Look what's flowering in my garden—the swamp lily (Crinum pedunculatum). The inflorescence on this plant contains about 30 buds, which will open in succession over the next couple of weeks. The swamp lily is found naturally along the warmer parts of the east coast as far south as Wollongong or thereabouts. (Warmer being a subjective term, you understand.) It was among those species painted by First Fleet midshipman and artist George Raper.
Despite the common name, it is resistant to drought. My plant only gets watered when the temperature reaches 30C. For the rest of the time it fends for itself. That could explain why it was a slow starter but it's now doing very well.
