Today's Flowers; Summer delights;

Hoya carnosa is happiest...

climbing up a tree;

Hoya carnosa is one of 100 species of Hoya that are native to Eastern Asia and Australia. Hoya carnosa was named for Thomas Hoym, gardener to the Duke of Northumberland at the end of the 18th century.

Blooming Time: Summer: Clusters of attractive, star shaped, pink-white blossoms are produced in summer. The delicate flowers appear to be made of porcelain and are truly unique.

Culture: Hoya carnosa does best in at least 4 hours of direct sunlight a day, but also can be grown in bright indirect or curtain-filtered sunlight. Water freely during flowering but allow the soil to become almost dry between waterings when the plants are resting. Fertilize every 2 months in spring and summer. Do not remove the leafless spurs or stubs, on which new flowers appear every year.

Propagation: Hoya carnosa can be propagated at anytime by air layering or by stem cuttings. A portion of the stem including one or more pairs of leaves will quickly produce roots in water or damp sand.

Brachychiton discolour flowers from late spring into summer;

Australian native tree with a striking Summer flowering display.

Features: A large, bushy tree with a stout, grey trunk and attractively patterned bark. The large, matt-green leaves have a felt-like covering and fall from the tree prior to flowering. Then, in Summer, the bare tree is covered in a profusion of 6cm, woolly, pink, bell-shaped flowers that hang in clusters at the ends of the branches.

Conditions: Enjoys a warm, sunny, moist, well drained position but will tolerate a wide range of soil conditions, and an occasional frost, once established.

For Best Results: Mulch to maintain soil moisture. Fertilize in Spring if required.

Planting Ideas and Uses:

- striking specimen tree

- site where Summer bloom can be enjoyed

The herb Dill has pretty flowers and dainty leaves. It is now ready to cut and dry for my herb salt.

Click here for Today's Flowers;

The Heart of the Swag; Henry Lawson; Australian Poetry.

The Heart of the Swag; by Henry Lawson; written 1905.

Oh, the track through the scrub groweth ever more dreary,

And lower and lower his grey head doth bow;

For the swagman is old and the swagman is weary—

He’s been tramping for over a century now.

He tramps in a worn-out old “side spring” and “blucher,”

His hat is a ruin, his coat is a rag,

And he carries forever, far into the future,

The key of his life in the core of his swag.

There are old-fashioned portraits of girls who are grannies,

There are tresses of dark hair whose owner’s are grey;

There are faded old letters from Marys and Annies,

And Toms, Dicks, and Harrys, dead many a day.

There are broken-heart secrets and bitter-heart reasons—

They are sewn in a canvas or calico bag,

And wrapped up in oilskin through dark rainy seasons,

And he carries them safe in the core of his swag.

There are letters that should have been burnt in the past time,

For he reads them alone, and a devil it brings;

There were farewells that should have been said for the last time,

For, forever and ever the love for her springs.

But he keeps them all precious, and keeps them in order,

And no matter to man how his footsteps may drag,

There’s a friend who will find, when he crosses the Border,

That the Heart of the Man’s in the Heart of his swag.

The grey leaves of a River Gum along the Darling.

Time to read....

when the sun sets...

A favoured time, a favoured book.. it can not get better;

The Dark Mountain by Catherine Jinks.

Based on the true story of a colonial family. This compelling tale includes a memorable cast of characters including Australia's first female Novelist. The story is set against the brooding backdrop of the Southern Highlands.

In the summer of 1836 a violent incident in the Belanglo wilderness, sets of a chain of events that transforms Charlotte's and her siblings life.

It was first published in 2008.

Oh! The light from the mountain is fading away

And the shadows creep over it chilly and grey,

I see the stark rocks in their sternness and pride;

But the flowers are hidden that grow by their side.

The tall trees are tossing their wild arms on high

As the shriek of the curlew goes mournfully by,

The cold night is coming it will not delay.

For the light from the mountain is fading away.

Louisa Atkinson calvert, ca.1850

Today's Flowers; Little puddles;

Jazzy Bromeliads;

I like Bromeliads in the garden. They are tough, easy to maintain and adding vivid splashes throughout the garden. They also provide homes for tiny frogs. I hope you enjoy Bromeliads.

Today's flowers click here