Murraya in Full Flower - Sunday Morning Coming Down

Must have looked fantastic, but then it rained..................and it was on the ground.

Many around Rapid Creek looked similar on Sunday, with white flowers as a ground carpet, knocked off by rain and wind.

Murraya in flower

Sunday morning - coming down!

Purple Flowered Vine - Fantastic

Seen on the neighbour's fence in Darwin this week - it looks magnificent. 

Purple flowers, fading to light lavender then white [last photo]. Had trouble downloading off the camera so these are after a few days in full flower [had to use a different CF card - which worked okay] but colour has lightened a little.  Was a magnificent purple initially. Also seen in Singapore, but never as a fantastic display like this.

Look online for more - Mansoa hymenaea. 

Cultivation notes:

Scientific name: Mansoa  hymenaea Family: Bigoniaceae Common name: Garlic vine Habitat: Native to Mexico And Central America. It is best to grow it in well-drained soil that is mulched at the base with compost to keep the roots cool and moist. M. alliacea occurs on solid ground, not close to bodies of water, in shaded areas of low vegetation and in small primary forests. It cannot grow in flooded areas or in open fields. It occurs in tropical areas with rainfall of 1800-3500 mm/year, at temperatures between 20 and 30 ºC. Mansoa hymenaea is a native plant of Brazil and Peru (Thetburanatham, 1987), but grows very well in most the parts of Thailand (Chirunthorn et al., 2005). Botanical Description: Dicot. Plant grow up to 9 m , has simple leave that has elliptic margins.When the leaves are crushed a garlicky smell will be given out. Flowers are trumpet-shaped and is pale and purple in colour and grows in clusters. Flowers seasonally from March to May. Requires sun and partial sun. Propagation: Stem cutting Medicinal Uses: The entire plant such as roots, stems and leaves have medicinal uses and are used to reduce fevers, treat colds, throat, and respiratory troubles. Source : http:// en.hortipedia.com/wiki/mansoa-hymenaea http://gardeningwithwilson.com/2009/08/06/the-garlic-vine/

Mansoa hymenaea - used while own photos u/s

 

 

 

 

 

Orchids in Flower Too

Not to be outdone by the local trees there are many vanda orchids in flower as well.

Their flowers are magnificent, and delicate as well in subtle shades and flower textures.  Not to mention large sizes.

These are just great!

 

Yellow Flowered Trees Anyone?

That time of year again when the local trees are flowering, before the wet season.

From recently, there have been rain trees.....with a massive flower fall as well, and some Tabueaia argenta on Trower Rd at Casuarina in golden yellow with no leaves obvious,  to the weeping rosewoods.

This rosewood is a few houses from our place........it is magnificent today. There are several others in our suburb, including one near the old Rite Price complex.......and most are now in full flower.

Fantastic!

Fragrant Orchids

It never ceases to amaze me that these orchids always seem to flower together.

There are now about six plants scattered around the yard and they almost always flower on the same day, every time, which is quite a few times across the year!

Unfortunately, the flowers only last one or at most two days, but they are an absolute outstanding mass of showy, small, fragrant white flowers when they blossom.

Today is the day..........a beautiful sweet perfume is all around the yard, and into the house, especially notable when I walked into the living room this morning.

A bit of a distraction from the cyclone that is brewing up offshore......another Christmas present for Darwin??






Enjoy the view.............

Red Trumpet Vine - Pyrostegia venusta

You know it is a good dry season if this plant is in its vibrant flowering glory.

And it is......

The plant is often used as a screen vine on fences and most of the year it is just a green plant. But when it flowers it is spectacular! It seems to flower best in a dry season that has at least some decent cool nights below 20C.

Masses of reddish-orange flowers in large clusters against a dark green foliage makes for a great ostentatious display. Really offers a major statement.

The photos are from a site just around the corner from our house along their fence. Just a short 15m or so. But it is by no means the only one around the area, nor the largest, although it is in a cul de sac, and may not be the most obvious display seen.

I noticed a long fenceline - maybe 30m - the whole front fenceline - on a house block along Bagot Road, a site seen by many thousands of commuters travelling to and from work each day. It is a mass of flowers also. A great feature.


The bright flowers also seem to survive for a few weeks so it is not just a short burst of flowering. The botanical name is Pyrostegia venusta - definitely worth considering for a screen vine in the tropics and sub tropics.

Great Weather for Orchid Flowering

The household orchids are flowering very well.

We had the white flowered native orchid last week, in a one day spectacular flowering, now a lot of others are in flower........and quite a few of the Dendrobiums are in bud........two weeks maybe before they flower.

They look great!!

Orchid Flowers for Easter

Cultivating tropical orchids can be fun. The vast array of Vanda, Dendrobium, Cattelya and related species with thousands of colourful varieties are truly spectacular. And we can grow them outdoors quite easily. I have quite a few in the yard, and enjoy their colourful and at times fantastic, flower displays.

And of late, flowering of most plants has been fairly regular, with a good sized flower stem.

Locally in the NT, we have a fair range of native orchids, but none have the tremendous flowers that are more common with the bred varieties.

Our relatively common local orchid does have one feature though that makes it special.......the whole plant on a tree flowers at once in a single monster burst of white flowers for a single day.

And Easter Sunday morning was the day. Is there significance in that, one might ask, on the Christian Feast of the Resurrection?

As soon as the back door of the house opened, the fragrance was superb [ and not all orchids have a fragrance], with all of the plants around the yard a mass of white flowers. The fragrance permeated around the yard, particularly noticeable in the windless early morning; by around midday it had virtually disappeared.

Flowering is not, as far as I can tell, day length or temperature driven.........but they do flower quite a few times each year..............and ALWAYS together! This time a few regular doses of fertiliser given when the other orchids receive their fertiliser spray might have paid off.

Flowering was fantastic. Ho hum............but just a single day each time.

The Weeping Rosewoods are DYING

What a difference a year makes......................

This is what the trees were like a year ago, shown in the middle photo

http://monsoon-frog.blogspot.com/2009/11/yellow-flowers-but-be-quick.html

The weeping rosewoods have beautiful yellow flowers, and are magnificent shady trees.

BUT........a dreadful disease is slowly killing many of the now large trees around Darwin.

The photo below was taken today.......and all the trees in the previous post, about 10 months ago are DEAD, very dead!!!

The problem was first noted in the main city area, and these trees are alongside Bagot Road, at Millner, in the northern suburbs of Darwin, maybe 12 -13km from the first dead trees.

It is hoped disease resistant lines will be available in maybe a year or so, but till then, there will be a lot more trees dead, and sadly, it is the larger specimens that seem to die.

And there are a lot of these trees around Darwin.

Pride of India - More Great Flowering Trees

Pride of India – the name says it all. A fantastic flowering tree that gets to about 8 m [40 feet]. Botanical name - Lagerstroemia speciosa. Alternate common names – crepe myrtle or Persian lilac [there are others too] Here in Darwin they are flowering right now, mid October. There seem to be three common forms here in Darwin – pale pink, cerise [dark pinky /red] and lilac, and often they are inter mingled where they have been used as street trees. Unfortunately, they can be somewhat susceptible to termites, and there are a few sad specimens that seem to have been somewhat significantly damaged by termites, probably as a result of stress due to poor watering in the dry season, where not all street trees get well looked after by the adjacent householder.

They say that the tree benefits from year round watering, but the most magnificent flowering specimens tend to often be relatively less irrigated. There is a trade off between large well grown trees and plenty of flowers – so a balance is needed to get both.

This year the trees seem very prominent with excellent flowering.

Bangalore in India has some excellent specimens, and they are commonly grown as ornamentals in SE Asia – Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Malaysia, Myanmar, India, Singapore and tropical Australia, even as far south as Sydney. There was one at my parents house in Sydney, but it never grew to be the giant tree seen in the tropics, more like a large woody shrub. Still flowered beautifully though, and deciduous!

At this time of the year, when it is hot, very dry and dusty and the weather is plain just stinking hot, the presence of some of these great flowering trees in full bloom do help to lift your mood.

As does a good mango - yes, it is mango season too!!

The Mighty Rain Tree

Musing while walking the dog can lead to putting fingers to the keyboard.

The rain trees around the city are moulting, indeed raining! Yes, huge quantities of faded yellow fluff, the remnant materials around the flower.


Rain trees creep up on you, very slowly. You do not notice the small ones, and there are quite a few around the city in open space areas and parks. But the older ones are memorable...........huge trees, with no doubt a few memories. Many would be well over a hundred years old, with huge towering and widespread crowns that reach out across the roads and paths around the city.

Those along Gardens Road near the city centre are absolutely monstrous trees, surviving I would guess major cyclones in 1897, 1937 and 1974, at least, plus many smaller cyclonic events. They probably date from when the area along what is now Gardens Road was a Chinese vegetable garden back in the mid to late 1800s.

The one that I noticed is a bit more curious, being along the edge of Rapid Creek but obviously a very large tree. Part of the area near Rapid Creek was a Jesuit mission in the late 1800s, and the two trees are both very large and close to a small ephemeral freshwater creek, now not flowing this late in the dry season.


The trees must be old........the area was not used much, not even during WW2, between the Jesuits mission and the establishment of the modern suburb of Rapid Creek in the early 1960s. These trees predate the modern suburb - they are just too big.

But who planted them and when?

I do not mind - we need these large trees for shade, and the mighty rain tree sure provides that, along with a place for the odd bird's nest - in this case a pair of pee wees [see middle photo].

They are also very sturdy, and have survived cyclones - large and small . That is a big plus. Big is what they become, so they need a large space..........but a great tree, and the city is better for their presence.

More Poinciana Colour

I think this year has been an excellent one for the poinciana tree flowering display. This photo was at the entrance to the Botanical Gardens, and so beautifully framed by two beauty leaf trees [ which are actually on the opposite side of the road].

Just spectacular!

Orchids in the Tropics

Orchids are THE flower of the tropics. Especially the range of Dendrobium, Vanda, Cattelya and related warm weather genera that do so well outdoors in the tropics.


Yes, I enjoy growing orchids........the beautiful tropical flowers that can last for many days after cutting are really amazing in their colour, versatility of shapes and sizes and the myriad size and shape of the whole infloresence. Some have a few flowers that are large and showy, others are much larger infloresences but with many many smaller flowers. The colours and displays are awesome at times.


Singapore Changi Airport Terminals often have mass displays of orchids, usually the dendrobiums. Can not remember a single time over the past few years when there has not been a great orchid display. BUT......they are usually the more common types that fit the theme for mass displays. It is the rest that can be spectacular in their own right.


The collection at our house is modest, but there are many spectacular collections in the Darwin area. There is at least one large specialist display and competition each year locally - just orchids and bromelieads, although the local Agricultural Show also has a good display. The annual orchid spectacular in May or June each year is fantastic. Too good for me to compete.


But I do grow a few great specimens, at least I reckon I can grow a few decent Vanda orchids!

Vanda orchid flowers are usually larger, and ostentatious with various hues and striations on the flower. And they really do grow well in the hot tropics. A bit of fertiliser, light and openness allowing air circulation.......and some regular light irrigation if needed.