Hoya carnosa in the home garden;

Hoya carnosa, the wax plant, is an Asclepiad species in the dogbane family (Apocynaceae). It is one of the many species of Hoya that are native to Australia.  Here it grows in my garden, doing what it is doing best scrambling up a tree.

The flowers are light pink, but may be from near-white to dark pink; they are star-shaped, and are borne in clusters that look like tiny wax miniatures. 

The surface of the flowers are covered in tiny hairs giving a fuzzy sheen to them. They are scented and produce  nectar that drips from the flowers. 

Hoyas flower from specialized perennial structures referred to as spurs,  from the axils of the leaves and stem. Each season new flowers are produced on these same spurs, so they should not be removed.

H. carnosa has been in cultivation for more than 200 years and has given rise to many cultivars that vary in foliage form or flower color.

Studies have shown, Hoya carnosa  works as an excellent remover of pollutants  in an indoor environment.

©Photos Lavender & Vanilla Ts./My garden.

Food grown in the home garden;

...as easy as...

Eggs are best from your own hens. Mine have a big run to spread their wings, run after grasshoppers, relax under a tree and lots of lovely treats, they love to eat!

Probably one of the most private things in the world is an egg before it is broken.

Flowering Mango tree, Kwan

Ripe Mango, Tommy Atkins

Python curled up in a Mango tree; (No she is not a  pet, just a visitor.)

Churning Mango Ice cream; It was a hot summer's day.

 

Is there any fruit looking more inviting than the Pitaya? 

You can take anything, but not the Passion fruit vine.

Home made Passion fruit jam.

Jaboticaba; fresh from the tree pop one into your mouth, savour the sweet pulp

 and spit out the bitter skin. One after the other...mmh so tasty...

“There is no love sincerer than the love of food.” 

 George Bernard Shaw, 

Apples growing in organza bags, because of fruitfly.

...made from apples..

Rollinia...yummy;

Breakfast, Yogurt and fresh fruit 

Scotch bonnet's chilies make a fine chili jam.

Vegetables from the kitchen garden;

Tomatoes grow and can be  be harvested summer and winter; 

Cooking is a pleasure, nothing compares to home grown;

     All human history attests 

 That happiness for man—the hungry sinner— 

 Since Eve ate apples, much depends on dinner. Byron.   

Believe it or not;

In the middle ages they fed the population with gruel, now they are fed with  weetbeex and cornflakes, cheap and nasty. Ts

©Photos/Text Ts

Roses mere Roses; October in the garden.

Bred by Francis Meilland (France, 1951). 

Introduced in France in 1951 as 'Tzigane'. 

Climber, Hybrid Tea, Cl..  Lovely fragrance; blooms in flushes throughout the seasons.  

Climbing.  

Up to 15o cm

Growing in my garden, subtropical zone 11, does pretty well.

Pruning lightly  around 1/3 in summer, when it is too hot for blooms;

Sport of  Tzigane (hybrid tea, ) 

Bliss, a garden , roses, blue sky and a hammock. Ts

'Monsieur Tillier' bred by Bernaix in 1891
 An old Tea rose with very distinctive medium sized, very double bright pink blossoms that darken to nearly brick red. The flowers are moderately  fragrant and repeat throughout the season. It forms a large bush, up to 2m tall with olive-green foliage. It may be pruned  to maintain a shorter habit. It is hardy and carefree in warm climates.


Roses of yesteryear, sweet and fragrant, find them and you will  feel like you found a treasure. Ts

CREPUSCULE Noisette Rose

Crépuscule is a reliable, strong rose bred by Francis Dubreuil in France in 1904.
Flowering throughout the season in decorative small clusters, Crépuscule creates a beautiful rose display with intense, sweet, musk Old Rose fragrance.

Crépuscule can grow into a very large tall shrub rose up to 4m high and 2 to 4m wide. It is also capable of a semi-climbing habit and can be trained against a trellis or along a fence. This cultivar is also used as a large ornamental weeping rose and can create a magnificent display of roses on arching canes.

Crépuscule is orange, fading to apricot-yellow; the name is French for “twilight”, very apt given its colour reminiscent of sunset.

Quick to repeat flower, richly fragrant and very disease resistant;

Crepuscule's twilight colour is complimented by a few pots of pansies and a"selfie" Calendula

Lovely Irene Watts,  does so well in my garden, growing in a big pot.

'Irene Watts' bred by Guillot, France, 1896. 

The blooms of 'Irene Watts' are a wonderful soft apricot color, with deeper orange tones at the heart of the bloom. Flowers eventually fade to ivory, and have a very pleasant, fragrance. 

The plant is very compact and twiggy, and will form a very tidy small to medium sized shrub.  in a mild climate it may grow to 90 cm in height. Disease resistance is much better than average, and it is a very reliable repeat bloomer.

Pink rose, old rose of silky hues
Gone are the days of dancing under stars
No foolish laughter, no singing voice
Clings to the heavy boughs to pay their dues.

Pink rose, old rose, sad rose
Wait for a breath of morning dew,
 your time and ancient ways
Of hope and subtle dreams to woo.,

Red rose pink rose, sad rose
Petals fall and withered 
Silver splendour, golden shine 
Abandoned unconsidered. 
Ts

Perle d’Or  is a highly regarded old garden rose that is well suited to many growing conditions even alkaline clay soil and hot dry weather. It blooms from spring continuously,  replacing spent flowers quickly with new flushes of bloom. It does not like to be kept too wet. This rose works well anywhere in the landscape that has good air circulation and plenty of sun. It is also suitable for a large container on a deck or patio or along a walkway where its fragrance and flowers can be enjoyed up close. 

Polyantha 
Year Introduced1884 
Small shrub 
Bloom,  very double with outer petals that fold back to look like a pompon. Successive flushes of bloom spring, summer, and  autumn.
Very Fragrant
Full sun. Good air circulation. 
Water to establish and then very drought tolerant. Will not tolerate being watered too often. Cold Hardiness

Bred by Dubreuil in France, introduced by Rambaux, Perle d’Or is sometimes called “Yellow Cecile Brunner” or “The Buttonhole Rose”. Parentage is polyantha x ‘Mme. Falcot’. 

Give me a rose
White, pink or any colour
Still lush with morning dew. Ts

Sophie’s Perpetual climbing rose
China Climbing 
Fine fragrance
Continuously flowering

Very fragrant cupped flowers of pale blush pink, heavily overlaid with deep pink & cerise red. Almost thornless. Healthy dark green foliage. Superb shrub or small climber. 2.5m x 1.5m.






Believe it or not:

Life is part roses, part thorns.



©Photos/text Ts

Buds and colours; September in the garden;

We can not stop the seasons following each other.  When I lived in a cold climate, I wanted summer to stay for much longer. End of August I was sad because everything pointed to the end of summer days. It was always like something was taken away from me, a little piece of happiness was lost. 

The gifts from nature we must take as they are given, says reason. Here in the Southern hemisphere, in the subtropics, the seasons and the sun are generous they barley make a change, they let your heart sing anytime, why then do I crave the other, the hardship of winter when the cold bites into your bones and everything shivers. When spring arrived I looked at the tulips, and the crocus emerging like no cold winter ever happened. The magic of the seasons. Now lets celebrate spring with buds, flowers and colour. 

©Ts

Profusely flowering Mango tree, looking forward to its luscious fruit.

 

Lemon blossoms, nothing more citrus than a fresh, ripe yellow lemon. No garden should be without a lemon tree. 

Hippeastrums are later this year, the first glimpse...They are such amazing  flowers, huge and show offs.

Nothing but Baudelaire poetry suits these sultry blooms.

You tear me open, dark beauty,

With derisive laughter,

And then look at my heart

With eyes as soft as moonlight

Azaleas had a fantastic season this spring, producing flowers in abundance.

Dendrobium Orchids, have such a surprised look about them, like they could not believe  their own beauty.,..

This one has all the attributes to be a favourite.  Antique rose Irene Watts,

bred by Guillot France, 1896.

 'Irene Watts' is rather unlike the other China roses in its colouring and growth habit. The blooms of 'Irene Watts' are a delicate apricot colour,with deeper orange tones at the heart of the bloom. 

The plant is  compact and twiggy, and will form a very tidy small to medium shrub. In a milder zone.mature plant may reach around 90 cm in height. Disease resistance is much better than average, and it is a very reliable repeat bloomer. 

Wisteria is also later this year, just started to flower, in no time it will be a soft purple haze.

Azalea Mrs. Bolton in full spring colour.

Always liked these brilliant, small flowers and the leaves of Canna indica. The fence of the chicken yard will soon be covered with climbers which I have planted along it. 

Limonium  a smaller bred plant then the big growing sea lavender from the Canary Islands.

A new Geranium/Pelargonium;  Over winter I have grown on cuttings from around 10 different Ivy geraniums. All have taken and are already planted into bigger pots, some out into the garden beds.

Irene Watts, the open flower, soft and delicate.

The simple beach blanket rose has never stopped flowering,

 since my daughter brought me two plants last summer.

A new addition to my Salvia collection. It's name Love and Wishes.

I trust in nature for the stable laws of beauty and utility. Spring shall plant and autumn garner to the end of time.

 Robert Browning 

Believe it or not:

If I keep  a green bough in my heart

the singing bird will come.

©pictures and some texts Ts