It is May already, and the days are growing shorter, the nights longer. It has been such a strange year, with nothing being in the least bit normal. At least we know it is autumn when we see all the beautiful colours in the Botanic Gardens (have a look back at some of my recent posts if you like). Anyway, thanks once again to The Propagator for allowing us to share what is going on in our gardens.
First up, there are still some flowers on the wild strawberry plant, though if any fruit ever appears it disappears as quickly. I love these flowers, and the pots with the plants in sit next to the cornflowers, making a rather pretty little spot on the terrace.
Next up, remember the seedpods? Below you can see how the most easily accessible one looked on Tuesday, Thursday and today. And yes I did take 3 of the seeds and stick them into a pot.
The day began sunny, if a little windy, so I had to pop the salvia on the step to get a picture of the plant remaining still. The variety is blue black. And yes I just have one, wee plant, because that is how things work in our yard!
And so to the herbs…the basil is really on its last legs, especially with the cooler nights. The pineapple sage and mint are looking good, and the thyme is still featuring in many dishes. I need to sort things out for the cooler months though, and just need to get some gardening mojo together to get this done.
At number 5, last year’s mystery plant, the tecomanthe speciosa or Three King’s Climber has many buds again, and the signs of flowers too. I am so glad my colleague identified it for me last year. It is a native climber, threatened in the wild but it grows fine in gardens.
On buds, all the camellias are showing signs of life, and this one, whose roots are actually in our neighbour’s garden but which borders our steps, is already flowering. What can I say?
That is all from me this week. As usual, I am looking forward to seeing everyone’s beautiful gardens in other parts of the world. Take care out there! Kia kaha.
You can find Thistles and Kiwis on Facebook, and also on Instagram@thistleandkiwis. As for Twitter….am totally inactive these days. If you want to get in touch, email me on thistlesandkiwis@gmail.com
Thistles and Kiwis 
Thank you for photographing the seed head of magnolia day after day; it gives a good idea of the evolution.
Remind me the color of the flowers of Tecomanthe please? : I can’t wait to see them!
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Being at home I had the opportunity to check each day on the seed heads. Quite interesting to watch too. The tecomanthe flowers are white.
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Thank you. Next picture with flowers so !
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Love the day by day seedpop photos! Hope you manage to germinate one of the seeds. Just googled tecomanthe, Wowsers!!! What a beauty, can’t wait to see it bloom. Have a good week. 🙂
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I thought it was fun to rescue a couple of seeds and see what happens. Yes I am also looking forward to the tecomanthe blooming.
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The Three King’s Climber looks so interesting – looking forward to see what happens next….
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I’m hoping for as many flowers as we had last year. Fingers crossed!
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Interesting to see the seed pods through each of their stages.
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It became a slight obsession to pop outside and have a look while working at home.
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Those seed pods look like an animated creature!
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Yes…very sci fi!
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Lovely pop of colour on your camellia and nice to see your salvia still flowering. I am waiting for mine to begin.
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Yes I was pleasantly surprised to see that camellia flower – a lovely pop of colour as you say.
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Great to see that you’re now harvesting from the seedpods – it will be interesting to be able to watch their progress.
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I hope at least one of them germinates.
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Those magnolia seed heads are fascinating. Thanks for keeping us to date over the last few weeks.
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It’s so interesting to see the world the other way round! Your Three Kings Climber is an interesting plant..
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Your climber was very popular among us last year. You’ll have to let us see some flowers.
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The Three Kings climber is interesting and something I will read about. Also love the photo showing the seed pod.
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