I haven't participated in IAVOM for ages - I've been busy preparing things for the arrival of our first baby, due any day now. But I've still been creating bunches - mostly for friends. Being able to create an interesting, generous home grown bunch to give away gives me a lot of pleasure. Sometimes I even remember to make one for myself! Though I haven't posted for a while, I've still enjoyed seeing the beauty and diversity displayed in the bunches of other IAVOM contributors, even if I haven't had the time to leave a comment.  This is a sort of mega-post, showing all of the bunches I've created over the past several months, as well as a few other assorted garden niceties. I don't have time to list the names of everything just now, but happy to provide IDs of anything if requested. 8 Dec 2022 - A slow start to summer 17 Dec 2022 - First dahlia Dahlia 'Hillier Tanunda' 20 Dec 2022 - Jungle kitty So cute - couldn't resist taking his photo! 9 J...

Still more rain this week (will it ever be summer?) which has meant that the cooler season blooms such as Nigella damascena and larkspur Consolida ambigua 'Imperial Mix' continue to bloom happily (when we get a heatwave, the nigella in particular, tends to go straight to seed). I made two bunches this week, both to give away to friends. The first features flowers and foliage from my own garden: This bunch featured: catmint Nepeta 'Walker's Blue', larkspur Consolida ambigua 'Imperial Mix', love-in-a-mist Nigella damascena, Rosa 'Camp David' , apple mint Mentha suaveolens , liquorice plant Helichrysum petiolare , lamb's ear Stachys byzantina and statice Limonium sinuatum My arrangement briefly looked good sitting on our red kitchen table until it was given away a couple of hours later. The bowl of fruit on the right are loquats Eriobotrya japonica , one of my favourite fruits, given to me by a friend. I've never seen them for sale in a ...

Firstly, a big CONGRATULATIONS to Cathy of Rambling in the Garden for initiating the IAVOM meme and keeping it going for an astonishing 9 years! Though relatively new to this meme, I have enjoyed participating and seeing the weekly creations of others around the world.  The weird weather continues this week in South Australia. After a brief hit of summer temps last week, we're back to cold and wet. A full-on storm arrived Saturday, with horizontal rain and winds gusts in excess of 106kms (65 miles) per hour!  Luckily, we had little damage at our place and the garden held up well. Others in the neighbourhood were not so lucky. Lots of trees lost limbs or were completely uprooted and many households are still without power.    Today's bunch features cool blue flowers to reflect the cool temperatures. I love larkspurs and have planted them from punnets for the past few years. This year, however (most likely due to all the rain we've had) they self-seeded everywhere - ...

Our weather here in South Australia has been pretty nuts lately. Last week, we had a dusting of snow on a section of the Mt Lofty Ranges (our house is located at the base of this mountain range). Tomorrow, after barely any warm weather, it's 33 degrees! (91.4). This is not at all hot by Adelaide standards, but it feels like a shock after so much cold weather and rain. I think the plants are very confused, including the sweet peas featured in this week's simple bunch.  Sweet peas: the stripey variety is 'Tiller Girls' and the others are from Yates' 'Colourcade' mix. The sweet peas have only started flowering in the last couple of weeks and do not enjoy the heat, so I'm not sure how long they will produce blooms for. I'm enjoying them and their beautiful fragrance while I can! Thanks, as always, to Cathy of Rambling in the Garden for hosting the weekly In a Vase on Monday meme. Perhaps you would like to share a seasonal bunch from your own garden?

Although it's apparently spring here, we are back to a week of mostly clouds and wet weather, with a couple of sunny days sprinkled in. This week's bunch was made on a sunny day for a friend who just had a new baby: Sweet peas ('Colourcade' and 'Tiller Girls'), roses ('Camp David' and 'Candy Stripe'), strawflowers Helichrysum , Philadelphus sp. (unknown variety), Sedum spectabile 'Autumn Joy' in spring bud and the silver foliage of Plectranthus argentatus   Another view. I've now remembered that there are some white pelargoniums in there too. The garden is looking very green and lush with all the rain with some interesting once-a-year blooms opening, including Disocactus nelsonii and an orange Epiphyllum sp. I started from a cutting given to me by a neighbour: Disocactus nelsonii , moved to a prominent position by the front door during flowering. Orange Epiphyllum sp. I've noted at least 30 buds on it this year. I have other ...

I'm sneaking in late again this week as we're just back from our trip to Ikara-Flinders Ranges National Park . Well...sort of...  We knew there had been significant rain in the area and that access to some areas of the park might be difficult, however when we arrived, we found that most of the roads were closed. Undeterred, we decided to check out Rawnsley Park Station instead, which is located just before the entrance to the park, overlooking Wilpena Pound . It's a fabulous spot, with beautiful views and good facilities. We had been prepared to 'rought it', so having access to a hot shower felt very luxurious! The main downside, however is that as this area has been pretty extensively grazed, so we didn't get to see the wildflowers were hoping for.  We returned home to a garden drenched by rain and with many plants in full spring bloom, including this gorgeous Leucospermum reflexum hybrid 'So Exquisite'. The 'Camp David' roses were also flower...

Just a quick one from me today, as we are madly packing for a trip away. I love how these nasturtiums self seed and pop up all over the place. I recall planting about a dozen seeds about 10 years ago - they have done their own thing every year ever since. The mug is Polish pottery, collected on a backpacking trip around Eastern Europe in the early 2000s. We are off to enjoy Ikara-Flinders Ranges National Park , located several hours' drive north of Adelaide in a semi-arid region with amazing geological features and diverse flora and fauna. The area has experienced significant rain recently, which means this usually dry country will be green and potentially full of wildflowers. I hope to have some photos to share.  Thanks to Cathy for hosting the weekly In a Vase on Monday meme. To see what's blooming in the gardens of other gardeners around the world, check out her blog, Rambling in the Garden . Perhaps you have a vase of your own you would like to share?

Spring is finally here, although it feels cooler and wetter than usual here in South Australia for this time of year. We are lucky we haven't had the torrential rain nor severe flooding that some of the eastern states are experiencing on repeat. There's lots of floral bling in the garden at the moment (as well as lots and lots of weeds; they also appreciate the extra rainfall). First up is a picture not from my own garden, but the nursery where I work. I wanted to include it as I thought it was so unusual. Yep, it's real - not Photoshopped! This is one of a new series of kangaroo paws sold under the Bush Gems Celebrations range. The unusual form above is 'Masquerade' ( Anigozanthos hybrid 'KPMASQ' pbr 'Maquerade' pbr). It is striking, but I can't decide if I like it or not. I think that's because it reminds me of the dyed chrysanthemums and orchids you sometimes see in supermarkets. I do, however, admire the breeding work of Kings Park plant...