WELCOME SPRING!

It was a wonderful first day of Spring in Melbourne today with the weather fine, warm (maximum of 18˚C in our suburb) and with blue skies all round. We went for a walk and it was wonderful to see all the flowers in bloom and enjoy the balmy weather. Winter seemed long cold and grey this year and dragged on somewhat, so at long last it was good to see a day such as today, marking the first calendar month of Spring.

Spring is one of the four conventional temperate seasons, following winter and preceding summer. There are various technical definitions of spring, but local usage of the term varies according to local climate, cultures and customs. When it is spring in the Southern Hemisphere, it will be autumn in the Northern Hemisphere. Day length increases as the season progresses and of course the weather improves greatly. Spring and "springtime" refer to the season, and also to ideas of rebirth, rejuvenation, renewal, resurrection and regrowth. Here is a selection of Spring flowers from our garden and the neighbourhood!

This post is part of the Our World Tuesday meme,
and also part of the Ruby Tuesday meme,
and also part of the Trees & Bushes meme,
and also part of the Wordless Wednesday meme,
and also part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

Spring blossom of wild plum 

'Red Magnificence' Azalea 

Friesia yellow 'Bergunden' hybrid, highly fragrant

Pittosporum undulatum is a tree growing to 15m tall with wavy (undulating) leaf edges. It is sometimes also known known as Sweet Pittosporum, Native Daphne, Australian Cheesewood, Victorian Box or Mock Orange. It carries conspicuous orange woody fruits about 1 cm in diameter for several months after having masses of fragrant flowers in Spring

The common bluebell (Hyacinthoides non-scripta; syn. Endymion non-scriptum, Scilla non-scripta, Agraphis nutans) is a spring-flowering bulbous perennial plant. Its cheery blue flowers light up dark corners of the garden

This brilliantly coloured Spring harbinger is the flowering form of (cultivated) Primula commonly known as polyanthus (P. elatior hybrids)

Spring star (Ipheion uniflorum)

Japonica, or Chaenomeles is a genus of three species of deciduous spiny shrubs, usually 1–3 m tall, in the family Rosaceae. They are native to eastern Asia in Japan, China and Korea. These plants are related to the Quince (Cydonia oblonga) and the Chinese Quince (Pseudocydonia sinensis). This is Chaenomeles x superba 

Blossoming wild pear trees in our neighbourhood

Here are some fine specimens of various Kalanchoe hybrids, sold as indoor house plants here in Melbourne

Lachenalia aloides (opal flower; Cape cowslip) is a species of flowering plant in the family Asparagaceae, native to the Western Cape of South Africa. It is a bulbous perennial growing to 15–28 cm tall by 5 cm broad, with strap-shaped spotted leaves and fleshy stems bearing pendent tubular yellow flowers, red at the tips, in winter and spring 

Muscari armeniacum is a bulbous plant with basal, simple leaves and short, flowering stems. It is one of a number of species and genera known as grape hyacinth, in this case Armenian grape hyacinth or Garden Grape-hyacinth 

Magnolia liliiflora (variously known by many names, including Mulan magnolia, Purple magnolia, Red magnolia, Lily magnolia, Tulip magnolia, Jane magnolia and Woody-orchid) is a small tree native to southwest China (in Sichuan and Yunnan), but cultivated for centuries elsewhere in China and also Japan. It is now also planted as an ornamental in Australia, Africa, North America and Europe

Bellis perennis is a common European species of Daisy, often considered the archetypal species of that name. Many related plants also share the name "Daisy", so to distinguish this species from other daisies it is sometimes qualified as Common Daisy, Lawn Daisy or occasionally English daisy. It is native to western, central and northern Europe. The species is widely naturalised in Australia, North America, Africa and also in South America. A common belief is that Spring has not sprung unless you can step on more than 12 daisies with each foot. Spring is here!