Beyond Flowers

Bonsai Plants

2010-02-14T14:28:00.003+10:30

Hibiscus with white and green leaves

2009-10-30T06:01:00.003+10:30

I haven't seen a hibiscus with leaves like this, is this hybrid hibiscus?

Frangipanis at Gold Coast

2009-10-30T05:47:00.006+10:30

More Frangipani Photos

Santan

2009-10-20T05:53:00.001+10:30

I am not 100% sure , if these flowers are called Santan.

Photos taken at Movie World, Gold Coast.

Flowers at 2009 Sydney Royal Easter Show

2009-07-13T06:02:00.007+09:30

Chrysanthemum- Flower Arrangement

2008-04-28T19:49:00.003+09:30

The Flower Stall at Martin Place

2008-01-18T10:15:00.000+10:30

Unknown Orange Flowers

2007-11-03T20:44:00.000+10:30

Can anyone tell me what is the name of this flower.

Poinsettia

2007-11-03T00:29:00.001+10:30

The Legend of the Poinsettia

Long ago in Mexico, a little girl stood outside a church on Christmas Eve. She watched others taking gifts inside to place before a statue of baby Jesus.

The longer she watched, the worse she felt because she had nothing to give. An angel saw the sad little girl and spoke to her.

"Gather the weeds beside the roadside and take them to the Holy Child," the angel said.

Drying her tears, the little girl obeyed. she gathered a large armful of the green, leafy weeds and carried them inside. But as she walked up the aisle, the people laughed at her gift.

The embarrassed little girl placed her branches beside the manger and suddenly a miracle occurred. The green leaves turned to brilliant red!. Now every year at Christmastime, the green leaves of the poinsettia turn bright red to honour the Son of God born so long ago.

Red Lilies

2007-11-02T00:25:00.000+10:30

I am not sure if this another variety of lilies.

Spider Chrysanthemum

2007-07-17T19:27:00.000+09:30

I took these pictures early Autumn just before Mother's day but did not have the chance to post it. These spider like bloom chrysanthemums make a beautiful flower arrangement, they look very delicate with their graceful curly petals.

Cactus and Succulents

2007-07-07T19:56:00.000+09:30

Photos from the Royal Botanic Garden

-Succulents Garden-

Succulent Garden

2007-07-05T10:57:00.000+09:30

A walled succulent garden at the Royal Botanic Gardens at Sydney, you will find rare cactus that are hundred years old. An amazing garden !!!

Pink and White Cosmos

2007-06-21T06:20:00.000+09:30

My daugther took this photo when we went to Melbourne last year. I like the colour, a nice colour combination of white and pinky lilac. You can't just help but notice them as your're walking by.

Purple Bougainvillea

2007-06-19T06:13:00.000+09:30

Bougainvillea is native to South America's Amazon rain forest. Bougainvillea was named in honor of Louis Antoine de Bougainville, a French military man who discovered the plant in 1768 in Brazil. It took several more decades before the tropical vine was actually grown in Europe; the first plant was brought to France in 1800. From these species have come numerous hybrids of varying sizes, from 2-foot-tall dwarf cultivars to vines that can exceed 30 feet tall.

I have some more pictures of Bougainvilleas here.

Lilies

2007-06-17T07:15:00.000+09:30

I know that theses are lilies but I don't know what species they are, I search on the web and I found out that there are about 110 species of lilies.

Did you know that . . . the botanic name Lilium is the Latin form and is a Linnaean name. The Latin name is derived from the Greek leirion, which is generally assumed to be the Madonna lily .

I took this photo just on the way home from my morning walk, a bit disappointed because I took that road because there was nothing that I could photograph but luckily I spotted these lilies. Not a bad shot afterall. . . Just a lucky shot.

Orange Pink Bougainvillea

2007-06-15T06:36:00.000+09:30

How would you describe this bougainvillea. . . Orange bracts, fading to purplish pink. It took me a while to find the correct description for this bougainvillea. We live in a townhouse and I really like to add some bougainvilleas in my little courtyard, maybe I could get one of the dwarf varities, I read that the dwarf varieties are nearly thornless.

I took another picture of a very similar variety, check it here. I am just surprise of the different varieties that are now available, sometimes you can find bi-coloured or sometimes three colour in one. Amazing. .. ..

I have some more Bougainvilleas photos here.

White and Purple Bougainvillea

2007-06-14T08:21:00.000+09:30

Although their colorful displays are described as flowers, they are actually bracts, paper-thin leaves that protect developing flowers. Bougainvillea flowers are usually white. There are two colours in this variety white and purple. My daugther is arguing with me saying that it is more of a dark pink than purple, hmmmm. . . what do you think?

White Bottlebrush

2007-06-11T06:00:00.000+09:30

The flowers are not actually white but they are lemon-coloured . This attractive shrub is suitable for tropical and frost-free areas. The tree is about 3 m tall and have weeping branches. This is one of the street tree near my place.

Pink Bottlebrush

2007-06-10T09:09:00.000+09:30

I am not sure if this is the Mauve Mist or the Pink Ice variety of bottlebrush. But we have a few of this variety in the area where I live. They usually flower and full bloom during Spring up to late Summer . . . a great display of colour but these trees attracts at lot hummingbirds.

Bromeliad

2007-06-09T18:35:00.000+09:30

The photo of this Bromeliad was taken in a Sunday Market in Melbourne. The shape of the flowers just caught my attention and I have to look at the name of the plant, the stall owner told me that Bromelias are low-maintenance plants. The small amount of effort you have to put into keeping these plants is rewarded with vibrantly coloured flowers. But they only bloom once because the plants grow new leaves from the centre of the plant – the same place the flower stalk grows from.

You can check more information about Bromeliads here.
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Orange Peach Bougainvilleas

2007-06-01T14:39:00.000+09:30

This soft golden orange bougainvillea, later on turns into a mauvy pink colour.

Pigface Flowers

2007-05-30T07:04:00.000+09:30

I took these pictures earlier this year in my sister's garden, they flower during Spring to Summer. It is commonly called "pigface" is supposed to refer to the resemblance of the flowers to a pig's face. . . but i could not see the connection (lol).

This plant can spread up to 2 metres or more it has thick, succulent leaves, the flowers are daisy-like but smaller They usually have mauve to purple petals and a white centre.

Unknown Flowers

2007-05-24T19:32:00.000+09:30

I like taking pictures of flowers, but I am very poor in remembering their names just like the plants above, I took this one in a nursery and check the name of the plants, but I forget to write it down.

I took this one on the side of the road on my daily walk. Do you have any idea what is the name of this plant?

One of my succulent plants, I got it from my siste but she also don't know the name, I took this picture just after the rain.

Weeping bottlebrush tree

2007-05-20T18:31:00.000+09:30

"Bottlebrush" the name was derive from the plant's flowers, which look like brushes for cleaning bottles. Bottlebrushes are among the hardiest of Australian native plants. I like the bold red flower but I have also seen pink and cream bottlebrush. We a lot of them in our neigbourhood, it attracts a lot of birds. Bottlebrush are very low maintenance and if you cut them back you will be rewarded of lots of flowers on the next season.

Mother's Day Flowers

2007-05-12T16:19:00.000+09:30

To the one who bears the sweetest name,

And luster to the same, long life to her,

For there is no other who takes the place of my Dear Mother

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY !

Since mother day is just around the corner, I compiled my favourite photos of flowers with some inspirtional quotes about Mothers. It is my way of celebrating motherhood.

You can check it on my other blog, Mum's Kitchen table.

Hibiscus

2007-05-04T17:54:00.000+09:30

I took these photos at Royal Botanic Garden, in Sydney last summer, The name 'Hibiscus' comes from hibiskos, the old Greek name for the common marshmallow. It doesn't look like a marsmallow to me, it looks like more of a trumpet.

I remember when I was young, if I have pigsa (boil), my mum will chop some gumamela leaves and flowers (hibiscus) and apply it on my pigsa, cover it with cloth. It does work, pumutok yon pigsa.

Where flowers bloom so does hope. ..Lady Bird Johnson

2007-04-30T15:47:00.000+09:30

I like reading quotations, I am amazed and impress by the wits of these great writers to express their feelings with clarity and compose words of wisdom. Here are some of my favourite flower quotations.

Flowers are the sweetest things God ever made and forgot to put a soul into.

- Henry Ward Beecher, Life Thoughts-

I owe perhaps becoming a painter to flowers.

- Claude Monet-

"Be like the flower, turn your face to the sun."

- Kahlil Gibran -

Blue and White Agapanthus

2007-04-17T07:38:00.000+09:30

Agapanthus is one of my favourite summer flowering plants, also known as African blue lilies, one of the most popular border plants found in gardens all over Australia. Agapanthus have trumpet-shaped, deep blue or white flowers. The flowers are held on long stems (30 -120 cm). Their flowering season is from mid spring to early summer. (October - January).
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Here are some interesting facts about Agapanthus.

The name agapanthus is derived from the Greek 'agape', meaning love, and 'anthos', flower.
The plants are native to South Africa and were brought back to Europe in the seventeenth century by the first European settlers when they stopped in the cape to replenish their supplies.

Agapanthus africanus was first introduced to Europe in 1679
(Source: bbc.co.uk, gardening)

Frangipani

2007-04-15T06:40:00.000+09:30

Plumeria - common name: Frangipani. It is also known as the Lei flower, grows well in warm tropical areas. Frangipani have branches like candelabra and fragrant white or pink flowers.

I took this photo at the Sydney Royal Botanic Garden last summer. I love Frangipani, it reminds me of the place where I grew up in the Philippines we have Fragipani tree in the front yard. I notice that Frangipani designs are very popular these days. There are many items that uses the Frangipani flowers as design on their products - in fabrics, paintings on canvas, framed pictures, designers boxes and ceramics. I also see them on cards, actually I have some pink Fraginpani stickers on my car, courtesy of my sister who bought it at Penrith Wednesday Market.

While browsing on eBay, i saw a salt and pepper shaker with a frangipani flowers on it. How about this one - Frangipani & Lime Soap. A fresh, floral, uplifting soap to revive and elighten the spirit and senses. This soap gently cleanses with a rich creamy lather. The ingredients are palm oil. coconut oil, almond oil, vegetable glycerin soap, lye, frangipani fragrance, lime essential oil.

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Pink Jasmine

2007-04-14T20:57:00.000+09:30

I took this picture late last year on a late summer afternoon, these are climbing Summer Jasmine that are hanging over the parish church fence.

Tibouchina - Glory Tree

2007-04-14T09:00:00.000+09:30

Tibouchinas, are native to south-east Brazil, they are also known as Glory Tree or Lasiandra, here in Australia, during autumn (March -May) tibouchinas make quite a statement, with their bursting purple flowers, most of the tibouchina that I have seen around our neigbourhood are small tress like the above. I saw Tibouchinas at Bunnings in pots which cost about $14.00.

White lilies

2007-04-10T20:35:00.000+09:30

I once read in a photography book that unlike a painter, photographers cannot paint over what they do not wish the viewer to see. But I think it is not true to this day, because you can edit your pictures now in any photo software. Isn't it? But I am lazy to edit that 2 little dots. Can you see it?

You are responsible for your rose

2007-04-10T12:00:00.001+09:30

One of my favourite book is "The Little Prince" by Antoine de Saint Exupery and this is one of my favourite quotations from this novel. "You are responsible, forever, for what you have tamed. You are responsible for your rose."

The rose is extremely significant to the novel because it is her that causes the little prince to leave his planet and begin his explorations. But the prince’s memory of his rose is also what prompts his desire to return back to his planet. Eventhough the rose is vain and naïve, the prince still loves her deeply because of the time he has spent watering and caring for her.

Antoine de Saint-Exupéry gave the rose a touch of human characteristics, both good and bad. Because of the rose, the prince learns that what is most essential is invisible, that time away from one’s beloved causes a person to better appreciate that love and that love is coupled with responsibility.

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Flame Tree

2007-04-03T02:05:00.000+09:30

This is the Flame Tree (Brachychiton acerifolius). You won't notice this tree for the rest of the year but during summer months this tree stands out because of its bright orange red colour flowers. I took this picture - early summer, (last December) but could not find where I saved it. I know I have it, but it was buried in the many folders I have in my USB drive. I should really organized my photos.

My Neighbour's Gardenias

2007-03-30T14:01:00.000+09:30

Gardenias are native to Eastern Asia. (China, Taiwan and Japan). They are attractive and low maintenance. The flowers have an exquisite perfume, the creamy white flowers get flatter as they mature. gardenias turn yellowish as they ripen and die off.

In Australia, gardenias flower at their best in the warmer months of the year, usually from November to May. I took these photos last year from my neighbours' front garden. When they are in full bloom, I will get a few and put it in my car as a freshener.

Crepe Myrtle Trees

2007-03-28T13:09:00.000+09:30

Penjing (Chinese Bonsai)

2007-03-25T14:55:00.000+09:30

This is a small fenced courtyard at Chinese Garden of Friendship at Darling Harbour, where these Penjing - Chinese Bonsai are displayed. You won't be able to touch or walk near these plants, so I was not able to see what are the names of these trees.

Penjing means ‘landscape in a pot’. It is a miniature landscape (jing) in a pot (pen) and is the Chinese version of Bonsai. Penjing can range from single trees to detailed scenes reminiscent of paintings. Penjing is the Chinese art of creating a miniature landscape.

Some of the trees in this courtyard are up to 70 years old. ,

Nursery Garden Flowers

2007-03-20T21:24:00.000+10:30

I took these flowers in Bunnings Warehouse, they stock a wide range of gardening products, pots, tools, potting mixture and a garden nursery. I could stay there for hours and looking for all sort of interesting things.

Lovely Petunias

2007-03-19T15:43:00.000+10:30

These photos were taken by my daugther Monica, last year on our way to Penrith Westfield Shopping Centre, using a digital Canon Power Shot A 400.

Petunias are easy to grow, petunias are available in November as flowering pots from nurseries throughout Australia and are sold in punnets for about 2.50- to 3.00 each. They look good in pots and hanging basket but they are best in massed mixed display or in beds like the pictures above. It adds colour and cheer to any garden, just seeing them brings smile to my face, for me I like red, pink, lilac and white petunias the most.

Living Colour

2007-03-18T09:53:00.000+10:30

These pictures were taken in Summer of 2006. The City of Sydney have an innovative program called the Living Colour , it is a bright floral displays for six weeks each Spring and Summer from 16 January – 24 February to enhance popular city spaces in Circular Quay, Martin Place and George Street.

Last year (2006), the Living Colour has adopted the theme of Chinese New Year. The displays have been designed to symbolise the beginning of the New Year. Since 2006 is the year of the dog the character for dog has been reproduced in flowers.

The displays for 2006 have been designed to symbolise the beginning of the new year. The bright displays include many of the favourites including Marigolds, Celosia, Violets,Begonias and Salvias.

These pictures were taken at Marting Place and Circular Quay

Jacaranda Tree

2007-03-15T03:30:00.000+10:30

Jacarandas, (Jacaranda Mimosifolia), come from Brazil but they grow well in Australia. They are large trees which grow to 10m tall and up to 10m wide with low branches. During October and November in Sydney, the Jacaranda trees create a spectacular display of purple through many Australian streets and avenues each spring. The flowers of this tree are regal purple. I used to drive slowly and just admire the beautiful flowers of the Jacaranda Tree. I took this picture on a late spring afternoon last year.
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Purple Daisies

2007-03-02T17:43:00.000+10:30

This is the very first picture of flowers that I have taken using my Kodak Z700, I have taken several shots of these flowers. These daisies become my guinea pig.