ROSA "EVELYN"

Rosa "Evelyn" from David Austin was bred from Tamora x Graham Thomas. The rose has the typical Austin cupped /rosette form. Evelyn is known for the beauty of the blooms, for their fragrance and for a marvellous display at flowering time.

The plant has a neat vase shape at the base, then reaches both up and out. It grows to about two metres tall with some canes spreading about the same width. Basals are produced readily, and throw candelabras of bloom - bearing huge, lush, drooping panicles of soft pink blossoms. Older canes tend to bloom with single buds, or in twos and threes.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

TREES

As we are in Australia, Summer brings with it not only the hot weather and fun at the beach, but also the real threat and danger of bushfires. For the past few weeks, devastating bushfires have been burning thousands of hectares of bushland in NSW and Queensland. As the hot and windy weather is now with us in Victoria, bushfires are expected here also.

Not only do we see devastating losses of homes and property, but also loss of life as people struggle to save their homes and livelihoods. There is a profound environmental loss also, with trees, wildlife and natural resources burnt and reduced to ash.

Climate change has been quoted as a major cause of our increased incidence of extensive bushfires, but also there are other causes - and for many of these humans are directly responsible:

  Poor preparation for the fire season with lack of back-burning and land clearing in forests;

  Building of homes too close to bushland; 

  Electric power lines in direct contact with trees; 

  Careless behaviour involving fire - cigarettes, campfires, power tools, etc;

  And the most reprehensible of all, arson!

Trees are a valuable resource and we depend on them for not only wood and other products, but also more importantly perhaps, as the conditioners of our atmosphere, our oxygen producers and removers of carbon dioxide. Without trees, our planet is doomed. It is up to us to save our trees, our planet, our lives and the lives of our children.

This post is part of the Wordless Wednesday meme,

and also part of the ABC Wednesday meme,

and also part of the Nature Notes meme.

MINT BUSH

Prostanthera, commonly known as mintbush or mint bush, is a genus of flowering plants of the family Lamiaceae. There are about 90 species within the genus, all of which are endemic to Australia. The word Prostanthera is derived from the Greek for an appendage. Within the flowers are small spur-like appendages on the anthers.

These plants are bushy, evergreen shrubs, usually with strongly aromatic leaves, and 2-lipped, 5-lobed flowers. They are cultivated as ornamentals and for essential oils and spices. All require varying degrees of winter protection in temperate regions, and are usually grown under glass. Prostanthera species are used as food plants by the larvae of hepialid moths of the genus Aenetus including A. eximia and A. ligniveren.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

NATIVE FUCHSIA

Eremophila maculata, also known as Spotted Emu Bush, Swamp Fuchsia, or Native Fuchsia, is a shrub which is native to Australia and is in the Scrophulariaceae family. It occurs in Western Australia, South Australia, Northern Territory, Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria. It grows to between 0.2 and 3 metres in height and has red, pink, mauve, orange or yellow flowers between late autumn and late summer (May to November in Australia). The species was first published in 1822 by J.B. Ker Gawler as Stenochilus maculatus Ker Gawl.

E.maculata is widely cultivated in many areas and, although best suited to dry climates, can be successfully grown in more humid areas. The var.brevifolia is, however, difficult to maintain in such areas. The species prefers soils which are alkaline to mildly acidic and well drained. Full sun is preferred and, once established, the plant tolerates extended dry periods. It is also tolerant of at least moderate frost.

Propagation from seed of Eremophila species is unreliable. A number of treatment methods have been tried including sowing the ripe fruits, sowing of aged and washed fruits and splitting the fruits to extract the seeds prior to sowing. The latter involves splitting the fruits in halves and quarters but some seeds are inevitably damaged during the process. Most forms of E. maculata strike readily from cuttings of hardened, current season's growth.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

IXORA - 'PRINCE OF ORANGE'

Ixora is a genus of flowering plants in the Rubiaceae family. It consists of tropical evergreen trees and shrubs and holds around 500 species. Though native to the tropical and subtropical areas throughout the world, its centre of diversity is in Tropical Asia. Ixora also grows commonly in subtropical climates in the United States, such as Florida. It is commonly known as West Indian Jasmine. Other common names include: rangan, kheme, ponna, chann tanea, techi, pan, santan, jarum-jarum, Jungle flame, Jungle geranium, and many more.

The plants possess leathery leaves, ranging from 3 to 6 inches in length, and produce large clusters of tiny flowers in the summer. Members of Ixora prefer acidic soil, and are suitable choices for bonsai. It is also a popular choice for hedges in parts of South East Asia, like in Thailand. In tropical climates they flower year round.

The variety illustrated here is Ixora chinensis 'Prince of Orange'. It is an evergreen shrub with erect, densely packed branches and long pointed, yellow to green foliage and rounded heads of tubular, opening to star shaped, bright orange to scarlet flowers from spring to autumn. This is a beautiful plant, showy and elegant all in one. It is frost tender and likes humidity so can do well in a glasshouse. It should be grown in well-drained but moist, humus-rich soils with plenty of mulch. Scale insects can be a problem, but respond to treatment. Remove dead flowerheads, water well in hot conditions. The roots are used in Asian medicine to relieve some stomach problems.


This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

POISON ROPE FLOWER

Strophanthus is a genus of 35-40 species of flowering plants in the family Apocynaceae, native mainly to tropical Africa, extending to South Africa, with a few species in Asia, from southern India to the Philippines and southern China. The name (strophos anthos, "twisted cord flower") derives from the long twisted threadlike segments of the corolla, which in one species (S. preussii) attain a length of 30–35 cm.The genus includes vines, shrubs and small trees. The leaves are opposite or whorled, simple broad lanceolate, 2–20 cm long, with an entire margin.Several of the African tribes used Strophanthus as the principal ingredient in arrow poison.

Strophanthus speciosus shown here, is also known as Poison Rope. It is native to southern Africa. As the common name poison rope suggests it contains toxic compounds. These are in the form of cardiac glycosides, similar to those found in Digitalis. Native hunters in Africa used preparations made from the seeds as a virulent arrow poison.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.