What's flowering in April

Gee,It feels like I have been away for soo long,but finally I am back on my puter...funny how life gets in the way...been very very busy so have missed all the happenings of the past weeks....haven't even had time to do any gardening except for the essential waterings...no me time at all up until now,Yay!!!

These are some of what's in bloom today. My very first single YELLOW Oleander...grown from U.S. seed. I only just took this pic 45mins ago so was not the best light for conveying it's true lemon yellow colour. I am truly wrapped in it...I was not expecting to find a yellow amongst all the seedlings as all were in pink shades that is until this beauty made it's appearance known...and it is even more beautiful that the pic.. too bad it is getting late in the season for Oleander blooms so will have to wait for next spring to see more from this baby

More seedlings

3

4

5

Tecoma capensis

Ipomoea carnea

Complete with butterfly...even if tattered lol!

Still a riot ofcolour

youve got too much time on your hands brical

No...I just gotta make up for lost time lol!!

Lovely yellow oleander, Judy. The pink is pretty too. You've got me wondering if I should consider growing a few from imported seed :-)

I've got the yellow shrimp plant but have never seen that red form before--very nice! They seem to be such tough plants too.

Here's my blue Ginger. I have grown this plant from a tiny little plant and now it rewards me. Colleen

Looking good Judy. Colleen, your blue ginger I think is Dichorisandra thyrsiflora, a very lovely plant.

Judy, here is your Canna 'Stuttgart' and Clerodendrum bungei 'Cashmere Bouquet'. Both are in 8" pots and will be planted out in the garden once the bush turkey leaves us. I discover this morning he has scratched out several of our Brug pots.

A friend of mine has the blue ginger growing with the Dr Seuss X brugmansia. She says they're both in flower now and the combination of blue and yellow looks good. (Er, Wayne ... once the bush turkey leaves you? You mean, in a locked cage. On a stretcher? In the mouth of a pitbull terrier? Why would it ever want to leave *your* patch of paradise? LOL)

Hang on--none of those looks like a Clerodendrum! The green leaf with white variegation looks like a canna; the other albino leaf looks like ... a canna too?? And that has to be a brug cutting to its right ...

Judy, are you allowed to say here where you got your seed? Are they named crosses? (I know they don't come true from seed, just like brugmansias.) Also, roughly how long does it take to germinate and how long before it's likely to start flowering? Are your seedlings, once established, as tough as the oleanders I remember from Melbourne and similar in hardiness to those growing along highways here in Qld? Well, maybe not *that* tough but still pretty hardy? What about frost?



This message was edited Apr 2, 2010 9:07 AM

This message was edited Apr 2, 2010 9:11 AM

Here we go Cestrum, Clerodendrum bungei 'Cashmere Bouquet'... ... ...

http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/29234/

In my pix it is the plant with heart shaped leaves.

Yes, those green and white leaves are Canna 'Stuttgart'. A fine plant from Judy. We have quite a collection now. Rust has been a problem however with some of the old cvs.

My mother tells me that the turkey will take off in search of a mate upon maturity...
I really am at my wits end with it... ... ...
Considering some of your options Cestrum lol!

Brugmansia 'Love Potion', under-planted with Salvia 'Indigo Spires' and Strobilanthes dyerianus.

Beautiful Wayne.

Lovely flowers everyone! Nice oleanders brical!
Colleen, I love your healthy looking blue ginger. It's a credit to you.
Here's my plant also flowering now. But it's leaves are all twisted. Does anyone know what it's problem might be?

G'Day All
This is an Echinopsis species unknown.
Hope everyone has a pleasant Easter.
Brian

ok this isn't an April pic but i am a bit behind...
when the late sun hits the Robinia Frisia it just glows.
Even my hubby commented on it - and he rarely notices the garden.

I spen this morning tidying in the garden, bit of deadheading to keep the roses nice.
Then I had a rush of blood to the brain & went along the edging with the fork...
it did a really good job of scraping the soil back & left a nice crisp edge.
Good thing hubby doesn't notice the garden as other wise he might have seen that in cleaning up the edges the gardens have magically grown wider...
less lawn for me to mow.
It is only a few inches in most places but one or two spots gained a useful amount of extra.
I also grabbed hedgeclippers & trimmed up a couple of things that were getting too big.
Wish I had a before pic of this...

better pic of the freshly trimmed ? possibly some type of leylandii, I did a search online & the foliage is similar.
it is fast growing, roughly pyramid shape if left natural & new growth is golden.
I suspect without me trimming it hard it would get huge.
My neighbours had one that was left natural & it shaded my woodland garden until they chopped it down.
They didn't want to but it was butchered when work was sone to clear the power lines.
anything that got in the way was chopped along with trees genuinely too close to the lines.
i secretly was thrilled as now my garden gets morning sun & is really doing well :)

white azalea, I am really pleased with my bargain buys.

My Bat Plant is flowering.

so why do they call it a bat plant?
;)
that is an impressive pic - looks like something from another planet.

That is a beautiful specimen, Marleneann, it must be very happy on the sunshine coast.
Hi Brian, nice to have you back.
Congrats on the yellow, Judy, looks good, not wishy washy.
Love all the blue gingers,
Teresa, the Easter bunny should have a big egg for you...all that trimming.

Wayne,That little scrub turkey must be really wearing out his welcome by now...is there a scrub turkey rescue society you can call lol!! Your garden is so lush that he just feels right at home there...just think you are doing your enviromental bit for our native wildlife ....say's I with tongue in cheek lol!

Cestrum,the seeds came from a wonderful kind daves gardener,Kyle. He had a huge collection but has downsized now ..as the climate there is not suitable for growing oleanders out doors all year round and he no longer has access to the heated greenhouse where he would house his collection over winter.
If I remember rightly it took anywhere from 6days to see germination. They will grow quickly and bloom even within 6months if given excellent growing conditions and that means rich well drained potting mix,warmth and full sun. Mine took longer as my yard does have quite a lot of shade..hope this helps.

>Wayne,That little scrub turkey must be really wearing out his welcome by now...is there a scrub turkey rescue society you can call lol!! Your garden is so lush that he just feels right at home there...just think you are doing your enviromental bit for our native wildlife ...say's I with tongue in cheek lol!<

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/08/17/2658132.htm

You are not wrong Judy! :(
The above article gives me little hope.

Attached pix of the not so "little" bird.

Lovely Brug there Judy. Also your opening Nerium. I had started cuttings for you of a few down here. However the "scrubbie" kicked them out. Also found to great horror this morning our slipper orchids scratched out... ... ...

With all respect, a happy day to all tomorrow, however I am looking forward to "Thanksgiving"!

That's fascinating reading, Wayne ... I wonder if yours came by car (ie someone dropping it off to get it away from their garden). So the message is: do not let it make a nest! (I can't imagine one finding a place in my garden because the dog simply would not--could not--leave it alone. It would be harried day and night.) Friends of mine get scrub turkeys in their mountain garden and it's a nightmare. The only deterrence that seems to have some effect is indeed chicken wire. It protects the plants but I don't think it makes the turkeys go away for good. It looks terrible, of course, in an otherwise pretty garden.

Thanks for the info, Judy. I didn't think your seeds came from US ebay because the offerings there are so meagre. OT but I went to Bunnings this morning to get some supplies and didn't even manage to get out of the car ... barely got out of the carpark, it was that crowded. So don't go today if you can avoid it!

>I wonder if yours came by car (ie someone dropping it off to get it away from their garden). <

I do not think so / hope not Cestrum. Our home is only two "suburban blocks" away from the bushland despite being close on 100 years old. I was totally amazed to find "chickie" here 8th January this year. (pix attached).
We were also amazed that "it" could travel less than 800m via backyards etc despite domestic pets. However reading the ABC report I am not surprised at the tenacity of these birds.
>"Lots of people make the mistake of finding it fascinating for a while and then they realise the mess and think 'Oh my God, it's wrecking my garden,' but it's too late at that stage," he said.< (ABC quote).

Although... ... ...
A "conspiracy theory" could be "hatched" Cestrum! :)

Gardeners can always have a laugh! :))))

This message was edited Apr 3, 2010 1:30 AM

This message was edited Apr 3, 2010 1:42 AM

It was certainly cute as a chick--perhaps you should have caught it then LOL Now, it might be tempted to bring its new bride home to this wonderful little oasis--no wonder it didn't go any further when it found your garden!

I was listening to a program on the radio and they were talking about the wild turkey invasion in the suburbs ...kat???? did you ship them down here
wayne that little bird is staking out it's territory so you had better do something as soon as possible because he will have a family moving in next and it will be a disaster in your garden.

judy what interesting reading re your oleanders ...in Narellan there is a hedge made up from the mini apricot oleanders. Do you have any mini's.
It is covered in bloom and is a solid wall of colour from the ground up to 3ft. They seem to have gone missing in the shops these days.

ok here have a sugar nana they are just off my second floor balcony and the bats didn't find these ones yet.
The taste of a banana ripened on the plant as apposed to shop bought (well you can't buy sugar nannas usually) is unbelievable, like an essence.

mmm looking past that is the Ice Cream Bean tree ...can you see the brown furry pods (sorry it's so dark but rain is almost upon us.)

mya ...look the Strictocardia vine ^_^ sneaked up through the back of the angels and is romping through the pink honeysuckle!it's way up in the sky! I can hardly wait to see the blooms ...I also have the purple one I grew from seed so it's exciting.
Can you see the heart shaped leaves up there in the honeysuckle?
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/97226/
Sorry for the dark shot.

the lanterns

Your nanas look lovely and healthy chrissy,I just might be lucky enough this year to pick some before the frost hits...hope so.You will love the stictocardia blooms but it is a very rampant grower so watch it doesn't take over.

I love the old double hibiscus,they are my favourites.

Is that peaches and cream judy?
Yes well triffids all live here in my jungle ^_^