Garden glory in July;

Oh, give us pleasure in the flowers today;

And give us not to think so far away

As the uncertain harvest; keep us here

All simply in the springing of the year.

Robert Frost

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Nutmeg bush; Iboza riparia;

Nutmeg bush (Tetradenia riparia or Iboza riparia).This pretty plant, with its fluffy, scented flowers, has had multiple name changes, so it is safest to stick to its common name, nutmeg bush.It should be pruned straight after its winter flowering and, is  only suitable for mostly frost-free areas.

Has nothing to do with the real nutmeg, to me it does not smell of nutmeg. 

Dreamtime;

Through winter into spring flowers this gorgeous AzaleaXRhododendron. It can grow into a  very big shrub covered in these silvery pink flowers. Easily propagated from cuttings after Christmas.

Narcissus Early Cheer;

A bunch of flowers ,Cuban Royal Palm;

It is a wholesome and necessary thing for us to turn again to the earth and in the contemplation of her beauties to know of wonder and humility.
Rachel Carson

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Aloes are a great winter treat. I especially like these  red bells tipped with grey-blue.

This Aloe was a gift form my neighbour. It is a prolific grower, its flowers form a crown with  a profusion of orange bells  with slightly darker tips.

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Peaches and Nectarines are flowering now;

Blow, Blow, Thou Winter Wind

Blow, blow, thou winter wind 

Thou art not so unkind 

As man's ingratitude; 

Thy tooth is not so keen, 

Because thou art not seen, 

Although thy breath be rude. 

Heigh-ho! sing, heigh-ho! unto the green holly: 

Most freindship if feigning, most loving mere folly: 

Then heigh-ho, the holly! 

This life is most jolly. 

William Shakespeare

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Kalanchoe blossfeldiana;  sunny yellow in winter;

Strawberry plants are filling out and beginning to make flowers.

We cannot command nature except by obeying her.

Francis Bacon

Fennel is a fine vegetable and grows very well through winter.

Lettuce a staple through winter;

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Not to forget the Kurume Azaleas and Camellias who paint the garden pink in winter.

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Flowering Grevillias providing nectar and pollen for birds, insects and mammals.

Spot the little Australian miner bird enjoying a sip of nectar from the flowers.

Believe it or not:

...everything in nature is lyrical in its ideal essence, tragic in its fate, and comic in its existence.

George Santayana

© Text/Photos Titania

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Link   Poetic Takeaway's; a trivial world of words;