It has been very hot here in Portugal, and everything is blooming beautifully in my garden, so I wandered around taking photos of the Azalia flowers and my Spring flowering plants such as the Telopea speciosissima shrub. As he always does when he stays with me, my grandson Pedro helped enormously by pruning overgrown plants, but now our work is done for the time being, except for watering which is essential.
A pretty early morning sky.
Deep pink Azalea.
Bee on Periwinkle Vinca
Pale pink and darker pink Azalea, and a red one coming into flower in the background. The two types of oranges Azaleas come into bloom in February and have finished, and the white and bright red ones are only in bud form at the moment.
Wall Brown. Butterfly.
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A neglected part of the garden with my three bunnies. One must be asleep behind the plant pot.:=)
Bee on Lilac Azalea
The Telopea Speciosissima (Dawn Fire) or (Waratah) meaning comes from the Aboriginal people, meaning beautiful red flowering tree, and the meaning of Telopea is "Seen from afar" and Speciosissima meaning beautiful.
This exotic shrub with it's huge blooms is endemic to New South Wales in Australia
My shrub is two meters high, and about a meter wide, and flowers for 6 weeks in Spring.The Waratah makes fantastic cut flowers as it is long lasting, has a straight stem and of course the large eye catching red blooms.
Dark pink Azalea
Cabbage White Butterfly.
This white flower smells divine, and attracts many bees and butterflies.
It was found by my gardener at the time growing wild, so he dug it up and planted it in my garden where it had flourished and it has grown into a huge shrub.
I saw the squirrel down below as I was having tea on my balcony. I knew it would appear up here.
It had such a happy sweet face that I had to enlarge the photo-
What a cutie.
Colourful Pansies Viola Tricolor
A large Azalea shrub, almost as large as the bird cage, which is only ever used to display plants, or keep them in the shade
The Coal Tit.
Sweet William. Dianthus babatus
They always do well on my balcony.
Apple Blossom.
A small corner of my garden.
The Blue Tit.
Spray of Hawthorn flowers.
A closer look at the pretty flowers, but beware of the thorns.
I thought that I would close this post with more photos of this Spring flowering shrub which looks so vibrantly healthy that I could not resist sharing more images of the Telopea Speciosissima..
It is the floral emblem of New South Wales.
32 comments:
Dear Sonjia :-)
So many beautiful flowers you have in your garden and balcony. The azaleas are very pretty. Here they will bloom much later.
The weather at your place sounds very hot. I'm happy that we don't get so high temperatures here ;-)
I wish you a wonderful evening!
Warm hugs.
Lovely to see your flowers in bloom. We still have a couple of months before the flowers really take off. I like that squirrel, too. How cute!
Querida Sonjia tu jardín se ve maravilloso y tus plantas y arbustos lucen espectaculares. Las fotos son preciosas. Me encanta la ardilla. Un fuerte abrazo y que disfrutes de tu jardín y del hermoso mes de mayo.
Great photos. I like a lot. Lots of beautiful things to look at.
your garden is so beautiful and i wish my mother could see it if only in photos. I also wish she could see the telopia flowers. awesome. her garden was full of azaleas, in the colors of your two pinks. she did not have the white but the neighbors did. my birth place, Savannah Georgia USA is at this time of year covered in azaleas everywhere
So nice that your Grandson Pedro helped with the pruning.
Your garden and balcony is looking so colourful, wonderful flowers and blooms.
Wishing you a happy month of May.
All the best Jan
PS That squirrel is so cute :)
Just beautiful floral blooms indeed
I don't know what is best -- your skills as a photographer or your crystal clear camera. These are glorious images, with such intricate detail. I love them all!
I am not a flower man myself Sonjia but it makes a lovely background to your wild life which I find very impressive.
Mike.
The telopea is so pretty. I am unfamiliar with it. So much beauty in the garden! Love that squirrel! Cute beyond words!
Lovely shots! That squirrel is really cute.
These are great spring photos.
The azalea is beautiful, the colors are also beautiful.
The squirrel is really cute.
Greetings Irma
WOW! Incredible photography, Sonjia!
Hugs and blessings
Hello Sonjia,
Pretty sky capture! Your garden and flowers are beautiful. I am sure the birds, bees and butterflies are very happy in your garden. The squirrel is a cutie. The Dawn Fire is gorgeous, bright and beautiful. It is nice your grandson is helping you in the garden! Lovely collection of photos. Take care, have a great day!
Hello Sonjia: I have been reading about the dreadful heat you have been experiencing in Portugal, and even new wildfires in Spain, and I recoil at the mere contemplation of it all. Cold I can deal with, excessive heat is debilitating and inescapable, however. Your garden is indeed an oasis, and there is beauty all around you with perky Blue Tits and cheeky squirrels to keep you company. The squirrel probably would love to shed his fur coat in these conditions, but he doesn't have a seasonal wardrobe, does he? Dawn Fire is such a great name for a plant. I once knew a girl named Dawn and she was on fire at times, but that is a whole other story, not for telling here! Huge hugs and cooling wishes from Ontario - David
A stunning set of photos, thank you so much for sharing. Have a good day, Diane
Enjoying your bright and beautiful flowers photos. What a cute little squirrel. Wish one would appear before me.
Super photos, they are all beautifully taken. My favourite is the squirrel. he's so very cute. Thanks for shring and have a wonderful weekend.
Hello Sonjia. The extreme heat that is being experienced in the Iberian Peninsula must be very worrying, as well as uncomfortable, for you. I hope that it subsides back to normal temperatures soon. It is still quite cool in UK and the almost daily rain is a bit of a nuisance. Maybe we could swap weather for a short while - ;-}
The flowers in your garden are fabulous, especially that Telopia. I have never met such a plant before. I was also enchanted by your wildlife visitors.
Best wishes - I'll keep my fingers crossed for you - - - Richard
(QvQ)
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Your garden looks glorious — flourishing in the heat! I hope you manage to flourish too.
best… mae at maefood.blogspot.com
Lovely photos of flora and fauna. The heat must be dreadful. We've fires on our Canadian prairies, heat and no rain. Take care.
...you have so many beautiful flowers, some that I know and some are new to me. Have a wonderful week ahead.
Hello Sonjia 😊
What a delightful selection of photos in “Spring Blooms and Garden Visitors.” Image #3 has to be an award winner. Love the butterfly in #5. A perfect portrait in #17. How did you manage to get that little squirrel to stay still for the shot? Oh my, the blue pansy in #18. #20, The Coal Tit, and #21, Sweet William … more award winners! Just an excellent post celebrating your garden. Thank you for sharing, Sonjia. Wishing you a wonderful weekend! John
It looks like your garden is already in full bloom! And how nice to see the bees and butterflies enjoying it too. The squirrel is very cute. Does he drink tea? heehee!
Your garden is beautiful. Our gardens are just opening up for the season.
What a floral display Sonjia! Your flowers would have gone down well at the Coronation.
You have the most amazing garden and such beautiful flowers! How sweet of Pedro to help, so thoughtful! I enjoyed the squirrel and bird photos, all of them. The Coal Tit looks a little like our Black-capped chickadee. Happy week to you :)
I am joining you from Saturday's Critters. All of your flowers are beautiful, and I was particularly drawn to the spray of Hawthorn flowers. And the Blue Tit - what a terrific photo!
What a wonderful garden full of shrubs and flowers. Looks like you are in flower heaven at the moment. The squirrels are so cute and different from ours. Your grandson is such a blessing, helping with the garden. May your May stay wonderful. Take care.
Some wonderful blooms and wildlife. The Red Squirrel is adorable though.
Hello Sonjia,
I am stopping back to say thank you for linking up, I enjoyed your beautiful blooms and butterfly images. Sorry, I am late commenting! Take care, have a great day and the rest of the week! PS, thank you for leaving me a comment!
It's a pity that I won't see you in the near future,especially since our friendship goes back 60 yrears, and I always enjoyed meeting your jungle at first-hand - when visits were possible - So many different birds, insects, flowers and landscapes. Evenso, there may still be a chance when you are feeling stronger.............? IMx
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