marie-louise living

Cairns Botanical Gardens

2011-05-07T20:28:00.006+10:00

I took some photos of plants in the Cairns Botanical Gardens. This is a wet tropical garden. It has some of the most stunning plants and flowers I've ever seen. If you're ever in Cairns, make sure you visit this botanical garden.

Today's Flowers

2009-05-03T19:01:00.006+10:00

Melaleuca diosmatifolia (Rosy honey myrtle) or Rosy Paperbark is a small woody shrub which can reach 2.5 metres in height. It has narrow linear leaves and dense terminal spikes of most ornamental pale to deep mauve flowers. It is native of woodlands in New South Wales (Sydney area) to SE Queensland. I have quite a few of these in the garden although they are still quite small, they begin to have these beautiful flowers. When they flower which can be several time during the year, they are a sight to behold. I will try to post pictures when the plant is a bit bigger and produces more flowers. It is so very very pretty.

Night Jasmine (Cestrum nocturnum) - as the name suggests flowers at night releasing the most wonderful fragrance which wafts through the window into your bedroom. If you could bottle this fragrance, I think, you would be a millonaire. The flower itself is trumpet shaped and very small, but there are literally thousands of these on a large plant which has a bushy habit, and at night every flower opens to release that gorgeous perfume.

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TODAY'S FLOWERS TEAM
LUIZ SANTILLI JR. - DENISE GULLICKSON -

LAERTE PUPO - DENISE B. CASTRO

Red Dragon Fruit Flower (Pitaya)

2009-04-26T20:08:00.007+10:00

This is the spectacular flower of the Red Dragon Fruit or Pitaya which has just recently flowered in my courtyard. It is a night flowering cactus. The fruit has highly ornamental pink skin & red flesh fruit containing numerous small black seeds. Fruit can be up to 1kg with a melon like flavour. It is a native to Mexico and Central and South America, but it is also widely cultivated in South East Asia. In recent times, this fruit can now be often found at fruit and vegetable shops and supermarkets in Australia. Having said that though, it is best when grown in your own garden as the fruit when it is fully ripe splits open revealing the flesh inside, which is a sign that it is sweet and ready to eat. Generally when you buy them, they are a disappointment as the fruit has not split open and therefore is not ripe enough to enjoy its full and delicious flavour. Below is a picture of the fruit.

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Pampas Grass - Today's Flowers

2009-04-06T07:59:00.003+10:00

This is a beautiful Pampas Grass growing in the neighbour's garden. It was flowering profusely three weeks ago. It was a real show.

Click on images to enlarge and enjoy these spectacular flower heads of Pampas Grass.

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Chestnuts in the Garden

2009-03-30T18:35:00.003+10:00

I have one Chestnut tree in the garden. It is about 3.5 meters tall and this year it has had quite a few nuts, about 1.5 kilos. The sub-tropics is not really the most ideal climate to grow chestnut trees as it is too wet and too hot. But it is a little bit of fun to have one in the garden. Chestnuts are really popular in the Northern Hemisphere like Europe and North America, where I can remember eating them hot bought from a street vendor during the colder months.

The Chestnut tree (Castanea) belongs to the same Fagaceae family as the Oak and Beech trees. There are four main species, commonly known as European, Chinese, Japanese and American Chestnuts [5]:
Sweet Chestnut (Castanea sativa) (also called "Spanish Chestnut" in the US) is the only species of European Chestnut.
Asiatic Chestnut species comprise Castanea crenata (Japanese Chestnut), Castanea mollissima (Chinese Chestnut), Castanea davidii (China), Castanea henryl (Chinese chinkapin, also called Henry's Chestnut – China) and Castanea seguinii (also called Seguin's Chestnut - China).
American species include Castanea dentata (American Chestnut - Eastern states), Castanea pumila (American- or Allegheny Chinkapin, also known as "Dwarf Chestnut" - Eastern states), Castanea alnifolia (Southern states), Castanea ashei (Southern states), Castanea floridana (Southern states) and Castanea paupispina (Southern states).[6][7]

Chestnuts should not be confused with either Horse Chestnuts (genus Aesculus), or Water Chestnut (family Cyperaceae); these are unrelated to Castanea and are named for producing nuts of similar appearance but of no notable edibility in the case of the former, and tubers of similar taste from an aquatic herbaceous plant in the case of the latter.[8][9] Other trees commonly mistaken for the Chestnut tree are the Chestnut Oak (Fagaceae Quercus prinus) and the American Beech (Fagus grandifolia).[10][11]The chestnut (Castanea) belongs to the same family of trees as oak and beech trees. There are four main varieties; commonly known as European, Chinese, Japanese and American chestnuts. Most of the major varieties in Australia are hybrids of Castanea Sativa (European chestnut).

Chestnuts have been grown in Australia for over 150 years. The first recorded plantings of chestnut trees in Australia were in the 1850s and 1860s during the gold rush. Some of those trees are still growing today, and other trees in northern Victoria brought in from Europe are around 120 years old and up to 60 metes tall.

Commercial plantings have occurred in the last twenty five years or so. The south west of Western Australia is very suitable for the growth of chestnuts as they need cold winter temperatures and warm to hot summers. Chestnuts have been part of the staple diet of Southern Europe, Turkey and Asia for centuries, and are now slowly gaining popularity in Australia.

The texture of a cooked chestnut is similar to a firm baked potato (quite unlike other nuts which are crunchy), and it has a sweet nutty flavour. Until the introduction of the potato, the chestnut was a major source of complex carbohydrate in Europe.
Alexander the Great and the Romans planted chestnuts as they went across Europe on their various campaigns.

Today's Flowers - Banksia Robur or Swamp Banksia

2009-03-22T19:11:00.007+10:00

Thank you Luiz Santilli for having me as Guest today.

Few plants are as charming and striking as this beautiful banksia, which grows in my garden. This is a uniquely Australian plant. The Swamp Banksia as the name suggests is at home in damp and swampy areas. The flower spikes grow to around 18cm long starting as blue-green, changing to a gold colour and then to a rich rusty-brown. The plant flowers for long periods of the year from summer to winter preferring full sun for maximum flower development. The large serrated leaves grow up to 30cm long and 8cm wide and are a deep glossy green. It attracts lots of birds which feed on the flowers.

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Skywatch Friday - Full Moon

2009-03-20T05:29:00.004+10:00

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Today's Flowers - White Flowers in my garden

2009-03-08T19:18:00.007+10:00

Click on Image to Enlarge

White Climbing Rose

White Oleander

Yellow Wild Iris or Peacock Flower

Frangipani

White Rain Lily

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Skywatch, Friday

2009-03-05T21:09:00.007+10:00

Solitary Islands Marine Park near Wooli,

North Coast of New South Wales

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Some of my feathered friends in the garden

2009-03-03T21:14:00.013+10:00

Please click on images to enlarge

Wonga Pigeon

It is a native to Australia found along the east coast from south-eastern Queensland to Gippsland, Victoria. It is a very shy bird.

Channel-billed Cuckoo
The Channel-billed Cuckoo migrates to northern and eastern Australia from New Guinea and Indonesia between August and October each year. The birds leave Australia in February or March. It lays its eggs in the nests of the Australian Magpie, the Pied Currawong, and members of the Crow family. Unlike many other cuckoos, the young birds do not evict the host's young or eggs from the nest, but simply grow faster and demand all the food, thus starving the others. Often the adult female will damage the existing eggs in the nest when she lays her own and she may even lay more than one egg in a single nest. This one in the picture above was reared by a crow because it was following "mummy" crow demanding more food when I took this picture.

Noisy Miner
These birds are native and belong to the Honey eater group. They are very territorial and can always be found in large groups, making a lot of noise. Some people think that they are actually a pest. They also like water very much and love to frolic in the bird bath.

Fig Bird
Fig Birds breed from October to February, and lay 2-3 eggs each. Both parents care for the young. This one is a female Fig bird which I photographed sunbathing in the Courtyard

Pale-headed Rosella
This bird is also native and is very timid and shy. They always visit the garden in pairs. So when you see one bird, the other one is also close by. They don't feed together. One bird always acts as the look out, while the other one feeds and vice versa. This one I was lucky to photograph through the window in the living room during winter. It was attracted by the seed from the bird cage which houses a cockatiel. It must have been hungry as they seldom come so close to the house.

"Birds of a feather flock together"

My first Award

2009-03-01T19:36:00.002+10:00

I have received my first award from Maria, Vienna, Austria and I'm very touched as I'm rather a new blogger. Thank you Maria.

Today's Flowers

2009-03-01T19:06:00.011+10:00

Oleander

(click on images to enlarge)

Ixora

Dahlia

Abutilon
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Skywatch, Friday - Thunderstorm

2009-02-27T05:26:00.004+10:00

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Skywatch, Friday - Pacific Ocean

2009-02-20T05:16:00.005+10:00

This spot is called "Diggers Camp" which is surrounded by the Yuragyir National Park (North Coast of New South Wales, one of my family's favourite holiday destinations) . It is a popular spot for fishing, bushwalking, snorkelling and swimming. You can see a slight curve where the Pacific Ocean meets the sky.

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Peter Peter Pumpkin Eater ....

2009-02-17T13:18:00.015+10:00

Peter Peter pumpkin eater,
Had a wife but couldn't keep her.
He put her in a pumpkin shell,
And there he kept her very well.

(English Nursery Rhyme)

I have been harvesting some of my pumpkins that I have been growing during summer. This variety is called Kent or Jap pumpkin. It is almost bright orange inside and has a wonderful nutty taste. I cook many recipes with pumpkin - one of which is listed below. You can use any kind of pumpkin.

Is it good for me?
Pumpkin is an excellent source of beta carotene. It also contains dietary fibre, potassium, and vitamins C and E.

Pumpkin Penne (Pasta)
Serves 6 – 8

Ingredients and Method:

½ tablespoon unsalted butter Melt over low heat in large heavy saucepan

400 grams fresh pumpkin, peeled & thinly sliced - 2 onions, peeled and thinly sliced - 1 clove garlic chopped - 1 teaspoon curry - Add and saute until lightly caramelised (about 20 minutes - stir often) . You might have to add a little bit of water.

Pepper and salt to taste - Add and stir

½ cup of fresh cream - Add and stir

250 grams Penne pasta - cooked al dente in salted boiling water

To bring it altogether:

60 grams grated Parmesan cheese and 60 grams Cheddar cheese - Drain pasta return to the pot and mix in gently pumpkin onion mixture and cheese and serve.

Guten Appetit!

Today's Flowers - Hibiscus

2009-02-15T09:12:00.006+10:00

These are some of the hibiscus that grow in my garden - they have the most gorgeous flowers, but the flowers only bloom for one day (a bit like a daylily).

Parts of the Hibiscus is often used in alternative herbal treatments to treat ailments and problems, such as loss of appetite, colds, wound healing, treating damaged and irritated tissue and rejuvenating the skin.

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Skywatch, Friday

2009-02-13T06:43:00.004+10:00

Sunset with DRAMA

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A Visit to Tamborine Mountain Botanic Gardens

2009-02-11T06:07:00.013+10:00

The Tamborine Mountain Botanic Gardens has a great array of plants and trees which flower at different times of the year. Here I have taken some pictures to capture the beauty and lushness of the sub-tropical summer when it receives enough rain.

View through tall timbers (eucalyptus which have shed their bark, hence their attractive white trunks).

Path through the rose garden with my family peeking from behind the arbour.

Large tree ferns flanking the side of the beautiful pond.

Cool path through the sub-tropical foliage.

Tamborine Mountain is a volcanic plateau set within the Gold Coast Hinterland. From Tamborine Mountain you can get great views over the Gold Goast to Brisbane and Far Northern New South Wales. Rising up to 580 metres above the surrounding countryside, flat-topped Tamborine Mountain (often referred to as Mount Tamborine) has long been a favourite weekend retreat for the city dwellers to the North, and is home for approximately 6000 residents.

For further information on Tamborine Mountain, Gold Coast, Australia Click here

Today's Flowers - Blue Blooms

2009-02-09T05:25:00.006+10:00

Blue Plumbago

Blue Ginger

Blue Agapanthus

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Skywatch Friday

2009-01-29T18:08:00.006+10:00

Fresh Water Billabong (near the ocean)

Yuraygir National Park, near Minnie Waters,

Far North Coast of New South Wales.

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Home-made Pesto Sauce

2009-01-28T11:30:00.001+10:00

Campari on the Rocks for the Cook

I have some lovely Basil in the Vegetable Patch and decide to make Spaghetti Pesto which all my family love. The lovely Basil

Pesto is one of the easiest and quickest meals to make as it involves no cooking apart from the spaghetti. It has 5 key ingredients. Basil leaves, parmesan cheese, pine nuts, garlic and olive oil.

Dish begging to be consumed with a glass of good Australian red wine.

I have listed the recipe for Home-made Pesto Sauce below:

(for 4 - 6 people)

80 grams fresh basil leaves, washed and dried

2 large cloves garlic, crushed

2 tablespoons pine kernels

pinch of salt

100 grams grated parmesan cheese

75 ml extra virgin olive oil

200 grams of spaghetti cooked al dente in salted boiling water.

Add basil leaves, garlic and pine nuts into a blender and pulse until you have a puree. Transfer puree to pan of cooked hot spaghetti and add the olive oil and parmesan cheese. Toss well to cover all the spaghetti strands and serve immediately with more parmesan.

Buon appetito!

Today's Flowers

2009-01-26T05:27:00.011+10:00

Golden Shower Tree
Cassia Fistula is one of the most stunning trees grown in a tropical - subtropical climates, better known as the Golden Shower Tree or Indian Laburnum.

Native to India, it flowers in summer and can be literally covered in showers of deep yellow blooms, each bunch up to about 40cm in length. When these trees usually flower, they have no leaves as they are semi-decidious and lose their leaves in late spring when the first flowers appear. But mine have received a lot of rain in the last two months which have encouraged them to grow leaves during flowering.

The flowers also have a lovely perfume that scent the garden and attract butterflies and bees alike.

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Skywatch, Friday

2009-01-22T08:50:00.006+10:00

Sunrise at Wooli

Far North Coast of New South Wales

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Grevilleas flowering in my garden

2009-01-18T17:41:00.012+10:00

Today's Flowers

Grevilleas are members of the Proteaceae family.

There are over 350 species which are native to Australia.

"Honey Gem"

"Sunset Bronze"

" White Toothbrush"

"Robin Gordon"

"Yamba"

Spider Flower "Orange Marmalade"

"Red Toothbrush"

"Moonlight"

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Denise B. Castro
Laerte Pupo

Luiz Santilli Jr.

Busy Little Hands - The last of the summer beans

2009-01-16T13:43:00.008+10:00

"Depodding" the last of the summer beans - this variety was a green dwarf snap bean, which were left until they went to seed. The seeds are brown in colour. I have already used them up and made a tasty vegetarian Nachos sauce.

This variety is called "Purble King". It's a climbing bean. As the name suggests the beans are a deep purble, but when you cook them they turn green. When you leave the beans on the plant, they naturally go to seed and dry off, so that you then can pick them and use the seeds. The seeds of these beans are a light in colour. I have not used them yet, but I think I will make a delicious Chilli Con Carne. Some of the seeds I keep and as I will plant this variety again at the beginning of next month for an autumn crop.

History of the Bean

Beans are one of the longest-cultivated plants, broad beans having been grown at least since ancient Egypt, and the common bean for six thousand years in the Americas.
Many modern dry beans come from old-world varieties of broad beans, but most of the kinds commonly eaten fresh come from the Americas, being first seen by Christopher Columbus during his conquest of a region of what may have been the Bahamas, where they were grown in fields.
One especially famous use of beans by pre-Columbian people is the Three Sisters method of companion plant cultivation:
On the east coast of what would come to be called the United States, some tribes would grow maize (corn), beans, and squash intermingled together, a system which had originated in Mexico. The corn would not be planted in rows as it is today, but in a checkerboard/hex fashion across a field, separate patches of one to four stalks each.
Beans would be planted around the base of the developing stalks, and would vine their way up as the stalks grew. All American beans at that time were vine plants, "bush beans" having only been bred more recently. The cornstalks would work as a trellis for the beans, and the beans would provide much-needed nitrogen for the corn.
Squash would then be planted in the spaces between the patches of corn in the field. They would be provided slight shelter from the sun by the corn, and would deter many animals from attacking the corn and beans, because their coarse, hairy vines and broad, stiff leaves are difficult or uncomfortable for animals like deer and raccoons to walk through, crows to land on, et cetera.
Beans were an important alternative source of protein throughout old and new world history, and still are today. There are over 4,000 cultivars of bean on record in the United States, alone.
An interesting modern example of the diversity of bean use is 15 bean soup, which, as the name implies, contains literally fifteen different varieties of bean. Source Wikipedia.

Today's Flowers - Pink Blooms

2009-01-11T15:43:00.019+10:00

Bleeding Heart Vine, Glory Bower (Clerodendrum thomsoniae)

is part of the Verbenaceae family. It is native to West Africa. The Bleeding Heart Vine is an evergreen climber that flowers from Summer through to Autumn.

Roses

are amongst the best drought tolerant plants for your garden

once they are established.

Hydrangea
The most interesting feature of showy hydrangea flowerheads is their ability to change colour according to the pH level of the soil. Hydrangeas have blue flowers where the soil is naturally acidic, and pink or red blooms in alkaline soil.

Crepe Myrtle (Lagerstroemia indica)

Crepe myrtles are among the world's best flowering trees.

They are native to eastern Asia and are hardy in most parts of Australia.

Pink Aechmea fasciata bromeliad flower.

The Bromeliaceae family consists of about 46 genera, several thousand species and a bewildering number of hybrids and cultivars. All are well able to adapt to their surroundings, which can range from steamy jungles to deserts.

Cane Begonias

Also known as 'angel wing' begonias because of their distinctive leaf shape, are best as garden plants or tub specimens, sited where they can receive morning sun. The bamboo-like stems of some varieties can rise as high as two metres each spring, bearing large clusters of attractive, drooping flowers from mid summer to late autumn.

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DENISE B. CASTRO

LAERTE PUPO
LUIZ SANTILLI JR.

Bog Garden

2009-01-11T07:21:00.009+10:00

"Sporty" taking an interest

Small Canna Indica with red stem

Cyperus papyrus, a wetland sedge that grows to 5 meters (15 ft) in height.

Thalia geniculata 'Red Stem'

Colocasia esculenta 'Violacea'

Cunjevoy or Spoon Lily - an Australian native - can grow up to 1.8 metres (6 ft) tall

Italianate Courtyard

2009-01-07T05:57:00.015+10:00

The "Gatehouse".

Gorgeous flowering Plumbago flank both sides of the entrance path.

The immediate view when stepping through the "Gatehouse". I have used Ponytail palms, African Milk Trees and a large Agave Americana as focal points.

Agave Americana in all its glory - It is also called a "Century" plant because if you are lucky it might flower in your lifetime. A old fashioned "mother-in-laws tongue" plant makes also for a great living sculpture.

The plant growing on the wrought iron trellis is a Red Dragon Fruit "Pitaya". It has spectacular flowers which then turn into large red fruit which are yummy to eat. It is also known as "brain fruit" as it supposed to be good for the brain cells (perhaps it will make me smarter).

This corner of the courtyard gets a lot of sun in summer and gets very hot and dry. Consequently it is an ideal spot of succulents and cactus. The plant to the left of the bust is a "Donkeys Ears" plant or a Giant Kalanchoe originating from Madagascar.

My little "sentinal" looking over the driveway complete with bow and arrrow.

A small romanesque fountain surrounded by creeping fig adds instant charm and atmosphere. The plant with the big leaves is an Elephant ears plant (Colocasia). They usually get gigantic in a bog garden.

I think this is an Agave "Blue Glow" which seems to be doing extremely well in the pot.

Here is my other sentinal complete with sharp teeth. She likes to be in pictures.