chrysanthemum

This red chrysanthemum in a tired flower bed is managing to produce some decent sized flowers.  A few years ago it was a massive bush packed with oversized blooms.  I may try to take cuttings in spring and start some fresh plants.

Another colour in my chrysanthemum collection - a creamy white.  Once Mother's Day is over I will look for discounted chrysanthemum plants to add to my collection.  I will prepare a healthy bed for a blooming show next year.

protea

The protea is one of the easiest tree to grow.  The bright red flowers attract birds, especially the wattle birds that enjoy sipping on the sweet nectar.  The tree is almost five years old and is my height.  I shall prune it back when the flowering is finished as I prefer to leave the bush small.

The buds, as seen amongst the foliage will soon open up.

surprise

I found these two eggplants hidden beneath the leaves.  It was very unexpected as I was preparing to move the pot in a more sheltered position in readiness for the colder months to come.  I found a few capsicums and zucchinis as well.  They are just the vegetables for ratatouille and the basils will give the dish a beautiful fragrance.

A lovely red capsicum.

Zucchinis ready to pick.

Sunflowers

I staggered sowing the sunflower seeds last spring to allow for a continuous flowering season over the summer months.  This batch, sown in early summer is still flowering, giving this drizzly, cold day a bit of brightness in the garden.  Next spring I'll make sure the seeds are sown at intervals to allow flowering to go into late autumn.