Spring in our Bush Paradise: Part 1

Boronias line the cliff edge with pultanea 'eggs and bacon' in the foreground. Photo: AP

I'm just so pleased that we were here in the bush for spring this year! It came early at our place with tiny pterostylis greenhood orchids I find very hard to identify as there are so many variations. Next, carpets of purple spreading hardenbergia, followed by masses of white libertia paniculata, which love one of the shady sides of the valley as do the little caldenia finger orchids, some pink and some white. The helmet orchids, corybas, seem to have disappeared for now.

Then come the irises, covering the top of our mountain and beginning to flower first on the north side of a slope – they love still sunny spring days! The big dendrobium rock orchids appear on rock edges, quite lovely this year but not as plentiful as last and a very short flowering time. 

Patersonia sericea, wild iris. Photo:AP

Pale pink boronia floribunda bushes light up  the cliff edge seen in the distance  – later than the striking Sydney baronia we see on the cliffs on the drive to Sydney, 'ours' are small and bushy and very fragrant. In the foreground is a pultanea, 'eggs and bacon'. The whole upper parts of the property are densely populated this year along with a pure yellow variety I haven't named yet. (!!)

We're excited to see orchids including diuris donkey orchids (love the ears) and tiger or hornet orchids, diuris sulphurea. 

Diuris, donkey orchid. Photo: AP

A year or so ago I noticed a spreading network of leaves on a large boulder on our road in, so this year I loved finding out that it is a tongue orchid, named for its leaf shape. It is tiny, but has masses of flowers.

Dockrillia lunguiformis, tongue orchid.

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To be continued!