Saturday 23 May 2015

DESKTOP 662 - BABY'S TEARS

Soleirolia soleirolii (syn. Helxine soleirolii) is a plant in the nettle family. It has a number of common names, including baby's tears, angel's tears, mind-your-own-business, peace-in-the-home, pollyanna vine, polly prim, mother of thousands, and the Corsican curse. It is a delicate-looking creeping herb with juicy bright green or yellow leaves and multitudes of tiny white flowers. It grows close to the ground in mats and is sometimes used in ornamental gardens alongside ferns and other moisture-loving types of plant.

This species is native to the northern Mediterranean region in and around Italy and nearby islands, but it has been introduced and cultivated nearly worldwide as an ornamental and garden plant. It can be grown indoors as a houseplant and used in habitats for amphibians. It prefers shade and moderate moisture.It can even grow submersed in swampy environments. In colder regions the plant dies back during winter, but it returns with lush growth as the temperature increases.
 

It is capable of vegetative reproduction, so to eradicate it once it has become established in an area, the entire plant must be removed, or else it can sprout new growth. It is a common weed in many places. Nurseries grow several varieties, including gold, yellow, and white breeds, but the mossy-green type is most popular with gardeners.

This post is part of the Friday Greens meme,
and also part of the I Heart Macros meme.

Friday 22 May 2015

Wednesday 20 May 2015

DESKTOP 659 - YARRA SUNSET

Sunset over the Yarra River in Melbourne, Australia.

This post is part of the Wednesday Waters meme,
and also part of the Waterworld Wednesday meme,
and also part of the Outdoor Wednesday meme,
and also part of the Wordless Wednesday meme,
and also part of the ABC Wednesday meme.


Sunday 17 May 2015

DESKTOP 656 - WEATHERED LOG

The cut surface of a log exposed to the weather for many years tells some stories...

This post is part of the I Heart Macros meme,
and also part of the Weekend in Black and White meme.

Thursday 14 May 2015

DESKTOP 653 - ADENIUM

Adenium obesum is a species of flowering plant in the dogbane family, Apocynaceae, that is native to the Sahel regions, south of the Sahara (from Mauritania and Senegal to Sudan), and tropical and subtropical eastern and southern Africa and Arabia. Common names include Sabi star, kudu, mock azalea, impala lily and desert rose.

It is an evergreen or drought-deciduous succulent shrub (which can also lose its leaves during cold spells, or according to the subspecies or cultivar). It can grow to 1–3 m in height, with pachycaul stems and a stout, swollen basal caudex. The leaves are spirally arranged, clustered toward the tips of the shoots, simple entire, leathery in texture, 5–15 cm long and 1–8 cm broad. The flowers are tubular, 2–5 cm long, with the outer portion 4–6 cm diameter with five petals, resembling those of other related genera such as Plumeria and Nerium. The flowers tend to red and pink, often with a whitish blush outward of the throat.

Adenium obesum is a popular houseplant and bonsai in temperate regions. It requires a sunny location and a minimum indoor temperature in winter of 10 °C. It thrives on a xeric watering regime as required by cacti. A. obesum is typically propagated by seed or stem cuttings. The numerous hybrids are propagated mainly by grafting on to seedling rootstock. While plants grown from seed are more likely to have the swollen caudex at a young age, with time many cutting-grown plants cannot be distinguished from seedlings. This plant has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit. The toxic sap of its roots and stems is used as arrow poison for hunting large game throughout much of Africa, and as a fish toxin.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

Monday 11 May 2015

DESKTOP 650 - DAFFODILS

It's not even Winter yet in the Southern Hemisphere, and our garden centres are selling spring bulbs in flower... Long live forced flowering! Nevertheless it was good to see these cheerful splashes of yellow of the mini daffodils on a dreary, gray Melbourne Autumn day.

This post is part of the Monday Mellow Yellows meme,
and also part of the Macro Monday meme,
and also part of the I Heart Macros meme.

Thursday 7 May 2015

DESKTOP 646 - BLUE WATERLILY

Nymphaea caerulea, known primarily as blue lotus (or blue Egyptian lotus), but also blue water lily (or blue Egyptian water lily), and sacred blue lily (or sacred narcotic lily of the Nile), is a water-lily in the genus Nymphaea.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

Wednesday 6 May 2015

DESKTOP 645 - STREETS BEACH, BRISBANE

A Brisbane, Queensland, South Bank icon, Streets Beach is a must-visit while you’re in the Parklands. It is Australia’s only inner-city, man-made beach and it boasts a sparkling lagoon surrounded by white, sandy beaches and sub-tropical plants. Streets Beach is free to use and is patrolled by qualified lifeguards all year round.

This post is part of the Wednesday Waters,
and also part of the Waterworld Wednesday meme,
and also part of the Outdoor Wednesday meme,
and also part of the Wordless Wednesday meme,
and also part of the ABC Wednesday meme.

Sunday 3 May 2015

DESKTOP 642 - CREEK REFLECTIONS

Darebin Creek in the Darebin Parklands, in the Melbourne suburb of Fairfield.

This post is part of the Weekend Reflections meme,
and also part of the Weekly TopShot meme,
and also part of the Scenic Weekends meme.