Yes, we can do that in yellow too, M’am.

Pohutukawa trees are beginning to burst into flower here. They are fickle trees with their unpredictable timing, although they are generally in flower at Christmas time in New Zealand and are known as The New Zealand Christmas tree. (Metrosideros excelsa) It is not uncommon, however, to see some trees in full or partial bloom at other times during the year.

They are very individual in their flowering with a common sight being one or two trees in full bloom while others nearby remain in bud. It is also not uncommon to see an area of a large tree in full bloom while the remainder of the tree is simply leafy.

Fire engine red is the most common colour, but there are other shades of red on offer as well as a more orange toned flower.
This season we have been noticing that the yellow ones have flowered earlier and with great abundance. I particularly like their Latin name: Metrosideros excelsa “aurea”

Many stories circulate about the Pohutukawa and its flowers and how good or indifferent our summer might be according to the cycle of these trees. So far, summer has been very absent where I live so I am not hazarding even a guess about the yellow flowering varieties and what that might mean. Today the sky is finally clear blue, the sun is beating down and it is hot.

Currently we are taking such a day as a real bonus and really hoping for more of the same.

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A Christmas Story for you

It is Christmas Eve and the weather is unbelievably hot, humid and sunny. Preparations are underway for tomorrow…parcels to wrap, fudge to make, fruit to check, maybe a little cooking to do when the kitchen is not full of sunshine.

Happy Christmas to you all in the blogosphere.

A long time ago in Germany, a mother was busily cleaning for Christmas. The spiders fled to the attic to escape the
broom. When the house became quiet the spiders slowly crept downstairs for a peek.
Oh what a beautiful tree!
In their excitement they scurried up the trunk and out along each branch. They were filled with happiness as they climbed amongst the glittering beauty.
But alas! By the time they were through climbing, the tree was completely shrouded in their dusty grey spider webs.
When Santa Claus came with the gifts for the children and saw the tree covered with spider webs, he smiled as he saw how happy the spiders were, but knew how heartbroken the mother would be if
she saw the tree covered with the dusty webs.
So he turned the webs to silver and gold. The tree sparkled and shimmered and was even more beautiful than before.
That’s why we have tinsel on our tree and every tree should have a Christmas spider in it’s branches !
*author unknown*

Southern Hemisphere Christmas tree decorations

A fellow blogger at Seasonal Inspiration has been asked by a small child to make a flax Christmas tree this year.

It got me thinking about what might be in my garden and natural environment that could be incorporated on a flax Christmas tree. Flaxes are currently flowering and the yellow or red toning flowers that contain nectar to feed the native birds resemble small candles that I have seen in pictures of traditional Northern Hemisphere Christmas trees.

I would love to include the Christmassy looking Feijoa flowers and any Pohutukawa flowers that had begun to bloom ( Pohutukawa are known as New Zealand’s native/traditional Christmas tree, although they often flower around my area after Christmas Day)

Today I spotted the green seed pods of the Kowhai tree and I figure they currently resemble the strings of pretty coloured beads that often adorn Christmas trees.

I will keep looking….