I have seen a few mango trees flowering. My apple tree is flowering and it is normally bare by now.

Hi Len....how are you?
Yes, I have been noticing a few things like that. My Clivia Nobilis has been spot flowering for a while now. I think it's a bonus, I'm hoping it will flower in it's normal season as well.
Cheers,
Dee.

this sort of new growth is hardly seen in the growing season.

the other i forgot to mention was that some of the frogs down in the hollow have come out of hibernation and chorusing up for mating, a bit of worry maybe? as if we get a cold snap some or most could perish, but that's nature i guess.

len

yes and we had some summer rain yesterday, 102.5mm in total for the last 24 hours, in June!!, not unheard of but more what we would expect in February- we needed it though-only had 500mm for the year intill this drop.Also we have only had 5 nights under 8 degrees so far, most nights have been around 10-12 degrees-rather odd for late June- but Im sure nature will show us a good winter during July and August!
The High pressure systems will undoubtably push a good cold front up this way some time! Always do!
Cheers from Kris

Out at Charleville we have had good rain in May coinciding with higher temperatures at night than average. June bought another 112mm continuing with warmer than usual minimum temperatures and the new garden, which has only been partially established because of the hotter/dryer than usual summer, looks as if spring is here. White ceders, jacarandas are still putting out new leaves instead of shedding them, asparagus is still sprouting, and no frost in sight (yet). Groundcover cuttings I have just tucked in the soil are rooting readily. (this never usually happens cuttings have to be potted shaded, loved and talked to and even then can die).The cactus garden is now more than wet enough, any more and I shall have to rig up some kind of cover to keep them dry. The cactus are putting on lots of new growth too.
I do hope that we are not going to pay for this with another bad summer. Normally, by now, the black frosts would have burnt off any tips, or even killed new plantings, and any kind of rain is usually in the imagination.
I have never relied so heavily on BOM to coordinate planting, gambling on their prediction that May though to September is likely to be warmer than average and taking advantage of rain forcasts to prepare garden beds and plant. Up to now it has worked well.
Meanwhile we have had enough rain (are you listening Rain Gods?) but would like some follow up rain in mid august when the likelihood of frost is over and I can plant the rest of the garden out before it gets to hot and dry.
Dorothy

g'day dorothy,

that's good rain for out your way hey? hope it follows up for you, i don't have a terrible lot of faith in bom i tend to use the online resources to formulate my own forecasting. nowadays they don't seem to do much in the line of actual obsevation as i see it.

we get the odd bit of black frost mostly the white stuff tho' we are short on for that this year so cabbage heads aren't forming properly. still trying to rain here all day again, the medium range forecast is for a wetter than normal august as well.

we too had a very dry summer period.

len

g'day kris,

still raining up here and even storms as well had 2 pass thru' between 4 am and 6am today thursday. wow real summer stuff more and more frogs out of hibernation now and mating.

len

Hi Len,
what online resources to you use to get a more reliable prediction.
I do hope everyone is enjoying the rain, and that it is soaking in, not running off.
regards
Dorothy

g'day dorothy,

send me an e/mail see addy below, and i will give you links to the sites i use.

len

mail len

Hi folks, the odd season is here in Helensville too!! The flowering cherries we planted down the drive have been in blossom since Feb this year and even though the leaves are all gone there are still flowers on these trees. Weird but true.....Sandra

strange here too. My daphne has been flowering since march (it should flower in august and my gardenia is still in flower in the middle of winter

I've had an agapanthus send up a flower stalk that has opened in the past week

Cathy