Sedums 'bless 'em.

 
Sedums are flowering right now but they are very, very small flower heads compared to last year's; so I've cheated and put in a photo from then. These are Sedum 'Autumn Joy' and Sedum 'Matrona'. As tough as they are they do like a little bit of moisture and that they just haven't had. Even so they have managed to at least flower. One good thing about lack of rain is that snails are tucked up fast asleep in their shells and haven't eaten the Sedums, which they absolutely love. 

Gardening is such a Joy.

 
You just never know what you will find when you walk out into the garden. I'm not sure of the name of this plant but without a flower you wouldn't look at it twice! With flowers it is extraordinarily beautiful. This one has powered on through all the non-rainy days and I think the secret is humidity. It is growing in a hanging basket amongst lots of foliage from shrubs and small trees; and in the shade. Its flowers open in the evenings and each one only lasts for one night. This one has just had 9 blooms over a couple of evenings. They are as large as a hand span and glow in the moonlight. 

Stenocarpus sinuatus (Firewheel Tree)

 
This beautiful Australian native tree is flowering right now. It isn't quite as floriforous as previous years but it's pretty darn good; considering the drought, which has sunk its teeth harshly into many of my plants. Most of the natives are coping reasonably well but this a rainforest tree so is right out of its element at present. 

Another 40 degree plus day with no rain. Even the tough old plants like agapanthus are looking very tatty. All my little treasures, like daphnes and luculia, new camellias and some perennials have given up. My hillside of azaleas looks terrible. They are the tough old varieties so maybe they will spring back if it ever does rain again, but they don't look like it today. I walk around what was a beautiful garden and I feel despair. Even the grass is dying and the cracks all over the lawns have to be seen to be believed.

We had a visit from a diamond python today.
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