Spectacular Sunset

A spectacular sunset with vivid colors of orange, yellow, red and blue and beautiful ripple effects in the clouds. It came after a very hot day - 39 C ( 102 F).

Summer Flower Arrangement

As most natives in my garden have finished flowering ( except the kangaroo paws) it was necessary to look for some other material for an arrangement.
I bought some amazing brunia (which are very hard to find) with their unusual flower heads, and some melaleuca. To these I added  gum leaves, yellow kangaroo paws, and some interesting grass seed heads from my garden.

The stunning brunia flower heads

Early Morning Light

This photo shows the beautiful soft light early in the morning. This is my favourite time of the day.
I enjoy walking just around sunrise which is 5.55am.
Summer has arrived and the paddocks, which only a few weeks ago were green and lush, are now dry and brown.  The days are warmer - today was 30' and the forecast temperature for Christmas Day is 29'.

Christmas Flower Arrangement

There is an assortment of flowers and foliage in this arrangement. There is cypress, pine, pine cones, acacia seed pods, gum nuts and red kangaroo paws in a wooden box. 

Spectacular Dog Rocks

A few kilometres up the road at Batesford, are the rocky granite outcrops called Dog Rocks. They are a popular spot for photographers especially on cloudy days and at sunset. The old rocks provide an interesting foreground against the sky. They are named after local wild dogs that lived around the rocks.

                                            Dog Rocks on a sunny winter's day.

Dog Rocks at sunset (photography by Marg Edwards)

 

Natural Habitat Garden

The natural habitat garden is finally finished after 6 months of hard work. The garden began in June with the placement of 4 large rocks.

The centerpiece of the garden is the very large granite rock which had to be put there with a front end loader. It measures approximately 1.5 metres high.

   

  The next step was to make a dry creek bed to help control the water flow in winter. For most of the year it is dry. Rocks of different sizes were used to try and make it look as natural as possible. 

A wooden  bridge was built over the creek bed and a small fish pond added.

Three raised garden beds were planted with flowering eucalypts and indigenous grasses - Poa labillardieri, kangaroo grass and tussocks from the property.

Mulch, gravel paths, a sandpit and wooden seat (half a tree trunk) completed the project. 

This is the finished natural habitat garden and hopefully it will attract wildlife

and be enjoyed for years to come.

Grass Tree with Flower Spike

I was thrilled to find my grass tree ( Xanthorrhoea Australis ) had produced a flower spike. It is 70 cm long and the flowers attract many insects and birds. It is a great feature plant in my garden and is uniquely Australian.

Japanese Inspired Arrangement

For this Japanese inspired arrangement I used material from my garden - branches of pine needles, gum leaves and nuts. I liked the simplicity of the arrangement and the monochromatic use of color.

Banksia Arrangement in Front Entrance

The lovely soft green banksias mix well with gum leaves, nuts, and a couple of red leucodendrons. The serrated leaves of the banksias make interesting foliage. It looks great in the front entrance.

Stunning Wildflower Photography

These beautiful photos of kangaroo paws by Marg Edwards show the intricate texture and color of the flowers. 

Rocklea Free Range Farm

Sells delicious free range eggs from happy hens at the Farm Gate shop.

rockleafreerange.com.au

Sunset at Rocklea

The sunset at Rocklea the other night was spectacular - it reminded me of the beautiful colors of sunsets in outback Australia.

Wildflower Arrangement

The centerpiece of this arrangement is a stunning waratah as well as leucodendrons and various foliage. The most interesting foliage was some I found growing in a pile of unused crushed concrete.
It was the finishing touch.

Kangaroo paws

Welcome to my blog.
This is the first post from Rocklea Wildflowers. 
My kangaroo paws have been spectacular this season. I have many different varieties growing, from small to several metres high, and a wide range of colors including the difficult-to-grow black one. You can see in the photos that the flowers resemble the paws of a kangaroo - which is where the flower gets its name. They are excellent for cut flowers and will last for up to 3 weeks in a vase.