Flowering Nikau

Look at this beautiful flowering nikau palm. Tree stages of flowers / seeds on at once.

Seedlings for Winter

Autumn seedlings growing like mad

I rummaged through my seed collection and found a few packets that I had either got for free, or bought a year or 2 ago.

So I decided to plant the ones that said 'sow in autumn' and hope for the best.



Well, the best definitely happened! Now I've got trays and trays of seedlings coming up. Not entirely sure where I am going to put them all though.

I've pricked out some of them already - that is, taken them from the crowded trays and put them in their own punnets, just like you see at the garden centre. That'll be $3 each please.



The punnets in the front of the top picture are spinach and calendula and sweet peas.

The punnets in the bottom picture are wall flowers.

I've also got, still in the seed raising trays, alyssum, snap dragon, verbascum and anise hyssop. Oh, and basil. Mountains of basil. (well, I had all these free packets of seeds of basil...)

Might have a planting crisis on my hands soon then... Time to find a lot of gardening friends.

Oh, but wait! Got some more pots ready for seedlings... (run out of the proper punnets)

Flowering Manuka

Some of my manukas have started flowering already. I suspect that any bees around are still tucked up in their hives still as it is really winter for a while longer. These ones are very pretty, usually manuka has white flowers.

 And this one is getting big fat flower buds, really to burst open.

Winter Flowering Hebes

A couple of my newly planted hebes are starting to flower in winter. Hebes all seem to flower at different times, so it is a bit of a lottery as to which type you get. Winter flowering will be good for any bees that are still out and about, give them something to snack on.

Magnolias

 One of my magnolias has started to flower. So it must be winter. The other magnolia got trimmed at the ground by the neighbours, so time will tell if it is still alive. But this one is such a welcome sight as we head into the depths of winter.

And the soft soft buds, like lambs ears, but on a tree.

Spring Buds

Signs of spring already! I'm always so excited when the first blossom trees flower in late winter, it feels like the winter is over and summer will be here any minute. Well, we are nowhere near there yet, and I don't have any blossom trees, but before the blossoms comes the winter flowering plants. This beautiful furry bud is on my stellata magnolia. It has beautiful flowers in late winter, but the buds are even better, just so soft.

And the bay tree is budding up too. I can't remember when this flowers, but it looks like it will be soonish.