no irritations this Monday
so I thought I'd show you all what winter looks like around here.
Downunder, winter is June, July and August
These first two photos were taken in June.
clouds coming in from the hills
same sky a little to the south.
The next few photos are from July
early morning sun rising into a clear pale blue sky
my jade is flowering
my new rhubarb has begun to grow
the lemon verbena cutting which I thought was a dead stick has tiny new leaves at its base
the ornamental plum trees are bare, but the last leaves have only just fallen
I've been told that the fruit on these is inedible.
Not so. I tasted some last summer, they were juicy and sweet and I had to get in quick before the birds got them all.
this is the August photo, taken yesterday morning in fact.
you can see the sky is completely grey, the wind was cold and it rained most of the day.
So there it is, winter in Australia.
Downunder, winter is June, July and August
These first two photos were taken in June.
The next few photos are from July
I've been told that the fruit on these is inedible.
Not so. I tasted some last summer, they were juicy and sweet and I had to get in quick before the birds got them all.
you can see the sky is completely grey, the wind was cold and it rained most of the day.
So there it is, winter in Australia.
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The rising sun caught just at the right time is good.
ReplyDeleteAndrew; I stepped outside to get a feel for the air, wondering whether I should wear the regular jacket or the weatherproof one, saw the sun and ducked back inside for the camera.
ReplyDeleteI think winter was cold this year but not as long as usual, it was very dry and the wind had a chill factor this year or maybe I 'm just getting old and feeling it more.
ReplyDeleteMerle..........
I am so jealous of your flowering jade - something I have never achieved. Love your skies.
ReplyDeleteOur July was one of the warmest on record - but I am told we might get snow tonight. A weird winter.
Those new rhubarb leaves and the tiny leave on the verbena cutting..how wonderful they look. I have never seen flowering jade before. We have a semi0-succulent plant called jade but it doesn't flower. It is the one that is supposed to bring you wealth etc if it is planted near the front door of your house. It doesn't work!! We may be here but still poor. lol
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing some beautiful photographs. I feel our Perth winter may be a tad different to yours in Adelaide but then 1,500 miles is a long way apart so it it to be expected there would be a difference. I notice your forecast is for a very cold day today whereas her right now it is sunny and warm(ish).
Merlesworld; not as cold as last year. Apparently last winter was the coldest we'd had in about ten years, so we all felt it more. this year most of the cold is the wind chill factor, even the rain hasn't been too cold and there have been few icy-aired mornings, but that may change, September is often colder than August. and of course we are getting older...
ReplyDeleteElephant's Child; keep it on the dryer side if you can, not at first, but when it is a couple of years old and well established. I have mine in pots. Four porch steps, four pots, only the top pot is flowering, that is the one with the shelter of the house behind it. Snow? I like the thought of that, but wouldn't like to live in it. But photos would be nice if you do get some snow.
Mimsie; I was really pleased to see both rhubarb and verbena growth. I love rhubarb and apple crumble with custard and a bowl of lemon verbena leaves freshly picked will scent a bathroom nicely. I've tried small leaf jade by front and back doors to bring wealth, but they didn't work so after several years I switched to big leaf jade. Still no riches, but I do get flowers. I'm not 100% sure that it is in fact jade plant.
ReplyDeleteWe were very cold today, but I'm looking forward to getting your warmer temperatures in a few days.
Although I've experienced more of winter than normal this year, I am still reminded that us Aussies have NO IDEA what winter really means compared to Northern Hemisphereans!!!
ReplyDeleteThat jade flower is absolutely beautiful You must have a bit of a green thumb.
ReplyDeleteYou may be in the "land down under", but our weather has been upside-down this year. August is usually one of our most miserable, hottest months of the year, but it's been so cool the past few days, we've shut off the air conditioning and opened the windows. Not that I'm complaining... feels great!
You make me wonder what's coming up for us. Not complaining, but it's been a very cool summer, three week stretches of below normal temps broken by a day of average temperature. We'll see.
ReplyDeleteDo you not 'force' your rhubarb? You need a large black plastic pot (min 30 inches tall). Place over rhubarb and don't touch for a few weeks. It produces the most tender stems ever!
ReplyDeleteMy son in Byron Bay keeps us informed of the weather; my daughter from Rocky is in the UK on holiday.
This is the first time I have seen a Jade Tree in flower. It's beautiful.
ReplyDeleteLovely plants! I love the shifting sky. We have had a roasting hot summer, so I am anticipating cooler temps. We still are in the wildfire season, though.
ReplyDeleteRed Nomad Oz; you're right. We complain about the cold and wet, but that's because we're raised with our Aussie summers, so to us, this is cold. None of us can imagine the below freezing temps and heavy snows for months on end that the northern hemisphere gets.
ReplyDeleteSusan; not much of a green thumb, I just choose plants that need little or no care. The Jade is a succulent, pour a bit of water in the pot whenever I remember and she grows. I have four of them.
The whole world is having odd weather, think Mother Nature is trying to tell us something?
Joanne Noragon; a cool summer is a blessing here in Aus. We had warm winters for ten years in a row, then a cold one and everyone really felt the difference.
Cro Magnon; I never force anything. This is very new rhubarb, I dug up the 20 year old crowns at my daughters house and broke off the tiny new ones that were forming off to the sides and brought them home to put in a pot.
Delores; it's a small shrub, not a tree. A succulent currently about two feet tall, in a pot along with three others in pots. If planted in the garden it would eventually reach 1 1/2 - 2 metres tall and around. I'll post a photo of the four pots.
Susan Kane; after roasting heat, cooler temps are always welcome. We call our wildfires bushfires. A couple of years ago, some news reporter tried to call them wildfires and got howled down. We're Aussies and we have BUSHfires.