The wisteria at the front of
the house is flowering. This is a somewhat rare event due to our random hacking rather
than thoughtful pruning of this rampant vine which has a tendency to whip
unwary passers-by with the long ‘searching for a foot hold’ tendrils it sends
out at this time of year. It also really encroaches on the footpath, so we feel
obliged to keep it in check-ish when need be, which as I said, at this time of year is very often.
Wisterias take a ‘firm hand’
to look their floral best, but I have never had the heart to really control it.
In winter, the bare tangled branches take on a Gothic fairy tale look (particularly when backed by a full moon), and in summer the abundant wild tangle
of branches, gives us a gorgeous, cool green outlook though the front door. The
nasturtiums you can see growing up through it are an annual floral event: out of control in winter, they soon disappear when the dry summer heat
arrives.
The ‘natives’ along the fence have really
flourished with the winter rain, and are now all bearing these gorgeous,
feathery flowers. These are one sided bottlebrush plants, and closely related
to callistemon.
Unlike their cousins though, these bottlebrush bear their ‘brushes’ along last year’s branches, rather than at the end of the stems.
The roses too have just started to flower but are
all promising many more.
And of course the aphids have moved in, as well as these tiny grasshoppery things. However I’ve seen a couple of ladybirds that will dine handsomely on these pests, and the silvereyes will make a meal of these hungry leaf eating critters. Hopefully...
