Saturday, April 3, 2010

Summer has Gone ...

The leaves on the Mock Orange are starting to turn and soon the branches will be bare ...
the deep green of the Viburnum leaves have yet to change and that in itself will be subtle.

Just a small amount of rain will bring new growth to the Grevillea groundcover, the Dwarf Apple gum and the Coastal Rosemary.

The pale green variegated leaves of the Prostanthera Ovafolium take on an added softness of colour in Autumn, later some of the leaves will display a soft peach hue ... but their wonderful fragrance still lingers even in the cooler air.

The Persoonia welcomed a lengthy Autumn shower and rewarded me with this bright green, new growth.

The Banksia Marginata displays her brush like flower amongst the other plants in the garden surrounding the Eucalyptus Haemostoma/ Scribbley Gum.

More flowers on the Banksia. You can see that in Autumn when the sun is lower in the sky that the light changes the bright green foliage into a softer green as the plants ready themselves for the dormancy of the Winter to come.

The leaves on the Japanese Maple are changing and taking on their golden hue and will soon blow away in the Autumn winds and leave the branches bare.

Not many flowers in my garden at present but my Autumn Crocus always put on a happy display with their white petals and bright yellow stamens ... they seem to thrive on neglect and seem to kindly tolerate the weeds around them, which I have yet to remove.

Just two of my daily garden visitors eating grass seeds, I took this photo this afternoon, the rest of the group were yet to arrive ... they are Rainbow Lorikeets and have beautifully coloured feathers and a lovely song to sing. These two are males, the females are still beautiful but their feathers are not quite as colourful.

Summer has gone ... the days they grow shorter and the shadows grow longer as the Sun sits lower in her southern sky ... there is a feeling of coolness and quiet as the Earth prepares to rest.

If you wish to enlarge the images please left click on the photo ... ♥

28 comments:

The Mess said...

Wonderful birds you got.. thought about your winter.. not so much snow perhaps...

The Phosgene Kid said...

Why would you mock an orange? Those birds look pretty tasty, I mean pretty, ya that's it, pretty. Send me about a dozen...

Anonymous said...

so...

not only
are you upside down,
but you go backwards, too...

all this a result of living in the future(!)

even so, your garden is lovely and varied, dianne, and your visitors are colorfully spectacular -- you live in paradise!

× × ×

/t.

puerileuwaite said...

For being dressed so flamboyantly, those birds look rather grumpy.

dianne said...

Yes dear M there are many beautiful birds who visit my garden.

The Winters where I live are mild compared to yours, the temperature rarely falls below 6 degrees celsius so I don't get snow ... however it does snow in southern New South Wales and that is just a ten hour drive from here.
Not so lucky as you to have the beautiful snow right outside my door. :)
Thanks, always good to hear from you. xoxo ♡

dianne said...

Phossy dear, I don't 'mock' oranges that is just the common name for Philadelphus ... they are one of my favourite fruits. :)

The birds are pretty but I doubt if you would enjoy eating them, not much 'meat' on them, kind of scrawny really.
You would be better to stick with turkey or chicken. xoxoxo ♡

darkfoam said...

i love fall. i love your late summer/early fall photos.
but i have to say i'm glad for the daffodils in my yard right now.

dianne said...

Thanks dear /t.

My garden is lovely and it's colours do change through the seasons, there is a softness about Autumn that I love.

Yes we are upside down, we go backwards :), we are ahead of ourselves in time ... maybe it would be better if the Earth was flat then we could all enjoy the same seasons as you do in the north. xoxoxo ♡

dianne said...

Lol, Puggles my sweet,
they do look rather grumpy as you say, maybe they were having 'a bad feather day'. xoxoxo ♡

dianne said...

Thanks dear Foamy

I'm pleased that you liked my photos, the colours will change again in Winter.
I always welcome Autumn/Fall as it is a lovely respite after the heat of our Summer, the days are sunny but cooler and I love that chill in the air.
I'm so pleased that you have your daffodils blooming after a long, cold Winter, I will have to wait for Spring to see my bulbs in flower. xoxoxo ♡

Anonymous said...

OMG It only seems like a few weeks ago when you were talking about Spring and Summer. Now we are in our spring and the world is getting lush again and the sun's warmth is being felt once more :-) XX

roxanne s. sukhan said...

What /.t says.

Autumn is my favourite season, after spring. I suppose it's the dynamism I love so much: everyday, mother nature shows us just a slightly different visage.

dianne said...

The time has passed so quickly Glyn dear, you must be happy to be feeling some warmth from the sunshine now,plenty of beach weather on its way and welcoming that lush green grass and foliage in that beautiful countryside where you live ...
It doesn't seem all that long ago when you were hiking in the snow.

xoxoxo ♡

dianne said...

Thanks for stopping by dear tinkerbell and adding your name to my list of followers ...

Autumn is my favourite season, followed by Spring ... there is a lovely feeling in the air as the days are cooler and the garden colours are softer and muted.
After the coldness and dormancy of Winter it is lovely to welcome the new life of Spring as the plants emerge from their earthly sleep, new buds and leaves burst forth and bright days begin to warm the Earth once more. xoxo ♡

Percy Bisque Silley said...

The sun's warmth! The flowers’ budsy blooming! The earth deliciously melting with globally warming!

dianne said...

That is such a sweet little poesy of a comment dear Sir Percy , to remind us all of the impending doom of global warming ...
But please just for a moment let us take pleasure in what we are blessed with here or what I am blessed with in my garden ... for I do try to be as 'green' as possible by reducing the effects of my 'global footprint'.
xoxoxo ♡

Aunty Belle said...

those is amazin' awesome incredible birds!!!

dianne said...

Why thank you dear Aunty Belle
yes they sure are brightly coloured and very friendly birds, I can hear them calling to each other right now as they fly from tree to tree in my garden.
So lovely of you to take the time to visit me here, thanks. xoxox ♡

chickory said...

exotic! i love the little crocus growing up through the patio...so lovely. of course those birds are amazing. they remind me a bit of our painted buntings in feather -not shape. i love these garden tours of yours. what a fine yard you have. i love it.

dianne said...

Thank you dear chickory , yes the little crocus are lovely, they have happy faces and put on a lovely display.
The colour of the lorikeets is amazing, I have a lawn of colour when I have about twenty of them arrive at once.
I'm pleased that you like my little garden tours, it is really a modest yard when I compare it to the expanse and beauty of chickory.
I am going to plant some more trees this Autumn, I have some foxglove and white anemone seedlings for underplantings in front of my bower garden and I plan to visit the garden centre and find some cream and yellow cosmos seeds or seedlings as I think they are beautiful...
I love all of the shades of my green foliage, accented with flowers of white, cream, pale buttery yellows through to bright sunny yellows, but of course I do have some other colours as well. xoxoxo ♡

Kathleen Scott said...

Dianne, thanks for stopping by Hill Country Mysteries. I was happy to follow back and see your fall garden. It feels a little odd to be at opposites, our gardens waking up while yours are going to rest, but I enjoyed your tour.

And the lorikeets are spectacular! How wonderful to have them as regular visitors! We have Painted Buntings in summer that have similar coloring. I'm looking for the first arrivals of the season soon.

Will check back to see your season progress. With a little rain, we'll be having a wildflower progression for the next three months and I'll be posting it on Hill Country Mysteries to share with friends.

dianne said...

Thanks for visiting Kathleen , I thought it was about time I came to visit you again.

Yes we are at opposites, your garden and prairies are filled with lovely flowers now, whilst there is not much out in flower here.
I will post more photos as the season progresses and I will check back to see your beautiful display of wildflowers.

I have seen photos of the Painted Buntings, they are really beautiful too with their rainbow colours ... the photo of the Red Cardinal you have posted is lovely too, such beautiful red feathers.
xoxo ♡

Craftsman of light said...

Dianne...lovely are the light of things through your eyes,

they nod, they sway, they swing.
so much happiness they bring.

Smiling words from your gentle heart like tender budding branches extending theirs fingers and arms towards the Beauty of the world.
Well if that is'nt Spring then what is??
Thankyou....
Col

dianne said...

Thank you so much Craftsman of light
you are very sweet and far too kind to me.
Your comments are always so beautiful just like your soul, they fall softy on the page just like the petals of Spring and they are poetry to my heart.

Thankyou ...
Dianne xo

Shweta Tiwari said...

Well, it seems I have missed a lot on this beautiful blog..
I really like your garden and how much you take care of it :)

take care sweetheart
love

dianne said...

Thanks Shweta dear, it is so nice to have you back.
The garden is a lot of work for me but I do enjoy it most of the time especially now that the weather is getting cooler... though it is mid Autumn here and the temperature today is 28degrees celsius, it should be much cooler by now.

love to you too sweetheart. xoxo ♡

Leovi said...

Wonderful series, I really like the framing, all very beautiful

dianne said...

Thank you dear Leovi ! :)
Besos
xoxoxo ♡