I think it may have been Dolly Parton who said if you want the rainbow, you have put up with the rain. Well, we had to put up with a lot of rain this week. At one point on Wednesday you could actually see the rain drops bouncing back up as the hit the ground. It hasn’t rain so far today, so hopefully things can dry up a bit. I haven’t seen a rainbow though…yet! Anyway, it is time for Six on Saturday when The Propagator encourages us to share what is going on in our gardens in all parts of the world. Check out the participant guide if you want to join in.
Actually, nothing new this week, other than pictures of wet plants. There are signs of some daffodils coming up, which, dear readers, you may think unusual given we are entering the winter months. However, I have learned this is normal and always compare what is happening in the Botanic Gardens, where there are also signs of daffodils. In the meantime, the top picture below is of one of our camellias is taken from the bedroom window, the one underneath taken on Friday afternoon.
If you may remember, last week I included a picture of one of the dark nasturtiums in bud. I was lucky to catch it in flower before it got battered by the rain. This must be the last one now?
At number three, here is this week’s mahonia picture, showing progress on the berries. It can’t be long now until they turn their distinctive blue-purple.
The rain and relatively mild temperatures have seen quite a few things show a spurt of growth, such as the mint and lemon balm. I always think of these herbs to enjoy in the summer, but why not now too.
There are still some flowers on the tecomanthe speciosa or Three Kings Vine. A big thank you to Jim at Garden Ruminations for sending me a link to a post from Tikorangi The Jury Garden on the preservation of this plant.
Finally, Friday’s view at the back of the house with yet more camellias, and though you can’t really see, there are masses of buds on the camellia to the right. There are also signs of buds on the magnolia at the front of the picture.
So, as usual, I am looking forward to seeing everyone’s beautiful gardens in other parts of the world. Hope you are all well and enjoying your gardens in whatever the season is with you.
You can find Thistles and Kiwis on Facebook, and also on Instagram @thistlesandkiwis. As for Twitter….am totally inactive these days. If you want to get in touch, email me on thistlesandkiwis@gmail.com
Thistles and Kiwis 
That dark nasturtium is really eye-catching !….and the rain isn’t that bad. We need it here so please send some to us.
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Happy to share the rain with you!
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That is a beautiful Master foul – looking forward to mine blooming (they’ve just germinated in a raised bed, so a few weeks yet before flowers appear). The Mahonia berries are an interesting shape. I forget, are they at all edible?
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Nasturtium? I remember looking up mahonia berries and yes I think they are edible but I think I will leave them for the birds!
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That Camellia is not bad to look out of the window onto, and the ground dropping away, it must be quite a height.
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Yes it is a lovely thing to see from the window. We live half way up a hill – 89 steps from the street at the bottom you can just see in the picture. There is another set of steps up to the top of the hill too.
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So, no more nasturtiums until the spring? It’s been a really good season for them, at least it looked it from here. Those camellias continue to look so healthy and a lovely colour.
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Looks like it….but who knows? There will be more camellias next week as can see more about to flower.
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You always have such lovely photos on your blog! It’s been raining a lot here, too. We call the season we’re in right now “Junuary,” which is when the temperatures drop just a bit, and we get more rain.
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You made beautiful images of wet plants! Your feature photo is splendid. I literally gasped when I saw it. Such intimacy and simple beauty.
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Thank you! 🙂
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The colour of the nasturtium flower is really lovely, and it is lucky that you captured it before the rain battered it! The Three Kings looks magnificent. My pink camelias are also flowering now.
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I was just in time with the nasturtium. Don’t you love camellias?
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