a home brewed coffee and enjoy our garden and the birds which are revelling in all of the plants in flower, in particular, the zygocactus, the various Pentas, the Bromeliads, the orchids on the trees, and a lovely purple flowered bush which we planted a row of because Mr. HRK loved them and I think they are called Purple Dazzler.The star of the show for me at the moment in my garden though is Sylvia, this delicate Cattleya which I bought a couple of years ago at the Annual Orchid Spectacular in Mackay and each year the flower is larger, more fragrant and deeper in colour. When we were sitting on our patio a couple of days ago a beautiful butterfly landed on the flower and stayed there in a trance for quite a while. However I was too slow to get a photo. This orchid is now full of meaning for me though, as last Thursday, when the bloom on this flower first opened, our beautiful Grand dog Kali, passed away over in Chidlow, W.A. I haven't felt like writing since it happened as it has been a very sad time for the family, as we thought she was pulling through and she was expected to go home that evening. Thank you so much to those friends who sent me lovely comments when I first wrote about Kali last week. She was very special and will be missed for a long time.
Another one of my Mum's orchids just coming into flower at the moment is this next Cattleya. Her name is Molly Tyler. Good on you Molly.
 |
| Molly Tyler |
Are you like me though, and have lots of happy and sad memories connected to your gardens? They are really an extension of our lives and ever changing. Or do you also just remember as I do that a special friend gave you a cutting which you planted and now it is doing really well. I love that aspect of gardening, and it is a great place to engage with friends and spread the love of gardening. Then of course there is the real advantage of being able to bring in the herbs and vegetables from the garden to include in my cooking. This last week we have planted some silverbeet, some mint in a pot, lettuces (the red ones as they repel the bugs better), my rocket seeds are coming up, and we have a few broccoli and zucchini plants hoping they will do wondrous things. I also have a large Rosella bush which is close to being harvested.
The is is the Purple Dazzler which we planted en mass, and which the sunbirds adore at the moment.
 |
| Purple Dazzler |
Our Turmeric plants have just been harvested, dried and ground into a therapeutic and very aromatic powder, so stay tuned for that story.
Last but not least is this spectacular Dendrobium which I attached to our New Guinea Bottlebrush tree last year, and after surviving the winds and rain of Cyclone Debbie, it is starting to flower bigger and better than ever. Dendrobiums are happiest growing on trees and are obviously very resilient.
 |
| Dendrobium |
Happy gardening and thanks for dropping by. I'd love to hear from you if something special is happening in your garden at the moment or even on your patio. Some very successful and productive gardens are growing on patios.
Best wishes
Pauline
https://happyretireeskitchen.blogspot.com.au/2017/05/the-importance-of-our-family-and-our.html
