Spring in Queensland

[ozjohn]

Poinciania time. Trees just coming into bloom and an eastern water dragon a common harmless lizard in SE Queensland. Grows to about 2 ft in length.

[ozjohn]

PS the tree in the foreground is a jacaranda from South America.

[HistoricCoinage]

Just back from WA, the jacarandas are absolutely spectacular this time of year!

[Paddy]

I think this is one too. This one in Hong Kong and taken in 1986. The building is the Officer's mess of the Queens Gurkha Engineers - I suspect long since demolished by the new Chinese regime.

[blakeyboy]

This is what my garden looks like in the cold and damp!!

Cycad, Musa, Echium, Canna, Hedychium all wrapped up.

Soil heaters in the pots if it gets very cold.

I fit a translucent tarp across the veranda, and we get a small room full of plants to play cards in in the winter!

Lemon/lime cross full of fruit this year- gonna do some lime pickle....!!

 

[blakeyboy]

From the other direction

Turmeric, Delonix regia ( from old seeds from John), delicate hibiscus etc.

I got fed up with my dark garden so I've done something about it!!

[blakeyboy]

17 hours ago, blakeyboy said:

From the other direction

Turmeric, Delonix regia ( from old seeds from John), delicate hibiscus etc.

I got fed up with my dark garden so I've done something about it!!

..and in the top pic you can just make out the yellowing fronds of a very old, very small jacaranda.

Like most tropical flowering trees, they should only be grown for their lovely foliage here in the UK- they just will not flower in a pot.

In the spring I am going to plant a Caesalpinia Gilliesii and a Citrus Australasica outside,

against the shiny fence in the sheltered corner, where I can give them their own little greenhouse for the winter.

[blakeyboy]

I wonder if there is, by the slimmest of chances, anyone on this forum who knows where Citrus Australasica, the 'finger lime' or 'caviar lime' is a native species?

I wonder.....!

[Peckris 2]

On 11/17/2025 at 12:28 PM, blakeyboy said:

I wonder if there is, by the slimmest of chances, anyone on this forum who knows where Citrus Australasica, the 'finger lime' or 'caviar lime' is a native species?

I wonder.....!

I'm guessing Austria 

[Bronze & Copper Collector]

On 11/14/2025 at 1:51 AM, ozjohn said:

Poinciania time. Trees just coming into bloom and an eastern water dragon a common harmless lizard in SE Queensland. Grows to about 2 ft in length.

Beautiful 

[ozjohn]

The house next door has just been demolished including a poinciana tree in the front yard. A couple of weeks later seedlings are sprouting everywhere.

[blakeyboy]

On 11/17/2025 at 12:28 PM, blakeyboy said:

I wonder if there is, by the slimmest of chances, anyone on this forum who knows where Citrus Australasica, the 'finger lime' or 'caviar lime' is a native species?

I wonder.....!

Brisbane iswghere it;s from, by coincidence.

Your soil looks good there John.

I have some Ceasalpinia and some Delonix seedlings growing  to try again- left over seeds from the batch you sent me!

 

 

 

 

[ozjohn]

Finger limes are an Australian native https://aussiegreenthumb.com/finger-limes/ used by TV chefs. The soil here is volcanic in origin from  the eruption of now extinct volcanoes. 

Good luck with the poinciana seeds if you want some more let me know.. They we certainly growing fast on the vacant lot next door to me. I don't think they will amount to much as the owner is building after Xmas.

PS I think it was you who posted the photos of Jupiter from your telescope. What type of telescope were you using? They were better than my efforts with Celestron  Nextstar 4" reflector.