Christmas Colour

This stunning example of the West Australian Red Flowering Gum or Corymbia ficifolia is not in my garden. I tried growing it when we first moved in but it didn't survive. This marvelous specimen is in a suburb at the base of the Blue Mountains, much hotter and drier than my backyard and its saturated colour just takes your breath away.

My Christmas Bush has started to turn a subtle shade of red as the younger white blooms mix with the older red sepals. It is not as showy as this hybrid I saw in a garden several stations to the East but I think I prefer the demure blush to the brazen scarlet.

Ceratopetalum Gummiferum is native to this area so the bush is full of showy red trees and shrubs - especially on the wriggly, windy road of Mitchells Pass. Its funny to see the flowers of this abundant tree on sale at florists for $6.50 a bunch but this probably accounts for late night raids of front gardens and nature strips by secateur-wielding entrepreneurs.

While the focus is on the garden this is the result of the constant rain and misty cloud we have had for the last six months:

here is the feral Strawberry patch

and the feral Tomato patch:

and the feral herb patch with rosemary, lavender, chocolate mint, common mint, and lots of so-called annual flowers that have resurrected themselves. Not shown is the feral potato patch.

After the Cockatoos and snails and possums and parrots have all helped themselves there might be something left for us.