July 2013

Winter at Mia Bella Gardens...

Oh my, how incredibly warm this winter has been!

And I am enjoying it immensely!

Not only for the fact that the arthritic bones are not so sore,

but for the enormous amount of colour that there is...

Bromeliads...

Even the butterfly flower 'asclepias',

and an iris,

neither of which should actually be in flower right now!

Red Bottle brush trees...

Paper whites with a delicious perfume...

Purple Hebe...

'Correa Pullchela' with pretty pink tubular flowers...

There are camellias in fabulous colours...

Nicotiana which a flowering tobacco.

This one is the hybrid called 'Ondra's Green Mix'.

Fushias, fushias...

and more fushias...

Begonias...

A touch of purple...

Colourful leaves....

Banksia Tree...

The Gordonia tree is in full bloom...

And even a passionflower!

If nature is so kind as to let Mia Bella Gardens escape any severe frosts,

she is going to look AMAZING come spring...

And I can't wait!

Must Have Flowers...

I have been having a wee play with photo shop...

Yesterday I came across this very famous Claude Monet quote...

So I have written it on to this lovely rose photo,

(one of April's rejects, though I seriously cannot understand why!)

I must have flowers, always and always!

Claude Monet I totally agree...

for what is life without the beauty of flowers!

Enjoy!

Gouldian Finches...

Mia Bella Gardens aviaries have new additions...

two breeding pairs of Lady Gouldian Finches.

They are amazing colours don't you think?

The male has a gorgeous dark purple breast...

And the female has a pale lavender breast.

Don't you think those wings look angelic?

For more information on these finches visit:
http://www.efinch.com/species/gould.htm

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#finches #gouldianfinches #angelwings

The crocus is a genus of flowering plants in the iris family.
They are perennials that grow from corms.
Flowers can appear from autumn through winter, to spring.
Crocuses are native to woodland, scrub and meadows.
They grow from sea level to alpine tundra
in Central and Southern Europe, North Africa and the Middle East.

They thrive in a range of environments, from meadows and grasslands to rocky slopes. Their versatility in adapting to different climates makes them a gardener's favourite.

They are especially cold-hardy.

Crocus varieties include spring-blooming types like the large-flowered Dutch Crocus (Crocus Vernus), which is notable for cultivars like 'Pickwick.

A smaller species of crocus is Crocus tommasinianus.

Another type, Crocus sativus, the source of Saffron, blooms in autumn.

Did you know that you need approximately 150,000 flowers to produce just one kilogram (2.2 pounds) of saffron?

Saffron is the stigma of the flower.

That explains why it is such an expensive spice to buy!

There are around 90 different varieties of crocus, with an array of colours, shapes, and sizes!
I snapped these photos so you could see how gorgeous the

lavender flowers with bright yellow stamens are!
I'm not sure of the name of this one, but these crocuses grow in pots and in the garden beds of 'Mia Bella Passions' gardens.

I think they make a stunning display in a beautiful glazed pot.

What's not to love about the crocus?