We had about 3 centimeters of snow today...
Flights were delayed, and the transport system momentarily went kaput...
The last time we had 'so much' snow was 25 years ago...
Which means to say I can't be outdoors doing my thing...
So, photo taking it was...
These flowers are from the manuka tea plant that my missus just bought...
We already have one in the garden and it is growing quite well...
Think this one is called Burgundy Queen...
The flowers are about one centimeter across...
They are also called New Zealand tea tree...
Settlers apparently used the leaves as a subsititute for tea from China, hence the common name...
The Japanese called them 'gyo-ryu bai'... translated quite meaning-lessly as 'fish willow plum' tree...
They can grow up to 4 meters high...
And they tolerate poor soil, and dry weather like the one we have here...
There are the source for the well-known manuka honey, which we enjoy consuming...
Changing topic... these chrysanthemums are not from our potager...
My partner Y sometimes buy them as cut flowers from the local farmers' market...
They have been sitting in the flower pot since the last days of December...
And they still look very fresh...
What more, this yellow beauty has even rooted itself in the pot...
I plan to transfer it to the plot when the weather gets warmer...
Back to the snow story... this picture was taken this morning at about 7:00 am...
Was shivering in the cold, but could not miss the opportunity to shoot this scene...
The fava beans in the foreground are covered with snow...
So are the lettuce in the back...
Luckily by late afternoon, the snow melted and up popped the plants again... phew...
Beautiful photos...happy snow was a quick one and vegetables survived. I know you have your wonderful new wood stove burning to keep your home warm...enjoy!
ReplyDeleteThose flowers are beautiful.
ReplyDeleteIf I am not mistaken, it should be the time for the pretty Sakura flowers to blossom.
Theanne... thank you for your compliments... yeap, the new wood stove is really a beautiful thing... it feels so good to have the 'raw' fire in such a weather...
ReplyDeleterainfield61... thank you for your comments... the forecasts predict the sakuras to bloom at about the end of March in our area...
Bee keeping project, next? Or are you on it already?
ReplyDeleteLove the lovely flower shots. So nice to be surrounded by such beauties. :)
Just wondering, if its snowing - do you still cycle to work, Lrong?
lina... am very interested to get into bee keeping one day... need to first find a mentor to guide me...
ReplyDeleteIf it is raining, snowing, or too windy, I opt to drive because it is quite dangerous (and not very enjoyable) to cycle under such circumstances...
Sorry about the snow and your potager. I hope the sun/heat will be out soon for you.
ReplyDeleteLrong, about that manuka tree, does the plant keep flowering throughout the year or it has its season to flower? I have come across this plant here (but probably not this cultivar), so thinking of planting one.
Nice pics!
Ok, sorry for the confusion...I figured it out! Thanks again for the honor ;)
ReplyDeleteStephanie... infomation from the internet says that they flower from March to June, but our plant flowers a few times a year... and the flowers last for quite a long time... it is a very pretty plant with equally pretty flowers... it'd be good if you can try planting it...
ReplyDeleteCat... good that you got it figured it out...
Such beautiful flowers! I envy you. I'm sure I cannot grow them here.
ReplyDeleteI like your garden beds too. They look promising. My dogs tramples all over my tomato plant that I have to seriously consider raised beds.
These photos are just so beautifully detailed, it's amazing. You have a wonderful eye for beauty. Look at all that snow. Where I live, in California, we never see snow so this is a treat :) Thank you.
ReplyDeleteOne... danke, danke... stray cats are an occasional problem in my potager... I came up with this idea of surrounding each raised bed with planks, which also double as 'wind breakers', thus minimizing the blowing away of the leaf covers... in any case, I would recommend raised beds... they have real practical value and they look pretty...
ReplyDeletePoetic Shutterbug... many thanks for coming by... and thanks for your kind compliment... I truly enjoy taking pictures and sharing them with friends... the snow was indeed a 'treat' as you commented... we don't have them often, so it was a joy to sit inside the house and just gaze at them coming down...
Hi Lrong, Your flower images are beautiful! I love the color of your Manuka tea plant. Glad your favas and lettuce survived the snow.
ReplyDeleteLovely bright little flowers, will brighten any cold wintery day Mr. Lrong. Glad that your veggies are ok again after seeing snow blanketing them, I thought there goes your poor veggies!
ReplyDeletep3chandan... yes, the flowers can really brighten up the cold atmosphere... we are having some unusual cold weather this year... which is not very good for the plants...
ReplyDeleteDiane... thank you for your comments... the manuka is indeed a pretty flower... the favas and lettuce are still holding on, thank god for now...
ReplyDeleteI really like the manuka tea plant, the blooms are so beautiful. Thank you for sharing. Your potager look so organize. You must have been constantly worried when you have snow in your place. Hope everything survived.
ReplyDeleteMalay-Kadazan girl... me too, the manuka tea plant and the blooms are so beautiful... yesterday, it snowed again... oh, my plants...
ReplyDeleteI love the flowers - gorgeous colour for the Chinese New Year too. Hope the snow doesn't get heavier. Here in KL, it's the sun and rain for us - weather's unpredictable.
ReplyDeleteKeats... we are undergoing some rather erratic weather here... snow over a few days is highly uncommon here...
ReplyDeletethank you so much for poosting a picture of the manuka flowers! I always buy manuka honey and make a lovely warm ginger and honey drink when I have a cold!
ReplyDeleteMatron... we love Manuka honey too... the 'real' stuff from NZ... taste lovely when consumed with our homemade banana cake...
ReplyDeleteAin't the New Zealand tea tree lovely? Thank you for the name, i was searching for the name of this tree. I had 3 in my garden, and none last for 2 years :(
ReplyDeleteVery nice photos! that little cold wave we had sure play a number on us. I wonder if we will get some more later too
ReplyDeletemilka... absolutely lovely plant it is... ours seem to be pretty tough and resistant to the semi-dry weather we have here... and we don't really take much care of it...
ReplyDeletefer... I am bracing for at least one or two more cold waves to come before we are done with the winter season...
ReplyDeleteI take manuka honey too. I didn't know we can grow them here in Malaysia, hence will definitely look out for them when out at the nurseries. They do have beautiful flowers. Wow, the window scene is very beautiful indeed, just like what I see from the movies. I am surprised the green plants could survive the snow fall.
ReplyDeleteAutumn Belle... shouldn't be any problem to grow them in Malaysia, I think... my wife is actually very fond of this plant... some of my plants suffered from the snow, such as aloe and ice plant... the fava beans, they not only survived the snow, but they are actually starting to flowered too...
ReplyDelete