What's In Bloom? August 2026

 This winter has been so mild and manageable. It's actually been lovely which I'm not sure I've said before about a Tasmanian winter. The garden is green and happy.

By my best guess, the garden is 2 to 4 weeks ahead of flowering schedule this year. After watching the spring and summer that the UK and Europe have had, I'm not entirely sure this is a good thing, but we'll wait and see.

The loveliest thing about this time of year is watching the garden 'wake up'. It reminds me so much of living in Edinburgh, where the winters were certainly harsher and bleaker than here and seeing the bulbs emerge to announce that the seasons are changing, the warm is coming!

One of the first to emerge is Hellebore, known as the Winter Rose. I love these wonderful flowers.

Dianthus has been blooming the whole year!

These gorgous little things are very appropriately named Grape Hyacinth or Muscari. These have multiplied and multiplied and I'd be quite happy if they took over the whole yard. 

The native Coastal Rosemary or Westringia fruticosa is tough as boots, a lovely little shrub which provides nectar to the bees all winter long.

One of the shrubs that came with the house was this lovely Hebe. I pruned it hard last year and it has rewarded me (and the bees) with hundreds of flowers.

Likewise, This Polygala or Sweet Pea Shrub has been with us since we arrived and like the Hebe, goes generally unnoticed, but requires no love whatsoever, has beautiful flowers and really helps form structure in a tricky spot under a large Acacia.

The first of my Grevillea blooms has started to emerge, The whole (quite small) plant is covered in buds and I can wait to see the thing in full bloom.

This Erysimum or Wallflower is also tough as boots,  is covered in flowers and I swear the bees in all of the photos are not props, the whole garden is full of bees.

The true sign of springs arrival: Daffodils. I don't LOVE yellow in the garden, so when I find a yellow Daffoldil I end up tucking them out of view, they ARE lovely though, but not in my colour scheme.

One of the most fragrant (or what Gudge calls 'pungent') blooms is the beautiful Jonquil.

The star of the garden is this Prunus Mume or Ornamental Apricot. The frangrance is like fairy floss or cotton candy and really is the most stunning specimen!

The white Daffoldils I DO love. They're just so sweet and year after year are multiplying and starting to create a meadow across the Cherry Tree Garden.

These violas are genuinely a weed in my garden now, but who woudn't love their happy little faces.

The Chinese Lantern or Abutilon has flowered all winter as well.

The frangrance of this Daphne Odora by the back door fills the patio. It's so magnificent.

These cornflowers and daisies are just wonderful, trustworthy toughies that I often overlook, but are joyful in their own right.

I will work on my photography skills, but the DSLR is much better than my 8 year old Samsun phone.

Many more flowers to come.  Stay tuned.