Our first Fig!

I planted the tree this fig grew on almost 5 years ago but I've moved the tree twice in an effort to give it as much light as possible.  So this was the first fig on it and it was delicious.  I think it's a black genoa fig but I lost the label in one of the transplantings!

Autumn crocus

Earlier this week I found this poking up underneath a pelargonium.  Autumn crocus or Colchicum autumnale is not a true crocus and all parts of the plant are poisonous.  The active ingredient is colchicine which actually has medical uses in the treatment of gout, some fevers and in the treatment of cancer but don't try it at home!!

Correa eburnea (Deep Creek Correa)

I was delighted to find this correa in flower today.  Correa eburnea or Deep Creek Correa is a threatened species which grows in the Fleurieu region of South Australia.  It is associated with rivers, creeks, streams and waterfalls so it can probably tolerate some flooding but it is also drought hardy when established (South Australia has few rivers that flow all year).  I planted this in winter 2013 in a shady location so it's likely that Deep Creek Correa can tolerate quite a bit of shade.  Like all correas, it is attractive to small honey-eaters and like most correas it flowers from autumn to spring when many other native nectar plants are dormant.

Correa calycina (Hindmarsh Correa)

Correa calycina is a South Australian correa which grows on Fleurieu Peninsula and is sometimes called Hindmarsh Correa.  It forms a very neat bush up to about a metre high and wide, with lemony coloured flowers and it is attractive to small honey eaters.  This is a newly planted one but it's already flowering which is quite gratifying (especially for the birds).  Correa calycina is a rare species which is considered to be threatened in the wild.

Enchylaena tomentosa (Ruby saltbush)

Ruby saltbush is a very adaptable native groundcover which grows in tropical, subtropical and temperate areas of Australia, in full sun and partial shade and, being a saltbush, it's very drought tolerant.  It has also been shown to attract beneficial predators and for that reason it's grown in market gardens which has resulted in reduced use of pesticides (see Gardening Australia 13/10/2012).  Ruby saltbush also has small orangey-yellow berries which are edible, although having tried them myself I can say they don't have much flavour!  It seeds quite readily so, in time, you can have quite an area covered by them if you wish.  Or give plants to friends for their vegetable gardens.

More Bromeliads

Autumn seems to be a good time to have bromeliads flower in the garden.  Here are three examples.

Bromeliad

Bromeliads are generally easy to grow as long as they have shade and occasional watering.  Most of them are easy care plants.

We're all frogs!

This is probably more accurately a froglet because, despite the size it looks in the photo it is barely a couple of centimetres in length.  It seems to be living in the bottom of a pot of wild marjoram because when I watered the pot the frog came out of one of the drainage holes!

Happy Valentine's Day

Despite 40 degree plus heat for 3 or 4 days in a row then drenching rain overnight, this Graham Thomas Rose decided it would burst into flower on 14 February.

Too hot for koalas!

Koalas usually stay high in their favourite gum trees but when it gets hot they come down lower for shade or water.  This one is seeking shade from the low 40 degree temperature in a feral ash tree just above Minno Creek which stopped flowing in December but it still has a few pools of water in it.