In the churchyard was a large tree with spectacular flame-coloured blooms. Have no idea what this is, but it certainly made a dreary Sunday morning very bright indeed.

Let’s delve a bit deeper into BB’s garden, shall we? Apart from a variety of grevilleas, there are the usual suspects: bottle brush, a rather cute green kangaroo paw with a golden stimen. Not sure what the purple flowering bush is but the flowers are pretty with its white border.

But the crowning glory of the garden at the moment is rose and blue bromeliad. Spectacular, isn’t it?

I’m continuing the Summer Blooms theme with a look around BB’s garden at Umina Beach, on the NSW Central Coast. BB has only lived at Umina for two years, but in that time he’s transformed the garden with a combination of natives, tropical blooms, and even a vegetable and herb garden.

He’s a big fan of the grevillea, since they are easy to grow and are hardy. They also come in many shapes and colours, as can be seen from these specimens in the garden.