Winter Garden 2010

I don’t really like gardens in winter as I am a flower loving person. There are only few flowers in this cold weather. As you see, my garden is rather dull and overgrown at the moment. It is crying for a good trimming. I have pruned the roses but many plants also need a good trim to make the garden look tidy. Few pink and red geraniums dare to battle frosty condition to show their flowers, but some other plants are really blooming.

The winter flowering Grampians Heath Myrtle (Thryptomene calycina) is in full bloom. It is a small to medium shrub with tiny dark green leaves and small whitish pink blooms cover the whole plant.

The other plant that is in full bloom is Jade. This lucky money plant is fully covered in tiny star shape pinkish white flowers. The camellia japonica has started to have flower buds, while the camellia sasanqua has come to the end of flowering season. This image below is the Grampians Heath Myrtle:

Most of the zygocactus are still flowering and some of the orchids have started to have flower spikes. I have a mini anthurium and it is also flowering now. It has creamy flowers with tiny red spots. Meanwhile, the New Guinea Impatiens (Impatient hawkery) are still showing off their last batch of flowers before they go dormant in cold weather. The images below are the comical Flamingo flowers (Anthurium) :

Melbourne was grey, cold and windy in the last two days and today is windy and drizzly. The first month of the winter is not even over yet, but here I am…. dreaming about springtime already 🙂

* Note: I am now adding one more picture. You can see our Genista racemosa and the next door’s Loquat tree on the background. Hopefully the recovering Genista after caterpillars’ attact will flower again in Spring.

Previous notes about my garden:

https://kiyanti2008.wordpress.com/2010/04/16/autumn-garden-2010/

Photos Before and Now

Buat semua teman teman dan famili yang sudah luama banget tak ketemu saya, ini lah photo photo saya zaman dulu mulai dari masih kecil dan mini sampai sekarang tua dan maxi!!! Ha, ha, ha……

I Love Geraniums

 

 Some ladies love to get orchids

Or roses with stems a mile long

Some girls prefer a gardenia

Camellias might ring the gong

Or sometimes they like an old fashioned bouquet

A quaint little nosegay on Valentine’s Day

But I must disagree

These species are not for me

I love geraniums

Bright, red geraniums

And every time I see one

I always think of you……….”

( I Love Red Geranium – A song by Shirley Temple )

Today, many people think that geraniums are old fashion and boring plants. When some of friends come to us and ask for some plants that are colourful and easy to grow, they take anything else but the poor old geraniums.

Most of geraniums that are available in garden nurseries and in most gardens are actually from the related species ‘Pelargonium’. Both geranium and pelargonium belong to the family Geraniaceae. True geraniums are hardy geraniums and they are also called cranebill geraniums.

For a long time, people refer both true geranium and pelargonium as ‘geranium’, and it is really confusing to tell the difference, so I will prefer to call them geranium. If I say pelargonium, most people will not understand what it is.

Anyway, we have several geraniums in our garden. It is amazing how colourful they are and they also come in many different shapes and sizes. Some are singles and many are doubles. Some come in one colour and some in two or more different colour shades.

Geraniums are very easy to grow from cuttings and regular pruning will make the plant grow nice and compact. They can be grown in the garden or in pots. Imagine a veranda or window sills are brightened by colourful  blooms of potted geranium. They enjoy a sunny spot (full-sun). If they are planted in the garden bed, regular well drain garden soil with a bit of fertilizer and compost will make them quite happy.

If grown in containers, use good quality of potting mix and to make sure of good drainage, compost can be added. Geraniums love to drink, so make sure the soil is not too dry. I love to use liquid fertilizer for my potted plants. Make sure that the plants have a lot of sunlight. If grown in a shady spot, they will produce a lot of foliage with very few or no flower at all.

If you like splash of colours almost all year around and plants thare are easy to grow, you will enjoy good old geraniums or pelargoniums if you prefer to name them!

Happy Gardening…………………:

Stunning Stamens

Mostly, we judge the beauty of flowers by only looking at the petals. They come in many different shapes and colours, but there are smaller parts of flowers that can be stunning. It is the stamen of a flower. Stamens consist of anthers and filaments.

• Stamen: The male part of the flower. It is made up of the filament and anther, it is the pollen producing part of the plant. The number of stamen is usually the same as the number of petals.
• Anther: This is the part of the stamen that produces and contains pollen. It is usually on top of a long stalk that looks like a fine hair.
• Filament: The fine hair-like stalk that the anther sits on top of.

To enjoy the beauty of this male part of a flower, we have to look more closely. These are few photos from around our garden.

Boneka Dakocan

 

 

Waktu itu ditahun enam puluhan, kami anak anak perempuan disekolah heboh karena munculnya boneka baru. Mereka yang memiliki boneka ini dianggap betul betul ‘wah’ dan bergaya. Bayangkan saja, boneka yang bisa menggelantung memeluk lengan dan bisa diajak jalan jalan. Aduh alangkah asyiik dan bergaya jika melihatnya……

Boneka ini dinamakan Dakocan. Dakocan adalah boneka yang ditiup seperti balon. Bermacam macam warnanya, ada yang hitam, biru, merah dan warna warna lainnya. Kedua lengan dan kaki boneka ini melengkung jadi bisa di selipkan kelengan dibawah bahu dan akan terlihat seakan akan dakocan ini memeluk lengan kita. Karena ditiup semacam balon jadi terasa sangat ringan.

Aku dan kakak perempuanku waktu itu tidak mau ketinggalan. Kami mampu membujuk Mama supaya dibelikan, walaupun harganya tak murah. Seingatku, yang punya kakak berwarna biru dan yang punyaku berwarna merah. Setiap pergi dan pulang sekolah tak lupa kami memasang  boneka dakocan ini dilengan kami. Dikelas, kami harus mengeluarkan angin dari dalam boneka itu hingga betul betul kempes dan kami lipat dan menyimpannya didalam tas. Sebelum pulang dari sekolah , kami tiup kembali dakocan kami dan sepanjang jalan  boneka yang sedang popular itu menggelantung dilengan kami.

Waktupun berlalu dan akhirnya dakocan pelan pelan mulai tak terlihat lagi. Anak anak rupanya sudah bosan dan boneka tiup ini tak menarik lagi. Inipun terjadi dengan dakocan milikku dan milik kakak. Entah dimana kami simpan boneka itu. Mungkin oleh mama waktu beres beres kamar kami, boneka itu dibuang dan dianggap tidak berharga lagi.

Pikir pikir, dizaman itu ditahun enam puluhan, kami sudah mulai terjerat oleh yang dinamakan ‘consumerism’. Mulai ada barang barang yang diperdagangkan ditujukan pada kelompok tertentu, terutama ditujukan buat anak kecil dan remaja. Apapun barang baru yang dianggap populer akan laris terjual.

Lagu Dakocan (Ciptaan Pak Kasur):

Kulihat ada boneka baru
Amat aneh dan lucu
Dakocan namanya, bukan Sarinah
Sayang, sayang…mahal harganya
Dakocan namanya, bukan Sarinah
Sayang, sayang mahal harganya

Blackboy Grasstree

 A Sonnet     Myriad of creamy spikes rising from dead Proudly growing from charred burnt bodies Strangely adorn spiky green grass like head Blackboy flowers bloom after fire tragedies Awakened by thick smoke and searing heat Blackboys’ battle for survival comes to life Ash rich soil is exactly what they need They are now showing their beauty and strive Brilliant and vivid, fluffy spikes grow in plenty Cheering up the sombre blackened gum trees O … Read More

via Kiyanti2008’s Weblog