That supermoon was a ‘Strawberry Moon – This name was universal to every Algonquin tribe. In Europe they called it the Rose Moon. The relatively short season for harvesting strawberries comes each year in June’ – from Farmer's Almanac.
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| Supermoon, rising, slowly |
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| Supermoon |
David Amerland said - ‘Google's semantic search is investing the individual with a reputation score that is tied into behaviour that includes commenting on blog posts’. Followed by Angie with – ‘Happy Anniversary. What an amazing country I was born in. I miss it. I truly do. Your blog is like a magic carpet ride - or even better when I'm reading it on my laptop in bed it reminds me of Disney's Bedknobs & Broomsticks - a privilege to be able to travel through space to a world that is captured so aptly by your eloquence and eye’. Her comment on Snow-capped Groot Winterhoek to Serendip. Angie of Tied up with String has few words in Nelson Mandela - Madiba - Tata. Marquetry – each piece thoughtfully chosen, shaped to fit, then the whole carefully French polished to a high gloss – which is also how I perceive David Amerland’s prose.
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| Strawberry moon |
The year turns. Cape winter. Bucketing with rain one day, then balmy sunny blue skies the next. I have roses - Great North, Papa Meilland, Anna’s Apricot and Karoo Rose.
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| Great North, Papa Meilland Anna's Apricot, Karoo Rose |
Flashes of colour from happy pelargoniums, with some wide views of the garden to reveal this is no manicured horticultural space. Daisies – Dimorphotheca jucunda, Euryops and dandelions for the bees.
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| Pelargoniums, Dimorphotheca jucunda and a dandelion |
Bulbs are my heart’s choice. Kniphofia, red hot pokers has long tubular flowers with nectar for the weavers and sunbirds. Acid yellow Oxalis, like a buttercup. Two rows of Lachenalia rubida along the central path between the ash tree planters. One pot filled with salmon and ruby in our livingroom for winter colour.
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| Kniphofia Oxalis, Lachenalia rubida |
Looking up to flowering shrubs. Tecoma and Strelitzia, again for the birds. Euryops sunshine yellow even on the overcast grey days.
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| Tecoma, Strelitzia, Euryops Pineapple sage |
In winter our Karoo Koppie comes into its own, with blazing orange and red torches. Crassula ovata, Pink Joy is one of the Evening Rays – the April bits I tucked in now covered in flowers.
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| Aloes on the Karoo Koppie Crassula ovata |
For Wildflower Wednesday with Gail at Clay and Limestone.
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| Cape canary? |
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| Male malachite sunbird |
Thru the bedroom windows I watch the birds in the morning sun. A Cape canary? Male malachite sunbird turning to his sparkling blue green breeding plumage.
Pictures by Jurg and Diana
text by Diana Studer
AKA Diana of Elephant's Eye
- wildlife gardening in Porterville,
near Cape Town in South Africa
(If you mouse over brown text, it turns shriek pink. Those are my links)
- wildlife gardening in Porterville,
near Cape Town in South Africa
(If you mouse over brown text, it turns shriek pink. Those are my links)
Diana your winter garden is so much lovelier I think than my summer garden...so much rain here is causing flooding and lack of garden chores is creating a wild garden of weeds. I really love the exotic look fo your sunbird too.
ReplyDeleteNow is the kind time of year - we HAVE the 'wild garden of weeds' but not in the blog photos.
DeleteWonderful photos Diana, just love seeing all that grows in and around your garden. I have your site in my own link list, which will bump your site to the top each time you publish a new post. I also follow along on Bloglovin', but admit I don't go there that often to read what is happening in blogland.
ReplyDeleteYou are one of few bloggers that display the Name/URL option for me when posting, which leads directly to my site. Usually I have to choose Wordpress and people have to go through the back door and click again to get to my site.
Enjoy the weekend.
such beauty, even in winter, to have so much color in winter would be a treat for my snow weary eyes, I switched my list to blog lovin but I really don't understand the complete ins and outs of it, I have my favs bookmarked, (you among them) so I will never lose my favorite blogs,
ReplyDeleteI live one hour away from Algonquin...we did indeed have our strawberry moon!
ReplyDeleteJane x
global village - to me Algonquin is just a word - to you a known place in RL!
DeleteLove your supermoon photo. I wish my camera would do a great job like that.
ReplyDeleteYour winter garden is so colourful. What a great time of year. The Pelargoniums are gorgeous, and I love the Dimorphothecea, which I always think of as Osteospermum, but it was those blooming Aloes which really captured my heart this time. Stunning!
Your male Malachite Sunbird's colours are wonderful. Your Sunbird has a much longer tail than the Yellow-bellied Sunbirds we have around here.
the Malachite is the big brother of our sunbird family.
DeleteThe Farmer's Almanac is published in northern New England, not all that far from where I live, and it is indeed strawberry season here. I've been gorging on them for the past several weeks, including the decadence of strawberry shortcake. :-) -Jean
ReplyDeleteGreat pictures Diana, I love bird shots, they are always so difficult for me to take. The garden is looking great and I always enjoy looking at the background, what's out of focus. The mountains at the back bridge the garden with the wilderness beautifully.
ReplyDeletemy eyes are always on borrowed scenery. Our first tiny flat in Zurich just happened to look at the huge tree between the 2 blocks of flats across the road.
DeleteDiana, The moon photo is stellar but the Male malachite sunbird visiting the orange flowered aloe is stunning. Thank you for your always excellent WW posts. xogail
ReplyDeleteFirstly, Super Moon. The moon was beautiful and we were fortunate here in PE that there were no clouds so people got lots of photos. I did hear from some people though who were disappointed cause they thought the moon was going to be huge. Just had to laugh at them.
ReplyDeleteSecondly, flowers. I'm always amazed at how many plants we do have in South Africa that flowers in winter. Aloes are amongst my favourite plants and I love it when they are in full bloom.
Thirdly, the weather. Last year we had the second wettest year on record and it kept pouring throughout winter. This year we've barely had any.
Looking at your blooms and birds is like being there...all is so beautiful. Our weather has been very wet lately, and I am glad I do not need to water so much.
ReplyDeleteI love those red hot pokers! They are not quite hardy enough for my standards here - zone 4, but I just may have to try growing some one day in a sheltered spot. Love your birds - so interesting! And so brilliant! Here, I am watching the Robins, Catbirds and Cardinals eat Dogwood berries. The hummingbirds aren't as active in my garden so far this summer.
ReplyDeleteThank you for linking back to my post - and for your beautiful comment ♥ Much appreciated. Here alongside my home in the hills we have 6 Strelitzia Nicolai - planted (rather irresponsibly - one would have sufficed!) by the original owners of this 50 year old cottage. I marvel at the size of these "birds of paradise" and my Floral Art tutor has dared me to climb the roof so I can retrieve one for class. Trying to find a vase/vessel should prove interesting! PS - Mind if I just start calling you Diana Green Fingers? :-) xx
ReplyDeleteOur Camps Bay house had a Strelitzia nicolai outside the bedroom - I learned, the hard way, just how tall they can grow. We had to cut it back each year.
DeleteYour photos of Super Moon and Strawberry Moon are fabulous. I was unfamiliar with the terms, but now I will remember!
ReplyDeleteLovely gardens no matter the season, Diana. The birds certainly think so. I haven't yet decided on my new reader... haven't had time to think on it... last family left today to return home after the wedding. Hoping this weekend to figure it all out. My husband agrees with you... he uses Feedly.
ReplyDeleteI've looked at Bloglovin, since I have subscribers there - but must add their code to my template. Feedly is already up and running!
DeleteSeems like the Strawberry moon is doing its job. Got my first bowlful last week. Beautiful photos.
ReplyDeleteSo by now Google reader has disapeared...good bye, we loved you GR but we have made it through.
ReplyDeleteI am still not sure how it all affects us bloggers...everyone seems to have a different story about it. But I keep reading my blogs, posting, and visiting...it will be what it will be.
Jen
This Fourth of July week is anyway quiet in the blogosphere and I skipped my weekly post for RL. But it will be interesting to see how blog readership is in the coming week.
DeleteBeautiful shots Diana, you have some very pretty plants flowering in your garden.
ReplyDeleteHello Diana and thank you for stopping by my blog : )
ReplyDeleteI love the pictures of the super moon! ... and your flowers are so beautiful!
We have had a very strange summer here ... the garden doesn't know if it is coming or going and neither do I ? LOL
Joy
I missed the supermoon so it's great to see such an incredible shot on your blog. I didn't realize you had so much blooming during the winter. Everything looks so fresh and colorful. :o)
ReplyDeleteDiana, I am a gardener by day, astronomy buff by night. Your photos are stunning! I live in New England, in northeaster Massachusetts,and the almaac is published in Lewiston, Maine, about an hour and 3/4 drive north (an easy day trip for us).
ReplyDeleteYour garden is gorgeous but your night sky is, well, heavenly!