Wattle

I like the changes of seasons. Autumn and Spring in Melbourne are always unpredictable. Sunny days, cold mornings, rain, and all in one day. The purpose of Autumn is to remind us all Winter is coming and we should all be wearing handknit woollies.

In my garden Winter is heralded by the arrival of Wattle. I have all sorts of varieties in my garden, which mean that they start in Autumn and there is usually a last hurrah in Spring.

The Flinders Ranges wattle, shown here, is always the first. I suspect it thinks anything under 30C is winter, so that at the first sign it starts preparing. So here we are in April and it's blossoming. This plant and the other early bloomer, not quite yet, but the buds are there, is the Cootamundra Wattle. These two were given to us as a wedding present. They are starting to look a bit tired now, but still worth having.

One of the things about wattle is that they're not supposed to last very long. But these two are 16 years old, so I think are well worth the effort. Especially as they accompany us through the knitting season. (That is for those who stop knitting in warm weather!)

Bright colours for winter. Hope they inspire.