TEA ROOM # 85

I do agree with Jean, Anthony. Iove dahlias, and that rose is so pretty.

Karen

nice Anthony,
love the colour of the dahlias, and that rose is just gorgeous.
I am a sucker for roses, has it got a name?

Congrats Anthony, that Dahlia is lovely...
Anthony's rose is Paradise, Teresa...a beautiful specimen deserving of a first prize.

I pity that poor person you knew, Anthony, who was fussy with his salad.....good thing that you were only surmising what to put in it. lol

Got my new camera, but all the instructions were in Italian...and I couldn't figure out how to change the language.
So I struggled thru the initial set up in Italian....crossing my fingers all the way....after two hrs I finally figured out how to change the language.
Even though the instructions were right in front of me...still couldn't get it right......English helps though, but not much.

Still it does take a great photo...Ricoh R10...not too expensive and will do what I want when I figure it all out.

When I was a teenager we had a huge bag of yabbies that we had caught and we left them in the shed for a while, when we came back they had all scarpered...Don't know where they went but there wasn't one left....

Very mild outside but there is rain around which we need again.

just to prove that sheep jokes aren't the limit of kiwi humour...

http://www.showusyourlongdrop.co.nz/

many in the eastern suburbs are still without plumbing.

Chemical toilets have been delivered & even those who can flush have been asked to use the chemical toilet because the system can't handle a full load so to speak.

And we just had a 5.1 shake that rattled the house - & us!!!!

I had to hang on to the dog to stop him leaping blindly off the couch, I was worried he might go through the glass topped coffee table.
Plus he was the nearest thing to cling too...

Charley want you all to know he is doing great. He loves all the pats and cookies he is getting. He sends you all lots of nuzzles of love and a Great Big
"Grettings Mates" Love you all...

Good morning everyone. Teresa, I just showed the photos on your link, to hubby. He loved the humour of them. What a way to lighten the mood. Hmmmm, that could be taken two ways too. Reminds me of some I have seen over the years out in the bush.
Its raining quite heavily here. Lovely. I can hear the plants all slurping away out there.
I was digging a few iris yesterday and the ground was really dry in the top where the roots are. Trees and shrubs are okay because they have the moisture further down.
I was going to plant out a few clivias into the ground but will wait a day or two now.
I potted up the ones I want to keep in the shadehouse, but have quite a few of the more common oranges.
I grew them all from seed so will be interesting to see the colors. The keepers were from yellow seed and also a red/orange with a white throat. I have tried to get the real red from seed but they dont seem to grow well.
I like their evergreen foliage even if there are no flowers for a while.
I'll be glad when daylight saving finishes. Its still dark out there. I like it during summer but it goes on too long.
Hello Dianne. Dont you just love those instruction leaflets that come with some things ? About 4 words in English , and the rest in some other language.
My camera is a Canon and came with lots of instructions. I have 2 books with it plus a disc so I can read the manual on the computer. It does everything but take the photos itself. Of course this sounds easy, but a lot of the instructions are in tech talk .
At least I can understand all the basics and it was worth the money I paid ( $600). I use it at least once a week and daily when my plants are flowering. Great fun to play with the various settings too. Another of your beautiful roses is out and I didnt take a pic yesterday before it rained on it..
Very similar flower to Maurice Utrillo, but really white under the bright red/orange patches. The labels are gone ( magpies) It may be a second piece of the same rose with just variations in the color. I love it.
Hello Anthony. Any more pics of your successes at the show ? Love the dahlia color too.
I am sorry I got rid of all mine but they grow tall here and get really ruined in the wind. I still have one in the cottage garden among everything else. Its Bishop of Landorf. Very pretty with small bright red flowers .
Hello Pam and Karen.
Chrissy, hope all is well with your brother.
Hello Jean/moon and Elaine.
Louise, hubbys friend over there says its still cold with snow. Not a good start to Spring. I hope it all improves by the time you are ready to leave . Pats for the girls. ( I should be saying southern ladies now not girls. )
Charleen, isnt it lovely to see the Spring bulbs etc coming up after all the cold.
I love the look on Charleys face. All innocence. Love him.
Better go and do something useful. I can see daylight out the window now.
Keep safe and warm everyone . Enjoy this Lemon Tart with your cuppa.
Happy gardening,
Jean.

Good morning everyone. We have had lovely steady rain here since about 4pm yesterday. Everything is drenched. Just walked the boys to school and picked up about penny sized red gum caps on the way. Branden took his to school but Cameren wanted me to bring his home so that he can do "art work" with them. A fine mist of rain still out there. beautiful. Shopping day today for me so will be back later. Colleen

Good morning everyone, and Charley of course. What a morning. I had a very early morning doctors appointment and got myself ready on time, got there on time (7.15 am) only to find the doctor wasn't coming in today. She was the one who called me in and made the booking. I came back home with steam pouring out of my ears. Now have to go do it all again tomorrow morning.

Might just have to go out for the morning. There are noisy machines in use across the road disturbing the peace. Might just go down by the bay this morning. A dull day, but if it doesn't rain, can walk along the water's edge. That would be soothing.

Have a great start to the new week everyone.

Karen

Good morning to you all! Jean - those nerines are gorgeous! Are they a form of a lily? They look slightly similar to a spider lily. You can call my pups "girls" anytime! They are occasionally little ladies, but more often than not, they are little rascals and not very lady-like at all. They persist in their un-lady-like wrestling matches. Little Bailey has really been feeling her oats and getting her sister in trouble for the rough play. :) I haven't the heart to discourage their play...they have so much fun. Your Hubby's friend is correct.....still a lot of snow up north!

The yellow flowers I posted above are on my young yellow elder tree. I am training it to be a tree rather than a bush and it seems to like this identity better.

Anthony - congratulations on your winnings! Both of those photos are lovely. The coloring of that rose is stunning and I really like the pairing of the dahlias with the rugged driftwood...very clever.

Elaine - I'm happy to see you are working on another guitar. It looks like it will be a beauty! Thanks for the clarification about your gazebo roof and the grass. I get it now. :)

Sue - be careful not to work too hard in that humid heat there. I have the same issue happening here. I weeded a bit today while the girls stretched out in the hot sun. I didn't last long.

Here's another shot from my garden. I love all the hot colors out there now!

Good morning everyone!

Anthony...Congrats on your winning entries!
We have a similar garden show here in Buderim in September.

Hey I had to smile at the "dunny pictures"

Jean that Lemon Tart looks delicious. Is there a recipe to go with it. Thanks.

Louise, I think spider lilies are what the nerines are called in the US. I like the way all my red/orange come up first followed closely by the white and lastly the pink. By the time the pinks are out there is a lovely mix up of them all. I must get in this year after flowering and thin out the clumps. They do tend to grow all over each other resulting in the clumps being pushed up right out of the ground.
doesn't worry the bulbs though as they flower even if tossed on the ground . My dear magpies have a bad habit of "helping "me when I replant any bulbs. They will gently pull out the bulb, play with it for a while then leave it for me to find and replant again.
Sorry Marlene. I 'borrow ' the pics from a few cooking sites so you will have to look at them. Try Taste.com and Joy of Baking.
Still raining here. A lovely lot of light misty rain. Not cold either . I have to go out and tip the water off the roof of my brom house.
I put up a large sheet of plastic yesterday with hubbys help and have it tacked down also weighted with a couple of large pine posts.
Well, that didnt work at all, did it ?. I had to go pushing up all the middle bits that were filled with water. Lots of water.
Back to the drawing board now. I will move all the broms into the old greenhouse which gets lots of light and sun. They can live in there and I will find something else to go in the shadehouse once I take the plastic off the top. Maybe my dendrobium and stanhopea orchids will like it there. Then again maybe not, they dont need the winter cold winds. I will have to rethink what I can put in there.
I sense the beginnings of a new collection of something.
This old shadehouse was the first one we built and has housed lots of different plants.
I have the lovely dragon lily ( dracunculis) growing in there so maybe moving the other amorphophallus in there too along with the stapelias. A smelly plant house. Or rather, a house for smelly plants.
Photo of the white nerines from last year.
Jean.

Anyone know the name of this Hoya?
Thanks. It has a veriegated leaf.

Jean, I have to admit that I had the software and the manual...lol....it just wouldn't sink in...
My previous one was a Canon Powershot A95....great camera until a couple of months ago.
I've been testing the new one out today...so I took a couple of pics of Maurice Utrillo.
One with the apricot and pink, the other with the white background..I'm sure that as you thought, it is the same rose.

Louise, your garden looks lovely....I have made an adjustment to your delicious Mango cake.
I just added a tin of pie apricots to the cake mix and it makes a great moist cake...I keep your Mango recipe for dessert and the apricot one for anytime...

Karen, I would be steaming too...especially after she made the appointment.....still if she was ill herself what can you do.......thank goodness my doctor doesn't get out of bed for appointments at that time...he's too busy chasing his kids to get them ready for school..lol

Here is the other colourway, Jean.

Pretty Hoya, Marleneann....I don't know its name though.

Oh what lovely roses!
And the hoya
And the white nerines
and the Spring garden shots,
Not much to report here so much heavy rain
Waving at Charlie Charleen
It's late and I have to medicate my brother and try to get to bed by midnight ...
Here is Jackie French talking about Autumn in the garden.
Love Jackie as a gardener and an author
http://www.earthgarden.com.au/jackie.html

Crinson Queen is the name of your Hoya, I think. I love them but mine doesn't bloom very often. Love all the fall blooms. I got some Tulips for you all. I have a Banks rose that is getting ready to bloom, you will love it. Dainty yellow blooms by the jillions, all at one time.

Don't ya just love the Banksia Lutea ? Mine started blooming late last week....I could just bury my nose in the fragrance...grin Pretty tulips Charleen. Maybe Spring is finally here. My Japanese Magnolias bloomed beautifully this year. This one is called Jane.

Good morning everyone. How lovely to see those bright tulips Charleen. Love your magnolia too Jean/moon. I bought three different ones as orphans and planted them out , so I am hoping to see flowers in Spring.
Its still dark here and raining. The garden is loving the rain as it is a gentle lot. I think we need a couple of really sunny days now to bring out the autumn flowers. I see lots of color coming in the trees .
I do like Autumn in the garden. Like Spring, there is so much going on. My roses are full of flowers again. Must get out later and throw a bit of fertiliser around on things.
Hello Chrissy, I love your brug flowers on the brug thread.
I am watching an epi at the moment. It has buds . poor confused thing. ( epi. darrahii)
It hasnt flowered before so I am hoping the buds stay on and open. It is apparently a later one and will bloom at night but stay open for a while during the day.
Hello Dianne. I cant wait to see my Maurice with lots of flowers as he grows bigger. The cuttings arent cuttings any more . They have grown really well .
I have 3 of them among the chrysanthemums . There are lots of chryssie buds . I look forward to a pretty show from them too. I did lose a couple in the frost last year but still have enough to make a pretty row of color. The spaces were used for those cutting roses.
Marlene, pretty Hoya. There is a flower similar to that on one of my hoyas. Another confused plant. They usually wait for Spring.
Hello everyone else. Teresa, Anthony, Pam, Karen.
Louise, those darling girls would never get up to any naughtiness . Little angels.
Better move as I have to get a few letters out.
My grand daughter will be here on the weekend and I will see my gt grand daughter for the first time, although I did see her on the ultrasound photo .
Have a happy day and stay warm and safe.
One of my weaknesses ... Chocolate Mud Cake.
Jean.

What a joy, Jean. Nothing quite like holding a little one for the first time.

I have JM Jane, JM Susan and a white one called Dr Merrill. They are beautiful when they bloom and then they slip quietly into the landscape. Although, Jane and Susan will bloom sporadically until the late summer. This is Susan

Lovely morning here,

Jean, your Chysanths should flower this season, I hope.....they are looking well...
The Four o' clocks that I sent, had a flower, only one, but they are true to the colour on the pkt.
So I am looking forward to them growing....I want to see if they are perfumed like Chrissie's.

Does anyone need Sweet Pea seeds?...I have some spare...D.mail me.
Chrissy, the Laxa is setting seeds, so when they are ripe, I can send them to you.

Jean/moon, I have a Magnolia called " Merrill" , I wonder if it's the same as your Dr Merrill...
it's a cross between M.kousa x M.stellata...the flowers are more like Stellata...it's lovely.

Got a horse to feed, back later.

.

Yes, they are indeed the same magnolia. I find that its' blooms, while lovely, do not last as long as the Japanese Magnolia blooms.They are much more susceptible to damage from wind and rain, although I am quite pleased with its' near trouble free growth. The Stellata heritage really shows up in the blooms

Only have a minute so waving madly at everyone ...love the pictures!
I hope this works
http://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=151044554958876&id=100001492877263#!/album.php?aid=342363&id=697100271

If you are on face book take a look at the lovely stuff in this Butterfly farm in the USA just stunning,
Back after 1 this arvo.

anyone have experience with 'gloriosa rothschildiana' -it has a seed pod like a little capsicum hanging off it,.,.'whats inside?

Anthony, I was going to ask how your G.rothschildiana went this year, because mine didn't flower....don't know about the seed pod, mine haven't set seed.

I looked it up and there are supposed to be red seeds inside and you leave the pod on until it ripens.....it looked very much like a capsicum....

i have 1 good gloriosa-the other won 'best other flower' in the claremont show,.,.so its a stick at the moment,.,.''i will have a l.lankongense-'''cheap'''...found a pot with 3 more,[i havnt dug yet']..,also, if i have none,i will check with ;marcus harvey'-he sells them in 3's-if he has some-anthony

OMG those are gorgeous roses Seachanger, what are they called ?
I wish someone was selling batplants at a garage sale near me!

Maurice Utrillo is the name of the rose, Tanzen...it's one of the Delbard " painter's" collection.
Ditto on the Bat Plants....I can't get one here.....I drooled at the thought of them..lol

Anthony, my Gloriosa grew, but it just didn't flower, first time ever...I must check the potting mix...it's probably lacking in something....

l.lankongense, yes please.......just let me know when it's ready...

whew a sauna here but the rain has stopped at least.
Lovely roses indeed, my roses haven't done much this year just like many things here.
I have giant greenery everywhere but the blooms are shy.
Some of the giant greenery is weeds of course, every weed seed blown in from everywhere is germinating.
Sometimes interesting but more often than not just cobblers pegs etc.
My Magnolia Exmouth that was burned to a crisp over those couple of rogue days of dreadful heat is sprouting lovely green leaves again, so happy about that I thought it dead for sure.
Dianne that is very kind of you I would love some M laxa seeds (you may have to put a stocking over the pod the seeds blow away.)
My husband killed my treasure off to build a shed.
Sadly the seeds must have blown too far away because they never came up anywhere.
Probably too cold and clayey here for them to survive without special care.
the gloriosa lily is a bit tetchy here it sometimes blooms.
It's all about creating mini climates in the various areas.

I think we have had too much rain here for the flowers this Autumn. Its been a poor show so far. Today is hot and uncomfortable.

Barry found my rose under attack..........

Karen

Karen thaty's a lovely pic. Look at the rain drop on his wing. Beautiful. I wish I had my camera. sigh. Colleen

Colleen, sending camera vibes your way. Hope you can get one soon. Meanwhile, we will all put up pics for you to enjoy.

Karen

Thank you Karen. Yes I am enjoying all the pics. Colleen

dianne,.,.i remember a little piece of white paper when i purchased mine,.,.'a couple of doses of weak pottassium each year[pottash],watered in,.,.and i can remember applyiong it in november,..,i had showclass blooms,2 yrs in a row,..,, heres one to gloat about,.,.!!! ,I made a sale-x12-to the botanical gardens here,.,.i might go and look at them when im old, 'in 3 yrs' and tell molly,' theyre pop's lilies',.,.ha ha!!!!!

It made a beautiful picture. I'd feed that rascal to my chickens.

Happy Lovely Spring Day, Everyone!

Jean, those white nerines are elegant! I always get a giggle when it turns out that we just have different names for the same plants in each location. I can't have the spider lilies without drawing the deer into my yard. How very exciting to be seeing your great-granddaughter for the first time! You seem way too young to have a GGD!! :) But then, I think I'm way too young to have grandchildren! lol

Marleneann - what a gorgeous Hoya! I don't have any of those, but that one is a real temptation!!! I believe they do grow here in Florida. hmmmmmm......

Dianne - pretty shots of the colorful roses!! I like your idea of an alternate to the mango cake. That's a great idea that I will happily steal from you! Thanks!!

Hi Chrissy! How is your brother doing these days? You are such a great sister!

Hello Colleen, Sue, Karen, Charleen, Tanzen, Anthony, Moon and Teresa! Have a lovely day!!
Louise

Good morning everyone. Its dark here so I cant see what the day is going to do yet . We are off to Hamilton as hubby has a doctors appointment for a checkup. We will have a day just wandering around the shops after a nice lunch.
Dianne, Maurice Utrillo now has more flowers and its so pretty to see the two shades of background color together . Couldnt get a nice photo as the rain has spoiled them a bit. I'll have a look later today in case more buds have opened.
Anthony,you are a very handy to have around for helpful hints. I tried growing a gloriosa lily once. It grew quite well to about 12" each year then died back. Finally it never grew at all. I think I eventually threw the mix out and reused the pot. I just have to get used to the fact that some things dont like it here.
At least liliums love being here. I must get out and cut the stems back on mine . I see new little shoots coming at the bottom of some.
I saw two lovelies on eBay. Dimension and Cappuccino . I should write 100 times, I must not look at all the flower photos on the net.
Hello Louise. Is that gorgeous flower a petunia ? You will be leaving your pretty garden just as its getting into its very flowery stage. Never mind. Think of all the fun you will have getting the NH one back to perfection. Lots of new places for the girls to explore .
Hello Chrissy ,Karen, Pam, Colleen and Tanzen.
Teresa, I see your Shaky Isles are still shaking. I do hope it all stops soon so you can get back to some normality.
Charleen, a cookie for Charley .
Hello to everyone else looking in. Better move, its getting daylight now and I want to have aquick check around the garden .
Enjoy the day.
try this Buttermilk Fruit Cake with your cuppa.
Jean.

Good morning world. Very noisy here with machines across the road doing loud things. Have a couple of baby lorikeets on the verandah squeaking relentlessly at their parents.

I hope everyone has a lovely day lined up. I will wait until my shoulder settles before deciding what I am going to do.

Karen

Jean - shakes are now the new normal...
we feel nervous if there are no small shakes cause that often means a bigger one is building.
Or at least that is how it feels - no science behind that idea.
I can't remember what it is like not to be living with them - 6 months since our first major shake & life before that seems a distant memory.

Thanks Anthony, I'm sure that you have the answer....
Pulled out all of the Alyssum today, it's amazing what you have underneath, still growing happily...this happens every year and I'm sure that the garden can breathe now...

Hooray it's Camellia time....everyone is budded up.....pots are full of Spring bulbs just waiting to pop thru...Anthony your little Narcissus are through and so are the Colchicums...

Big decision to make...the Romneya has to go....sadly, it's growing too rapidly for my little garden....so far it's covered up 2 roses and a grafted Corymbia, so it's time to go...they don't transplant well, so I can't give it away....I've always had one but this one is a Triffid...oh well.

Karen, I hope that your shoulder comes good soon, it's been a while now.
Chrissy, bad luck that your Magnolia was so burnt....they are very tough though....is it a large one?

Jean, are you getting much rain?....I had to water today...the soil was rock hard...the Bureau has been promising rain for days....but we don't get it....

Nice time of year for our US friends now....enjoy your gardens.....goodness knows what the weather has in store for us.


This message was edited Mar 23, 2011 12:23 PM

Hello everyone. This morning started with an eastern brown snake in a classroom.
Seachanger, what are those beautiful blooms in that pic?
Gosh Dalfyre, I'd be a nervous wreck in your situation!
Marleneann, I have a similar unamed variegated hoya in flower. However, this one smells totally different to my other similar hoyas, I don't like the smell at all on this one!
Yippee I found bat plants! Giant white and the black bat plant are available from Paradise Distributors, freight $12 max. phone 07 5441 5921 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting              07 5441 5921      end_of_the_skype_highlighting
Has anyone seen these roses in Australia?They have a technique to dye them.