DAISIES

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme

ARTHUR'S CHOICE

Rhododendron zoelleri 'Arthur's Choice' is a delightfully showy floriferous hybrid Vireya rhododendron with bright red unscented flowers larger than those of its parent species and leaves that are larger, greener and more leathery. It propagates readily from cuttings and develops a robust root system. It was chosen by the late Arthur Hedlam from among eight seedlings raised from this self-pollination and grown to flowering size.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme

HIPPEASTRUM

Hippeastrum flowering in our garden. Hippeastrum is a genus in the family Amaryllidaceae. The name Hippeastrum, given to it by William Herbert, means "knight's star", although precisely what Herbert meant by the name is not certain.

For many years there was confusion among botanists over the generic names Amaryllis and Hippeastrum, one result of which is that the common name amaryllis is mainly used for cultivars of this genus, often sold as indoor flowering bulbs particularly at Christmas in the northern hemisphere.

By contrast the generic name Amaryllis applies to bulbs from South Africa, usually grown outdoors. The genus is native to tropical and subtropical regions of the Americas from Argentina north to Mexico and the Caribbean.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

A ROSE...

And what a rose! The magnificent 'Mr Lincoln' currently in bloom in our garden.

Rosa 'Mister Lincoln', also known as 'Mr. Lincoln', is a dark red hybrid tea rose cultivar. Bred by Herbert Swim and Weeks Rose Growers in 1964, the rose was named an All-America Rose Selections winner in 1965.

The stock parents of this rose are the hybrid tea rose cultivars 'Chrysler Imperial' and 'Charles Mallerin'. The plant was introduced into the United States via California by Star Roses in 1965. 'Mister Lincoln' was the best-selling crimson rose in the US for many years. Known as the "California drought friendly native rose", it won the All-America Rose Selections award in 1965.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme

CAMELLIA 'YULETIDE'

Camellia sasanqua 'Yuletide' (common Name – Camellia Yuletide) is a wonderful variety of Camellia. Tough-as-boots variety, producing an abundance of beautiful red flowers late Autumn to Winter. This variety can withstand varying conditions from dry to coastal regions. It is 1 - 2 metres tall. and is one of the best plants to provide winter colour and flowering in almost any garden setting.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme

IN SUMMER

This post is part of the Mosaic Monday meme,
and also part of the Seasons meme.

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DAHLIAS

Dahlia is a genus of bushy, tuberous, herbaceous perennial plants native to Mexico and Central America. As a member of the Asteraceae family of dicotyledonous plants, its relatives include the sunflower, daisy, chrysanthemum, and zinnia.

There are 49 species of dahlia, with flowers in almost every hue (except blue), with hybrids commonly grown as garden plants. Dahlias were known to the Aztecs until their Spanish conquest, after which the plants were brought to Europe. The (high in sugar) tubers of some varieties are of value to humans.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

CYCLAMEN

Cyclamen persicum hybrid is in bloom and brightening up the first day of Winter in the Southern Hemisphere.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

POMEGRANATE

This post is part of the My Sunday Best meme

JAPONICA

Chaenomeles japonica is a species of Japanese Quince in the Rosaceae family. It is a thorny deciduous shrub that is commonly cultivated. It is shorter than another commonly cultivated species C. speciosa, growing to only about 1 m in height. The fruit is called Kusa-boke (草木瓜) in Japanese.

Chaenomeles japonica is also popularly grown in bonsai. It is best known for its colourful spring flowers of red, white or pink. It produces apple-shaped fruit that are a golden-yellow colour containing red-brown seeds. The fruit is edible, but hard and astringent-tasting, unless bletted. The fruit is occasionally used in jelly and pie making as an inferior substitute for its cousin, the true quince, Cydonia oblonga.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

RED CHRYSANTHEMUM

This is the Chrysanthemum hybrid:  Mammoth™ ‘Red Daisy’ (formerly My Favorite™ ‘Autumn Red’.): Semi-double red with a yellow centre. 

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme

CORREA

Correa 'Ray's Tangerine' (Tangerine Australian Fuchsia) is slow growing compact evergreen shrub growing eventually to about 0.5-1 meter by only a bit wider, with closely paired shiny dark 2 cm long green leaves. The vibrant 4 cm long orange bell-shaped flowers are on display during the Autumn through Winter.

Grow in sun or partial shade, with good drainage. Tolerant of drought but best with regular water during dry periods. Hardy to about -7˚C. In the Appendix to the Encyclopaedia of Australian Plants authors Rodger Elliot and David Jones note that it is a hybrid between "Correa pulchella and a broad-bellied selection of C. reflexa var. scabridula from Carpenter Rocks, SA".

It is an Australian fuchsia that stays small and has bright, shiny, dark-green leaves and vibrant orange flowers that bloom in Autumn and Winter.  It grows well in containers or in-ground in gardens.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

GYMEA LILIES

The Gymea lily Doryanthes excelsa is indigenous to the Sydney Basin and a truly iconic plant of the Australian bush. The botanic name, 'Doryanthes', derives from two Greek words - 'dory', meaning spear, and 'anthos', meaning flower and this refers to the beacon like flower heads that stand out in the bush.

They have big spectacular flower heads, and also clumps of luxurious green leaves that make a fabulous feature in the landscape. This plant is also known as flame lily, giant lily, giant spear lily, but most commonly it's known as the Gymea lily. It's an incredibly tough plant. It grows from an evergreen bulb which has contractile roots which pull the plant right down into the soil, where it can resist drought and bush fire - which triggers it to flower.

Gymea lilies are pretty tough plants, so they're hardy for dry conditions. They are a gross feeder and need fertilising. Use a slow release or complete soluble fertiliser.  Doryanthes grow well in coastal areas from Brisbane to Perth. They also grow in cooler climates, but be careful because the flower stems and leaves may be damaged by frost. Pests and diseases don't affect them either. They make excellent foliage plants in a large garden or big container, or plant them for the spectacular red flowers that will attract nectar feeding birds.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme

CROWN-OF THORNS

Euphorbia milii (crown-of-thorns, Christ plant, Christ thorn) is a species of flowering plant in the spurge family Euphorbiaceae, a native of Madagascar. The species name commemorates Baron Milius, once Governor of Réunion, who introduced the species to France in 1821. It is suspected that the species was introduced to the Middle East in ancient times, and legend associates it with the crown of thorns of Christ.

It is a succulent climbing shrub growing to 1.8 m tall, with densely spiny stems, the straight, slender spines up to 3 cm long, which help it scramble over other plants. The leaves are found mainly on new growth, and are obovate, up to 3.5 cm long and 1.5 cm broad. The flowers are small, subtended by a pair of conspicuous petal-like bracts, variably red, pink or white, up to 12 mm broad. The sap is moderately poisonous. Wat Phrik in Thailand claims to be the home of the world's tallest Christ plant.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

BOTTLEBRUSH

Callistemon is a genus of shrubs in the family Myrtaceae, first described as a genus in 1814. The entire genus is endemic to Australia but widely cultivated in many other regions and naturalised in scattered locations. Their status as a separate taxon is in doubt, some authorities accepting that the difference between callistemons and melaleucas is not sufficient for them to be grouped in a separate genus.

Callistemon species have commonly been referred to as bottlebrushes because of their cylindrical, brush like flowers resembling a traditional bottle brush. They are mostly found in the more temperate regions of Australia, especially along the east coast and typically favour moist conditions so when planted in gardens thrive on regular watering. However, two species are found in Tasmania and several others in the south-west of Western Australia. At least some species are drought-resistant and some are used in ornamental landscaping elsewhere in the world.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme

MAILBOX

Definitely a wabi-sabi example!

This post is part of the My Sunday Best meme

GYMEA LILIES

Doryanthes excelsa, in the Doryanthaceae family, known as Gymea Lily, is a flowering plant indigenous to the coastal areas of New South Wales near Sydney.The plant has sword-like leaves more than a meter long. It flowers in spring and summer, sending up a flower spike up to 6 m high, which at its apex bears a large cluster of bright red flowers, each 10 cm across.

The name "Gymea Lily" is derived from a local Eora dialect. Doryanthes means spear-flower in Greek, and excelsa is Latin for exceptional. The Sydney suburbs of Gymea and Gymea Bay are named after the lily. The genus Doryanthes was first described in 1802 by the Portuguese priest, statesman, philosopher and botanist José Francisco Correia de Serra (1750–1823), a close friend of Sir Joseph Banks. 

Doryanthes excelsa has also inspired the naming of Doryanthes, the journal of history and heritage for Southern Sydney founded by Dharawal historian Les Bursill. Honey-eaters love the nectar of these large, crimson flowers on stems 2–3 m tall. Aboriginal people in the Lake Macquarie district of NSW were observed in 1836 roasting the stems, having cut them when half a meter high and as thick as a person's arm. They also roasted the roots which they made into a sort of cake to be eaten cold.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

CHANGE OF SEASON

This post is part of the Mosaic Monday meme,
and also part of the Blue Monday meme,
and also part of the Seasons meme.

CAMELLIA

These camellias are a reliable showy feature of our garden every year in late Winter/early Spring. The bush is compact and leafy and the flowers appear in large numbers and look quite spectacular.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

BERRIES

This post is part of the Wordless Wednesday meme,
and also part of the My Corner of the World meme,

and also part of the Nature Notes meme.