Bougainvillea - Another Plant Off My Wish List

Bougainvilleas are one of my favourite plants. I love the vibrancy of the colours available and how magnificent these shrubs look trailing over fences or pergolas.

For many years I've had bougainvillea on the list of plants I would like in my garden if ever I had the space and the right location. Well, yesterday I planted a hybrid called 'Vera Blakeman' and so have crossed bougainvillea off my wish list.

My aim is to have it cover the trellis behind. This spot is ideal as it has a northerly aspect, where it will catch the sun for most of the day. At the moment it has lots of magenta bracts with tiny pointed flowers in white.

At the Back Door

I have two Eclipse Patio geraniums (velvet red) in pots on either side of the back door. In shade, under the verandah, until lunchtime, they then get the western sun for the rest of the day.  The flowers are very pretty and do look like red velvet. My only complaint is that the two plants never seem to flower at the same time: when one is coming into flower, the other is just finishing. Perhaps they will synchronise eventually when better established.

Today's Garden Visitor

The weather has been very warm, so not much gardening has been done, save for watering every couple of days. In the cool of yesterday evening, I  added more sugar cane mulch to the garden beds before it got dark. My reward this morning was a crimson rosella "admiring" the African daisies.

Sunday Visitor

After crashing into our kitchen window, this Sacred Kingfisher took time to recover on a nearby branch.

Here Today, Gone Tomorrow

I was so excited when this large delicate flower appeared on this Hibiscus Aussie Pink. Sadly, it only lasted for a day. When fully opened the flower was approximately 100 mm (4 inches) in diameter. This is a very hardy, fast growing native, attaining height and spread of approximatley 2 metres at maturity. Once established, it will tolerate frosts and dry periods. Mine is in semi-shade for most of the morning and gets the western sun in the afternoon. I'm looking forward to the other buds opening. This time I will smell the flowers as Hibiscus Aussie Pink is a fragrant variety.