Spring is here next week, and the garden is alive with colour.
But I am very confused. The next 2 months are the best for our garden display and I’m looking forward to sharing all the beauty with you. I’ve taken lots of photos… BUT… WP have changed everything and I’m not sure if I can cope with it.
How are you all managing?
Well I think I will go for a cup of coffee to calm me down. Then try again to find out how to insert photos…
I’ll be back… Maybe….
Well I am now caffeinated, have done some research and, hopefully, ready to go….
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These glorious, vibrant marigolds greet you as you walk into the garden. They are seeds saved from last years flowers and I sowed them very thick about 6 weeks ago, intending to thin them out. But I’m pleased I didn’t as they make such a brilliant statement.
I was very busy during winter planting lots of annuals, they are the backbone of the garden as the perennials and native shrubs slowly fill out.
I did not expect the colours in the last photo of the Primula and Kalanchoe, I thought the Primula was going to be white. But they are quite eye catching. What do you think about the combination? Gardening is all about experimentation.
Orange, purples and reds seem to be a recurring colour theme this year. This is a closer look at the Crucifixion Orchids that you can see in the back of the photo above this one.
Remember the Cuban Oregano I mentioned last month? Well it is now flowering and when you brush against it the pungent, herbal scent fills the air. I haven’t used it in cooking yet.
This is a new project I am just starting on. 2 years ago a pumpkin was grown in this area, but was rather a dismal failure, only harvesting 2 pumpkins. It seems to be wasted space so I have decided to transform it into raised veggie beds using those plastic containers with holes drilled in the bottom of them. I am going to buy another 4. They only cost $4 each, much cheaper than pots. And they get all day sun in this front garden. If successful I may increase them.
Phew… Well after a shaky start I have found my way around the new WP formats, thank goodness they still have the old “classic” format for us to use. So now it is time to sit on this bench, have a glass of wine, and enjoy listening to the birds and take in the beauty of nature. 
I’m so pleased Su of “Zimmerbitch” runs this “Changing Seasons” challenge as it prompts me to try and keep a record of each month. And I can go back to last year and see what was happening 12 months ago.
Living in Paradise... 
Pauline this post is like a stroll around our garden.
I enjoy the plants and all the gorgeous flowers.
The birds are my pets thanks for featuring the.
I look upon them as my play mates.
I have the biggest aviary in the world and the best gardener.
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The birds are a joy to have visiting every morning
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Your garden is so beautiful. Well done, considering the dry conditions. Our tank officially ran dry this week and there’s no rain in the foreseeable future. It’s very warm very early too.
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Climate change certainly makes gardening difficult, I may regret putting in so many annuals and veggies. But I will stop putting so many veggies in by November if we don’t get rain by then
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I can’t see us planting many, except tomatoes which Mr ET already has in.
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Our tomatoes are doing well, all in containers so I can keep the water up to them
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Beautiful garden. I hope we get some rain soon. My daughter at Cecil Plains is still having to buy in feed for the cattle and truck loads of water. 😦
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Thanks Ally, so many areas in dire straits we have terrible Bush fires raging in the hinterland at the moment fuelled by strong winds. Hope we all have some rain soon
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I have been watching the updates on the Bush fires….it’s terrible and so close to home. Rain is definitely needed.
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Can’t see the hinterland at the moment it is shrouded in smoke. What a catastrophe is unfolding.
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The sky here on the north side of Brisbane is all smokey. I
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My eyes are sore from the smoke in the air and we are quite a way from the hinterland
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My son lives in Casino NSW, he called in today on his way to the LOINS game at the Gabba. He had to use his puffers after arriving in Brisbane. It’s amazing how the smoke travels through the air like it does. Have you got some eye drops or saline solution to use?
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Used eye drops earlier
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That’s good, I hope the eye drops were helpful.
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👁 feeling better now thanks
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Your garden is looking wonderful Pauline. The radical changes you made have paid off in spades. Wish I could send you some rain; we have an over-abundance. August was our wettest month on record — but a relief from what had been the driest winter recorded. Gotta love climate change.
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It is very satisfying seeing the results, but think I have created on going work keeping it all thriving as we are in for a dry spring and drought is hovering around us. Climate change makes everything so unpredictable. Thanks for the link I love that you are hosting this challenge
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Your weather seems to be the opposite of ours. It is so wet here, the ground has become water-logged. There’s a cold wind too.
I guess unpredictability this is the new normal ☹️
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I agree not normal and unpredictable is now the norm
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[…] Pauline at Living in Paradise […]
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Well worth the effort. It looks delightful.
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Thank you, yes it has been a lot of work, but very satisfying now seeing the end results
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I absolutely love your garden and am happy you have been able to keep everything watered and cared for. The flowers are thanking you, I am sure. I love all your flowers and your paper daisies are awesome. I’ve always loved how these flowers feel. You are so kind to your guests, as well, by putting out some breakfast for them to enjoy. So very kind. Climate change certainly hasn’t been very kind to so many that is certain. We, here in Washington State, have had a very odd Summer. It hasn’t been hot all Summer but so little rain and temps that climb and drop and climb again. Makes one feel as though they are on an amusement park ride. I am hoping Winter, which is now quickly approaching, is not one that is too cold. We will see. Hope you and your husband are well.
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Thank you Renee for your lovely comment. Yes the weather is now so unpredictable. We now have terrible Bush fires roaring through the hinterland behind us, fuelled by wild winds. Winter has just ended so it is very early for the bush fire season to be starting. Yes the paper daisies are lovely, and last so long as cut flowers.
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You have such a beautiful garden, it inspires me whenever you post. What are the purple flowers with your paper daisies? I like your idea to feed birds but keep them away from your tomatoes 🙂
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Thank you for commenting Ruth, the purple flowers are Statice, an annual that can be dried as everlasting flowers. They are very good value too.
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Like Mary, Mary Quite Contrary Pauline, I’ve been watching your garden grow! And a glorious sight it is!! Loved your paper daisies!
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Thanks Tina, but it is now so dry I’m watering every night. Thank goodness we have a spear pump.
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Your garden is soo different than it was a year ago, much more open and light, but probably less tropical? Or at least less jungly. I am amazed at how many plants you have in flower at the end of your winter that we only see here in the summer months. I have missed your posts so I am very glad that you still do this one each month so I can indulge in the delight of your lovely garden.
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Thank you for calling by and leaving a lovely comment Jude. Yes it is very different from a year ago and it is still a work in progress. I hope to have the native plants filling the garden by next year, but still have to fill the gaps with annuals and veggies. I wonder if I will regret the decision now that the weather is turning hot and dry and we are only into the first week of spring with horrendous Bush fires raging out of control through the hinterland being fuelled by strong winds there is no sign of relief.
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All these bush fires all over the world are worrying. Hope you get the summer rains you need this year.
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I’ve got fingers crossed for the rain too
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Goodness, even the birds are scary! That plumeria looks rad. I do not grow them here, but they are quite happy in the Los Angeles area. When I was kit, those paper daisies were one of the main cut flower crops in the neighborhood. That was in Montara, on the coast of San Mateo County.
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G’day Tony. Why don’t you grow Frangipani. Do they not like your climate or do you not like them? Mine are just starting to show buds. I love the scent of them, it fills the garden in the evening.
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Frangipani is sensitive even to mild frost. It sometimes available in nurseries but shouldn’t be.
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Wow⦠lots of colour
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