Confident Azalea #2

Here we have a delightful pure white variety - a very delicate and symbolic colour.

These started flowering at the same time as the common pink variety.

These become a great covering bush with its flowers filling up all the space within the tree.

It's quite a sight to see such a view of many trees flowering at once.

Having been spring it surely isn't the only plant with wide blooms.

Wisteria and Jacarandas also bloom in my garden so there's always a sight to see from grass to sky.

Azaleas can be prone to being high in pollen causing hay fever.

Daisies are always a strong and wide grower and here they pervade as the azaleas bloom.

Unfortunately recently one of the pink azalea trees died.

They have grown for decades so it's a sad but perhaps timely death.

The Ladybird Party

Something odd was happening on this day.

A congregation of ladybirds gathering on the stump of the tree.

I wonder why that may be?

There was nothing there to fancy or see.

All they were doing was sitting right on that tree.

There was no food or be gained.

Strange things happen and these many ladybirds happen to decide that a party was in order.

How many do you see? 

Can you count them?

Generally ladybirds (or sometimes called ladybugs, ladybeetles) eat other insects in the garden such as the abhorrent aphids. Only some eat plants making for the most part a welcome addition to any garden in order to ward off pests.

Too sympathetic to the pesky brown blob. (Possum)

What sort of animal sits in a tree and you find that you would love them to leave?

Do you see the brown furry blob?

It sleeps in the day and comes out at night.

It makes a strange growl at others of their kind.

They sound like the ignition of a motorcycle.

Know what it is?

It's an Australian brush tail possum.

Pesky creatures that eat the fruit of Your trees

And ignore the plentiful native plants.

Or gets into your roof to make itself home.

Or keeps you awake at night when their party has started but yours wants to end.

I would love for it to move itself out.

But I'm too sympathetic to do so.

It's your lucky day....

Or year.

The brush tail possum is very common in Australia. If you go looking at night around my house you are sure to see one. It also climbed up the palm tree and decided to jump at the fronds, then decided to climb back down and go for a crawl.

I'm not an animal hater, I assure you. Please, if you would like to say don't hate the animal you are welcome to do so but I would like it very much if you don't make strong, hateful comments or start arguing. This is a preemptive measure. Thanks!

Daffodil on Stilts

Here's a quick one for you. 

What kind of plant likes to think himself as so beautiful, regal, superior and above all...above all!

Narcissus...

i.e. The daffodil!

Luckily for you he ain't so full of pride most of the time.

The daffodil is a bulb so a lot of the time it dies off for the winter though sometimes you will see it's leaves all year round if the condition permits it.

(Below them are daisies and behind are succulents, probably Aeonium Arboreum)

Calla Lily

In the plant world we come to expect that a flower has to have more than one petal and with most of the everyday plant varieties it may have become a desirable thing. 

However for the Calla Lily this plant has surpassed any of that expectation and it is its large white one petaled flower that has become so common both in florist shops and that of gardens in homes and in public buildings.

Calla lily is far from being a lily - It doesn't come from the Lilium genus! It is just a name and nothing more being far from closely related.

It lends a tropical look with it's large dark green glossy leaves.

When you look at it this way petals are actually evolved from leaves - they are just modified leaves that have been formed to usually look attractive to pollinators.

The cone in the middle is called an inflorescence and is usually bright yellow.
These flowers are usually associated with funerals and death, but let's be honest here, they are such a stunning and confident plant to be enjoyed!

Fuji Fruit

As Autumn was heading for a close the last of the fruit of the Fuji fruit tree (not the variety of apple) were finishing up between the bare branches of the tree.

 

I took these pictures right before I picked the last ones.

The fuji fruit is a close relative to the traditional persimmon (it is a variety of persimmon).

At the same time it's quite different and you wouldn't eat them the same way.

The fuji fruit can be eaten 'raw' when it's crunchy and unripened

whereas the persimmon cannot as it can get a strange texture in the mouth.

Both can be left to ripen to develop a soft and almost jam texture

and is often eaten with a spoon at that stage.

These fuji fruits that we grew were so sweet and delicious!

I truly didn't expect to have such sweet fruits and I think they were sweeter than store bought ones.

In some cultures persimmons are dried and seem to get a natural sugar crust.

There's an interesting warning that I've been told as well: Don't eat crab and persimmons together!

It was a good turn out with several to ten fruits in the first fruiting year!

We were so lucky that it turned out this way.

It's a seedless fuji fruit that we bought at a gamble, discounted but without a label!

Confident Azalea #1

Azaleas always bloom in abundance. They are particularly good for hedging as it grows strong, quite dense and richly green with a curtain of perfect healthy flowers.

These look as though they are the 'George Lindley Taber' variety - a pretty feminine confident pink!

They have distinct bright pink markings on the top petals and long pink stamens.

Azaleas are actually from the genus rhododendron.
Many from the genus have similar bushy trees and an abundance of flower clusters.
Although rhododendron means 'rose tree' they are nothing like the rose!

In Korea wine is made from the flowers.
Interestingly Azaleas are highly toxic to horses, sheep and goats!

Below the tree bush is seen in full view, healthy with very little maintenance needed if you don't feel like doing anything! Otherwise pruning it down to create a denser shrub might be a good idea.
The Azaleas also come in white.

White Azaleas will be in a separate post.