I have removed the mixed Pick of Pix and replaced it with all florals on this page, as all photographs whether they be great or indifferent, (from updates), will be moved to their respective categories.   The photographs on this page are my own and they will be added to periodically.     We have been given a large number of plants, bulbs and cuttings over the years but I'm sorry to say I don't know many (if any) of the variety or botanical names.      I thank my tiny and very easily handled digital camera for the quality of these photographs.  Click on each for a full view of the photo in a new browser window.   Enjoy - Annie.        ~~  Mother Nature ~~   As most of you would know, Australia is in the grip of one of the worst droughts in it's history.   It has lasted almost 13 years now, with not much of end in sight to it all.    Victoria along with several other States have been the worst hit by this natural calamity, and at present Victorian catchment areas hold a little over 30% of water remaining for personal and commercial use in and around Melbourne, it's suburbs and closer rural areas.  Many country towns are just about out of water, as they rely largely upon dams, tank water and upon creeks and rivers that are drying up fast. People in the Melbourne suburbs are trying to save now by installing tanks).     New and urgent infrastructure is being put in place - Western Australia already has a desalination plant, and Victoria is racing the clock to provide one.   It will be based off shore and on shore near Wonthaggi, in the south Gippsland district.     However - - - Mother Nature being what she is, and so unpredictable, has provided to the suburban and hills gardens, exactly the right amount of rainfall and sunshine, cool nights and warm days to produce the most plentiful and beautiful of gardens we have had in a long time.  Ironic isn't it.    In our own garden, we have had double bloomings of blossoms on a variety of trees and shrubs.   During the winter, our camellia had two bloomings also.   Very strange behaviour from the plants.   Apart from that, everything is growing splendidly in leaps and bounds, and if the garden does need a little extra water, we bucket it from storage containers to the plants involved.    Below is a photograph of the prolific growth on one of our rhododendrons this year.   And below that again, is another photograph of the best growth in years, in our east side garden.  Click on the photographs below for a better look at them.   They will open in a new browser window at their actual size.   A decorative tree on the east side of our home -   this year it bore fruit for the first time.   I would not imagine they would be edible, and I am not about to find out !! I have no idea what this lovely fragile plant is called.  It hangs over the next door neighbours front fence.   Prior to going into some form of seed stage (I think), it bears small soft lilac flowers.     Anyone know what it might be - please ???     Above - two new flowers  from our garden. A lovely deep red and delightfully scented rose, and a new lillium.   Again, I don't know the given names of these plants (might try saving the little tags that are attached at the time of purchase - - - mightn't I - lol)   Click on them for a better view in a new browser window.    Azalea in first bloom 2006 Camellia in front garden - note the date. This is (normally) a winter flowering shrub, but went on to have a further blooming in November even after this photo was taken.   I think it might have stopped now !!!   How to grow good lemons !!   Easy - just get a day of howling wind, an unstable 80 foot tree, have it rock a little and then come crashing down across 3 properties.   In it's path there has to be a lemon tree - mangled and squashed leaving a couple of large branches and not much else.   This actually happened, and our tree grew again (much to our surprise). We've never had better or more plentiful lemons.    Jasmine growing through a tree just over the fence (which  has been eaten by possums along the top !) A Prommise for Summer   ******   And here it is : The above glorious flowers are called Lysianthus.   They are so much like roses to look at, although their leaves are nothing like a rose leaf - rather they are flat, long and almost velvet to the touch.   These were given to me by my daughter Louise. They are an exquisite flower - difficult to grow I have been told, but last a long time as a cut flower.     Paper Rose - 2005     Just a Pink Rose - BUT   I think it's probably the best floral photograph I have ever had the good fortune to take and have it come out so well.      Last year's Cherry Blossoms - a close up photograph that came out well.   Rhododendron -  below are two blooms at their best.     One of a dozen or so 'mystery' bulbs given to us last year.   This turned out to be a tulip, fringed or fluted I think they are called. We couldn't wait for them all to come out. !!