Hello March

Photos from the garden, perhaps hinting at autumn.

Today it is heading past 24C and we have sub-tropical air wafting over us, so the humidity is up again.

Winter sun, winter berries

Winter is definitely here.   So little sun today and bad weather approaching.    Freezing cold wind, blackened twiglets but firey red in the Nandina berries.

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Lean into the light

Small things

“Again I resume the long
lesson: how small a thing
can be pleasing, how little
in this hard world it takes
to satisfy the mind
and bring it to its rest.”
— Wendell Berry (Sabbaths)

Autumn shows it hand.

We planted a Japanese maple in our garden almost 20 years ago and it offers delight during every season.  Spring and autumn are the most spectacular times for this tree to display its beauty.  We have not enjoyed settled weather at all this year until late April.  Since then we have had some splendid autumn weather and perhaps chilly nights, no wind and warm days account for the amazing colour display we have been enjoying.  Members of the household agree that this has been one of the very best displays we have seen on this tree.

These photos were taken on 25th April 2017 and show the branchlets turning fiery red but the leaves a mix of green and coloured.

Three days later I took some more photos.  Look out for these in my next post.

Small flowers in the garden – a series #13

While this plant is in all manner of places in the garden I needed to research to find its name.  It is Oxalis Stricta or Wood Sorrell.  Apparently it does not do well in shaded places but that does not seem to apply in my garden.  It is also high in Vitamin C.  Once in the garden, always in the garden I suspect.  The bright yellow and very small flower is a positive feature to the attentive eye.

Small flowers in the garden – a series #11

The beginnings of a cluster of Hebe flowers.  So many tiny flowers make up the spike of flowers.

Good morning from the Tui.

Tui are not known for being sweet “smiling”, benign birds.  Rather they are well known for their aggression and territory dominance.  Their beauty in colour, feathering and song draws many of us in to love them and be fascinated by them.  Enjoy this grumpy bird image!

Small flowers from the garden – a series #10

Today’s offering from the garden is the small, pale flower of the Lemon Balm plant.  As the flowers fade in strength they become more pastel pink/mauve in toning.

Small flowers in the garden – a series #9

To date this is the tiniest flower I have found in my garden.  I think it is the flower of the herb Sweet Marjoram.  In the way that gardening and plants surprise us this plant has popped up in an old herb garden that is a wilderness currently and where no Marjoram has flourished for many years.  I have used the macro feature on the camera so the flowers look much larger than they are.  They could almost be missed they are so miniscule.