'Upside Down' Cymbidium Orchid


What a gorgeous Cymbidium orchid this is.  I had it in a pot and when it flowered the flowers were hanging upside down on the spike.  It just didn't look right at all as you just could not appreciate the beauty of the flowers, so now it has been potted into a hanging basket. 
The flower spikes hang down now, and look just perfect.
A lot of my orchids  have no records of names, as they were bought from yard sales, or from garden centres, and had no information attached. 
I've never seen another 'upside down' cymbidium before, so if anyone knows more - please share...

Borage...


Blue and beautiful...


Blue borage flowers are a stunning colour, 
and the bees just adore them.
In fact blue borage honey is one of my favourites.
The borage self-seeds freely in the garden. 
For a special touch to summer drinks, 
the little blue flowers look fabulous if you freeze them in icecubes.
The young leaves have a cucumber taste.
If grown near tomatoes, the borage is meant to improve flavour,
 as well as being a bee magnet which is great for pollination.

Choc Cake

Delicious Chocolate Cake...

Very easy to make, secret is to avoid overcooking so cake is a little moist.


Preheat oven to 180 celsius.
In a large pot melt together:
150 grams butter
1 cup cold water
1 1/2 cups caster sugar
1/2 teaspoon of Baking Soda
2 heaped Tablespoons of cocoa powder

Bring to boil, stirring, until mixture froths and doubles in size.
Put aside to cool for 15 minutes.
Whisk in 2 lightly beaten eggs and 1 1/2 cups of self-raising flour.
Pour mixture into a square paper lined tin, or a round greased tin with a removable bottom.
Bake for 30 -40 minutes. It is cooked when skewer comes out of centre clean. 
When cold ice with chocolate icing of your choice.

I use this recipe for many variations...
Omit cocoa for:
Ginger - 1 or 2 teaspoons of powdered ginger. Ice with ginger icing.
Orange - Add 2 tablespoons of finely grated orange rind. Ice with orange icing.
Coconut - Add 1/2 cup fine desiccated coconut. Ice with raspberry icing.


Red Camelia...



I love camellias (but then I love all flowers!).
A lot of people hate them, because they are messy.  
But I think the floral display they have is worth every bit of mess. 
This camelia is a Japonica variety.  
It is called 'Pirates Gold'.




Stunning Azalea...




This azalea is stunning with the brightest pink edged white blooms.
Now growing in a large pot situated on a sunny deck.  Probably not ideal conditions for it, but it's very happy and has doubled in size since last summer.
I don't know the name of it, as it was an impulse buy from the supermarket plant stand. And it just had a label that said 'azalea'!
Don't you just hate the way they position that stand of flowering plants just as you enter the supermarket.
I always seem to have a plant in my trolley at the start of every grocery shop!





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