Christmas Red Flowers

 

I went to the nursery today and bought shrubs and trees for our garden. We need some shade from the Australian sun and very quickly please!

Have a look at these flowers that I picked from a flowering gumtree. Stunning don’t you think?! It is not yet planted in my garden, if fact it is a small tree in someone else’s garden and they want to get rid of it (!). I am pleased to act as a tree lover and save it… and plant it here – a win win situation. Except I have to get someone to actually help dig it out and move it, and that someone is not very keen. I think I will put it on my wish list for Christmas.

xo Sarah

 

First of December and Snow in Australia

Frangipani Snow - it has a beautiful scent.

It is December and my family and I have begun all the traditional Danish Christmas preparations - now under warmer conditions. On the first of December as we were putting up Christmas decorations I looked out the window and could almost convince myself that I saw snow – blue skies and 25 degrees… yeah right! I took this photo and if you concentrate really hard and squint your eyes a bit it almost looks like patches of snow; a white cover of Frangipani flowers on the deck around the pool. December makes me really homesick; longing for my family in Denmark and the cold!

 

ox Sarah

Tree Orchid

I just have to show you this. It is a tree orchid (don’t know the real name?) growing  in a Frangipani tree in our garden. Once a year it grows these long stems with masses of little white orchid flowers – it just happens… no help from anyone… and it is so miraculous to see. It only lasts for 2 weeks or so, and then the flowers are withered away again. This tree is also host to several other plants growing between its branches, and some pretty big spiders too, but none of them beat the orchid in loveliness.

 

 

 

We had up lights put underneath the two Frangipani trees. It looks like a resort when they are on at night.

 

xo Sarah

Refreshing Rain

After months of dry skies, we rejoice to the sound of heavy rain drops. Well, maybe not all around Brisbane, because in some places they got 400mm in one night and flooding. When it rains here it really rains!

After such a long time, the freshness of first rain on the garden is such a pleasure to observe and to smell. The plants, they must really be loving it too! It is not easy to keep a garden here, unless you choose an all native garden. I like native gardens (a bit prickly maybe), but I also like to grow some vegetables. I love picking my own stuff out of the garden for cooking, even if it is only herbs… and picking flowers.

It seems like the year is split into two seasons only: a dry season and a wet season and it is basically never cold here. During the dry season, you can only keep your garden alive by remembering to water, during the wet season everything explodes and grows a 100 miles an hour! Coming from Denmark, where it is unusual, if there is a hold up of rain for a day or so, it is a strange experience to actually miss the rain and when it rains, even though it is warm, I still feel like snuggling up inside with a cup of tea – how strange - it must be remnants from dark and cold rainy days back home.

 

It is great to have our pool and water tank filled once again. The water tank supplies water to the garden, our washing machine and the toilets - I love it!

xo Sarah

A Garden in Lindved

 I decided to send some “flowers” home for my dad’s birthday. Flowers, that he can enjoy looking at, when the garden is all frozen during winter - in a frame on the wall.

 

 

 I used natural unbleached linen, my favourite background material for embroidering. The colours are pastels with a bit of pang mixed in.

 

 

 

 

The dandelion-type flower turned out really well. I mixed one string of metallic bronze coloured thread with a dusty pink for the "petals"... and I just love the texture of the French Knots in the centre. I will definitely use this design again.

 

 

My dad is a garden wizard. He can make anything grow. I send him seeds from Australia and he  manages to grow them into flowers and trees in the much cooler climate of Denmark.  My mum helps him make it happen and they both enjoy the short summers in their blooming fruit and veg producing garden. There are no rules in this garden all plants are welcome and are mixed in between each other, that is what is so great about it, layers and layers of colours and textures. Have a look at the pictures below. I took these when I was home in August last year. It was a beautiful, mysterious early misty morning. The colours of the Dahlias were glowing in the mist. It was a very special experience. 

 

I love this misty view from the back of my parents garden. What a lucky capture with the camera of my IPhone.

 

The colours!

 

This Dahlia flower is as big as a dinner plate