My Bright Field

I thought I would end the Autumn series by taking you on a tour of the windows at the back of Burnbrae to give you an idea of why this season is so special at this home.

I am currently sitting in the lounge room by a log fire while watching the play of the evening light on the maple leaves through this southern window ... bliss.

Garden number 3 is our bush block at Clandulla, a quick drive from Kandos. Autumn in the Australian bush is much more subtle as all but a small number of our native trees are evergreen.  Here at Whistlers Rest a sign of autumn is this native shrub flowering - I haven't found it's name yet.


And in the garden and the forests the gum trees shed their bark.


These are archive photos (hence the rain of which we have seen little for a couple of years).  I have been too busy cleaning up the block to run around with a camera.  We have mowed for the first time in two years but there has not been much grass to worry about.  Many of the understory shrubs have died and there are fallen branches and bark all over the place - a fire hazard that I cannot continue to ignore so we have been making the most of the lovely autumn weather for a working bee.

We have had a few light frosts but I am expecting heavy frost any day now.  For the last two years the tree dahlia has flowered and within a week there has been heavy frost that turned the whole plant black.  I will enjoy it while it lasts.

The bulbs of the moment are nerines - in white and pink.


The gazanias have been flowering all summer and are still holding strong as are the marigolds.


Down in the meadow the Californian poppy is looking pretty.


And there are still enough roses to fill my vases.

Now for our second garden.  Autumn at Rose Orchard Haus (our Kandos garden) doesn't put on a grand display but there are pockets of beauty. The little walnut is looking pretty and the citrus is beginning to ripen.


The big walnut seems to just drop its leaves.  But there are other spots of pretty colour.  Like the Apricot's golden shower.


These bronze leaves on the plum.


And these yellowish fronds - I don't know the name of this plant.

Here are the big Japanese Maples as of today.  It's pretty but there has not been enough cold weather for this year for Burnbrae garden to be its spectacular best. 

Check out these years 2014, 2009 and 2009 (front).

One of the special Autumn delights at Burnbrae is the flowering of the Queensland Firewheel tree - I am fascinated by this odd flower.


Every year I have lived here I have looked over the fence at the neighbour's mature camellias and envied the beautiful carpet of petals below.  This year I have a little flower carpet of my own.


And for the not so nice.  The pine trees at the front dump and enormous load of small pollen filled cones at this time of year.  The verandah, paths and our cars are smothered in yellow.