Ewen's garden

Fleeting Blue Beauties

2007-12-27T08:30:00.000+13:00

As the Christmas lilies, Lilium longiflorum, fade, so to does this year draw to a close. This is not to say there are no scene stealers in the garden at the moment. The one to catch the eye at present is one I have written about before, but this season it is putting on a great display. The plant in question is Neomarica caerulea, an iris like plant with metre high sword like leaves and sky blue flowers. It is one of fifteen different species and comes from Brazil. The blue flowers, which the camera doesn’t do justice to, are centred with russet and cream tiger stripes and last only a day. Set up the garden steps, as mine is, it appears as if a flight of exotic blue butterflies are hovering, a fleeting but brilliant display, gone by day’s end. These flushes of blooms happen about every couple of days and it continues in this manner for most of the summer. The plant I have was given to me by a friend from Rocky Bay and has established itself happily in my garden on its rhizomatous roots. I pay it no special attention to it and it has slowly grown into a clump no more than 50cm at t he base, these are my kind of plants, the ones to delight with little effort on my part! Certainly my mother visiting for Christmas is envious. I may have to take a small piece off for her to take back to Masterton, but whether it will survive the rigours of a cold winter I don’t know. Although one of my books states they are cold hardy here, but ‘stove’ plants in Europe. (Stove meaning glasshouse) The book also states they are best increased by seed not division, it just goes to show it is worth trying anything to achieve such a wonderful display.

Elsewhere in the garden general maintenance has proceeded, weeds pulled, bamboo chopped and plants rediscovered. I always surprised at the tenacity of plants to survive, just waiting patiently for their owner to cast a little care their way, the rewards are certainly worth it. For example, Mum has just returned from a trek to the top of the garden, to pick some flowers and upon her return discovered a tweedia, Tweedia caerulea, another small plant with star shaped sky blue flowers. I a m sure it was well relieved when she cut away some of the over zealous sencio which was leaning all over it. I did know it was there, just I have been a little busy, like many of us at this time of year, to really look after it. I am sure now it will carry on with a thankful heart.

Well that about sews it up for this year, I hope everyone has a pleasant and happy New Year.

Propagating a Kiwi Christmas

2007-12-17T08:35:00.000+13:00

While relaxing on the deck during the weekend, my partner was moved to comment on the growth of the yucca Yucca elephantipes, sending up new branches from its severed top. This plant is one I propagated from an earlier specimen which had fallen and smashed its pot. The stump is planted out in the ground, the middle section is now in the pot on the deck and the growing tip has also been planted out in the garden, three new plants from the one. My first yucca was given as a branch for our house warming some seven odd years ago and placed in a pot, now we have five plants from this original branch. When I doing my apprenticeship we used to propagate yucca by cutting up the trunk into short sections, these were then split lengthwise and placed in sand, cut side down. These block cuttings sere placed in a warm glass house with bottom heat and soon enough buds would shoot away, and we would have a whole lot more new plants. This is vegetative reproduction, cloning, all the offspring being identical to the parent plant. The yucca plant is native to Mexico and is aptly suited to the conditions we have here on the Island being well able to handle the dry of our summers. The foliage is bright green and leathery making it wind tolerant but lush looking at the same time. Once the top has been severed new branches appear, and it grows on into a small tree somewhat like the cabbage tree only with more stiff leaves. I envisage propagating enough to make a small line of them towards the bottom of our driveway above which are a selection of aloe and agave. All these plants share the similar rosette form of foliage, but with different growth habits grown in close proximity to one another should make an interesting sight.
Being the festive season naturally I have some Christmas lilies Lilium longiflorum in flower at the moment. These bulbs form quite long stems and have clusters of almost pure white trumpets with a good scent. They make excellent cut flowers and are sold quite commonly at this time of year. Another lily in flower at this time of year also sometimes called the Christmas lily is Lilium regale. This lily also has white trumpets, but the throat is flush gold and the back of the petals has a reddish tinge to it. Both these bulbs are easy to grow in full sun and with plenty of water in well drained soil.
The flowers I am enjoying at the moment and the tuis are the tall flower spikes of the flax, Phormium tenax. I have cut down a number of these to make a kiwi Christmas tree. The black stems and seed pods amongst the dark red flowers look great. My European partner wants kiwi icons for Christmas, not tinsel and snow! Merry Christmas!

An exotic subtropical beauty producing pendulous racemes of flowers

2007-12-03T08:37:00.000+13:00

After a scorching week in the Wairarapa, followed by another with a shallow promise of rain by Friday, I took to my hose. My primary targets were recently planted specimens, mostly climbers.
Of these two were thunbergias, Thunbergia mysorensis, and T. grandiflora ‘Alba’. The genus of thunbergia is quite large containing some 100 species and named for Dr. Karl Pehr Thunberg, 1743 -1822. He was a traveller in Batavia and Japan, afterwards Professor of Botany at Uppsala Sweden; so my ‘Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening, 1956 edition tells me. Would that I could afford the latest edition, not republished until the early 1990s, but mine is still a very dependable dictionary in four volumes. Back to the thunbergias, There is a species lending itself to my garden almost in the manner of a weed, black-eyed Susan, T. alata. The flower is easily recognised by the bright orange petals centred with a black spot hence the common name. I don’t mind it spreading itself around the largely as yet uncultivated parts of the garden, I have shrubs growing which will eventually block the sun from these sun loving vines and stifle it.
The first of the thungbergia I was out to water was T. mysorensis, a rather exotic subtropical beauty producing pendulous racemes of flowers. The flower emerges from russet sepals to expose horizontally held petals of yellow splashed with red. Strangely they remind me of a group of singers with their mouth agape in full chorus! This vine has been planted to climb amongst the branches of the pride of Bolivia tree, Tipuana tipu, from where the blooms will eventually dangle from above over t he path beneath.
The other Thunbergia, T. grandiflora ‘Alba’ I have only seen in photos from books on tropical gardens. Despite this I have planted one in the garden. The flowers are white, quite large and hang in racemes much as the T. mysorensis. The flowers are very similar to the Bengal clock vine T. grandiflora of which I have one slowly establishing itself over the water tank. My T. g. ‘Alba’ I anticipate launching itself into the limbs of the black wattle form where it can hang its blooms for visitors to see as they approach the house.
The other vine I watered was the bridal wreath vine, Stenphenotis floribunda. The clusters of highly scented white flowers on this twiner are prized in the floristry, mostly as the common name suggests for the wedding industry. I have seen once a specimen on the hand rail of a deck in Rocky Bay flowering prolifically. Mine will hopefully one day put itself amongst the karo, Pittosporum crassifolium. Adjacent to this I have a small bench, the perfect spot to enjoy the perfume from these small star shaped clusters.
Planting climbers I believe adds and an extra dimension to a garden, providing interest and an encouragement to lift ones gaze from one's feet.

Preparing for the dry season

2007-11-18T08:41:00.000+13:00

Another successful Garden Safari is over and all those who worked hard to have everything ready in time can now to take a well earned break from it all and just enjoy. I had t he benefit of an early Christmas present this weekend, it was a new hammock! So it is a pleasure to put my own feet up and take in the view of the garden from a different angle! I think it is important to have different vantage points from which to enjoy your garden. I have seats all over the garden, not expensive ones, mostly just a plank of wood sitting on a couple of concrete bricks. These seats work perfectly well to pop the beer down on while pulling a few weeds or for taking a wee break! It is the time of year though when the weeds are all rushing ahead and need to be kept in their place, so not too much time to pause.

Now would be a good time to be getting a good layer of mulch on the garden. Pea straw is excellent if you can get hold of some. Otherwise sea grass blown onto the westerly beaches after a blow is also good, especially after it has rained; this washes the salt out of it. Salt is not good for the soil and your plants will not appreciate it. Now would also be a good time to be putting a little bit of fertiliser about the trees and shrubs. This is best done around the drip line, where the feeding roots are to be found.

While in the vegetable garden and owing to the fact that I had just had minor surgery, I took the opportunity to instruct Hans on some elementary gardening skills. Firstly the tomatoes need to be pruned and staked. Tomatoes are generally pruned to remove any laterals emerging from the base of the leaves on the main stem. His concentrates the plants energy on the flower trusses that have already formed. Also the plant is much more easily tied to a stake if it has been pruned in such a manner. The other reason is if the laterals grow, the whole plant becomes ungainly and liable to break in the wind, further the energy of the plant is also dispersed across too much vegetable matter. I am delighted to see the first flower trusses emerging on our wee tomato plants, can¢t wait for the first harvest. These vegetables will be requiring some amount of water now to maintain their growth. Time to check the level of water in the tank, I was alarmed to see how much water we have been through recently. It doesn't take much of a dry spell to get through the supply. So we will be full on into using our water wisely from now this summer.

Finally one of the pleasures of our garden is to be able to pick strawberries, how ever our crop is under attack from slaters or wood lice. I am at a complete loss as to how to combat them, they appear to be living in the top layer of mulch and under the leaves. Such a shame to see nice fat berries only to find several slaters beneath have eaten most of the delicacy themselves. Any help on this would be most appreciated.

One for the birds

2007-11-04T08:45:00.000+13:00

On the weekend we had the sad task of burying our cat. I chose a place where there was nothing in particular growing and planted a kowhai tree. At the base some catnip Nepeta faasenii, a plant addictive to cats, so much so that ours would literally eat the leaves, rolling around with eyes partly closed obviously in some state of bliss! The Kowhai tree will hopefully attract the nectar feeding tuis in the spring and provide some shade in this otherwise rather hot part of the garden.

Whilst thinking about plants that provide a source of food for nectar feeders I thought I would mention a few. Another native with ample nectar is the flax, Phormium tenax, this is just now sending up large flower spikes and will be flowering next month. At the base of each flower is a nectary full of the sweet stuff the tuis love, and bell birds if there were any on the Island. Many of the Australian plants are favourites of the tui, including many of the Banksia sp., the waratah, Telpea speciosissima. These shrubs produce red flowers some what like the Leucospermum of South Africa, both of the same family. The bottle brushes too produce food for these birds, including the little wax eyes. Another tree to provide food and a singing post is the flame tree, Erythrina sp. This is a large tree and partly deciduous, shedding its leaves before the flowers appear in the spring. I would not recommend this tree for a small garden as it grows very large and its branches are brittle and are prone to coming down in a blow. It does take readily from cuttings which in fact will often grow where they fall, forming thickets of the tree.

Other birds such as pigeons prefer the berries of trees and shrubs, such as the karaka, corynocarpus laevigatus, whose orangey yellow fruits are poisonous to us unless treated as the Maori did, but palatable to the birds. Another couple of forest trees are the puriri Vitex lucens and the tarairi Beilschmiedia tariri. Firstly the puriri has small red berries often occurring at the same time as the clusters of wine red flowers, while the tariri has purple blue oval shaped fruit up to about two centimetres long. The pigeons love this fruit and swallow them whole. At our previous house the pigeons sitting in the trees adjacent to the house would, after having feasted on the tariri then purge the stones the ones landing on the roof sounding like gun shots! Once through the digestive tract of the pigeons, they emerge with a substance some what like jelly surrounding them and it would seem this assists in the germination of the seeds. Certainly the pigeons are an important dispersal mechanism for many of the large forest trees. The pigeons will even be tempted into eating the small orange berries on the common karamu, Coprosma robusta, I have witnessed the clumsy antics of a pigeon hanging upside down on a flimsy arching branch, scoffing the small fruit.

Here I have only touched on a few plants that will encourage birds into the garden at the same time as being usually pleasant to have amongst us. For more information I am sure there are books on the subject and a visit to the library may be rewarding in this regard.

All in a name

2007-10-21T08:48:00.000+13:00

Despite the equinoctial gales howling around us all weekend I did manage to get into the vegetable garden and plant my tomatoes and other spring vegetables. I am a wee bit later this season, but better later than never is my philosophy. Next task will be to get hold of some good mulch to help keep in the moisture as the dry winds whip across the island. I will water the plants while they are young, but am loathe to use too much water as summer draws on. The other benefit of a mulch is as it decays it adds much needed organic matter to the soil.
Now inside I have turned my attention to the correct name of a palm I have in my garden. I was sold it as Dypsis baronii, a clumping palm, that is to say it has multiple trunks much the same as the golden cane palm, Chrysalidocarpus lutescens. Both these palms originate in Madagascar but the latter requires a true tropical climate, where as D. baronii will tolerate the cooler climate we have here. The golden cane palm is much used in the tropics for landscaping, particularly planted as a hedge. I have D. baronii growing beneath an Illawara flame tree, Brachychiton acerifolius, where it is thriving with no attention from me. The arching fronds create a wonderful backdrop to the water feature in the foreground. At this stage my tree is only about 2.5 metres in five years, and as yet I am unsure as to how large it will eventually grow (one reference stated 6m). I am happy for it to push up into the limbs of the Brachychiton above it and as it also produces new stems from the base it should be no problem. I did have a problem with it though and this was its correct spelling. I had seen written in some publications as Neodypsis baronii, dilemma, which was the more recent nomenclature? With all my books across the study floor I was still at a loss, I always said you can never have too many reference books, apparently I still don’t have enough! So I turned to the internet, and typed in Neodypsis baronii, the first listing was from the US Department of Agriculture. Here I discovered Neodypsis was indeed the correct nomenclature, Dypsis, the synonym. Also the date the name was verified, 12 Nov. 1996, last updated,11 Feb. 2007! Excellent, now I know, not that it may mean much to others, but if I am looking for information about the cultivation of a plant, knowing the exact name is important. Unfortunately this site had no pictures of the palm, however another search of Dypsis took me to the site of the Palm and Cycad Societies of Australia, where there were a couple of pictures, verifying I was indeed looking at the correct palm. It would appear they were still using the synonym though. Confused, I hope not, my point is the internet can be a quick and perhaps tidier way to find information than pulling all your books off the shelves! Another good resource is the city library, the Island branch has many good books on gardening, design and reference books.

Harbinger of Spring

2007-10-07T09:02:00.000+13:00

A couple of weeks ago, I was happy to hear one of the harbingers of spring, the whistle of the shining cuckoo. I seemed to me this migratory bird with a metallic green back and stripy breast was here early, after over wintering in the Solomon Islands and the Bismark Archipelago. Certainly the weather last week was very spring like with torrential rain, thunder, lightning and worst of all hail. At the vineyard, many of the new shoots bore the scars of this rather brief onslaught. It is unfortunate this sort of thing is largely unavoidable, but shelter from the wind is something we can achieve. Many properties on the Island are in very expose sites with not much soil to speak of. In these cases I think it is best to emulate nature and follow her example. Along the coast, above the high water line, amongst the cracks in the rocks are the hardiest of plants, tolerating wind salt and thin soil in the cracks. In this list of plants I would include pohuehue, Muelenbeckia complexa, a wiry semi climbing plant, rengarenga lily or rock lily, Arthropodium cerratum and many native grasses. These plants act as the first line of defence against the elements, followed closely by New Zealand flax, Phormium tenax and P. cookianum, toetoe Cortaderia sp. In the lee of these plants could then be grown hardy shrubs and small trees. The idea is to lift the wind in a graduated manner allowing for each line of defence to shelter the next, until you have a place largely protected from the worst of the weather. Admittedly if you want a view as well then you may have to sacrifice the shelter. In my opinion the view can be best appreciated of it is ‘framed’ by some planting, allowing for a certain amount of protection from the equinoctial gales.

Certainly if vegetables are to be grown, protection from the wind is a help. Plants will benefit from not being so exposed, coming into growth sooner in the season and producing better crops. Other than this it is much more pleasant to be able to use the outside at this time of year, when are unfamiliar with sunny days. Hopefully too, birds will be attracted to a more sheltered environment and perhaps the shining cuckoo may visit seeking out the nest of the poor wee grey warbler in whose nest it lays its own egg. What a valiant surrogate mother the warbler makes, raising this impostor’s chick. The shining cuckoo is about the size of a thrush but is more often heard than seen. To me a sure sign of spring as the cicadas are the sound of summer when they begin to emerge later this month.

Journey Through Landscape

2007-09-24T14:07:00.000+12:00

Saturday September 15 found me lying on Palm Beach enjoying the first rays of spring, the following day I was off with a friend driving in sheets of rain through the lush North Waikato on our way to Taupo. The following day, Monday it was up to Mt. Ruapehu and a fabulous days skiing! By now you will be wondering where I am going with this other than to bring a wee bit of envy, well you’d be partly correct but what there were a number of things that struck me on this trip.

Firstly was a number of incongruities, from beach to mountain top, from subtropical to alpine: bilious clouds of steam erupting from green rolling pasture land and finally the mountain cabbage tree or broad leafed cabbage tree, toii, Cordyline indivisa. This tree grows on the lower slopes of Mt. Ruapehu, on the edge of the sub-alpine beech forest. The leaves are, as the common name suggests broader than the common cabbage tree and the whole looks rather tropical. As the access road to the ski field winds its way up the first cutting, you are faced with nearly a whole hill side of these trees, the snow capped mountain in the distance serving to underline the often incongruous nature of our landscape and possibly our lifestyle. Unfortunately this fine cabbage tree is unlikely to grow in our warm climate. The road nudges further up the hill, sub-alpine forest gives way to, alpine herb fields, masses of low growing plants, tussocks and scree. I always enjoy this journey, not apart from my excitement of getting the old boards back on the feet but these natural rock gardens are an inspiration!

Back down on the more level ground where flax, toe toe, and many forms of whip-chord hebes form vast herb fields up to the feet of the volcanoes. In amongst these larger plants are small flowering plants such as the mountain daisy in many forms, Celmisia sp. These flower generally from November to February but also in their company are small orchids and eyebrights, which make a short stop for a wander through worth while and there are many good walking tracks of varying grades all through the National Park. One thing which does disappoint, is the invasion of the heather, an import from Europe, lending the whole a reddish brown hue. Just an example of the many weeds imported to this country for and by what ever means over the occupation of humans in this land.

This brings me neatly to the book I took with me to read, ‘The Botany of Desire’ ’A Plant’s-eye view of the world’ by Michael Pollan. This book has been sent to me by an American friend living in

Denmark

. We had lively discussions about global warming and such like. This book explores the idea that it is plants which have cleverly exploited the humans developed consciousness to export their genes about the globe. The book takes as examples the apple, the potato, cannabis and the tulip, all of which have been extraordinarily good at spreading their genes to nearly every corner of the planet. In all cases humans have been the vector in their success. As flowers often produce shapes and colours to attract pollinators so have the apple and potato developed qualities we find useful in the way of food. As for the cannabis, it has properties that may alter the human conscience and so has been also spread far and wide. The tulip has piqued the human desire for beauty and so the tulip was catapulted to all parts as well. These are ideas not often explored, I think largely because of our habit of putting humankind above and apart from the natural world, a point many times underlined in organised religion. It occurred to me also, weeds could be considered in the same light. The view of the sub-alpine herb fields would look quite different without the heather. I feel a little sad thinking this will be the inevitable mark of our species on this planet.

Good luck to the Weed Busters out there today attacking the bone seed, seen with its yellow daisy like flowers all over the Island at the moment. The book is well worth the read, thank you Charles!

Hedges (part 2)

2007-09-10T09:04:00.000+12:00

Following on from my last column, I would like to talk about spacing of hedge plants and other cultural requirements. As to spacing, much depends on obviously the size and form of the plants used for the purpose. If, for example, the spread of the shrubs being used is three metres, then I would advise a spacing of 1.5 meters. This allows the plants to grow together and form a thick, compact ‘wall’. It is necessary for the spacing to be less than the over-all spread, to let the plants meet all the way to the top of your hedge and wind up with ‘ups and downs’. Another pointer is to slightly taper the side of the hedge to the top, in this way the bottom won’t be shaded by the upper part. When the lower part becomes shaded, it is likely the bottom will lose its leaves and look a little bare, ‘showing its legs’.

There is a plant which makes a good hedge, not likely to show its legs and is native, it is taupata, Coprosma repens. This plant is widely used in the lower North Island and particularly Wellington and the part of the world I come from Palliser Bay. Here growing right on the shore, it withstands salt laden Southerly gales and droughts of an aridity they would make us feel like we lived in an oasis. The plant in itself has bright green, glossy, oval leaves, so shiny in fact it is sometimes known as the mirror plant. Why it is not more widely grown here, I do not know. Certainly you will find cultivars of this species here, such as: ‘Marble Queen’, ‘Picturata’, ‘Silver Queen’ or ‘Variegata’, but not the common old C. repens.

Other natives to be considered for hedging could include many of the hebe genus. I fancy many could be grown and very rarely trimmed. If like me you are not fastidious about straight lines and tidiness, then a loose ‘humpy bumpy’ form of hedge might well suit. My pittosproum hedge is similar to this, it reminds me of the hills across the valley where I lived when I was young. There is of course no reason why a hedge must be entirely uniform, often in Europe beech hedges are planted of missed varieties, from purple to varying shades of green all in the one hedge. This style is known as a tapestry effect and works provided all are of a similar growth habit, which is of the same from and growth rate.

Another hedge widely grown in the lower North Island is the pohutukawa, Metrosideros exselsa, which, when pruned or trimmed makes a sturdy impenetrable barrier with the added bonus of flowers at Christmas time.

I once had a dream of having a large maze or labyrinth grown from pohutukawa, where there were dead ends, small outdoor rooms, mirrors and finally the goal in the centre. Well this isn’t likely to happen! It was nice thought and hedges are intrinsically linked to the maze but not often seen, ‘tis a pity in my mind, but what a lot of labour I guess! Still a small one is surely not too much, just novel and engaging part of the bigger picture. I think on a smaller scale one day I may have a maze, not exactly made with hedges but rather rocks and other low growing species like Raoulia australis, diminutive ground hugging plant native to river beds and other such dry places. Grown amongst the rocks it would form a small hedge like structure, never needing to be trimmed…..sounds good to me…..

Hedging and other things

2007-08-25T09:08:00.000+12:00

A recent discussion I had with a friend revolved around the topic of hedges, what were good plants for the job and how far apart to plant them. Many people plant hedges not only to mark a boundary but also to provide privacy and shelter. Once you know what will be demanded from your hedge you can begin to narrow down the plant choices available. So many times I have heard, I want something for the boundary that will grow quickly, this is usually in an effort to gain privacy. The one problem I have with this idea is the quicker something grows, more often than not the more maintenance will be required to keep it in proportion, trimming a hedge two to t here times a year amounts to being a pain to me, but maybe not to others! In Europe slow growing species such as box and yew are frequently used for hedging and while they take time to reach maturity they require only an annual trim to keep them looking sharp. A species often used instead of box is Lonciera nitida, a small leafed shrub of the same genus as honeysuckle, but not a climber, makes a swift growing hedge, but will need to be trimmed at least twice per year. It also makes a good topiary specimen, easily being formed into whatever folly takes your fancy. English box and yew are also used often for topiary of various shapes and forms. On the farm Mum had used English box to create a small hedge, up to about 40cm in height, around the driveway, forming a border between the garden and the drive. Her argument was, while creating a neat edge to the drive, it also would disguise any weeds errantly charging ahead in the garden beds beyond! I think it worked well.

Of other European species used as hedges is the beech, Fagus sylvatica, a deciduous tree, that in the wild grows to immense proportions. I did see them in the New Forest in the UK where many had fallen in the ’87 hurricane. When juvenile, these trees maintain their brown leaves through the winter until the new ones push the old ones off in spring. When trimmed as a hedge, the juvenile state is kept and so the hedge through winter will brown and maintains a visual barrier. At the Edinburgh Botanic Gardens, there is fine example of this tree used as a hedge. It is mighty thing, towering some four to five metres high and only bout one and half metres wide! Naturally specialised equipment is required for such a tour de force in hedging! A hedge of this size would make great shelter but there are many other plants probably less needy in the trimming department. On the farm the larger part of our garden was sheltered from the ‘Old Man Southerlies’ by a huge macrocarpa hedge, trimmed only irregularly by mechanical devices attached to a tractor. This hedge though provided a wonderful place to play as children, not only in the spaces beneath the trees but also tumbling along the tops, leaping from tree top to tree top. This hedge though providing shelter did rob the soil in adjacent gardens of not just valuable water but also nutrients, as they are hungry feeders robbing the soil of available food.

Next time I will write more of spacings and native species appropriate to hedging.

Prickly cactus with pink noses

2007-08-11T09:10:00.000+12:00

This last week has seen some warm weather and sunshine, made me imagine it might be nice to be sitting on a beach, letting the warm rays wash across my winter weary body. But naturally work meant this thought stayed firmly planted in the imagination. In the plant kingdom though things are already on the move, large weeping willows, only very recently rid of the last of their leaves, have burst forth their season’s foliage, the same goes for some varieties of grape.

A quick turn about the garden this morning, in a sou’west gale, has hinted winter may not yet be over. To my surprise I noticed a tall prickly cactus, with a strange hirsute appearance, planted earlier in the year from a branch from someone else’s garden, has flower buds all the way up, like small pink noses. I am interested to see what these flowers are like. I have never seen it in bloom, so am pleased and looking forward to finally seeing them. This cactus was left standing in some bark before being planting into a sandy/gritty soil mix. In this way the base of the stem had time to dry and not rot, which may have happened had I planted it immediately into the garden. I recall during my apprenticeship as a gardener, we used to use flowers of sulphur to help prevent the bases of cuttings of succulents from rotting.

Other things I noticed on my tour were my roses, now in need of pruning, not a major job, as I only have two, both ‘Margaret Merrill’. This a beautiful pure white rose with a deep rose scent. It is a hybrid tea rose and as such needs pruning at this time of year. The other rose I have is an old fashioned rose, ‘Tuscany Surprise’, this rose only flowers once in November, with very dark red double blooms also with that wonderful rose scent. This rose is therefore pruned after it has flowered in order to promote new seasons growth, for it is on the wood produced this summer that next spring’s flowers will be borne. I also noticed one of my roses is not in very good condition, having scale insect up its stems, caused by the over rampant heliotrope growing adjacent to it, smothered the lower parts of the rose. I suspect the Argentinean ants will have helped to make things worse. These little, over zealous beasts, spread the insects from plant to plant. They are farmers, manipulating the insects to encourage them to produce honey dew which they collect and take back to their nest. The ants will farm most sap sucking insects, (sap sucking really is a misnomer, as the insects really just plug into the sap and the natural force of the plant sap pushes more sap than the insect needs into them, the excess passes through them to emerge as honey dew) including aphids. So be ware the trail of ants marching up and down the stems and trunks of your plants, they are more than likely to be off to harvest their honey dew bounty. I use and insecticide and oil spray, not something a like to do, but at least I have an organic spray which seems to work. Another sign of the insects being about is black sooty mould, a black powdery coating on leaves. This is a fungus which grows on honey dew dripped down from the insects above. Generally this will not harm your plants too much; however it will inhibit photosynthesis so is best to be avoided if possible.

So with some outdoor chores still to do and a cold wind blowing, I am blithely sitting inside writing! Just a couple of messages; The Waste Resource Trust, is holding a free workshop on composting at the Morra Hall, Saturday 18 August, 10:30 to 12:30. In the afternoon is a working bee at the Waiheke Primary School gardens, 1:00 to 4:00 to help with compost, digging holes for fruit trees and other jobs.

Rain

2007-07-29T09:13:00.000+12:00

Recently I had a discussion around the use of ‘crystal rain’. This product is often used when putting in new plants. The tiny crystals swell with water and it is this water that becomes available to the plants. For establishing plants in situations where perhaps there will be no one to look after them it is a good idea. I was arguing for the case in my garden where I have never used this product. My reasoning is if the plants need the crystal rain then perhaps they shouldn’t be there. My real point was though, my citrus trees, for example, have had little watering particularly last summer. The summer before I did give them the benefit of the occasional deep watering, last summer they got very little, yet they look better than they ever have. What I think has happened is the small trees have now been forced to put their roots down deeper t than they might otherwise have and so in this way have become more tolerant of drought. Had I used crystal rain with these plants, the roots would not have travelled so far down into the soil in search of moisture. Other shrubs to get the same treatment include hibiscus and gardenia all looking fine now. I have to say though they have taken a while to establish, but once they have I think they will stand a far better chance of survival than if I had fussed over them.

I do have another occasion where it has now occurred to me in which the use of the crystal rain would be handy and this in the bog garden, where in summer the moisture levels are often not enough to sustain the plants which revel with their feet in the wet.

Certainly after Sunday’s downpour wet feet might present a rather different problem for many! Good drainage is important for most plants to grow and do well, Citrus and Hibiscus not least of all. Both require ample water, at least good long deep soaking every now and then while establishing them. But more importantly they need for the excess water to drain away. Growing In a steep slope as I and many of us do, drainage is not such and issue. As I said my citrus are now looking great. They will get a bit of food in about a month when the temperatures have warmed up some. I prefer to wait until the weather is a little warmer as the roots are more likely to take up the minerals they require when the soil temperature is higher.

The other thing the citrus will be benefiting from now is increased light as a friend and I pruned the pride of Bolivia tree, Tipuana tipu. This tree gets an annual prune, on account of the fact that each year it sends of three metre long water shoots. All of these come off and the canopy is kept in check. Not only do the citrus trees benefit from more light but the rest of the garden in the vicinity does as well.

A concept germinates

2007-07-14T09:14:00.000+12:00

On Saturday I attended a meeting of the new group ‘Growing Healthy Communities’. Present at the meeting were about 12 people bringing together a wide range of expertise, knowledge and skills across a range of related areas. The objectives of the group are to enable a healthy active community through the development of individual, school and community gardens, providing a sustainable food source. In achieving this knowledge and skills can be passed on, active exercise, less waste from supermarket packaging, reduced supermarket costs, less reliance on food imported to the country or the island and supporting the idea of families working together.
Other topics covered were the idea of using older people who have knowledge of gardening but not the physical fitness to maintain their gardens. If they could be involved as mentors for younger people and help by passing on their expertise while having their gardens maintained and also providing social interaction for the older people while providing access to existing gardens. Excess produce could be put into a food exchange; a stall of this type is already being run by the people of the community garden at Ostend.

A survey of existing gardens and fruit trees was discussed. This was thought best approached by surveying families via schools. This information could then be used for a larger scale food exchange. So work is going to commence on tree mapping, no small task! As a result some amount of assistance in this will be required.

Another topic discussed included the two primary school’s gardens. Both are establishing vegetable gardens and orchards. To this end a working bee is going to be organised for the Waiheke Primary School.

For further information on meetings and how you may be able to be involved please contact either; Zack McCracken (Health Promotion Co-ordinator) 372 1067 or Denise Rouche 372 2915.

With the storms of last week now passed, many will be assessing the damage and shoring up loosened plants and trees. But for many it is the end of the line, nothing for but the chainsaw! If you are replacing fallen trees or shrubs, it makes good sense to ensure they are well secured. Most important is to keep the root balls from moving in the soil, allowing the roots to take hold and establish themselves. If using bamboo stakes with small ties it is important to keep an eye on these ties as over time they may come to rub or constrict the growth of the trunk or stem.

The other thing about the storm I felt was the poignant reminder to us all that we are prone to the ravages of nature and we would be prudent to review our emergency supplies. I was surprised to hear the number of people who were totally without water on account of the fact they had no gravity fed tap. Our household has the benefit of gas for cooking and of course a small vegetable garden. Nothing beats fresh greens for dinner by candle light! It may not be a storm next time, imagine a great earthquake knocking out the power supply from the South Island, that would no doubt see us having to live for much longer periods without power or other necessities, but at least with our own fruit and vegetables we won’t be too bad off.

Winter gardening

2007-07-01T09:16:00.000+12:00

Winter can be a frustrating time, not being able to get out into the garden as much as we would like, but it is a good time to reassess what is successful in the garden, just as it is important in the height of summer. Take a look at where the sun is during the day; are there any places where the sun really doesn’t strike? I have such a spot at the back of the house, while during the summer it gets plenty of sun, during the winter it is largely shaded by the house. As a result I have aimed for plants that will not suffer during the winter for lack of sun. Surprisingly, this is where my roses do the best, as they are supposed to be dormant during the winter I figure lack of sun should encourage their dormancy. I think I have partial success but the ‘Margaret Merrill’ rose has three blooms on it at the moment, these will soon be gone and the shrub will get its annual prune. Accompanying the roses are plants with largely purple mauve to red flowers. In the centre is a salvia with enormous silvery grey woolly leaves, it hasn’t flowered yet, but I am hopeful it will this season. Never mind, I enjoy the foliage even if it never flowers.

As I have also said before, now is a god time to get on with planting. With a rainy weekend like we just had, it is perfect for sorting out exactly what you want to go where. Take time to do a bit of study, look at what is doing well in your area, look through garden books for ideas, the library has plenty. If you are new to the Island, ask people who have been here for some time, there is no point in persisting to grow gentians if you have to go out and put ice around them in the hot weather. I have seen gentians, a beautiful European alpine plant, growing in the Edinburgh Botanical Gardens. There they were like sheets of the blue sky thrown down on the ground, a truly remarkable sight, but one to cherish in the memory. The same goes for fruit and vegetables, the best brussel sprouts come from the South Island, where they get good chilling. Same goes for fruit, we should be glad we can grow bananas and other subtropical fruits. Having said that, my self sown peach, I presume it is ‘Golden Queen’ is doing fine, the fruit isn’t as succulent as it might be on account of the fact I don’t afford it any water during the summer, but they are great cooked.

The peach, like t he rose will be for the pruning shears this month, mostly just to shape and train the tree and encourage as much new growth as possible as this will be the source of next years fruit. Some of the other trees getting a bit of a trim are the Illawara flame tree, and the Pride of Bolivia. The latter I have started, but it is a major job and has to be done piece meal. I have started and hopefully the citrus trees at the back are now getting a bit of winter sun! This tree without pruning grows to quite large proportions, sending out long water shoots in the early summer. It is these I prune off each winter, a bit in the fashion of pollarded street trees, so commonly seen in Europe.

I now going to go and get warm and if next weekend is sunny plan for at least one day in the garden!

Winter arrives

2007-06-16T09:18:00.000+12:00

On arrival back from overseas, I was not surprisingly faced with a large jungle of weeds. My first imperative has been to uncover plants lost in the rampaging advance of weeds. Having done this I am pleased most things have survived, and with renewed enthusiasm, have started planting some things that have been waiting until autumn to get in the ground. I was very surprised at how dry the ground is, why I was surprised I’m not sure given we have just had the driest May on record! Still the ground is relatively warm still and the hibiscus and others I planted should do well. I have also transplanted some things, firstly a couple of gardenias. They growing in a spot that has now become overshadowed by a large brugmansia, they now inhabit a bed adjacent to a path in which I have for a long time now wondered what to plant. It is great how good a wee rest in the sun on a bench in the garden is for coming up with new ideas! Other plants shifted included a couple of cymbidium orchids, again struggling in an inappropriate place. It is a good time of year to be considering shifting plants, as the soil is still relatively warm and they should suffer less shock.

Three new tropical cordylines with red pink and lime green striped leaves have been planted together with the canna lily ‘Tropicana’, with its similarly coloured leaves, so as they can catch the late afternoon sun through their foliage. Planted as they are now, they announce the warmer more open part of this garden, as the path emerges from the shadowy undergrowth of bananas, brugmansia and gingers.

Further up in the garden, salad vegetables planted before we left on our trip, are now supplying the kitchen with greens, and soon the brassicas including, cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower will also be providing us with vegetables. Spinach has already been used in a mushroom, spinach and cheese pasta dish. I like the idea of picking my own greens, fresh and I know they are pure and organic and so much nicer than shop bought food.

Other tasks ahead include giving the pride of Bolivia tree, Tipuana tipu a trim, cutting back the long growths put on during the summer, up to two metres in length. This will let the thin winter sun into the terrace with the citrus trees. These trees, or should I say shrubs as they are certainly not trees, have endured being shifted as well. They are now finally happy in their new location after some two years. I have been rather hard on them, only giving them some water when absolutely necessary during the summer and some mulch in the spring along with a little fertiliser. Despite this harsh treatment they are now looking very well and will certainly appreciate having a little more sunlight in winter. The pruning of this tree is not something I relish as it requires me to climb out on the limbs with pruning saw and loppers. Going out on a limb is not my favourite hobby but neither is weeding! Still once done I can reap the rewards of lemons, limes, grapefruit and Kaffir limes, well worth it I think.

All this and the weeding is still not complete, but there is always something still to do in the garden.

Letter from Scotland

2007-05-18T14:06:00.000+12:00

It seems a very long time since I last wrote, so many things to see and think about. On leaving Denmark and the cold northwest winds we spent one night in London and headed for the West Highlands in Scotland. This is nearly all my ancestors come from after the highland clearances made way for sheep (a little ironic, as in New Zealand my forebears made their living running sheep!) The West Highlands and in particular Morvern, was where we headed. It is a hard but beautiful land of steep mountains and deep lochs. Looking at the landscape today it seems improbable so many people could have survived here, but survive they did and happily so. Saying this though, there was naturally a lessened life expectancy then. The hills have suffered over the years through over grazing and lack of good land husbandry, in consequence much of the land is no longer productive good only for heather and forestry.
We stayed in a small village called Lochaline, on the edge of the Sound of Mull. There is a ferry from here to the Island of Mull, taking both foot passengers and cars. Everywhere here in the last remnants of forest were swathes of blue bells and wild garlic (with white flowers). One afternoon we took one of the narrow roads, not wide enough for two cars, on the infrequent times a car approaches from the opposite direction it is necessary to duck into one of the passing bays, a hair-raising experience at times! We were heading down one such road for Rahoy, passed a couple of lochs. The only thing of interest was a stroll up into the hills to visit a deserted settlement of Inniemore, the inhabitants evicted at only a moments notice one morning, to make way for the sheep. This place has laid forgotten, the Forestry commission planting a forest here in the 1930s. All that remains now are a few walls and the outlines of the dwellings of a township that housed some fifteen families of Camerons. A brutal end to an existence carried on for generations without any trouble.
To bring my story back to a more horticultural line of thought, along the path to this village were small clumps of violets and yellow primulas flowering, amongst the blue bells. Along the edge of this stony path were silver birches, beech and oaks, all flush with their first new spring leaves. Many of trees, rocks and ground were smothered in a verdant cloak of moss, creating an almost mystical effect, what nature does with ease we can only attempt a poor imitation.
Of the forestry trees they largely consisted of imported varieties such as Norwegian spruce and douglas fir. The forests planted in the thirties only just now being harvested. It seems strange to think this wee settlement was only just rediscovered after the felling of the forest, how quick we forget!
There is not much to say of the gardens of the everyday people here, except their small patches were sprinkled with a few tulips, ericas, conifers and the like. I did not travel north to Inverewe in Western Ross, where the Gulf Stream sweeps in providing a micro-climate where many New Zealand natives flourish. Another time eh?
Back down in London, the roses are all bursting into flower, and shortly, in fact, by the time you read this I will be back on Waiheke Island, another adventure at an end.
I wonder how big my weeds will be? Perish the thought!

European Spring

2007-05-06T14:05:00.000+12:00

Last time I wrote we were in Hong Kong, from here we traveled to Belgium and to Mesen/Messines in the south of Belgium for ANZAC Day Commemorations. Here I was surprised to find the fields were not a mass of red poppies. There were one or two flowering along the waste land of the railway, but not at large in the fields. Thinking about this later I realised these plants prefer the infertile gritty soil of waysides. During World War One, the fields were laid waste, as were many of the towns, the perfect environment for the poppy. Today the land is agricultural and well nourished and so the poppies are not so commonly seen.
The rest of our stay in Belgium was in the city of Antwerp and spring was early, the hottest and driest on record, so dry in fact they recorded no rain for the whole month of April. In light of this, many of the bulbs had already finished their flamboyant spring show. The leaves on the trees were nearly all out and the frequent horse chestnuts were a mass of flowers, originally an import from the East coast of the US. Everywhere were hedges of beech with their flush of bright green new leaves evident. Many of the street trees are pleached or pollarded into towering mature hedges of trees. What appears to be a new fad in the suburban garden is the establishment of espaliers of deciduous trees. These were on trunks up to a height of about 2m with a further 1.5m or so, creating a screen around the boundaries of properties. Losing their leaves in winter then allows the light in winter to penetrate into to the garden, while still giving a sense of enclosure.
While in Antwerp we visited the botanical gardens, a small area of about one acre. Here the tulips were still in bloom, the perennials only just making headway. Unfortunately the glasshouses were closed the day we visited, being May May, a public holiday.
From Antwerp we hopped across the Channel to London to stay one night with friends, their flat over looking Clapham Common. This is a large park in South London, consisting of tree lined walks around large open grass fields.
Next day we flew to Billund, Denmark to visit yet more friends. The weekend found us in Copenhagen for the night, Denmark is not a large country and driving from one side to the other does not take long. The journey took us through a largely flat landscape of green, unfenced crops of barley, interrupted by the occasional copse of trees and eye piercing, sulphur yellow fields of rape seed. This crop is used to make a vegetable oil for cooking and margarine. All through, tall wind turbines slowly turn, generating electricity, even in the gentlest of breezes. Copenhagen is not a city with tree lined avenues, rather a few fine parks, well populated by the residents enjoying the spring sun. The spring here is a little behind London and Belgium and tulips were still flashing their bright colours about. Particularly interesting here was a wonder about the enclave of Christiania, an ex-military ramparts, probably of 17th century construction. After being abandoned by the military, hippies moved in and squatted in the buildings. Here is group of creative, alternative people living in the middle of a modern city. Nearly all the properties had small gardens, in front of what might be called bohemian homes, some of these not constructed along conventional lines.
Returning Give, the small town near Billund where our hosts live, the road is planted with trees, many lilacs, forsythia, and hawthorns. A very pleasant trip, with not a cloud in the sky until we got back when the clouds rolled in and the first rain for our trip began to fall. Mustn’t grumble, the poor farmers and gardeners desperately need the moisture, a thing we can all relate to!
Next up, Scotland and London.

A gardener's view of Hong Kong

2007-04-22T14:03:00.000+12:00

The grapes are now all in and it was time to head for the airport. From Waiheke to Hong Kong, both islands but there the similarity ends. In fact Waiheke is larger in area than Hong Kong, however Hong Kong crams in 7 million people into the whole territory and of that, 1.4 million are squashed onto the coastal strip of Hong Kong Island itself! This environment of concrete, glass and steel doesn't lend itself to gardening. there are, though, pockets of green, respite from the pellmell of the city traffic, heavy masses and pollution. These small parks more often than not cater to the pedestrian with paved areas, the 'green' being hemmed in behind fences. Smoking is generally prohibited in these spaces. The content is mostly of tropical and subtropical flora. The temperature has been around 28-30 degrees Celsius with 85% humidity! Palms, the orchid tree (Hong Kong's national emblem) and many small shrubs trimmed into the 'cloud' form, very typical of Asian gardens. Water is also nearly always a feature, creating a diversion from the hubbub of the traffic.
No trip to Hong Kong would be complete without a trip up the Peak tram. An impossibly steep cable car. The route ascends the steep slopes of Victoria Peak, through what appears to be jungle. In reality this is not the original forest, very little of which exists today. Much of the floor is clothed with white ginger and large leaved aroids, taro. The view from the top is magnificent, being just below the clouds, which at times did whip over the ridge.
From what I could make out most domestic gardening happens in containers and pots. The best place to acquire these would have to be the flower market in Kowloon, just around the corner from the raucous bird market. Amongst the many potted plants were also vast arrays of cut flowers, no doubt destined to small flats, bringing a small amount of natural beauty to life lived amongst teeming humanity. It would be very easy to feel small and insignificant here. Give me the beaches, open spaces and fresh air of Waiheke any day!
My next column will be from Denmark, including a ten day stay in Belgium.

Of magical places

2007-04-09T14:00:00.000+12:00

Today I finally dispensed with my dwarf kowhai, Sophora microphyla ‘Dragon’s Gold’. It has, for the last two years, been plagued with kowhai moth and after last year’s attack, survived, but didn’t flower. A second attack this year has led me to believe it is time for change. I am not much fond of spraying, so in its stead goes a cactus. I fine spiky specimen with a green trunk and evil spines. I have, naturally enough, planted it away from the proximity of prying hands! This is sum-what how my garden philosophy runs, plant it if it works with vigour and no extra effort on my part then it stays.
Thinking about this, brought to mind the way Mum planted ‘The Gully’ next to our house on the farm. Our driveway run up a deep gully, at the head of which was an iron stone cliff. Here at the head of the gully were two waterfalls, an enchanting place for a child, the cliff clothed with bright green moss, native maiden hair ferns and liverworts. On the scree below the falls was large old whitey-wood, mahoe, Melicytus ramniflorus and all around were tree fuchsia, kotukutuku, Fuchsia excorticate. There was an old titoki tree, Alectryon excelsus, a victim of a wind storm, forming a magical archway to the bottom of the falls. Further down the gully were less natives, apart from cutty-grass, a native sedge, in the floor of the valley. To enhance the existing trees and shrubs Mum planted trees, often transplants from elsewhere, seedlings that could be spared and shifted from within the same environment. Every now-and-then we would go and pull the weeds away and then watch as the plants overcame the battle with grasses and other opponents to their establishment. Slowly the area became filled with trees and shrubs, surviving with little help from us. This is how I work in my garden, survival of the fittest, if it fits it stays if not, out it goes. This naturally allows a more genteel approach and the added bonus of enjoying your garden. Less work and more pleasure in my spare time, not a bad thing to aim for!
I would have to admit though I am now trying to catch up with a lot of weeding I should have done over the summer. Not least of all are the young seedlings of the moth plant! So in underlining this, please go and visit. Here you can register and receive a free pack of information on what funding is available to assist in weed eradication, weed identification and methods of weed elimination and disposal. This months target weed is moth plant, see the website for pictures of this weed.
Having said all that now is the time I will see seedlings, coming up from desirable plants, left to go to seed. It would also be good time to start spreading seeds of those biennials, such as the Flanders poppy, for flowers in the spring.
I am thinking of these pure red flowers with their dark centres, as I will be in the fields of Flanders on ANZAC day, and will attend the commemorations at Messines/Mesen (French and Flemish spelling). My Grandfather fought here and wrote very graphic reports back to my Grandmother. It is ninety years since the big battle here at Messines/Mesen, and so another plant to go with the wreath will be rosemary for remembrance.
With this in mind my next column will be from Hong Kong on our journey to Europe.

Replenishing rains

2007-04-01T13:59:00.000+12:00

At last the drought is broken, and things are looking fresh and green again. It doesn’t take long for the effects of a little moisture in the soil to start helping the plants. Now is a great time to be getting into the vegetable garden and preparing for the winter garden. Compost and organic matter can be added, including the likes of blood and bone. If you are adding lime to your soil, it is best to do this first and then a week or so later add the blood and bone.
If you are keen you can start seedlings off of the likes of cabbages, cauliflower and broccoli. But for the not so keen seedlings can always be bought for not much cost. Other seeds to be sown include the salads, spring onions, leeks and spinach.
Adjacent to my vegetable I have a Pittosporum Pittosporum tenuifolium ‘Mountain Green’ hedge. Growing rampantly through this hedge is the nasty weed, Moth plant or vine, Araujia sericofera. This plant produces large pods filled with masses of downy seeds which naturally sail off and germinate everywhere. Recently I was chatting with a friend who is a member of Weed Busters. This is an organisation of volunteers who promote the identification of and elimination of weeds from our environment. This month’s target is the moth plant. People can register to join this group and gain any extra information on weeds in their area. Registration is free and the website has lots of useful information, so to register, go to here. I will write more of this weed next time including pictures.

Oasis in the dry

2007-03-11T13:57:00.000+13:00

This time of year is a good time to be looking around at what is thriving successfully in the middle of a drought. What looks fresh and green, hasn’t shriveled in the dry, yet catches the eye? It is important to be aware of what is working and what is not, with limited water supply. One garden I noticed in particular recently, set on rather a steep exposed site, consisted largely of flax, cabbage trees and some large specimens of Doryanthes palmeri. The D. palmeri is a native of Queensland forming a large rosette of leaves, eventually up to 2m in height with a spread of about 3m. The leaves are broad, sword like and echo the form of the flax, but on a grander scale. Once at maturity, which may take up to ten years, the plant will flower, sending up tall, but rather stout flower spikes. The flowers are deep red and held close to the stem of the spike. If more colour is required, there are many differently coloured forms of flax, and cabbage tree available. Another star performer in the dry garden is Neomarcia caerulea (no common name available), produces what seems an endless supply of deep blue iris-like flowers all summer. The centre of the blooms have a brown and cream tiger stripe pattern on them, the foliage consists of erect strap-like leaves up to 1.6m in height. Unfortunately these flowers only last for a day and then curl up and die but the plant may have up to a dozen or so flowers at once creating an eye catching performance. Mine is placed in the crook of a dog-leg on the flight of steps to the top of the garden, in this way affording the perfect view of the flowers from above.
Surrounding this is another drought resistant plant of the succulent group, Sedum sp. The leaves are a fleshy light green beneath umbels of pink, red and white flowers attractive to the bees. Below these is a strip of lambs’ ears, Stachys lanata with fury grey leaves, the flowers appear during summer on long fluffy spikes. Even if it didn’t flower it is worth its place for the foliage alone. As with lambs’ ears many drought tolerant plants have grey leaves, another stalwart in my garden is dusty miller, Senecio cineraria, which grow to a height of about 50cm, the yellow daisy-like flowers being carried above the foliage in mid summer. Some like to cut the blooms away to avoid the intrusion into a colour scheme not including yellow. I go with nature here as many of the these grey leaved plants have either yellow or purple to mauve flowers I leave them on, and there is the colour theme for this part of the garden.
Other plants to have survived well are the agaves, large bold succulents with an unmistakable architectural form. These sorts of plants have more impact if they can be planted on mass their ‘look-at-me!’ character causing all other plants to bow in subservience.
One last group of plants to perform without a drop of water have been the bromeliads. In partial shade, on a steep slope these beauties have added a colourful exotic approach to our front door. The only maintenance they get from me is a bit of a tidy-up of the spent foliage, a small thing to ask for so much performance!
With the forecast full of rain it will again be time to be in the garden, soft warm soil around the fingers, what better time to implement new ideas and get plants in the ground.

Peaches and cream

2007-02-25T13:54:00.000+13:00

A couple of years ago a peach seedling volunteered itself in our garden. It is not in the perfect place but I thought at least if it had the grace to grow itself I would let it stay. Last year there were nine fruit on it, unfortunately I got to pick three, I suspect someone else got there before me. This year, there is much fruit on the tree and I got in before it was pilfered! I presume the peach is a ‘Golden Queen’ an old time favourite, especially for preserving and cooking. The way I like them best is flambéed, with butter brown sugar and a little whiskey. After the flames, allow the mixture to reduce a little, wrap in crepes and a dash of whipped cream, what a way to start a Sunday! Last Sunday in a consolation to at least one waist line, the peaches were added to apple a little brown sugar (to allow the juices to run) and eaten raw on the crepes. I have to say the dietary measures weren’t extended to a cream substitute, although this week I have added, Greek yoghurt with honey, to the shopping list. With the heat of summer still scorching on, the only other things to be surviving at the moment are the tomatoes. These too are now almost finished, the last fruits beginning to shrivel on the vines.
While scratching about in the garden recently I have made a couple of discoveries. Firstly a palm tree I planted around four years ago, lost beneath a queen of the night. Guess the Queen-of-the-night is going to have to yield now to the rediscovered treasure. The palm is related to the kentia and comes from the same island, Lord Howe Island in the Tasman Sea. The botanical name for this palm is Howea belmoreana, having a long slender trunk, often leaning and topped by graceful curving fronds. If you think the kentia, Howea forsterana is slow growing, I think you might find its cousin H. belmoreana even slower. It is worth the wait and as I hinted, the old queen (not me!) is for the chop! The other more common kentia palm, H. forstana was hugely popular in Victorian times as a house plant, as it survives very well in low light and containers. This spawned a large seed industry in Norfolk Island at this time.
The other discovery was the flower of my blood lily, Haemanthus coccineus, from the family Amaryllidaceae, a genus of some fifty species. These bulbous plants are largely native to southern and tropical Africa. This one is native to South Africa and sends its bloom up from the dry earth in the middle of summer, just as mine has done this year. The flower, as the name suggests, is blood red while the stem is pale green with purple flecks on it. This display is followed by spectacular fleshy leaves, each bulb usually sporting just two, like large green tongues poking in opposite directions. The foliage alone makes it worth growing but the ability to survive, especially in my garden through the dry is just another bonus.
Well on that dry note, I hope everyone’s plants are battling through in the dry. It is a season to expect some failures but there is always autumn, a great time to get plants in the ground. The soil will still be warm and the replenished water table will provide the perfect environment for new plants.

Southern conifers

2007-02-11T13:52:00.000+13:00

Recently a reader asked if I could identify a tree form a picture they sent to me. I am afraid I have been a little slow in responding! Well I can confirm the tree was a Norfolk Island pine, Araucaria heterophylla. These trees are sentinel in many coastal places in this country and instantly recognisable with their rigid and symmetrical form. The confusion for this reader was the branches and in particular the older ones, these were quite pendulous, almost weeping. I have noticed this in other older specimens of Norfolk pine. As with many trees the mature form is often different to the juvenile stage. This tree is also native to parts of the eastern Australian seaboard. Others in the Araucaria genus from Australia include the bunya bunya A. bidwillii. A grove of these stately trees can be found in the Auckland Domain, down the path that leaves Domain drive near Stanley Street. The trees are mature and their enormous trunks tower upwards to the dense canopy. The effect is quite eerie, like a set from Lord of the Rings. The red seed is borne in large cones and was once a delicacy of the Aborigines.
Yet another native of Australia in this genus is the hoop pine, A. cunninghamii. This tree has a rather spongy overall look to the canopy and is not so commonly seen.
From near by New Caledonia comes the Cook pine, A. columellaris. As the name suggests the form of the Cook pine is slender and upright. It is often grown in the villages and in avenues to the chief’s house in New Caledonia. A specimen of the Cook pine is growing near the front gate in the garden of my father’s cousin. It was usually considered to be an unusual form of the Norfolk pine, but now we know different.
From much further to the east, comes the monkey puzzle, A. araucana, native of South America, named for the Araucanian Indians. The monkey puzzle is found in alpine regions and so in 1795 when it was first brought into cultivation adapted to the climate of the British Isles with no problems. It swiftly became very popular especially during the Victorian era when people had a penchant for the odd and unusual. All the other species in this genus are too tender for the British climate.
Not of the same genus but in the same family lies our kauri tree, Agathis australis. This genus includes some fifteen species found throughout the Pacific and parts of South East Asia. There is some confusion however so to whether they are really all separate species or just variations of one single species, that is for the botanists I guess. The kauri, the mightiest tree in our forests, and arguably the longest lived, is surprisingly somewhat temperamental. The most important thing to remember is the susceptibility of their shallow root systems. The feeding roots are all very close to the surface, and so prone to damage from any interference, be it foot traffic of people or cars and excavations. So if planting one of these magnificent trees be careful where you place it, it may be here for generations, lets hope so.

Garden surprise

2007-01-28T13:47:00.000+13:00

Imagine my surprise, when ambling around my garden, I discovered a hibiscus, Hibiscus rosa-sinensis ‘Phsyco’ flaunting its first bloom. I bought this hibiscus during the winter from a nursery specialising in subtropical plants from up north. This hibiscus was just one of a few plants ordered via the internet. This said hibiscus is bright red, with reflexed petals, frilled at the edge and a rather languid stigma dropping from the centre with attendant stamens at its end. I have to say it was the first time in quite awhile I have ‘done a turn about the garden’.
After a season of outside distractions, the garden is well in need of a general over-haul. Everywhere plants are at the end of their useful or even reproductive cycles. Loppers, secateurs and possibly the hand-saw will be necessary to effect the improvements required now! This appears to be an annual event in my garden, as those in the northern hemisphere clean up and restore their gardens in the winter; I do this in mid summer. I have stopped watering, mostly, but still we are harvesting tomatoes amongst the fallen broccoli and drying beans. There is at least one advantage to this approach, if somewhat unconventional, and that is the spent flower heads spread seeds about the place, which in spring will emerge in places you never expect. Where they are in the wrong place all that is necessary, is to pull them out, easy. A confession is probably required at this point, I use pea straw as a mulch along with compost. This is put about the place in the spring, after the soil has warmed up and before the soil is dried out. If weren’t for this approach do gardening, I would either be spending a fortune on buying water, pr my garden would simple turn into an arid dusty wasteland, fit only for the most drought tolerant of plants.
With this in mind, my choice of plants outside of the vegetable garden has been towards those which are going to most likely be tolerant of drought. As for my predilection for ‘wet subtropicals’, those with a bent for much moisture and a rich soil, they go over the septic field. Here I have just picked a large bunch of bananas, I will have to be cooking banana cake and flambéing them to eat with pancakes! These bananas are particularly sweet and tasty. This particular banana is from the mountains of Samoa, called Missi luki, and forms quite a tall tree. Once the tree has fruited it collapses, as this one has done, helped along the way by the stormy spring weather we had. It helps to keep the remaining clump to not more than five stems. In this way the available food from the soil is not divided among too many plants and a better crop is secured.
Elsewhere, succulents planted during the winter are now establishing themselves well and will soon fill out a pallet of plants growing close enough to not let too many weeds hold sway, this is the plan anyway!

Life in the subtropics

2007-01-14T13:47:00.000+13:00

So it would appear summer has arrived with sunny days and soaring humidity, just the weather wet subtropical plants relish. Putting on a particularly good display at present is the shell ginger, Alpinia zerumbet syn. A. nutans and A. speciosa. The genus is named for and Italian botanist Prosper Alpino, (1553-1616), and consists of some 150 species found throughout south and eastern Asia. While the common name says ginger, it is not a weed. My plant while the stems have reached to about 2.5m the base clump is still only about 50cm across after four years. The stems are long (up to 2.5m) and support glossy green lancelet leaves. The flower buds emerge from the tips of these stems in bunches of fat white buds tipped in pink that hang gracefully down like some exotic jewellery. As the buds open they reveal a spectacular flower petal coloured red in the centre and merging into yellow on the outside. The flower does not have a scent, but is so eye catching it doesn’t matter. Mine leans and weeps its blooms over the top side of the driveway where visitors encounter the beauty of the flowers at eye level.
The shell ginger is not the only ginger worthy of mention. Here I should state and name the two gingers of concern to the environment, weeds in other words. Firstly is the kahili ginger Hedychium gardnerianum and yellow ginger H. flava. These two species are from a genus of some 40 species, spread through south and east Asia and one on Madagascar. These two problem species are so mostly because of their ability to set large amounts of seed and also spread by means of stolons, underground stems, similar to running bamboo. I do remember Mum growing kahili ginger on the farm in the Wairarapa. It had a tough time here on account of the climate, and so we did get to enjoy the heady perfume of the flowers by the front gate. I would be hesitant planting it anywhere now, as the weather seems to be getting ever warmer and unpredictable. There are three others in this genus worth a mention, white ginger H. coronarium with white highly scented flowers, red ginger H. coccineum naturally with red flowers and H. greenii with orange blooms. Of these I have H. coccineum and H. greenii, neither of which do terribly well, I suspect this to be on account of there not being enough moisture for them.
Another genus to fall under the banner of ginger is Heliconia. The most commonly grown of this genus is H. subulata, a native of Central America. The foliage is reminiscent of banana, but on much shorter stems, only up to a couple of metres when grown in good rich moist soil. Mine unfortunately get thrashed in the westerlies that belt up the driveway in the spring making the leaves look a little tatty. Still the reward of the flowers at this time of year makes it worth while. The blooms emerge as red spikes which open out to reveal yellow petals. Many of the species are too cold tender to grow here, a pity, as they also make wonderful cut flowers lasting for weeks in water.
Flowering also at the moment along side these gingers is pink datura, Brugmansia suavelons ‘Noels blush’, named for the great Whitford gardener, the late Noel Scotting. The flowers are like large trumpets hanging below a canopy of felt textured leaves. In the evening the flowers have a heady perfume, which may not be some people’s liking. Be wary of planting next to a bedroom window as it is said the plant is an hallucinogenic, but whether this is carried merely on the scent of the flowers I don’t know. The shrub needs to be lightly pruned after flowering to keep it fresh and youthful, if only we could do the same!

Seeds of a new year

2007-01-03T15:37:00.000+13:00

Well the Christmas tree is dead, the hang-over is gone and the Christmas lilies, Lilium longiflorum and L. regale have finished flowering. These lilies I will leave for the seed pods to ripen so I can save the seeds to give away to others. Last year I did this, but even so, some of the seeds still managed to escape and germinate themselves in the cracks in the deck. All this goes to show is they are easy to propagate.
Other seeds I saved were bean seeds, the fruits of which are now being enjoyed at our table! The runner beans I left from last season have sprung back into life and are producing a fine crop. We are also getting a few tomatoes now as well. All this and not one drop of water has been poured onto the garden. The pea straw I put around the vegetables as mulch seems to have paid off, although the weather probably has a good deal to do with this! Still the soil appears to be much more moist and not as hot as it would be without the mulch. The only problem I can see, and one I didn’t expect, was with the strawberries. They have been woeful in their crop. All leaves and little fruit, I suspect the nitrogen content of the pea straw is to blame. The nitrogen rich mulch has encouraged the plants to produce masses of lush healthy green leaves and not so much the sweet wee berries cherished for the weekend pancakes! The answer is to provide a bit of pot ash, this will encourage the plants to flower. I have some ashes from the old fire should do the trick. It is still not too late to achieve a late summer crop of strawberries, mmmmmm! Other crops coming on include corn, I imagine a couple more weeks yet for them. Also, a bit behind schedule, are the capsicum, but he sugarsnap peas have been great.
I hope everyone has had a great holiday and looking forward to a healthy and prosperous New Year!

Festive season

2006-12-17T15:35:00.000+13:00

With the flowering of the pohutukawa and the kanuka, it is unmistakably the festive season, although the weather may have had us believing we were in for a white Christmas! Our rather small pohutukawa has been flowering brilliantly this season. Also throwing a festive air across our deck are two lilies, Lilium longiflorum and Lilium regale. The former of the two has pure white highly scented trumpets, with slightly yellow throats. L.regale, while white on the inside, is blushed with red on the outside of the petals, it too has a delicious scent. These two lilies were always cut for Christmas arrangements on the farm.
I have started a new tradition, using flax flower heads; I have created an outside Christmas tree. I did this last year, but the flowers had finished leaving just the black seed pods. This year though, the flowers have not finished and we have a mixture of red flowers and black seed pods, I think it is very effective. Another time I have thought, manuka, Leptospermum scoparium would also make a good Christmas tree, with its white blooms and rather pine like scent. The trick would be to get a specimen to flower right at the correct time. I know they have mostly finished by Christmas. I then thought if you could find a sport that flowered at the appropriate time; if it was trimmed it would make the perfect wee tree. Ah well something for the back burner!
The strawberries in the garden have been a bit of a disappointment this season, I suspect the reason to be because I used pea straw mulch and the extra nitrogen has encouraged them to produce leaves and not fruit. While the plants are looking great, I really ought to put some potash around them. This would encourage the plants to flower and not produce such lush foliage and it is the fruit for the pancakes that I really want!
Well just a short note this week, the rain is gently caressing the garden with the water it desperately needs, and I have a million things to do before next week. I hope everyone has a marvellous Christmas and all are safe.

Spectacular sky views

2006-12-03T15:34:00.000+13:00

A catch phrase in the real estate industry is has sea views. Our place does, but only from one room and mostly only from the upstairs balcony. What we do have is a view of the sky, plenty of it. I will often lie and watch the changing nature of the sky, as clouds roll in and the sun makes patterns on both land and clouds. It occurred to me, I don’t miss seeing the sea view at all. I enjoy the play of light being reflected from large clouds in the east as the sun goes down in the west, casting an eerie almost lime coloured wash to the landscape. It is moments like these we can see things from a different perspective, see colours and textures together that otherwise escape our attention.
The sky not only creates the obvious displays of light at sunrise and sunset, but naturally tells us what kind of weather to expect. A strong nor’easter blowing in and big clouds piling up to the west would indicate a westerly or sou’westerly change is imminent, all these signs are important to take into account, along with the weather forecast of course. Recently with all the winds the low clouds have been streaming past at an alarming rate of knots, unsecured plants have been thrashed and roots loosened. We always seem to forget, spring is a time for gales, particularly since New Zealand lies in the belt of the roaring forties.
We could have a sea view, but I prefer the shelter from the west we gain from a bamboo hedge. Bamboo wouldn’t be my first choice, but it already existed and also provides privacy from our close neighbour and shade in the summer. So we have an expansive view of the sky to the north. Our house provides a good posie to witness the spectacle of a thunderstorm, one of natures more exciting performances, for free. Even the build as the clouds pile up in the sky eventually obliterating the sun. This followed by torrential rain, possibly hail and damaging wind. If we are on the ball we have planted any new plants before the rain and secured others against possible wind damage. Hail, as many will have observed this season, is something rather more difficult to prepare for. The Agaves have been left be-speckled with the freckles of hail, once damaged never to be recovered, until the leaf dies.
So, give me a view of the sky, meteorology and what goes on the sky is way more important to me and my garden, everyone is different. I suspect an avid boatie would argue differently to me, far enough.
Speaking of spectacles, I couldn’t resist another shot of the banana as it unfurls its bud revealing the new fruits, an amazing event to watch as the days pass. So enjoy the spring garden and the wind will stop soon, surely?

Going bananas

2006-11-19T15:32:00.000+13:00

In our garden adjacent to the pond an enormous banana flower bud has emerged. It seemed to suddenly appear overnight. The banana is one I transplanted from elsewhere in the garden and seems almost incongruous compared to the actual size of the whole plant. The exact type of banana is unknown as it was taken as a sucker from a plant in a friend’s garden years ago. This is now the third incarnation of the original, which has moved with us. I assume it is a lady finger as it never grows very large. The whole plant looks rather tatty at this time of year after suffering from the vagaries of the tempestuous weather but the flower, even if we don’t get fruit is worth it.
Bananas like moist and rich soil as they are gross feeders and being 90% water require large amounts to produce succulent fruit. The flower unfurls and the green fruit begin to appear, after some time though, the flower stops producing fruit, or at least they wither and drop off. It is at this point that the flower at the bottom of the stem should be removed to encourage the plant to put energy into developing the individual bananas. I another part of the garden we have two bananas, ‘Missi Luki’, a mountain Samoan banana, with bunches of fruit. These bunches can be cut from the tree when they are looking plump, but still green and will ripen in a warm sheltered spot. Another method of ripening the bananas is to wrap them in blue plastic, open at the bottom. For some reason this encourages the fruit to ripen, and commercial bananas are wrapped in blue plastic in their boxes. As the ‘Missi Luki’ banana is a plantain type. I imagine it would be good for frying green. As of yet I have not done this, but I am rather partial to bananas flambéed in Grand Marnier with a little butter and brown sugar, delicious with Pancakes!
Hanging over our back fence is the flower of another banana, the Abyssinian banana, Ensete ventricosum syn. Musa ensete. This banana does set edible fruit, but does set viable seed. This is the only way to propagate this plant as it does not sucker and the main stem dies after flowering. All bananas are herbaceous perennials and die after flowering. The edible species do produce suckers around the base of the stem and these are what produce the next fruiting plants. A clump should be dept to around five stems, this way ensuring the plants get adequate nutrients. On cutting down the old stems, I cut them up with the old leaves and leave the to rot down around the base of the other plants, in this way creating a mulch and enriching the soil. A little nitrogenous fertiliser at this time of year will help them revive after their winter thrashing, other than that, bananas are easy care. It would have to be said they are best grown in a sheltered spot so as to avoid getting the leaves shredded in the gales of spring. They are non-the-less fairly resilient and will recover over summer.
Other ornamental bananas, with inedible fruit include Musa velutina, which produces bunches of rather furry stout pink bananas held in the upright position. This one have grown and only makes it to about 2m in height. The red banana, Musa coccinea, is yet another, rather tender banana, producing bright flowers followed by red fruits, also held in an upright position. Most other bananas will hang their flowers over with the bud to the ground.
For what ever reason you grow these plants for I think they are well worth the space in the garden, offering a taste of the tropics if nothing else.

Watering problem

2006-11-05T15:31:00.000+13:00

Warm winds and sunny days soon dry out our soils, leaving gaping cracks in the ground and plants wilting. Dwindling water supplies at this time of year and the threat of a dry summer, I wonder just how my garden will survive. The news in the last week has been full of the problems our planet will face if we don’t, as a species, fully grasp the ideas of sustainability. They tell us global warming is now really a fact and we must take measures now if we are to avoid another “thirties” style depression. Sustainability seems to be the byword these days, so I feel a little nervous when there is mention of reticulating services on Waiheke. If only more places were like Waiheke, where we catch our own water and process our own waste (or partially process our waste, as at present pumped out septic waste is shipped to Auckland!?). After the great depression of the thirties, the “quarter acre pavlova paradise” was set up. State housing and a back yard for everyone, no one need go hungry again. What has happened? Water and septic reticulation mean properties can be subdivided and more people to the acre supported and property prices go up. Many on Waiheke still have their won vegetable patch and grow fruit trees, a hang over from the days when the ferry service was not as regular and the shops as plentiful. My own patch is only small but in two years I have managed without buying water, admittedly we are only two in the house hold and I let the vegetable patch go over the summer. This year though I hope for better success with the use of pea straw mulch to hold in the moisture and stop the soil temperature from becoming too hot. So for some of the year I have the pleasure of harvesting my own produce, in the knowledge that it has been organically grown and the taste is so far superior to the shop bought produce. As for the rest of the garden plants are selected for the fitness to the environment in which they have been planted, this means they will get no water from me, so if they survive then they will stay. I wet subtropicals over the septic field and arid loving plants from places like the Mediterranean, South Africa, Mexico and New Zealand in other parts. So far the idea is working but plants still need a little bit of nurture in their first year or so. To this end I collect the water from the kitchen sink for those in desperate need.
I certainly don’t know what the answers to all these problems are, but certainly there are some things we can do and should do personally. I realise not every one is fortunate enough to have access to a piece of land but those who do, it seems a pity not at least grow something that is of use to us.
Don’t forget the Garden Safari next weekend, I am looking forward to this event naturally enough and hope the weather is kind to us!

Labour weekend labour

2006-10-23T15:30:00.000+13:00

Labour weekend is traditionally the weekend we get our vegetable garden planted. In this climate we are lucky, in that we can, if prudent, get started before this. I have already got small tomatoes forming on the bottom trusses of my plants. The next thing they desperately need is to be trained up stakes (a task for later today) and the laterals plucked out. This allows the plant to put all the energy into the main stem and the trusses of fruit on it. The reason is to allow for ease of management, training the plant up one pole means the bottom trusses are kept off the ground. When the trusses have their fruit set, the leaves from that truss and below can be removed; this allows the sun to get to the fruit. Once the fruit is harvested, the whole vine can be untied and the bare stem wound around the base of your stake, thus allowing the top to keep growing.
As I have pea straw spread all through my vegetable garden, a constant watch must kept for slugs and snails, they will decimate a whole crop of seedlings in a night! I find they are particularly fond of my pea seedlings. I use a slug bait, but organic methods include using beer dished up, to the unsuspecting foragers, in a saucer, into which they gleefully plunge to their unknowing death.
I have beans coming up, saved from last year, they are like French beans but have red flecks on the pods and the beans are red skinned. I don’t remember what they are called, but I am not too worried, as I am fond of this bean, maybe I will just call it freckles! Other seeds waiting to go in are carrot, spring onion, beetroot (for the root and the young leaves for salad) and radish (in short rows sown every two weeks to keep a supply going)
A new crop for me this year will be kumara. I have sprouted some kumara which I left in the sun on the kitchen window sill. These tubers I will split length wise and plant, cut side down, in mounds with the sprouts just protruding above the soil. I will need to mulch well as we may not have enough water for these thirsty plants. It will be interesting to see how they go. Certainly potatoes do not do well for me on account of the blight they constantly get.
Other chores to be on top of at the moment are spraying against such pests as aphids. These sap sucking insects are spread through my garden by the Argentinean ants, the results are curled and distorted leaves on the citrus and malformed flowers on the roses. I use an organic oil and an organic insecticide (pyrethrum) sprayed liberally. This needs to be done every two or so weeks, whether or not I achieve this regime or not is debatable! Other pests to look out for are the lace wings or fluffy bums (passion vine hoppers). These wee insects can quickly do much damage to crops and not only the passion vine. The best time to combat them is just after they have hatched, so be on the look out!
The flower I am most admiring this week is a large bearded iris from my uncle’s garden. The buds are a velvet jet black, opening out to the deepest black purple colour, lovely. Just one final note, not to forget all those gardeners out there getting ready for the Jassy Dean Garden Safari, 11-12 November and also the Art Out There (exhibits in the gardens). Tickets are available from: Retravision (Oneroa), Design Denmark (cnr. Sturdee st. & Pakenham st. City), Waiheke Visitor Information Centre (Matiatia) and Waiheke Art Gallery (Artworks)

On the Garden Safari

2006-10-15T15:29:00.000+13:00

Once again all over the Island, garden owners are gearing up for the Retravision Garden Safari, in association with Art Out There, and supported by Sealink. I have taken the opportunity to have a sneak preview of a few gardens, as a tempter.
I started my trek in Oneroa at Le Chalet, 14 Tawa Street, the property of John and Vicki McLennan. As you enter this garden through an arch way, the first thing to strike the visitor is the vista across Oneroa bay. In the foreground stands a group of citrus trees below which floats a canopy of silver ferns, Cyathea dealbata. These have been released from the clutches of vigorous weeds such as Japanese honeysuckle Lonicera japonica, and the flotsam and jetsam of years of neglect. This transformation has only taken a few years and the results speak for themselves. The bright green fronds of the silver fern are a perfect foil for the ocean view beyond. Beneath the ferns a couple of pathways run and a habitat for a number of woodland plants has been established. One to catch my eye was the native, common rasp fern, pukupuku, Doodia media, with bright coppery red new foliage. This fern spreads into a clump by means of underground stolons. Further along the pathway is an area of mass planted cyclamen, and having just finished flowering the remaining foliage creates interest with the strikingly marked leaves. Next up beneath the ferns is a group of polyanthus throwing a splash of colour in the understory. Back to the house and a row of red clivias Clivia miniata adds another line of colour. I departed the garden past the vegetable patch and back into the entry courtyard.

Next garden up was in Surfdale, the property of Eleanor and Graham Ashby, 39 Ocean Road. This garden is a rich mixture of herbaceous perennials and small shrubs, including many roses. Colour is the name of the game here and, as with many properties, Eleanor and Graham have battled in a very short two years to create a wonderful collection of unusual plants on this steep site. Eleanor is keen on growing her plants from cuttings and seed, as was evidenced by her shade house, packed with dozens of new plants, growing on ready for planting out into the garden. The day I visited was rainy but despite this a couple of roses looked particularly good. One was called ‘Scentaisia’ a double cream flower, grown for blind people, unfortunately due to the damp weather the perfume was a little allusive. The other rose was ‘Golden Fortune’, a double yellow bloom, also with an allusive perfume.
A clematis of deep purple called ‘Earnest Markham’ is being grown to cover a ponga archway that leads to a small orchard at the bottom of the garden.
The number and profusion of different plant in this garden are too numerous to mention here, and is what makes this garden one to spend a little time in finding and admiring all the variety. Again there is also a small vegetable patch for the household.

Moving from Surfdale to Palm Beach I next visited the garden of Stu Farquhar, 31 Matapana Road, Palm Beach. Coming into this garden from the street the first area is planted with succulents, including Aloe bainsii, which, at a height of 1.5m tall, is already making its mark. Beyond a lavender hedge the rest of the garden comes into view. Pohuehue Meuhlenbeckia complexa, grown over a stone wall of the local stone helps to delineate the space behind which is covered with river washed greywacke rocks. Turning left is a view down the garden past the rose garden into the vegetable patch. One rose looking at its best when I visited was Rosa chinensis mutabilis, an old rose with origins prior to 1896, sporting large single flowers opening buff yellow, then changing to a hazy pink and finishing bronzy crimson. Stu makes the most of the property by taking pathways right to the very margins of the land. At the bottom of the garden is a shady mostly native area, where a pathway leads back to the entrance. In the shade are swathes of the tiny New Zealand fuchsia, Fuchsia procumbens. Scrambling over the ground, it presents carpets of almost lime green tiny foliage. Amongst other natives here were the New Zealand iris (not a true iris) Labertia ixioides, with clusters of small white flowers that appear to float above the strap-like leaves. Into the darkest part of this walk, Clivia miniata in orange and red forms throw colour and interest.

My last garden on my trek was that of Ken and Stephanie Sanders, 6 Te Makiri Road, Onetangi. All lawns have been eliminated here and replaced with stretches of local gravel. This makes a practical solution to creating useable areas in the winter. Steps of been made with sleepers and this all helps to create a sense of unity in the garden. A flight of steps leading to a sleep-out at the top of the property are flanked by olive trees and strawberries. Around a corner and behind a fence the chook house and the vegetable garden stand. Below this is an outdoor entertaining area complete with whale. Stephanie calls the spot Fiji, planted as it is with bananas and an enormous staghorn fern. Everywhere are vegetables planted amongst other ornamentals and fruit trees, including a custard apple or cherimoya Annona cherimola with some large fruit. To the bottom of the garden the water tank has been cleverly and skilfully disguised with local stone work Ken has built over the years. It is topped with castellations and will provide a platform from which to enjoy a drink while taking in the view of the neighbouring vineyard.

One thing all gardeners have said was how hard the winter has been, including the recent hail and strong winds. Despite all these adversities, the variety of gardens and interest in each is great. I am looking forward to seeing more of what’s on offer during the Safari, Saturday 11 and Sunday 12 of November, 10am to 4.30pm both days. Also don’t forget there will be art and refreshments in some of the gardens. The Garden Safari is a charitable event raising money for the Jassy Dean Trust to support sick or injured Waiheke children and their families.

Being inspired

2006-10-08T15:22:00.000+13:00

Having had a warm dry September, things really started into growth. This ‘big push’ in spring is the ideal time to feed plants and also to ensure the soil water is maintained by adding mulch to the top of the garden. I know this because from my window where I write, I have a view up into my garden and I can see my citrus trees smothered in new flower buds and fresh shoots. It is all this growth that needs support, to fortify the plants through the rest of the season.
To the right of the terrace with the citrus trees and across some steps is the magnificent spire of the Pride of Teneriffe Echium pininiana. The flower spike is over 2.5m tall and smothered in tiny purple to blue flowers creating and almost, in some light iridescent beacon to bees. The foliage forms rosettes of grey green, which matches the rest of the specimens in this area planted for their drought tolerant grey foliage. Another species of Echium is the Pride of Madeira Echium fastuosum a smaller growing species with a more spreading habit and flowers spikes of only up to 60cm. Some of the Echiums produce pink or near white flowers. Often these plants will outgrow themselves, becoming rather woody and unattractive, the good thing is they readily set seeds and so new plants can be encouraged to replace the old ones. The plants will not bloom in their first year, but in the second season they come into their own as mine has done, well worth the wait.
Other stalwarts in this area that must survive my abject neglect include bearded iris, one of which is bravely putting forth flower buds. This particular one comes via my mother from her brother! That being said it opens almost black and fades to the richest deep purple black colour, I can’t wait. Other plants in this ensemble number Lychnis with white flowers, Stachys with small purple flower spikes, both with silver foliage. Two more with silver leaves are santolina and senecio both these have yellow flowers. The senecio is primarily grown for its silver leaves though. Another plant in here with yellow flowers is the yarrow or milfoil, Achelia filipendulina the flowers held in flat umbles of creamy yellow. These came from my mother’s garden as did the verbascums. I have two of types of verbascum, both from Mum, one with spires of yellow flowers and the other with white. There is a species of verbascum that grows wild in waste areas, such as riverbeds. I recall them in the riverbed at home, one clue to this species tolerance of drought.
Hopefully drought is not going to be the major topic of Island conversations this season! Speaking of this season, the Retravision Jassy Dean Trust Garden Safari in association with Art Out There, supported by sealink, is rapidly approaching, 11-12 Nov. I am looking forward to indulging in this rather voyeuristic tour of other people’s gardens. It is always inspiring to see other’s efforts in the realm of the garden. I will write more of these gardens next week.

A pile of manure

2006-09-17T15:17:00.000+12:00

Asparagus, a fine spring vegetable and as one reader explained an interesting crop to grow. He was expounded the benefits of adding horse manure to his crop, the results he said were astounding. “You could see the spears actually growing!” I had to confide, my crop of asparagus was a bitter disappointment, not that this was any surprise to me. In my case I had neglected to put in the hard yards first. Success with these hardy herbaceous perennials is in the preparation. What asparagus likes above all else is a well drained soil growing naturally around coastal areas of Europe and North America this makes sense. Having a raised bed also aids in the drainage. Mix with the good draining soil a large amount of well rotted organic matter and you are ready. There are two ways you can begin your crop, one from seed sown in a prepared bed outside in the spring or secondly by crowns in late winter. If you are going to grow from seed, your plants will be small and fern like in the first season, the females of them producing wee berries. The females should be eliminated as they will produce inferior spears later on. If you buying the crowns one would hope they were male plants being sold, ask! When planting the crowns, the roots should be spread out in the bottom of a trench about 20cm deep, with a spacing of 45cm between plants. As the shoots begin to grow, the trench can be filled in. If you like blanched asparagus, as they do in Europe and particularly the Low Countries, then you must continue to mound the soil up around the tips. A minimum of a third of stems must be left to nourish the crowns for next season’s crop. A well prepared asparagus bed should last up to twenty years; imagine your own asparagus rolls each spring! I prefer to lightly sauté the spears in a little butter until tender, and eat immediately or as my reader said, simply eaten raw.

With the longer days, it is now time to be getting all your seeds planted and into the ground. Carrots, beans, lettuce, radish, spring onions and tomato (seeds under) cover. For a head start, buy seedlings if you haven’t the patients for sowing seeds. Before all this is done though, it is important to prepare the soil, with extra compost and manure, well rotted. Exceptions to this are carrots, as too much fertiliser will encourage the carrots to produce twisted split and malformed roots. For this crop it is better to put the fertiliser or manure in the bottom of a deep trench, this will encourage them to grow straight and strong in the direction of their food. Other crops could be started now including the pumpkin family, cucumbers, courgettes, squash and scaloppini. The secret with these plants is lots of compost; in fact they often do best simply growing on the compost heap.

Well I have gotten to hear and haven’t mentioned corn and there must plenty of other crops I have failed to mention, still it’s a start.

FROM ONE ISLAND TO ANOTHER, JUST TURN UP THE HEAT

2006-09-10T11:04:00.000+12:00

Rarotonga, just three hours flight from Auckland, with a tail wind, lies equi-distant from the equator as Hawaii. On our last trip here, Hans and I hired a scooter. This served us well until the day, at Muri beach, where in my haste to get back to our accommodation ahead of a tropical downpour, I dropped the clutch, dumped Hans bum first on the side of the road and performed a wheel stand! The act was reminiscent of a cowboy riding a bronco at a rodeo and I managed to stay on, my pride at this achievement quickly dashed by my scowling pillion!
In consequence, this time round Hans suggested bicycles, much cheaper, at $50.00 per week per person and no time or money wasted on a Cook Islands driver’s licence. An added bonus is you have time to look at the scenery.

The Island of Rarotonga is only 32km in circumference; the main road follows the coast and so is flat. Our first excursion by bicycle, after gathering self catering necessities in the main town of Avarua, was to cycle round the Island anti-clockwise from our accommodation at Black Rock (Napa’s Beach bungalows). We stopped to sit on the beach at Aroa, feeling thankful we were staying in a secluded spot of only three units, as to our left on the beach were the hoi palloi of the Rarotongan Beach Resort. I would go for seclusion any dayand feel no one makes pancakes better than me! From here we sauntered around to Titikavaeka, where we stopped fro a snack and for three dollarsentry a wander around the Maire Nui Botanic garden. The title of ‘Botanic Garden’ is perhaps somewhat of a misnomer. It has been laid out with avenues of palms and groves of hibiscus, cordylines and gardenia of myriad colours and varieties. Nothing is labelled and the hibiscus somewhat overgrown. This aside, the unkempt nature of the garden somehow lends it an air of romanticism. Around any corner you might expect and ancient ruin or perhaps a tiger! (Very much like a Rousseau painting) Really though, the only frightening thing is when a rooster unexpectedly runs from beneath the undergrowth! Rarotonga choruses to the crow of the rooster, second most abundant bird after the avian fascist, the myna bird. Apart from many hibiscus, the gardens had many different gardenia, all perfectly suited to the northern New Zealand garden. Trees of note included two orchid trees, Bauhinia sp. One had purple flowers B. blakeana, the name of the white one I was unable to ascertain. Another tree to catch my eye and this was known, after enquiring only as the buttercup tree. Having since investigating a little further in my books, I believe this to be a species of Cochlopsermum sp. This specimen had large double yellow flowers, borne on panicles at the tip of rather stout branches. The whole tree, of multi trunks, was bare of any foliage, exposing the 10cm diameter flowers. The tree was quite imposing against the lush tropical background. Amongst all this were thickets of tropical gingers with their brightly coloured exotic blooms. At the entrance to the gardens stood sentinel an avenue of royal Cuban palms, Roystonea regia; in every way justifying their common nomenclature.

From here we pedalled on to Muri Beach for a rather brief pause as the brisk S.E. trade winds and number of people on the beach made us hanker for the shelter and privacy of the beach where we were staying. So we moved on, opting to take the road running parallel to but about 500m inloand from the main road. This road is at the base of the steeply rising interior rainforest clothed peaks and afforded a quiet passage through the agrarian coutryside of the coastal plain. From the road spectacular views of the craggy Island peaks above steep sided valleys can be appreciated. Amongst the native trees at this time of year it is hard to miss the vibrant orange-red flowers of the African tulip or flame tree, Spathodea companulata. These flamboyant trees smother theselves in flowers. Similar in shape to the tulip, hence the common name, held in clusters as if on the tips of fingers. An example of this tree was palnted in the gardens to the rear of the Law School at the University of Auckland. I do recall it did flower one season, but since myemployment there in the early nineties, I have not had reason to visit. I would like to think, now once well established it might be more inclined to delight with its magnificent floral display. Completing our circumnavigation of the Island ended with fish and chips in Avarua and back to the bungalows for cocktails at sunset. The time for the entire journey, including stops, was five hours.

I will write more of our trip next time, including a visit to the garden of the owners of the property and a personalised tour of the island’s back roads.

Nikau: stalwart of the south

2006-07-28T15:39:00.000+12:00

At this time of year it is easy to think of places in the sun, places we like to escape to. The quintessential plant of the tropics is the palm tree. The most important of these is the coconut palm, a true icon and it is not found outside the tropics. Its slender trunks and swaying fronds line most sandy beaches in the islands. But it’s not an altogether innocent tree because its falling nuts can injure people who seek their shade. In our climate, though, there are many palms which are well suited to evoke the tropical escape. Not least of all, the native nikau, Rhopalostylis sapida. Even within the range of the New Zealand geography there is quite some variety in its form. On the Chathams, the nikau has rather more stout trunks and a robust crown shaft. This population, which is now confined only to Pitt Island, consists of only 70 specimen and is under threat. It is also the most southerly occurring species of palm in the world. Further to the north is a population on Little Barrier Island where the variant is larger in all proportions than those of the mainland populations. Here the trunks may grow up to half a metre in diameter! Intermediate between the Little Barrier Island palms and the mainland group are those of Great Barrier Island. Further still to the north, on the Kermadecs, is another nikau. This one however has been put into a separate botanical group, Rhopalostylis baueri var. cheesemanii. syn. R. cheesemanii, R. baueri var. kermadecensis. So now with its botanical identity established it can be described as a more robust species than the New Zealand nikau, with a larger crown shaft of fronds of a more arching nature and largely more tolerant of wind. In my observation the New Zealand mainland species of nikau R. sapida, found flourishing in the bottom of gullies, is less well adapted to the environment above the canopy of the forest. Once exposed to the elements the fronds tend to burn and look a little tatty. For our purposes, the old saying ‘right plant in the right place’ must be observed. There is yet another member of this genus, from Norfolk Island, the Norfolk nikau, R. baueri var. baueri, which I have never seen it advertised for sale.

Now is a perfectly good time to be planting palms as long as they are given plenty of mulch and not fed until they commence into their summer growth. While the palms are dormant it is inadvisable to feed them as the roots are easily damaged at this point. Once new fronds start to unfurl is a good time to be feeding, the plant is growing and will take up and use the nutrients supplied. Nikaus especially will benefit from timely feeding, increasing their rate of growth substantially. In the wild nikaus are notably slow to form a trunk, taking up to thirty years before it begins to emerge!

While on the topic of sunshine, I have in a pot on the deck some Cape cowslip Lachenalia aloides ‘Aurea’. These bulbs from South Africa, as the common name suggests, are an old fashioned favourite. Whose grandmother didn’t have a row of them at the front of their garden bed? Well mine were given to me by a friend, not my grandmother, but each year they multiply and intrigue me from the first emergence of the green and red mottled leaves in autumn to the striking yellow and red flowers during the dark days of winter. Thank you, Greg, for this gift I always enjoy them, a splash of sunshine during rainy days.

The charms of dusk

2006-07-22T16:11:00.000+12:00

Recently I was asked about how to combat morning glory, Ipomoea learii a common weed in many parts of the island. My advice was as follows; firstly clear as much of the vine as possible physically. Once this is done allow it to start regrowing and when it is in the flush of regrowth spray it with a systemic herbicicde, that is one that circulates to all parts of the plant. Hopefully in this way you will have success in killing this rampant vine. Letting the vine begin to regrow means the poison will be more successfully translocated to all parts of the plant.

Alternatively for those who do not wish to use poisons I would suggest removing as much of the vine as possible, at least this will allow any existing desirable plants a chance of re-establishing themselves. A follow up to this treatment would be the placement of impenetrable mulch such as old carpet, following which eternal vigilance is necessary to over come such a pest.

There are two other members of this genus which are not of an invasive nature. Firstly is powhiwhi, Ipomoea palmate syn.I.cairirca, as I have mentioned in my last column, a vine with purple flowers and as the name suggests palmate leaves. This vine is naturalised in Northland and it is uncertain whether it was introduced by the early Maori or whether it is naturally indigenous to these parts. Either way I am happy to have it in my garden. The other is the moon flower, Ipomoea alba syn. Calonuction aculeatum, C. bona-nox, I. noctiflora. This climber, a perennial, has large 10cm wide white flowers with most delicious scent. They open their blooms at dusk, an intriguing event to witness as the buds swell and burst open before your very eyes. This will be planted in my scented garden next to a seat where the spectacle can easily be experienced. Plants can be easily propagated from seed. I once had one grown in a pot on a balcony where it was a star performer.

Another white night scented and flowering plant is the orchid cactus Epyphyllum oxypetalum ‘Belle de Nuit’. As its name suggests it unfurls its flowers at dusk to release its scent for many metres around. The flowers are creamy white with sometimes a hint of pink. The leaves are modified into tiny spines and the stems flattened and leaf like. In their natural habitat of Central America they are largely epiphytic, growing on other trees and shrubs. They are therefore suitable plants for pots or hanging baskets where in the latter the stems will tend to bend downwards as if to afford the viewer a better vantage point. How I am anticipating the warm summer evenings in my night scented garden!

Now just a brief pedantic note about the attention to detail the BBC goes to with its dramas. In their collaboration with HBO on the drama ‘Rome’ I noticed a flaw in the use of plants in Atia’s atrium, There were specimens of both lobster claw, Heliconia sp. and Philodendron sp., both of which come from Latin America, were the Romans really the first to the Americas? Never mind I am enjoying the series anyway!

Black Eyed Susan

2006-07-07T16:46:00.000+12:00

Water tanks are to my mind unavoidably ugly, requiring a disguise at the soonest possible opportunity. To effect this I have, as I have already mentioned, planted golden rain vine, Pyrosteria venusta and the blue sky flower vine, Thunbergia grandiflora, with as the name suggests sky blue flowers up to 5cm across. To party with these two, growing of its on volition elsewhere in the garden, I have black eyed Susan, Thunbergia alata. This vine is very easy to grow, and will start from seed. The flowers are 3cm in diameter, orange and sport a ‘black eye’ at the centre. I hope, in the company of the other two, and with a native purple convolvulus Ipomaea palmata, will all soon be romping over the water tank, keeping it cool in the summer and screening it from view by the front door.

The genus Thunbergia is comprised of some 100 species ranging in habitat from tropical Africa to tropical Asia, including India. They were named for Dr. Karl Pehr Thunberg, 1743-1822, who travelled through Batavia and Japan before returning to Sweden where he became Professor of Botany at Uppsala. Many of them produce showy flowers hanging on long racemes below the foliage. Of these I once grew the scarlet clock vine, Thunbergia coccinea a native of India and Burma (Myanmar). My vine threw itself to the top of a tea tree from where it dangled it long racemes (up to a metre long) of red flowers over the driveway. I bought it in a wee nursery in East Tamaki (no longer there) and have never seen it advertised for sale since. Another Thunbergia Lady’s slipper vine, Thunbergia mysorensis, also hangs its flowers on racemes below the canopy. The flowers are rusty red in bud and open out with reflexed petals of yellow, the whole looking very exotic indeed. There was a vine growing in the Auckland Domain at the winter gardens on the pergola adjacent to the tropical house, whether it is still there or not is doubtful as last time I was there, staff were replacing the pergola and the vines were in large piles on the ground!

Thunbergia grandiflroa var. alba, a white form of T. grandiflora, is another with flowers performing at the end of a dangling raceme. I the great fortune of finding this lovely vine recently, after only ever seeing it in a book on gardens of the tropics. This vine is destined to clothe a ragged old wattle tree. The intention is for the flowers to hang down above the heads of visitors as the wander beneath.

On the bank below this I plan to plant some nikau Rhopalostylis sapida, a couple of which I have struggling valiantly for their lives in pots on the deck. It is well time they were released into the garden! Coupled with these I think clumps of cabbage tree Cordyline australis, would work well. There are a very large number of different forms of cabbage trees available and since I plan on planting here a pink hibiscus Hibiscus X ‘Agnus Gault’ I think maybe a clump of red cabbage trees might do well along side her!

THE BIG WIND

2006-06-12T17:17:00.000+12:00

Well that put paid to any cobwebs we may have had about the place! The garden appears to have survived the tempest with not too much damage. One lady finger banana and a coprosma (self seeded), I can live with that. The banana was weighed down with the burden of its crop; this I had removed the flower bud from some time ago. I will pick the bunch of bananas and wrap them in blue plastic in which they should ripen with any luck. One of my larger bananas, Missi luki bent over, but didn’t quite succumb to the blast. At least it is now lower enough for me to remove the flower bud as it has stopped producing fruit. Removing the flower bud allows the plant to put energy into development of the fruit.

In a blast as we had on Monday it is possible to locate those areas of the garden vulnerable to wind. Securely staking new plants is essential if they are to survive these high winds. Another job when there is rain but no wind, is to go around and trim back those annoying low branches away from path ways, ones inclined to drench you as you walk past. When doing this it is important to prune back to a bud so as to avoid die back, and ugly dead pieces of wood.

During the sunny periods over the weekend I busied myself with making pathways and new steps into my lower garden. Down here I have installed a couple of new simple seats made with concrete blocks and wooden planks. In the process I was left with one remaining block and the problem of what to do with it. I struck on an idea, I had a obtained an old rusty disc sheer some time ago, thinking it might one day be handy! It now sits atop the concrete block with a couple of stone in the centre to hold it in place the two of which look some what obelisk like and the whole has the appearance of a sundial. Not bad I thought for a couple of bucks. Other innovations to come out of this bit of landscaping were a few arches of bamboo bent over the path at varying degrees of circumference to carry long runners from the Mexican blood vine from above. The idea here is to create interest by bringing the eyes and focus in and down and to create contrast of dark to light in the distance. The objective is to encourage people to continue up to the left to our front door rather than down this more intimate path. To help with this I made a step leading to the archway by use of an old rustic fence post and a coarser grade of gravel. At the same time as making the step I was able to kill a couple of other birds with this same stone and cover unsightly water pipes buried beneath fill taken from one of my new pathways, waste not want not!

The sun is about to come out so I better go and get my new strawberries into the ground.

A TASTE FOR FLIES

2006-06-01T17:07:00.000+12:00

Recently I bought three insectivorous plants, two of which were forms of the genus Sarracenia comprising only about six species but 18 plus hybrids. The plants were named for Dr. Sarrizin of Quebec who first sent specimens to Europe from North America in the 17th century. The leaves are basically fly traps, in the form of slender tubes (bladders) broadening to the tip and fitted with a lid. The unsuspecting insect approaches and upon delving inside is trapped and unable to escape! Once inside the ‘bladder’, the plant digests the insects, absorbing nitrogen in an assimilable form. These bladder leaves have red venation giving them a rather sinister appearance like miniature participants from ‘Day of the Triffids’.
The second genus is a pitcher plant, Nepenthes, a genus of some forty species and many more hybrids. They are natives of South East Asia and are of bog habitats or epiphytic, climbing through the limbs of small trees. The species I have is of the bog variety. Nepenthes have ‘pitchers’ suspended from the tips of its leaves by thin tendrils. The mouth to the pitcher has glands secreting honey which attracts the insects. Once inside they are on ‘the slippery slope’, reaching liquid at the bottom in which they drown. The plant is then able to digest its imprisoned wee beasts at leisure. By all accounts both genera are not difficult of cultivation, their main requirement would appear to be moisture during the summer. In light of this I have planted both in my bog garden; I suspect I shall have to mist them during the height of summer. I have put small rocks around them in the hope this will assist in moisture retention and also keep them a little warmer during the winter. One can but try! Adjacent to this garden I have some subtropical plants, as this is where the irrigation field for our septic is. To this planting I have recently added a velvety black leafed taro, colocasia sp. and a parataniwha, Elatostema rugosum. The parataniwha I hope will survive adjacent to the bog garden as it too requires good moist soil and will benefit from the shelter of the bananas. The natural habitat is Taranaki, King country, and moist areas of the Kauri forests. I have seen it growing abundantly around the Waitomo caves region where it forms thickets 50cm high plants. The leaves are slightly purple in colour and so should look good near my new garden carnivores with their purple veins, we shall see!

ANTICIPATION

2006-05-19T16:56:00.000+12:00

With rain coming at us by the bucketful I find myself with my nose tucked into books on gardening. Out come some of the old favourites, not glanced at for many years. One of these books is that of Vita Sackville-West, V. Sackville-West’s Garden Book. This book is a compilation of her 14 years worth of articles written for the Observer newspaper. They have been put together according to the months of the year, which would only seem the most natural way to approach a compilation on gardening. Vita was the doyen of the cottage garden from the early 20th century, the larger part of which was spent creating the iconic garden at Sissinghurst. It would have to be said though, she had the benefit of coming from a very wealthy aristocratic family, being brought up in the vast Palace of Knole in Kent. Vita’s writings are insightful, but must often to be taken with a grain of salt, as they are written for the English audience. An example of this is the way in which she expounds on the delights of jasmine, Jasminum polyanthum. She describes it as being a recent introduction from China, by Major Lawrence Johnston, creator of Hidcote. “As it strikes very readily from cuttings a home-grown stock may be raised within a very short time if wanted” she states. Well, I am sure we are now only too well aware of how well it does in this climate, being classified a weed! Still her ideas on colour, structure, and form are applicable where ever we may be. It is important to keep in mind our local conditions when indulging in these books.

Over the years I have collected a substantial library of books on the subject of plants, gardens and gardeners and it is this time of year when I am most likely to find myself thumbing the pages of these books, unable to tip myself into the tasks out in the garden for the weather. Books can be a great source of knowledge and inspiration, whetting the appetite for the promise of things that may be. I have, in between the showers planted a good number of bulbs this season, hoping to add a different aspect to my newly planted yellow, cream, silver, blue and purple border. You see it is about anticipation; I can’t wait to see what effect they will produce. It seems this time of year is more about anticipation, than realisation, as the tempest rages outside.

I have in the garden at the moment a tropical passion vine just coming into bloom, the fat buds of which I have been watching for a couple of weeks now. These rather strange but beautiful flowers I anticipate will produce lovely fruit come the spring, after all the regular passion fruits have long finished fruiting during the autumn. This specimen is called Passiflora ligularis or sweet granadilla and comes from Central America. The main attraction of the vine is not just the flowers and resulting fruit but the rather exotic heart shaped leaves up to 25cm in diameter.

Another vine I wish to get growing is the golden rain vine Pyrostegia venusta from Northern South America. It smothers itself in orange-yellow flowers during the winter. I anticipate planting this in conjunction with another vine, purple wreath vine, Petrea volubilis. This vine flowers in spring and early summer producing arching racemes of purple-blue flowers. My hope is the flowering of these two will overlap, fingers crossed. Maybe a better bet would be the purple flowered purple coral pea Hardenbergia violacea, as this flowers during the winter. Either way the purple and orange combination should look great. The location? The sunny side of my garden shed, I can only wait and see!

SNAILS APACE

2006-05-01T16:03:00.000+12:00

The other day while looking about the garden after the down pours I couldn’t help but notice the explosion in the population of snails and slugs in the garden. The poor kowhai, only just starting to recover from the onslaught of the kowhai moth caterpillars, is now under attack from a veritable army of baby snails. Further up the up the ornamental passion vine similarly had divisions of the slowly munching beasts! I turn around, and there in the vegetable patch yet more collateral damage to the newly planted cabbages, cauliflowers and broccoli. The dahlias and Dutch iris in the end of the same bed were being devastated too. It would be only a matter of very few days and I would have nothing left! In my mind there was only one course of action, slug bait. I know some people will not be keen on this path and there are other alternatives, one of which is to use beer as bait. This entails filling a saucer with beer and submerging it in the soil up to the brim. The snails consequently, in their undying thirst for the amber nectar, slide on in and drown. Alternatively a beer bottle may be placed into the soil at an angle so the mouth of the bottle is just at soil level and again the snails are lured into the waiting beverage. I have never tried this approach mainly due to the fact the beer has usually been imbibed before it has had the chance of becoming snail bait! I would be interested if people have actually had god success with this method.

In another part of the garden I have a couple of bananas with fledgling fruit bunches on them. To encourage ripening of these bunches over winter I intend to wrap them with some blue plastic. This seems to help the fruit to ripen, by what exact mechanism I am not sure but I will certainly give it a go. Another trick is to cut off the flower bud once it has finished producing ‘hands’ of fruit, this lets the plant concentrate its energies into making bigger fruit. Over our back fence is an Abyssinian banana Musa ensete, this species of banana does not set edible fruit. The plant dies once the flower is finished and unlike the edible species doesn’t produce suckers so it is important if you want to keep these plants you must save their seed. As this particular specimen is leaning right over our fence I think it may be for the chop before it brings down the fence with it!

As for the rest of the garden, it is a case of cleaning out the detritus of summer and keeping on top of the seeds, frantically growing with the extra rain of late.

MESOS-EMBRYON-ANTHEMUM

2006-04-17T15:52:00.000+12:00

Since the recent rains, many plants have roared into life. Not least of these are the dahlias, one in particular a red one in the corner of the vegetable garden has started to flower suddenly. From what were rather withered and sad looking leaves has sprouted forth new growth and flowers! This seems to happen with many plants at this time of year, the basil finally looks healthy and flush, even the sad old tomatoes are putting in a winning effort at the tail end of the season. Even so their time is limited, the basil soon to made into pesto for winter dishes and the tomatoes and runner beans into the compost.

The strawberries are down for lifting, dividing and new runners planting out into soil refreshed with compost. For the rest of the vegetable garden goes a new round of brassicas and other plants for the kitchen.

Else where in a pot on the deck the Lachenalia aloides, a small spring flowering bulb, has pushed up its new leaves. These South African bulbs have striking green sword shaped leaves splotched with purple spots, followed by small spires of largely yellow and red tubular flowers. I enjoy these small bulbs, given to me by a friend, they require no attention from me, being dormant over the summer, they reappear every autumn when I bring them out from hiding. Now placed prominently on the deck we can enjoy their progress.

Another plant I received from a friend up north, a great ground cover, I recently discovered the name of. Initially the name I found was “Aptenia coridifloia, but on cross referencing I discovered this to a synonym of Mesmbryanthemum cordifolia! There’s a mouthful for you! The botanical name comes from; mesos, middle, embryon, fruit, anthemum flower. This great plant comes from the Cape Province of South Africa and is very easily propagated by cuttings planted in situ, that is, right into their final position. It forms a bright green sward of small green fleshy leaves; this is punctuated by small crimson flowers at all times of the year. I have noticed it is much slower growing where the soil is harder clay, but this would only seem understandable. More of this plant will be destined to take place of kikuyu grass around the garden I hope!

REFRESHING RAIN

2006-04-03T15:45:00.000+12:00

I know for those in the wine industry, rain at this time of year is not the most welcome weather event, especially when accompanied by wind. For the rest of us the garden suddenly comes to life, looking less like a desert and more like what we want in a garden.

It is now a good time to start thinking about what new plants we wish to introduce to our schemes. I have just got some daffodils to go in pots at the front door, this year abandoning any hopes of successfully growing tulips. Daffodils are an easier subject in this climate and are more inclined to survive from season to season than tulips. In the past I have sent off my spent tulip bulbs to my mother in Masterton where the climate better suits them. These poor bulbs are usually split and will not be inclined to produce flowers the second season around but in the cooler climate down south they will by next season hopefully once again flower. Another crop of flowers I can’t resist are Anemone, or wind flower. Mum used to grow these in the southern Wairarapa for sale in the Wellington Market, being slightly earlier to flower than those grown on the west coast. Anemone grow from a small corm, planting at a depth of about 10cm, I plant them in rows in the vegetable garden or along the edges of the garden. While these plants will grow from season to season it is usually best to start with fresh corms each season.

Now is a good time also for sowing seeds both in trays and directly in the ground since the soil is still warm from the summer and now has a little moisture in it. A general rule of thumb for sowing seeds is to sow them to a depth of twice the thickness of the seed. For very fine seed sown in a tray, you can simply sow them directly on the surface, gently tamp sown and cover with glass and paper. The paper is to keep light off the seeds and is left on until the seeds have just started to germinate. The glass and paper are then both removed. Try to avoid watering the seedlings from above, I have a large shallow tray in which I soak the seed trays, this helps to prevent fungal disease. Once the seedlings are large enough to handle they can be pricked out into another tray giving them more space until they are ready to be planted out into the garden. This can be a cheap method of filling up the garden, putting in annual colour into those gaps that inevitably appear.

Now would be also a good time to revive the soil, digging the compost we have all diligently made over the summer with the excess foliage from the vegetable patch! Also a little bit of general fertiliser around trees and shrubs wouldn’t go amiss now either.

Well I see out the window my Pride of Bolivia tree is still in need of some pruning, so while the sun is shining I best get out there!

BAMBOO BATTLE FIELD

2006-03-20T18:14:00.000+12:00

Today I prevailed on friends to lend me their pole loppers in an endeavour to do battle with my bamboo. The unfortunate thing is when we bought the property, the boundary between us and the neighbour was planted out with bamboo. This has been a dilemma since we have lived here; the bamboo provides a wonderful screen between us and our immediate neighbours, plus provides great shelter from the westerlies and southwesterlies, on the other hand, it is an invasive pest. The compromise is I try to keep the bamboo within bounds, in one part by the use of some old corrugated iron sunk into the ground to the depth of a metre, this stops the stolons running out into our garden and is only going to last as long as the iron holds out in the soil (not as long as I would like, concrete would have been better). The second thing I try to do in the garden below the decks is to keep the young shoots at bay as soon as they arise, by simply kicking them, as they are easily snapped off. Needless to say I have been less than vigilant with this beast and I am now paying the price! So now it is a case of out with the loppers and a severe chop. This species can easily be kept as a hedge if only kept on top of. Having said this, it would never be a recommended choice for a hedge. There are naturally species of bamboo with a preference for clumping and don’t spread via stolons and without going into these here I would suggest looking up John Isaacson of ‘Oritria Bamboo Nursery’, he is an internationally renowned expert on bamboo and all their idiosyncrasies. Another option is to grow them in containers, just be sure you know the size of the species at maturity! I say this as we had a species at the University of Auckland that grew to the height of a Five floor building, with stems (or trunks) up to 12-15cm in diameter and could grow up to a foot per day! It would have to be added there was a vent from the engineering room where the hot air was expelled out over the base of these giants, was completely surrounded by buildings and I couldn’t help but keep watering it just to see how fast it would grow.

Bamboo will not be the only thing in the garden to come under the chop. One plant at the top of the amputation list is the Illawara flame tree Brachychiton acerifolium. I have mentioned this tree before, on account of its blooms and showy glossy green foliage. The particular specimen in mind grows, largely for its own benefit over our septic field and in consequence grows at one phenomenal rate each year. If I were not to take to it annually for a prune we should soon not be able to see the sun or anything else for that matter from our deck! Fortunately it takes to pruning well and can stand a rather harsh standard of treatment. There are others of its kin on the property but lacking the benefit of the septic field are much more casual in their approach to rampant growth and so have not been subject to the annual lop.

One other tree to be pruned is the pride of Bolivia Tipuana tipu, the long slender water shoots of summer need to be pruned of now and allow new growths to establish before winter, for it will be on these next summers flowers will be bourn.

Happy autumn clean up.

GARDEN FADS

2006-03-06T13:43:00.000+13:00

Recently I had an inquiry from Gwen Rutter as to the identity of a plant in her garden. The description and picture indicated immediately the genus Agave, but I was unable again to accurately identify the species. Agaves are a large genus of plants belonging to the
Agaveaceae family all native to the warmer parts of America. Most of which are well suited to life in our climate, the most common seen these days is A.attenuata or fox tail plant due the long fluffy flowers it produces. This species, like all of the genus, produces a large rosette of pointed leaves of a rather glaucuos grey green colour. Some species will, is the case with Gwen’s specimen send up a flower spike metres into the air, an example of which can be seen opposite to the entrance to the supermarket. Once this flower head has set seed, the rosette dies, allowing the off sets produced at the base to grow. Many of the larger species will take up to 40 years before they flower, but worth the wait I would say, if you have the space and time to wait.

Another plant from a large genus is the Sedum containing some 300 odd species. These are all succulents with fleshy leaves and clusters of small white or yellow flowers and more rarely red. One of the more common species Sedum rubrotinctum has leaves resembling jelly beans in shades of red and green. Flowering currently in my garden is Sedum spetabile in shades of white, pink and red. These are welcome in my garden at this time of year when everything else dried and shrivelled. They are growing on a steep bank in the company of lamb’s ears Stachys lanata, used as an edging, bearded iris (of course not in bloom) and some sweet alyssum. These are at the top of a flight of steps leading to my garden shed, hut, studio and hidey-hole. Here on a shelf I have a collection of the Gardener magazine from the past 15 years. Glancing through the issues from the early nineties, it was interesting how garden fads have come and gone. This was the height of the cottage gardening mania. Every other article was either about cottage gardens or cottage garden plants. Thank goodness we have moved on, or have we? Look today in the magazines and the gardens are all highly designed with sub-tropicals everywhere, no more the old fashioned roses falling about the place with lavenders and hollyhocks! There also seems to be a fixation with the small exhibition gardens of the Chelsea and Ellerslie ilk. I would have to confess though to being at times a slave to fashion, striving when I had my first garden in this neck of the woods, to produce a tropical wonder! Tropical no wonder more like! I have to be content to grow what really only sensibly survives in my conditions. The result is less work, and more pleasure, especially so during the summer, when I simply let the vegetable garden grow into an over blown arid wasteland. Better to have vegetables during the winter and spring when there is ample water and the soil temperature isn’t a baking 28 degrees!

WEEDS BY ANOTHER NAME

2006-02-20T13:46:00.000+13:00

In my last column I wrote asking for the identity of a plant from my garden. I am pleased to report some one responded and have now come up at least with a genus to which the plant belongs. Thanks to Marion Robertson of Palm Beach Lodge, we believe the plant in question is an Oxalis sp. Unfortunately I am unable to clearly identify the exact species, my RHS dictionary of gardening only lists 52 of the 800 odd species belonging to this genus! Even using the botanical key, an accurate identification wasn’t possible, the closest being a species native to Chile and Peru. The genus is widespread geographically, being largely found in South Africa, tropical and subtropical South America, but there are species belonging to almost every region on the planet! A successful plant if ever there was. At this point I imagine many are now throwing their arms up in the air with horror at the mere thought of oxalis being mentioned as anything but a weed. I have to admit there are some of the genus which do have a bad reputation. To name two: Oxalis
latifolia and O.corniculata. O.latifolia a native from Bermuda, Mexico and south to Peru, is the dreaded weed proliferating via the plentiful little bulbs which form around the top of the rhizomatous root. Any part of these if left behind in the soil will grow making it almost impossible to eradicate once ensconced in the garden, I know I have it growing here in my own garden. The other O.corniculata, native of Japan, is a creeping plant, similar in habit to clover, though the flowers are distinctly different, yellow and the foliage red. I have spent many hours in the past, weeding this character from a thyme lawn in the music department of the Auckland University!

It is a pity the whole genus gets tarred with the same brush, as certainly only a small portion of this genus are truly weeds. The specimen I have is tolerant of drought has attractive foliage, and hasn’t showed any signs of spreading wildly. Another ornamental species is the candy stick oxalis O.versicolor. This species has small white flowers that when in bud have a red stripe curling around them giving the appearance of a candy cane. The whole plant is diminutive in stature only growing to about 20cm in height. I recall with fondness this wee plant from the rock garden on the farm.

Should I comment on the ARC plans for adding such plants as Agapanthus to the banned for sale list? Well it would seem the horse has already left the stable! I would have to ask whether the dwarf cultivars are really noxious weeds? I do agree, it is probably not necessary to sell the common blue and white forms as they do seed every where and if you are desperate to have some, it is not usually a problem to get some from other people’s properties. As for the Bangalow palm, Archontophoenix cunninghamiana native of Northern New South Wales and southern Queensland, I would like to know where it has become naturalised? I have seen it growing profically in Alberon Park, Parnel, but never in bush. Maybe council should look more closely at controls of existing weeds. At least be more specific about exactly which species of a genus is to be banned, and whether it is to include cultivars and hybrids of the same genus.

Happy weeding.

MYSTERY PLANT

2006-02-03T13:48:00.000+13:00

Who would take a holiday to the tropics at this time of the year? With weather like this fungal diseases abound especially the mildews. While we sweat the fungi take advantage of the warm moist conditions to grow in. To keep on top of it, it is a matter of maintaining a spray regime. The other option is not to worry too much, like me and accept the casualties, this is largely on account of the fact I have an aversion to using sprays.

With the heat of the last week, I am fortunate enough to be taking a holiday up north so in consequence my column is brief. I do have one request though; if anyone can help me out with the name of the plant pictured I would be very much grateful. It appears to be a succulent originating from my mother’s garden, one of the many without a name! It is a wonderful plant, surviving drought very well, almost flourishing in the harsh dry conditions within which it is growing. The other thing I like about it is its ability to grow readily from cuttings, an altogether obliging plant and so any ideas on what it might be would great.

Enjoy your summer!

HUNGRY PESTS

2006-01-10T13:49:00.000+13:00

My dwarf kowhai Sophora sp. has for the second time this season come under the voracious attack of a small caterpillar. This wee beast if left unchecked will completely demolish the foliage of the entire tree! I only noticed this while walking past the skeletal remains of leaves already devastated. As my tree is small, all that was required was a search for the culprits, not too easy as they are like most successful pest they are well disguised, long thin with pale green and darker spots along their length. With a larger specimen, a spray with an organic pesticide ought to do the trick, better this than to suddenly find your tree nude! If it has been completely devastated, your tree should survive, sprouting from latent lateral buds. This pest is known as the kowhai moth and is indigenous to the genus, what the moth looks like, I have no idea!

It is this time of year when we must also be vigilant with recently planted specimens, if they are to survive until the rain in autumn. Mulching can help with maintaining water in the soil, coupled with deep watering rather than short squirts with the hose. I can see, even from my window here, my lemon needs a good soak, the tell tale pale leaves indicating a probable attack of mites. These wee insects (rather arachnids) will take advantage of a plant under stress from lack of water, as will thrips. So until these shrubs are fully established a close eye is the best bet and deep watering to encourage the roots to grow deeper and not be left prone to sudden drying on the surface. As with many things, keeping the plant as healthy as possible is the best prevention. Another point would be to plant things best suited to the dry spells of summer we experience here.

As with the shrubs, my vegetable garden now has a good layer of pea straw mulch around. I have ceased to do any watering as we no longer have enough to go around. The tomatoes are still ripening, and with the mulch seem to be quite happy, any vegetables are good. The runner beans are also producing well despite the lack of water. As for every thing else, it will be chopped up and put into the compost as it dies down in the drought. Here’s hoping we will have some rain before autumn.

HOLIDAY TIME

2005-12-27T13:52:00.000+13:00

So, that was it, Christmas is over and done with for another year and it is time to go to the beach! Well this is the case for me; the carrots, unpulled, are all going to seed along with the celery from last season and the Italian parsley. I enjoy letting the odd lettuce , silver beet and flowers such as calendula and borage the same as I can’t afford the water to keep them going. The benefit for me is their seeds put themselves about the place so I don’t have to. What I do need to keep on top of though, are the weeds. If I can help it, I shall have them out before they set their seeds about the place! Well there’s a goal, if the beach doesn’t lure me too much.

At the moment I have a shell ginger Alpinia zerumbet flowering away for the first time this season. The flowers look like exotic lanterns. These plants require a rich soil and an ample supply of water to bring them into flower. A sunny site during the winter is also a plus. Mine are over the irrigation field for the septic, perfect.

Another favourite of mine just coming into flower at present is the Pride of Bolivia, Tipuana tipu, as the name suggest is a common tree from that country. The leaves are pinnate and display a distinctly willowy appearance, while the flowers are yellow and pea like in structure. The blooms appear on stems grown during the current season, so pruning should be effected after flowering. Pruning is almost essential if you don’t have the space for the long water shoots, (up to 3m) produced as the season goes on. I have seen specimens in Barcelona where the trees had been trained to grow tall and the water shoots allowed to weep down, creating a lovely weeping willow feel.

Speaking of trees and pruning, brings to mind the debate raging at present around the felling trees in down town Auckland. The first thing I would like to point out here, is the Herald’s mistake of printing a picture of bungalow palms Archontophoenix cunninghamana and inferring them to be nikaus! This sought of thing doesn’t help the debate at all, please get it correct! My opinion is they should retain the trees that have so gallantly grown over the last twenty years and add more to them, those being native. At least the exotics existing partially defoliate during the winter. Here’s hoping sense will prevail!

CHRISTMAS SPIRIT

2005-12-20T16:39:00.000+13:00

In full bloom at present on our deck are two icons of Christmas. They are both lilies, Lilium longiflorum and Lilium regale the former with sprays of almost white trumpets and the latter with pale red on the outside of the petals and white inside fading into clear yellow. This lily L. regale was introduced by a gentleman of the name of E. H. Wilson in 1925. It has proved to be probably the most commonly grown of the many different types of lily in this country. Lilium longiflorum is of equal beauty and ease of growth, infact even more easy of bloom than L.regale, at least in my experience. Both these lilies can be propagated by seed or by taking the scales from the outside of the bulb. These are then planted in drills and covered with a couple of centimetres of sharp sand. Good drainage and plenty of water are imperative for the success of these bulbs, and some plant food doesn’t go amiss either and for this the rewards are rich.

Another plant in full bloom currently about the island is the tree grevillea or silky oak, Grevillea robust. This tree is native to Australia and in the warmer parts of New Zealand is a good performer, tolerating drought and hot summers. The only thing I would say about it is, it can be rather messy, shedding leaves almost constantly all year. When it comes into bloom it will shed nearly all the leaves, then the bare branches glow in the orange drift of blooms. This propensity to shed its leaves close to a house will be a constant problem in gutters and across the lawn. The leaves are also difficult to compost, so a site away from the house would be recommended. Another thing is the branches are rather brittle and in an exposed place will drop small branches in wind. Having said all that, I am enjoying one growing on a neighbour’s property down in the valley, the best place for it! (in someone else’s garden!) There are many other species of grevillea, over 250, many of which are worth growing in the garden, including a great ground covering species with deep wind red flowers. The genus is named for Chas. F. Greville, a founder of the Royal Horticultural Society, and all the species are native to Australia, Tasmania and New Caledonia. They are all good doers in drought prone areas such as Waiheke, and speaking of which I must water my containers on the deck! I am now saving the water from the kitchen for this purpose I assume also using this water gives the plants a little bonus in the nutrient department, I hope so!

GARDENS GALORE

2005-11-16T12:00:00.000+13:00

Two weeks ago, my garden looked like a true wilderness, hardly a garden worthy of showing off to others. Now, exhausted, after a frenetic effort to try and whip the place into something people might be interested in. The rain is lashing at the windows and the garden safari has yet again passed off with great success. How lucky we were with the weather, both days as if by command the rain held off until 4.30, just as the last guests were leaving and now today there are regularly passing squalls. I like the way these things go sometimes, these showers have meant I didn’t have to bother with the watering routine, not an unpleasant task, but a task none-the-less.

During the course of events I discovered the opportunity to get my clutches into some pea straw! This will be a timely addition to the vegetable plot which from now on suffers an almost daily water deficit. Nothing is more gratifying to me than knowing I may be able to capture some of this rain by the addition of this pea straw as a mulch. But wait, there’s more!! Not only does it help retain moisture, it keeps the soil temperature from reaching degrees seemingly high enough to slow cook the vegetables and that’s not all! As the mulch rots away it adds to the soil structure and provides extra nutrients particularly nitrogen. Who needs a money back guarantee? Not me, I know have a good investment.

Pea straw was just one example of the good things to come out of having people through the garden. It is always a pleasure for me to chat away about plants and gardens, ideas and experiences. A garden should be more than just a vegetable patch, it should be a place for rest, contemplation and ideas, a place to invigorate the mind, an escape. The Garden Safari is good opportunity to see gardeners’ responses not only to their physical environment but also their cultural needs. No two gardens, obviously, will ever be the same and to all those other gardeners in this year’s safari I congratulate them on their efforts. There is no avoiding the fact there is a lot of hard graft goes into creating these places. To all the organisers and sponsors I say thank you and also congratulations on a brilliant event, lastly to the visitors for their generosity and support. I have to admit to great trepidations about having a bunch of strangers tramping around my garden (tramp being the operative word in our case as we have a very steep site). I needn’t have worried everyone was most accommodating and free with compliments, thank you.

I believe this year’s safari has raised more money for the very good cause of the Jassy Dean trust, raising money to support those families with ill children. So I now look forward to next year’s event with relish!

THE SPIRIT OF THE GARDEN

2005-11-01T16:04:00.000+13:00

Yesterday my parents arrived from Masterton, naturally enough when I went to meet them at the wharf, Mum was lumbering along with yet another bag of plants for my garden. As you will already know, this is not the first consignment of plants to arrive from down south. Currently unfurling itself is a particularly beautiful bearded iris originally from Mum’s brother Uncle Robert’s garden. It is a stunning almost black velvety colour. I am so pleased it has produced a flower since it was only planted a couple of months ago and is now showing off to all, including Mum. It is this side of gardening I think is very important, the links and associations we can make with individuals friends and family. Another plant with a connection similar to this is the Queen Anne’s Lace, which used to grow at the back of the rose garden on the farm and often wrested into floral decoration by Mum for occasions at church or district functions in the local hall. Many of these plants I don’t have the name for, example Queen Anne’s Lace, for the life of me this morning I could not find the correct botanical name for it!! Other plants remind me of people I have known along the way, some of which have been grown in pots or pieces taken when we have shifted house, so continuing the link.

Now as I write good ole Mum is out there pulling weeds for me, so I think it only fit I should allow her a few words of her own here, especially as she has a world more experience than I do in this arena of husbandry. So over to Beth….

Having just come in from kneeling on the path and in the garden it is quite good to have a brief rest. I actually quite enjoy weeding. When you remove a big dove’s foot, Geranium molle for instance, there is a lovely clear space left, or, more importantly, another plant can breathe and continue to grow and flower. It is fun finding purple plantains that came from my garden, and cat mint, Nepeta faasenii, lambs ears, Stachys lanata, iris, Iris sp,. day lily, Hemoerocallis cv. and others. There are places waiting for more of my succulents and a lily with buds that will be a complete surprise to both of us.
At home, I have a Cecil Brunner rose that my sister Joan grew for me when I began my first garden at Pirinoa, near Palliser Bay. Joan died when she was 35 years old, so this rose is a real treasure to me and I must grow a cutting for Ewen too, now that he is developing this garden. When I was a girl, there was a lovely old climbing red rose and a butter-yellow coloured one; I now have both on my trellis. The butter-yellow rose has a true old appearance in that it looks like crinkled tissue paper. My Father had planted both of these in the early 20’s and became part of my girlhood days. It has just come to mind, our current Masterton garden’s origins were from my Mother. We live in the house that my brother-in-law Trevor (an architect) designed for her when she moved to town from the farm. We altered and enlarged the plantings, although only 1/8 acre, but a few stay the same. So the ties with friends and family carry on.

Thanks Mum it’s cuppa tea time now, time to plan!

FRESH COLOURS OF SUMMER

2005-10-03T15:16:00.000+13:00

With the warm weather and ample recent rain, the vegetable garden is romping away. This means it is time for salads again making a pleasing change from the roasted root crops of winter, as nice as they are. There are nowadays many different types of lettuce to choose from, long gone are the days of simply being face with iceberg lettuce and a condensed milk mayonnaise sprinkled with raisons! Lettuces are now available in many forms of colour shape and size, to these I like to add edible flowers to add not only more colour but also texture and flavour. An extra bonus would have to be flashes of colour through out the vege patch. Of the edible flowers I have are: pot marigolds, Calendula officinalis, borage, Borago officinalis and nasturtium Tropaeolum majus are the main ones I use, but ofcourse there are many more. I have in the past used rose petals, viola flowers, petals from sunflowers and courgette blooms. The roses I crystallised with egg white and castor sugar, a fiddly procedure, but most spectacular when place on summer berry tarts! Many of the herbs produce flowers suitable for eating as well. In general though, these blooms are used mostly as garnish accompanying the body of the salad which is largely green. Another feature of these flowers is their propensity to grow themselves where they will, and so once in the garden as a general rule you don’t have to keep resowing them. The only thing I do is to pull them from places where I would rather another crop, not a hard or difficult job.

Thinking of my salads, my Belgium white carrots must nearly be of a size now to start pulling. I have not thinned them yet as I fancy having ‘baby carrots’ in salads soon. My intention is to pull every three or four out leaving the remainder to develop fully, these babies can then be lightly fried or just put in salad raw to add texture and a sweet flavour to dishes. Belgium white carrots are as their name would suggest white, and so add a point of interest to food. I think they are even tastier than the regular orange varieties we are so accustomed to. The fact is carrots were never originally orange; it was the Dutch who developed this form out of patriotic fervour! My Pakistani red carrots are a dismal failure this year not only because the seed was not so viable but for the miserable old cat who decided to make his bed in the middle of the row….. oh hang on, I was grumpy last time, best not this time!

Adding to the salad bowl shortly will be the tops off the broad beans as they approach their maximum height or at least a height to which I am happy for them to grow to. These leaves may also be steamed in the same way as spinach. I guess the use of this green might well be put down to my tight ‘bunned’ upbringing but waste not want not is my motto. Although it might seem like a waste, the flowers of the broad bean are also not bad added to salad or stir fry.

Well I better wrap this, it must surely nearly be lunch time!

GRUMPY OLD GARDENER

2005-09-19T15:31:00.000+12:00

Why is it, the moment you plant small vegetable seedlings, the next day they are gone, eaten by slugs and snails? Why is it, the moment your long awaited irises, get blown flat the second they all flower? Argentinean ants, what are they about, marching in columns around the garden, farming herds of scale insects and aphids as they do? What else gets my goat? The birds! In collaboration with the slugs and snails I suspect, planning attacks on various parts of the garden. The cat! Love him though I do, why does he insist on lying right where I planted my carrot seeds yesterday? Not only that, he manages to scratch a nest for himself there in the middle. Of course the birds too seem to think they must sharpen their talons amongst newly planted cuttings, leaving the topsoil all over the path.

Most recently I have been complaining about the dry, how will I keep my garden over the summer? It would seem this weekend all those worries have been allayed. Lying awake as the wind howled around the house and the rain pelted the windows, our tank is now full. A blast of rain like this though heavy may not replenish the water table as much as we may think and vigilance is still necessary especially for newly planted seeds and plants. Good staking too pays dividends; my broad beans are safe and sound stropped into their string and stake framing. So as the sun shines on the battle weary garden, all is not lost. Recently I sprayed the worst affected with scale and aphids (as much as I hate to spray, I use organic spray of garlic and pyrethrum) and the ants too seem to dislike this combo, thank goodness. As general rule though, if there is a gap in the row where the ct has made his nest, I don’t worry too much, the place is big enough for both of us and I can always throw in some lettuce in there instead. In a way my vegetable patch tends to look a bit more like an herbaceous border with blocks of plants and things a wee bit mixed up. I do try to remember where I last grew the tomatoes and rotate the crops so as not to deplete the soil of nutrients in one place and to avoid build of pests and diseases, so far so good.

One thing I am excited about is one of my ornamental passion vines Passiflora antioquiensis has buds on it. The blooms are a deep red colour and hang down on long petioles. Mine I have encouraged to grow up a pole then across the path to the top of a now dead wattle tree. The idea is to be able to walk beneath it and see the blooms hanging from above also to clothe the ugly old wattle tree. So despite the venting of the spleen there is always good reason to be optimistic in the garden!

MUCKING IN

2005-09-05T15:28:00.000+12:00

It would seem winter is now behind us, following what everyone thought a fabulous summer, I cast a nervous eye toward the water tank. Already I have had to start watering the vegetable garden. One space beneath the pohutukawa, the soil was almost dust like. So I am now contemplating water conservation in the home and garden so we might survive without needing to buy water this summer and if rain does start to come, no problem and mulch is good for the soil structure.

On Sunday, enjoying this early spring, I joined a group of people in a new community garden. The same group of people have been running a stall at the Ostend market where people bring their excess vegetables and other produce from their gardens exchange for something they may not have. Others make a donation for the items they want. Any proceeds go towards the likes of compost and potting mix for the new garden. This group has coined the name Grow, (GRown On Waiheke). Last Sunday, tasks involved clearing the new vegetable beds, sewing seeds in the wee glasshouse, re-establishing the compost heaps and cleaning out a small tool shed. I think it was a few hours well spent with people able to work together and not only try something new, but also learn from each other. If you are interesting in being involved pop along to the market on Saturday and look out for the stall.

Other tasks under way in my garden included the cleaning the pond, no small task. To my delight I discovered I had two gold fish in the bottom! They had almost quadrupled in size in the short twelve months since I last saw them, (and that was when I introduced them to their new home!) so now I am giving them a bit of food daily in honour of their tenacity and in lieu of my neglect! Whilst here I also divided up the water plants and repotted them. All done and the extra divisions planted out in the new bog garden, I felt quite pleased with myself, I even remembered to put gravel on the top of the pots to stop the soil floating out. What I had forgotten to do, was to use garden soil instead of potting mix. Urgh! Still at least I hadn’t at this point changed the water in the pond. It is better to use garden soil as there are generally less soluble nutrients in it and therefore less to leach out into the water and turn it green. Potting mix has fertiliser in it that freely leaches out into the water; in particular nitrogen which algae particularly like. Having said all that, my pond still turns green! Even with my fountain and added plants, I suspect the pond being small and rather shallow, heats too much. This season hopefully with the addition of watercress and the water lily becoming bigger the problem will be less.

SITTING AMONGST IT ALL

2005-08-27T14:13:00.000+12:00

Reluctantly I have just returned to the computer from resting on one of my recent additions to the garden, a seat. It was while I was planting in a new part of the garden, I realised the perfect position for a simple seat to catch the morning sun. It is close to the house and sheltered by a vigorous bamboo hedge, a perfect spot for a sunny morning repose with coffee.

The garden I am creating here is on a rather steep sunny slope facing almost directly north. I have chosen do use mostly Mediterranean plants in hues of silver and grey, with cream, yellow, mauve and deep blues. Amongst the plants I have received from my mother are many bearded iris, iris reticulata and sedums. Another new plant has come to me from a friend, Neomarica caerulea a plant similar to iris, and indeed from the same family. These beauties are not for cutting and bringing indoors, but carry sky blue flowers opening in daily succession. An added bonus is the striking strap like leaves, a feature of the plant all year. Other plants include; a white cistus, miniature forms of Sisyrinchium, one white the other mauve, Lychnis with its silvery leaves and white or purple flowers, Euphorbia sp. and pride of Madeira Echium sp. which will send up tall purple spires at the top end of this new garden. Bisecting all this is a small new path and series of steps terminating at my new seat.

This new seat is simply a treated piece of timber placed upon a couple of concrete blocks, something even I can make happen! I am always looking for places in the garden where I might like to perch and take in the scenes before me. So, another seat has gone in at the top side of this very same garden to take advantage of the setting sun. It is a spot I noticed after sitting in the top garden and having watched the sun vanish from up there to discover on my return to the house there was yet another place still flooded with sun, rude not to put a seat there. Like the sun at this time of the year, a garden should be to be enjoyed and to do this I think it is important to have places everywhere from which to sit and absorb it. Equally important is taking the time out to just sit.

Another spot waiting for a seat is beneath an Illawarra flame tree, Brachychiton acerifolium. Here I am planning my fragrant garden. Already flourishing is a Brugmansia cv. ’Noel’s Blush’ and recently shifted Luculia grandifolia, to this are to be added Gardenia and frangipani Plumeria sp. In my propagating unit I have also just germinated a couple of seeds of the moonflower Calonyction aculeatum one of these I hope to grow on the trunk of the Illawarra flame tree, it having a twining habit. The flowers will hopefully then unfurl in the dusk next to my seat and release thier intoxicating scent. The other I plan to grow in a pot on the table on the deck so we don’t entirely miss out on the wonderful performance of the opening buds. So there is plenty for me to do, and the sun is shining.

SPRING?

2005-08-12T14:10:00.000+12:00

What a wonderful bout of fine weather we have just had. It is tempting to consider winter over, but a glance at the situation map shows a very deep depression to the southwest of the country, and so maybe one more Antarctic blast before the sun shines again. My wee self sewn dwarf beans are still flowering; I haven’t the heart to pull them up, just in case we manage maybe one feed off them before anyone else! I am though hesitating before starting anything like runner beans yet as the average temperatures need to be a little higher I think.

With runner beans in mind, I have nailed up some posts in the corners of one of my pathways, the idea to grow the beans up the posts, and then have the beans growing across fishnet (which I have as yet to locate). In this way the beans will be easily picked from beneath the draped net, while providing shade for the rest of the vegetable garden. Poles have also been placed to take cucumber plants which will hopefully grow across a rope over a seat, behind which will drape the bird net over the strawberries.

Other areas to get the fishnet will be in the far corner of the top terrace, where I have establishing a tropical passion vine Passiflora ligularis. This vigorous vine has large heart shaped leaves and edible fruit produced in the spring. The idea of the fishnet is to create the effect of fabric being draped across these corners to provide shade and also a climbing support for the vine. The same will be provided in the kiwi fruit vine. Now all I need is some fishnet…….

My other major project is still at a standstill, the bog garden. My fourth attempt to repair the hole in the plastic has failed, and so now in desperation I am on the look out for a water tight container to place inside what is supposed to a small pond. The area around this will then be filled with soil into which the container will over flow. Planted with such things that relish wet feet, mondo grass Ophiopogon japonicus and maybe the native Gunnera prorepens. G. prorepens is a tiny ground hugging plant related to the giant South American species Gunnera manicata. The New Zealand species won’t present a problem with leaves of up to one and half metres in diameter! I have read recently of the South American species becoming a pest on some west coast areas of both islands. It appears it establishes itself very well to these precipitous places and spreads along stream banks. So much a problem in some areas that it is now listed as a noxious weed, where by it is now illegal to grow and sell the plant. Not much chance of the wee native being a threat with leaves only a few centimetres in size, you are lucky to even spot it and keep it alive in our dry conditions. An added bonus with the native species are small drupes of raspberry like fruits.

The sun is shining again, and I should be out there with my spade making ready more ground for a box of plants which has arrived from my Mother!

Before the Spring

2005-07-30T12:28:00.000+12:00

As happens in winter, I have harboured and nurtured an idea and now I can see how I can utilise yet another part of the garden. At the end of a long, narrow gravel path is a stand of bamboo, before which lies a pile of clay left over from recent landscaping. A recent trim, to counter its nature to over run the place, has left the stems exposed, Japanese in effect. Couple this with my poor neglected dwarf Norwegian spruce Picea aibes cv., suffering from the vagaries of the summer drought. Idea, a Japanese garden! Focus, one bonsai tree. Require, Appropriate container, rocks and some ground cover. The ground cover I imagine being the native Scleranthus uniflorus and Raoulia australis. The first plant forms mats of moss like hummocky greens swards, the R. australis forming similar mats of grey blue. The R.australis may struggle in the semi shade of this site, but worth a shot I think. Add in one or two grasses and that’s it.

My water feature adjacent to this spot has struck a wee problem, the liner has a leak! I mention this with a wry smile; it was all going too easily. Still I now have a bicycle repair kit and soon all will be on target again, always optimism!

Speaking of which, my first seedling are bursting forth from their wee tubs, sunflowers racing towards the prospect of sunny days. Amongst others, are seeds unearthed in envelopes from a box stored under the spare bed. These included lily seeds from Mother and seeds I have collected over the years, of which I am hopeful the Rhodochiton sp. is still viable. This is a small vine carrying delicate flowers of almost black tubular petals suspended beneath a purple umbrella of sepals. After the flowers finish the sepals remain for quite some time, a twiner to be grown in close proximity for ease of frequent admiration.

In the garden finally flowering is the shell ginger, Alpinia zerumbet a subtropical of wonderful impact. Mine has seen fit to bloom after years of what would seem ideal conditions, but now in light of being transplanted to a relatively dry location has conceded to drop its guard and produced a seductive, pendant spray of flowers. It always seems to happen when you least expect it in the garden and this I think is keeping me going. May be the warm dry days of late have helped too.

WINTER RAIN

2005-07-14T13:13:00.000+12:00

Is everyone tiered of the rain yet? Our tank is finally full, not that I need it for the garden at the moment, but it is nice to have a bath and not worry about there being enough water for anything else. With an average soil temperature in the garden of between 12 and 13 degrees, everything is growing quickly, unlike during the summer when the soil temperature was around 28 and there wasn’t enough water to keep things going. I even have some strawberries with fledgling fruit already, whether these become ripe or not I don’t know. Still part of the fun is imagining having strawberries in August!

The Dutch irises are up and away now, about 20cm high and the tulips in the pots by the front door now poking their first leaves up through the soil, all is anticipation. I have sown seed of two different types of zinnia and sunflowers, also soldier poppies, a little late I know for the poppies but never mind. I do have three young plants of the Oriental poppy, Papaver orientale which will have red blooms, amongst which I have transplanted some self sown borage, Borago officinalis, the red and blue hopefully will look good together.

Other self perpetuators in the garden are the pot marigolds Calendula officinalis, a rather common herb but welcome at this time for its bright yellow, orange and russet flowers. These easy plants have been grown in kitchen gardens for centuries, being used in many and varied ways for medicinal and culinary purposes. I just like the way they appear by themselves wherever their seed finds itself, if in the wrong place it is easily removed. The flower petals can be used in salad or soup, adding a touch of colour. One other plant striking a note of colour in the garden at the moment is the rainbow chard or silver beet, Beta vulgaris var. cicla, the stems are all shades from cerise through orange to yellow and white, the latter being the most commonly grown. All perfectly good cooked, especially stir fried, the stems being chopped finely and added to pasta with mushrooms and walnuts and a basil pesto sauce, this I top with some grated parmesan. This plant originates around the Mediterranean and is the forerunner of the beetroot, being of the same genus. One of the beetroot family I have is Beta vulgaris cv. ‘Chioggia’, seed of which came from Koanga gardens, only one plant grew, so I have left this one to go to seed this season. The beet has a root of concentric circles coloured red and white, a different look for a salad.

Some other seeds I need to get in the ground, although some what late are lily seeds, Lilium sp. This seed I collected from my flowers during the summer and from my mother, still better late than never! I am going to find a wee space somewhere in the vegetable garden for them, or possibly in my over grown herb patch by the back door, the latter space may be better for I will more likely look after them there. The way I am going, I will soon have no room for vegetables in my garden!

WINTER SNEAKS IN

2005-07-01T12:04:00.000+12:00

Last Saturday served to remind us exactly what season we are now in, winter, heralded by thunder and lightning. It was certainly a spectacular display, if only for a short spell. Though there was ample rain on Friday to help quench the still rather dry soil. It is times like this I enjoy most watching for buds on plants and seeing them swell.

At the moment the buds on my kowhai, Sophora microphylla are swelling with the anticipation of fat golden blooms. For me these are the best parts of gardening, as the anticipation of a long awaited trip is sometimes more potent than the actual event. These buds will have been formed months ago, complete with all their petals and component parts. All that happens as the buds fatten is the cells fill with water, being pumped up, the pressure unfurling the flower.

I have recently acquired seed of a plant I had years ago, moonflower, Calonyction aculeatum a small vine with the most spectacular blooms. The buds, during the course of a few days grow quite large, and then at dusk they finally make their final push, bursting open before your very eyes! These blooms are white and about 15cm across and highly scented, by morning the show is over and they collapse as if exhausted by the effort. What a show though, the perfect one-night stand, I can’t wait to have them in containers around my deck.

Another plant to perform this act is the evening primrose, Oenothera fruticosa Fat buds swelling and then bursting open literally as the sun goes down and the air cools. These were one of my favourite summer plants, entertainment for me as a boy, while we waited for the BBQ to be ready.

Whilst I am thinking of seeds and possible summer scenarios, a small idea is starting to germinate, a small area set aside for those plants that perform their best in the evening, whether they be showy cactus blooms of luminous white or flowers with a perfume only apparent after the sun has set. Warm summer evenings, beautiful perfume on the air, pale blooms luminescent in the moonlight and the gentle croak of the frogs in the bog garden.

Yes I promised more about my bog garden, but the fact is I have stalled; I need to buy a bag of sand to add to the soil before I start collecting the plants. I have in mind particularly insectivorous plants, if anyone has access to these I would love to here from you!

So it is off into the watery winter to sun to fatten more ideas like the buds on the kowhai and plot for the summer.

AUTUMN PROJECT PART TWO

2005-06-17T13:37:00.000+12:00

True to my word I have started my pond and bog garden feature. With not too much difficulty I have excavated a bowl shape with a parapet, finding a level from which to estimate the final height of the water when filled. This is important as I don’t want any of the ugly polythene to be exposed above the water line.

Once the bowl shape was formed, I used the spirit level to ascertain the desired height of water, which meant in this case increasing the height of my parapet. Next sand is placed in the bottom of the bowl to save the polythene from being perforated by any sharp stones or other bits and pieces. Normally I would have put in some drainage around the back side, that is, the up hill side of the pond, to prevent water welling up underneath the polythene. In my case here the pond is so small and the site so steep I decided against the extra effort this would have required. At this point I might add I have made a pond before, albeit a much larger one and neglected to add the drainage. Naturally with the first heavy downpour the polythene liner welled up with water from beneath to the point of emptying the water from within the pond itself! This was a very frustrating episode in shortcuts. Fingers crossed this time.

I have dug my pond in way that allows me to add stones to the inside to give a more natural appearance to the edge. So in goes the polythene, with no small amount of jostling to get it to sit just right with not too many wrinkles. Now I almost filled the pond with water, not quite up to the final height, as I intend the water to merely trickle over the parapet I just want the whole to settle for a while before I continue.
The next step will be to make adjustments to the height of the parapet and dig out the area below where the bog part will be. The polythene is then laid down in the rest and the final rocks put in place. I hope this drawing will make clearer what might just be a little difficult to put into words! Plans will always be an essential part of explaining a project.

More next time when I hope to have more or less finished, then I can talk about the best bit, putting in the plants.

AUTUMN PROJECT

2005-05-30T14:37:00.000+12:00

Now that the rain has finally come, I can turn my mind to other things in the garden apart from fretting about water! Ironically the project I have in mind is a water and bog garden. Last year we had part of our deck water proofed underneath, in order to create a work space there. The water gathered, being no good for drinking, is collected in a small tank. It is with this water I intend to irrigate my bog garden. Across a narrow path from the tank are a pile of large blue stone rocks, placed there I am sure with much difficulty by the previous owner. These large
boulders surround a shallow dish shape and it is within this area I intend to establish my small pool and bog garden.

The plan is to put a tap in the bottom of the tank and let the water only just trickle out and into the newly formed wet area. This will then over flow down into the rest of the garden where my bananas and other wet subtropicals grow. The construction of this area will necessitate some amount of digging to create a basin in which to collect the trickling water. This basin will then be lined with the thickest polythene I can purchase and the water level determined by using a spirit level. The down hill side may well require a small parapet over which the water, if there is excess, will spill out into the rest of the garden. Most of the wet area will have a mixture of gravel and soil in which to grow those marginal or bog plants, leaving only the very centre with exposed water. This is the grand plan anyway, watch this space!

In flower at present is a plant I first encountered in the gardens at the Auckland University, Ruellia macrantha a native to Brazil. Unfortunately I do not have a common name for this plant. The flowers are pink and trumpet shaped. I was surprised to see it get through this hot dry summer with little water, as it thrives best with plenty of moisture, so I am well pleased with it. In the situation it is growing now it only stands about 60cm tall, however given better soil and moisture it may well grow even taller. Another requirement is good drainage and of course on our steep site this is no problem. The blooms appear winter through and including spring, after which a light prune will keep it tidy. The one thing this plant doesn’t have is a scent, never mind the 5cm x 3cm flowers make up for this.

AND THE DRY GOES ON

2005-05-16T14:30:00.000+12:00

It is funny sometimes how the penny will drop. For ages I have been pondering an area in the garden that requires planting and it wasn’t until I was considering how dry it has been that the answer came to me. It is interesting how many plants, tolerant of drought, have grey foliage and how attractive they are. Many of these plants also have yellow flowers and so the penny drops, have an area of grey, blue, green, white and yellow! The first of these plants springing to mind is the Brchyglottis greyii previously known as Senicio greyii, a native of the coastal regions of the lower north Island. They have blue grey foliage on the upper surface and almost white on the under sides, it is for these leaves that they are mostly grown, with the flowers often being cut off (they are yellow daisies). Well not for me, I shall let them glory in their blooms. Along with the B. greyii will go the Marlborough rock daisy Pachystegia insignis native to the rocky banks and coastal parts of Marlborough. The flowers of the rock daisy are as may be guessed white with a yellow centre and about five centimetres across. So both these are used to hot dry conditions and perfect for my hot dry sunny bank.

It is a common trait of xerophytes, plants tolerant of arid conditions, to have grey rather fluffy or tomentose foliage. A good example of this is the low growing lamb’s ear Stachys lanata the foliage almost white with the fuzz on them, perfect for the edge of the garden adjacent to the steps. There is only one thing I would have to consider here though; the flowers are small and purple. Will this go with my colour scheme? I could cut them off, or justify them by saying the border across the other side of the path has a mixture of blue purple and red and like any good prose where the paragraphs are linked so too will my adjacent gardens! Another colour note to have in common with the two borders will be blue. To the back of my new garden I would like to see pride of Madera Echium fastuosum which will add height and contrast. Along with the pride of Madera could go yuccas Yucca filamentosa native to the arid south of the US will be well adapted to my arid bank. This plant has a rosette of rather sharp leaves from which burst tall spires of creamy bell shaped flowers, a companion at the back with the pride of Madera. Others in this garden will be the native corokia Corokia cotoneaster, and euphorbias Euphorbia sp. To add interest and another link to the adjacent garden will be grey and white flowered bearded iris.

Another area of my garden doing rather well given the dry has been the bromeliads, one of which has just started to bloom. The striking flowers emerge from upright rosettes of leaves, of a rather purple colour with yellow spots. The flowers are of strident pink to red spathes from which appear delicate lime green and electric blue flowers! What a show off! Not only do they look good on the plant but may be even better when picked and brought inside. I have mentioned bromeliads before, but this one is so easy I couldn’t resist, especially given how well they tolerate the dry.

More of dry planting schemes next time.

THE BIG DRY

2005-05-06T12:25:00.000+12:00

This year autumn has been more than usually dry. My rain gauge shows since the end of the first week of January we have had barely 30 mls of rain, most of which fell during the spectacular thunderstorm the Thursday before Easter, 19ml! It is at times like these we really get to notice the star performers in the garden, those which possess the ability to perform despite the elements. It is now we can find where exactly those slightly more damp areas are, like where the septic irrigation field really is, pronouncing itself by the lush green plants which have sent their roots down to the nutrient rich noisture.

On our property this is evidenced by the rapid and luxuriant growth of our Illawarra flame tree Brachychiton acerifolius. This tree has put on an astounding three metres or more in barely three years and is what found me up the tree with the loppers the other day. I good prune was in order I thought, lest we become overwhelmed by the ever spreading branches. Irony worked against me this day, just as I was patting myself on my back, for the ease with which I could climb and prune the branches (the wood is particularly soft) I slipped and nearly fell from the tree. Warning, be very careful and ware non slip shoes! The tree is now pruned and we shall have light
on the deck for the winter. This is the second time this particular tree has been pruned and so I anticipate another pruning session in a year or so, to try and keep it under control.

Another tree to come under the pruners scrutiny, was the pride of Bolivia Tipuana tipu a rather small tree producing long water shoots every season. The name of this tree has eluded me for some years, but I have finally tracked down its name, I don’t like having nameless plants in my garden. It is helpful not only to impress people, but also to know more of what sort of conditions and treatment it is likely to require. Tipuana tipu has small pea like flowers in early summer followed by winged seeds, similar to a maple, Acer sp. This is all followed by rapid growth of water shoots bearing pinnate leaves. It is these shoots I have lopped off; hopefully leaving enough new seasons growth for next springs flowers.

Other plants finally looking not too bad are the bananas Musa sp., recovered from the wild spring gales and surviving on the moisture from the septic field. It is in this part of the garden I will concentrate my moisture loving subtropicals. To other parts of the garden plants such as Agave attenuate relish the dry, although these are now some what of a cliché, there are others in the succulent family which perform just as well. Many of these will provide not only some colourful flowers but also rather striking foliage. One such plant is Doryanthes sp. a genus of three lilies from eastern Australia. These lilies produce large flax like upright leaves and tall spires of red flowers. Along with these might go yuccas, sedums and other xerophytes, (plants of dry places) more of which next time.

FADE TO PURPLE

2005-04-22T16:23:00.000+12:00

I am still banging on about blue, but nearly there. Did I say there were not so many plants with blue flowers? One worth a mention and especially suited to our climate is ceanothus or Californian lilac Ceanothus sp. as the common name suggests it is native to California and so is well adapted to our dry summers. Ceanothus usually forms a small shrub, but some specimens have a low ground hugging habit suiting them to ground cover. The plants need pruning after flowering to keep them from becoming too leggy and open in the middle.

There is another plant with unforgettable blue flowers and that is our own Chatham Island forget-me-not Myosotidium hortensia. This large herb has glossy green rhubarb shaped leaves and large heads of blue and white forget-me-not flowers, the clusters being about 10 to 15 cm across. Unfortunately it is a difficult plant for our dry summers and mild winters; I would be very interested if anyone has success with it here on our island. In Wellington at the Otari Plant Museum there are wonderful drifts of it growing beneath trees. My mother had some growing on the farm in the south Wairarapa, where they looked splendid at the end of the lawn beneath a tree and a golden privet hedge as backdrop.

Speaking of forget-me-nots, of course there are many bedding plants of blues shades including: Lobelia, aster, pansies, ageratum, campanula, polyanthus, anemone and larkspur to name a few. For the water there is pontideria pontideria cordata with arrow shaped leaves and spikes of blue flowers. This pond dweller can add a little vertical dimension. Another blue plant for the pond is a tropical water lily Nymphaea sp. This flower is sometimes used in the cut flower industry, but like so many ‘blue’ flowers it is really a little purple.

I think this is ok, as a strictly monochromatic border may be a touch on the boring or dull side. A mix of blue and bluish purple may be more interesting to the eye, throw in one yellow flower and the whole lot will sparkle, (yellow being the complimentary colour on the colour wheel, that is opposite) bringing all those blues to life. A note of caution though; be careful with yellow as it is what is known as an advancing colour. An advancing colour is one that will attract the eye first. This trick of the eye is sometimes used to create the allusion of distance. Putting advancing colours like yellow and red (also known as warm colours) to the fore ground and the blues to the distance, helps to increase the perceived length of a border. Another trick of the eye is to make the border or path slightly narrower at the far end increasing the sense of distance. Naturally if you look back from the other end your sense of distance will be foreshortened. These ploys I have to say are more commonly found in the larger gardens, but can apply to a smaller plot, so if you are contemplating a new border have a wee think about the use of colour and perspective and have fun.

2005-04-07T15:46:00.000+12:00

Plumbago articulatus

MORE NOTES ON BLUE TONES

2005-04-07T15:36:00.000+12:00

Last week I finished with morning glory Ipomoea learii from the tropics, there are a few more with blue flowers native to warm climates.

Firstly, there are the bromeliads that come in shades of blue although some of these may be on the purple side. One of the more stunning of these would have to be a tillandsia Tillandsia cyanea sporting a reddish spathe from which emerge the most stunning electric blue petals. The flowers commence blooming about two at a time from the base of the spathe and continue flower over a long period. The tillandsia genus is includes the Spanish moss common to the Southern USA, and survive on dust from the atmosphere rather than soil. Any roots that do occur are purely for anchorage. A good companion for this might one of the taros sporting leaves with an electric blue tinge, the exact name of these I am not sure of, but I have seen them for sale for time to time.

For subtropical blue colours there is the bird of paradise plant, Strelitzia nicolai, where the flower petals are white with a blue spathe. This plant is more likely to be grown for its showy foliage rather than blue flowers. The leaves are held in broad fan shapes the stems over time forming trunks. An example of S. nicolai can be seen out side the Anglican church in Oneroa. The only point about it is the way the old foliage persists after it is spent, requiring removal to keep it looking tidy. This could be teamed with the sky flower Thunbergia grandiflora a large fast growing subtropical vine.

Other blue flowers from a more Mediterranean climate might be the pride of Madera, Echium fastuosum with its long upright panicles of blue flowers making a lasting display in summer. Like many blue flowered plants there are other colours as well including purple and pink. E. fastuosum needs a good prune back after it has flowered to keep it from getting overly large and woody. Another suited to our dryer climate is the blue marguerite daisy Felicia amelloides has small pure blue daisies with a tiny yellow centre. Again a good cut back after flowering will help keep it compact. It will, given the chance, cascade down a bank very successfully. From South Africa, for a blue cascade is plumbago Plumbago auriculata, this pale blue vine has no problems adapting to our climate. Like with the others a good trim back will again keep in bounds. It is best when grown on some form of support but will mound it self up on itself to create a bush. There is available now a darker flowered form so keep an eye out in the nurseries for this.

While on the topic of South Africa it would be hard to go past the common old blue agapanthus Agapanthus africanus. There are now also many different forms of A. africanus now available, in varying sizes and colour from white through palest blue to deep blue. For the damper position what could be more evocative of childhood days than the hydrangea Hydrangea X macrophylla ‘Hortensia’. If you have the water for them they are great. Providing blue flowers when grown in acid soils and red to pink when grown in alkaline soil! Having soils tending toward the acid we are more likely ot have blue flowers, but with the addition of lime we can have pink ones as well.

Next time blue fades to purple and other ideas on colour.

2005-03-26T14:39:00.000+12:00

blue garden

NOTES ON BLUE TONES

2005-03-26T14:27:00.000+12:00

It is that time of year when one of the first things people will comment about is the situation with their water supply. It is a sad thing to see the garden shrivel in the intense heat of summer, plants wilting cracks gaping and bugs taking advantage. It's enough to make anyone feel blue! I have taken a new approach to my garden, saving the water from my shower and kitchen, I am now watering my precious plants from this supply, not only are the plants looking good, but the bugs are getting a fright from the soap suds and the soil is getting an extra boost of organic matter!

Even with the drought I still find late summer and early autumn to be the most pleasant time of year, the ground is warm and dry, the days not too hot and the evenings cool, sounds like paradise to me. Next year I am going to try and get myself a load of pea straw one way or another to use as mulch. The pea straw not only adds nitrogen but keeps in the precious moisture and adds organic matter improving the soil. This will be just perfect and now is the time to be on the look out for pea straw. It is a pity no peas are grown here on the island, but must be imported to the island; did I say I had the blues?

Recently I was asked about blue flowered plants and what would I recommend. Blue flowered plants aren’t all that common, although there are some exceptionally beautiful examples, delphiniums Delphinium sp., iris Iris sp., lobelia Lobelia erinus and gentians Gentiana sp. The first time I really took notice of gentians was in the botanical gardens of Edinburgh. Here the low growing bulbs, native to the alpine region of the Alps of Europe, spread in sweeping carpets of the most striking sky blue, a real treat in the dull cold of December. As is often the case these plants are not suited to our climate, preferring the cold of the South Island to our warm winters. A former employer of mine, of English extraction, was so determine to flower his precious gentians in Oratia, he actually resorted to putting ice around them! Not for me the obsession of growing plants from an inappropriate climate.

Still there are a number of plants that succeed here with not too much trouble. Without simply making a list I shall just mention a few. A small ground covering plant with small blue flowers is ground morning glory convolvulus mauretanicus don’t be put off by the generic name of convolvulus this native of North Africa only spreads a metre or so and makes a wonderful ground cover.

The Morning glory vine we all know and curse as a rampant climbing weed is Ipomoea leari, from a genus of over 300 species from the warmer parts of the world. I. leari is native to tropical America and gains its common name from the fact its blooms open in the early morning with the most intense blue colour fading to magenta as the day wears on. There is a species indigenous to the northern regions of the Northland, Ipomoea palmata with pale purple flowers and certainly not a weed. There were some examples of this vine growing in the rear car park in Oneroa, but I see it has been weeded out!

More on the blues next time.

THE NOSES HAVE IT

2005-03-11T13:28:00.000+13:00

Well, I know mine certainly does at this time of year with hay fever. There do seem to be many plants with delicious scents about at the moment. Last column I wrote about Magnolia grandiflora, and made mention of Michelia, closely related to the magnolias, which have strong perfume and beautiful flowers. These trees and shrubs, of a genus of some 45 species are from South East Asia. The Genus is named for the Italian botanist Pietro Antonio Micheli. Species commonly grown in New Zealand are M. doltsopa and M. figo flowering in the spring and early summer and share a strong scent. The former grows to a height of six metres, while the latter only grows to about three metres.

Plants with perfume blooming at the moment include the cluster wax vine Stephanotis floribunda, belonging to a genus of 15 species from countries as far afield as Peru, Cuba, Malaya, South China and Madagascar, the last being the native home of S. floribunda. My specimen is growing in a pot and twining its way along the rail of the deck. The small white and highly fragrant flowers are held in clusters as their common name suggests. It is these flowers that are highly prised as florist flowers, particularly for wedding bouquets. This vine needs a sheltered spot preferably in partial shade and somewhere you can enjoy its scent.

In a wee pot at the base of my stephanotis is a wax flower Hoya carnosa. From a genus of 200 species, H. carnosa is a native of Australia. It has a delicate scent arising from its waxy flowers of pinkish colour held in tight clusters. The vine likes to be pot bound and will only flower from the same spur each season, so you must careful not to knock these off if shifting it at all.

Adjacent to both of these are yet two more scented plants, gardenia Gardenia augusta ‘Professor Pucci’ with small double white flowers and a heavy scent. Next door is frangipani Plumairia acutifolia its clusters of star shaped creamy flowers. Both these plants are warm climate plants and in particular the frangipani needs shelter and the help of a sunny wall behind, particularly important through the winter, to help bring on the flowers.

Also out at the moment are the naked ladies or belladonna Amaryllis belladonna (not to be confused with deadly night shade Atropa belladonna, the poison of medieval times). There appears also to be some confusion as to the botanical name of the belladonna lily even now, as some say it is now called Brunsvigia rosea, however, I shall call it Amaryllis belladonna. This hardy bulb throws up purple stems at this time of year, topped with pale pink and powerfully scented blooms. The flowers appear before the leaves and are good for picking, but I think the perfume would be rather over powering if brought indoors. These bulbs once planted will naturalise themselves easily with no further input from the grower, except maybe to take away the dead leaves at the end of winter.

I hope everyone enjoys their autumn and the hay fever isn’t too severe. I think autumn would have to be my favourite time of the year, still warm, settled weather and yet the ground is dry and warm under foot. Will need to start thinking about where plants could be planted after the rain comes.

2005-02-25T13:38:00.000+13:00

Magnolia

A STROLL IN THE PARK

2005-02-25T12:44:00.000+13:00

What a great pleasure it was to wander around the coast the other day and see the Sculpture on the Gulf, not that many of the sculptures would have worked in our small garden! The large scale of the setting was a perfect foil for the size and stature of these pieces, the sun setting over the city in the distance, the heat of the day gone, a very pleasant exercise altogether.

On our return to the car, we passed some magnolias, Magnolia grandiflora, the beautiful evergreen magnolia of the southern United States. These trees not only have a handsome form, growing to height of up to 25 metres, sport large dark green glossy leaves, russet on the under side and large dinner plate sized blooms. The flowers are creamy coloured and look almost like they have been sculptured out of fine butter, but there the similarity ends, for they possess a rich musky citrus scent that pervades the air. In the UK and Europe these fine trees are often found trained against the wall of a house, where their blooms may be enjoyed from adjacent windows. In this climate they will freely grow in the open where given room they will spread themselves wide. The flowers are not always at sniffing level unfortunately, often opening in the heights of the tree, fortunately while taking a stroll in Albert Park the other day I had the pleasure of sinking my nose into the cool depths of a voluptuously open flower held at just the right level. It is almost impossible to believe such a beautiful flower should have such an exquisite scent, to good to be true. For those who have not the space for such an expansive tree, there are now smaller varieties available, one being M. grandiflora ‘Littlest gem’ growing to only a fraction the size of the original, or you can as I have mentioned prune it to kept in proportion.

Magnolia grandiflora is just one of 80 species of magnolia spread in habitat from East Asia, the Himalayas, to central and North America. The species arising out of the Himalayas are often deciduous bearing their flowers on the naked branches at the end of winter, the most common of these would have to be M. campbellii, with red to pink flushed blooms of a similar waxy consistency of M.grandiflora. This variety may not flower before 25 years of growth, but well worth the wait. Another commonly grown form is M. stellata with smaller white flowers borne on bare branches in late winter. The petals are rather narrow but plentiful and give rise to the name stellata with the impression of a galaxy of stars.

The genus was named for the French botanist Pierre Magnol, director of the Montpellier botanic gardens during the eighteenth century. Of the same family Magnoliaceae, are the port wine magnolia, Michelia figo and the Wong-lan, Michelia doltsopa, but more of these next time. Also coming up, something of the clustered wax flower, Stephanotis floribunda, a small vine about to flower in a pot on my deck, so until then goodbye.

2005-02-11T17:05:00.000+13:00

Beth in her garden

OF WIND SWEPT PLACES

2005-02-11T16:59:00.000+13:00

Last week found me yet again on Journey to the south of the North Island where my family are from. This time I was accompanied by a friend and we travelled as far as Cape Palliser. This is a wild and wind swept place where all plants must struggle just to survive in the teeth of violent storms that sweep in from the southern ocean. Right at the Cape, there is little vegetation at all on the steep hill sides, merely bare rock. One of the species most commonly seen here is taupata, Coprosma repens, a hardy plant growing in the most inhospitable of places. This plant often takes on a form reminiscent of bonsai, gnarled and contorted, some specimens living for long periods and still growing prominently on rocks I recall from childhood! It is this trait that makes taupata C. repens, a useful coastal hedge plant, one not so regularly seen in these parts. This seems a shame, as it has dark green glossy leaves and forms a perfectly handsome hedge. Other plants form this habitat are golden taihinu, Cassinia fulvida a small shrub with pale green leaves and golden coloured stems, thriving in dry windswept conditions, along with coastal flax, Phormium colensoi, pohuehue, Mueuelenbeckia complexa, mingmingi, Coproma propinqua and cabbage trees Cordyline australis. All these plants I feel are worthy a place in our gardens if for no other reason than their wonderful ability to withstand otherwise intolerable conditions.

It was interesting to note how much later the Pohutukawas Metrosideros excelsa were blooming, almost a month later than here. It must be said though Palliser Bay is much further south than their natural habitat. While in Masterton I naturally stay with my parents and I am always interested to see what’s going on in Mum’s garden. It might only be 1/8th acre, but it is jam packed with unusual and interesting plants. She opens her wee garden, Tussie Mussie Garden, to visitors by prior arrangement, Ph. 06 3773473. My father, Ross, has a small corner dedicated to natives and is in charge of structures, while Mum, Beth, is responsible for the rest including propagation in a tiny glass house. It is impossible to come away without some small bits and pieces for my garden here on the island!

On leaving the Wairarapa we headed north and rather than going through the Manawatu gorge we went over the saddle road which leads through the new wind farm. This is well worth the deviation, and is possibly no longer than winding your way through the gorge. The views are fantastic and the windmills are a real surreal treat! I can’t imagine why people are against this form of energy, the windmills are like a giant art installation always changing and providing enough power for a town of 30,000 people! At the top is a parking area located at the base of one of the enormous mills which completely dwarf cars and people alike. A couple of information boards explain the whole windfarm that is laid out all around the hills before you, one of the highlights of a trip through this region.

Meanwhile back on the rock we are now getting at least a little moisture to keep things going thankfully and the pressure is off the water tank!

2005-02-01T15:27:00.000+13:00

Podranea

HEAT OF SUMMER

2005-02-01T15:22:00.000+13:00

Currently barging its way into the lime light on our deck rail at present is the Port St. John creeper, Podranea ricasoliana (syn. Bignoia mackenii) with trusses of pink trumpets glowing against a background of dark green foliage. This vine really only comes into its own when the heat of summer is evident at which point most of the growing tips terminate in a quite spectacular spray of blooms up to 7 cm in length. P. mackenii is a native to South Africa, which explains its habit of flowering in the heat of summer. This creeper has a reach of up to 6m, so needs a little space to romp.

Last column I mentioned the coral tree Erythrina crista-galli but I need to add a little more about this genus. The common flame tree seen all over the island is also of the same genus, the exact name of which I am not sure. I believe the ones at the University of Auckland are labelled as being a hybrid, Erythrina X sykesii, possibly between E. indica (from tropical Asia and Australia) and E. caffra, from South Africa. It is most likely the ones on the island are of the same or similar stock. There is a magnificent specimen of E. caffra in front of Old Government House in the University of Auckland grounds, and has clusters of orange flowers held on the tips of the branches. This particular specimen was brought from Natal by Governor Grey in the nineteenth century where he had spent some time. The gardens around the Old Government House are well worth the stroll about, as are the gardens of Mansion house on Kauwau Island, also built and established by Governor Grey. It was the height of Victorian fashion to have not only menagerie of animals but also exotic plants. This was the era of exploration and plant hunters abounded, so it is not surprising to find many interesting mature exotic specimens in these old gardens. Of note in the mansion house garden are two very large examples of Jubaea chilensis the coquito palm or Chilean wine palm. This palm has an enormous stout trunk, similar to a Canary island date palm Phoenix canariensis. The common name for J. chilensis, wine palm, is due to the sugary sap that was collected over a period of two years. The unfortunate thing about this process was the fact the tree had to be felled! Here’s hoping they are happier now with wine from the grape!

While all this is very fascinating, what I was really about to mention was the book I got for Christmas, a biography of Carl Linnaeus, the founder of the binomial method of naming all living things. Author Wilfrid Blunt, takes the reader on a journey through this interesting eighteenth century naturist life, including his education (to become a doctor then required the study of all the natural sciences, including geology) and his explorative journeys into infrequently charted territories, cataloguing plants, animals, birds and rocks as he went. Also interesting are his encounters with and descriptions of foreign peoples. Sir Joseph Banks was a great admirer of Carl Linnaeus as explained in another book I read recently, Sex Botany and Empire, although Sir Joseph Banks was a little younger than Linnaeus, he also was a great explorer and plantsman and did much to catalogue the plants of this country. So it is off to a shady spot to carry on enjoying this summer with a good read.

2005-01-21T11:36:00.000+13:00

Common Coral Tree

IT’S SUMMER, BUT NOT AS WE KNOW IT!

2005-01-21T11:32:00.000+13:00

There I was thinking I had put my vegetable garden to bed for the summer, and then the rain came and came and came! So, with a full water tank I decided to fill my garden once again with vegetables. I was spurred on by the fact I am cooking food for the Saturday market and wanted to have fresh home grown produce with which to make delicious morsels. To this end I am concentrating on heirloom vegetables, things that are a little out of the ordinary but no less tasty. Late as it may be in have gone four different types of runner beans, purple pods, yellow ones and pods with purple stripes! These should make appealing salads I hope! Other delights are beetroot with concentric red and white circles through the root, various types of lettuce, rocket and coriander. With all the wet weather and finally some warmer temperatures, the seedlings are racing away. All planted insitu so no need to worry about watering seed trays or pricking-out, just thing when the seedlings are big enough. The new leaves of the beetroot will be tossed in those summer salads to go with those BBQs we are all looking forward to. Under my, as yet not ripe, corn, will go a new crop of sugar snap peas. By the time the corn is finished the peas will be using the old corn plants as support while replacing the nitrogen the hungry corn has used. All cereal crops are high users of nitrogen and the peas fix nitrogen in the soil, crop rotation is beneficial not just to guard against pest build up but also refreshing the nutrients in the soil. Another job still to do in my garden is to dig up the few Pakistani red carrots I left to go to seed, these will provide me with my next crop of these heirloom vegetables. They will be dug out, hung up with paper bags over the seeds to dry. The bags will catch the seeds as they mature and fall from the seed heads. These particular carrots are deep red-purple on the outside and pale yellow on the inside, very sweet tasting. So expect to see a range of garden fresh salads and other savoury teats available from the market soon - weather permitting!

While at the market last Saturday, I was asked about a tree along Wharf Road, well, the tree is the common coral tree Erythrina crista-galli. It is one of a genus of some 30 species, E. crista-galli being from Brazil and is quite hardy compared to most of the genus. It does require some pruning when young to keep it tidy and encourage strong growth but eventually forms rather attractive gnarly trunks. The specimen in wharf road is quite a good example and worth a place in any garden.

Christmas Holiday

2004-12-26T18:15:00.000+13:00

Christmas has found me in the Wairarapa with my family. It is good to have a change from the normal routine of Waiheke Island, if only to reinforce the fact I am happy living where I do, the weather has nothing to do with it! Well may be a little, I do like the mild climate we have on the Island (sure tulips are only treated as an annual and then sent on to my mother's garden in Masterton where the bulbs can recover and continue, hopefully, to bloom another year) where we can grow numerous tender plants my mother can only read about. In contrast to my garden, my mother's garden is a tiny, 1/8 acre, packed to the hilt with any old cottage and perennial plants, many of which would struggle in our subtropical clime of the north. At the moment her garden is bursting with fuschia, lilies roses, nearing the end of their first flush to the more tender things for her grown in pots and hanging baskets in the shelter of a sunny porch.

Tomorrow sees us travel north again through the centre of the North island and back to Waiheke, from where I will now start to post regularly. Hope everyone has a safe and happy New Year!
Ewen

2004-12-15T15:23:00.000+13:00

Illawara flame tree

ILLAWARRA FLAME TREE

2004-12-15T15:05:00.000+13:00

Just recently I was reading a British gardening magazine, Gardens Illustrated, and it struck me how as they are putting their gardens ‘to bed’ for winter, in a way I do the same for summer here. It is now when water becomes scarce, especially with all this wind, I plant fewer vegetables as the water required to keep them going isn’t worth it. As a result my vegetable patch looks more like an autumnal scene, various vegetables going to seed, the seed of some which I will keep, the rest destined for the compost heap. Some, like the broad beans and the remains of the sugar snap peas I will cut and use as mulch around the few salads destined to be planted shortly, for to have no vegetables would awful. Strawberries are the other crop I am persevering with, who can resist pancakes and strawberries for Sunday brunch. I noticed to day they are currently putting out runners, these will be removed in the winter to make new plants, a bigger strawberry patch is always a better thing!

Of interest in the rest of the garden are a couple of Illawarra flame trees Brachychiton acerfolium just commencing to bloom. The flower are rather small, bright red bell shaped, held in panicles about 20-25cm long. The tree tends to partially defoliate, then produces these panicles of flowers on the tips of the branches. Two of the four specimens I have, are both only bearing flowers on a few branches. The rest of the tree remaining fully clothed in foliage. I look forward to the day when the tree decides (they are remarkably spasmodic in their flowering habits) to flower across the whole of the tree. I have seen specimens thus blooming, no leaves, just a haze of pinkish red, very spectacular. There is a large specimen to be found outside the AUT, in Wellesley street. The genus Brachychiton consists of 11 species of Australian natives recently separated from the genus Sterculia a genus of over 300 species from tropical areas of South America, Asia and Africa. Just shows it pays to cross reference botanical names as they often change and this can lead to confusion! Another of the species worth a mention here is the Queensland bottle tree B. rupestre a rather short spreading tree with a very corpulent trunk, in fact up to 10 metres in girth! The ‘bottle’ is largely a huge water reservoir allowing it to survive in very dry conditions. A specimen of the Queensland bottle tree B. rupestre may be found in the Auckland Domain, at the top end of the duck ponds, adjacent to the hibiscus gardens. (Here too is an example of the Illawarra flame tree) Another tree of similar stature to the Queensland bottle tree B. rupestre is the baobab Adansonia a genus of only three species, one of which is found in Australia, but the other two are from Africa. The Africa genus is commonly found where other vegetation can’t survive. The ability to withstand drought has meant it has been able to out survive other species and in consequence is one of the longest lived species in the world, sometimes living for thousands of years. (So says one of the books I checked in!) The Queensland bottle tree is available here, I planted some specimens in Eden gardens in Epson in the late nineties when I was gardener there, I wonder if they survived? I obtained the specimens from Michael Poulgrain, my plant hunting friend, but I haven’t any idea if he stills has them in his nursery stock, I must find out. As I said before there is another story there.

2004-11-30T15:20:00.000+13:00

Heliconia

LANDSCAPE GIANT

2004-11-30T15:15:00.000+13:00

Currently in flower at present in the garden is my ginger, lobster plant or parrots bill Heliconia subulata. This plant is a native of South America, just one of up to thirty species related to the banana Musa sp. which has similar leaves. I was first introduced to this plant by a friend of mine who specialises in going to far flung places to explore and bring back new and interesting plants. (His adventures make another story!) Various species of Heliconia are much utilised by the cut flower industry due to their longevity when cut. Many of the species are truly tropical in their demands of climate and therefore are imported for the cut flower industry. I believe more species will be introduced as we discover those that will tolerate cooler conditions.

It would be difficult to consider the Heliconia without mention of the famous Brazilian landscape designer, the late Roberto Burle Marx, who used many different species of Heliconia in his designs. Of the most famous of his public schemes would have to be the along the beach of Copacabana, Rio de Janeiro. Running adjacent to the sand and the frolicking sun worshipers is a footpath incorporating a wave pattern made from mosaic pavers. This pattern is derivative of patterns found in Portugal’s streets. Across the road in the park are more mosaics of abstract designs reflecting Roberto Burle Marx’s talent as a modernist artist. In fact he started his career as an artist in the modernist style, but soon came to learn and be interested in plants. So the nature of his palate changed and many public parks and spaces are the legacy of this, it isn’t surprising some of his plans look more like works of art. Another spectacular example of his work is in Brasilia, the Capital. Here he worked with the modernist architect Oscar Niemeyer, and created really interesting and possibly challenging works. Unfortunately much of the landscape has suffered neglect, the mass planting of different plants used to create changes in textures and form have been lost, foot worn tracks lead through what now just look like waste land, a pity for when first completed I felt these landscapes were inspirational. Much of his work involved hard landscape, using both man made elements as well as natural features. His mosaics are reminiscent of the way the Portuguese use ceramic tiles in their gardens, but in Brasilia he used large pieces of stone shaped to look like enormous crystals protruding from a lake in front of the Ministry of the Army every bit a match for the space age looking building in the back ground.

Another contribution Roberto Burle Marx made was in the area of conservation. He explored and brought into cultivation very many plant species from the interior of Brazil. He was also instrumental in raising the profile of threatened areas of forest with significant plant diversity. This was a man larger than life, not only in stature but also in talent and personality, someone I should have liked to have met. He apparently used to entertain guest by singing opera, not to mention the fact he spoke six languages! With all this in mind, pulling a few weeds and tying up my grapevine no longer seem insurmountable!

ON SAFARI

2004-11-24T14:49:00.000+13:00

Imagine my dismay on rising Sunday morning to rain! A quick look on the radar indicated rain only over Waiheke and no where else in the whole of Auckland or Northland! More relaxed in the knowledge that this was just a very isolated shower, we headed off.

First stop was the cottage garden of the Goldwaters, where a palate of pale pinks red and white has been used. Further from the house the cottage garden gave way to natives framing a picnic table and beautiful view of the bay

From here we were off to the newly established landscape at “Isola Estate” of George and Judy Hudson. Here in contrast to the cottage garden we had just visited was a design based more on texture shape and form. A beautiful stone bridge spans the first of a series of waterfalls linking a various ponds. At the bottom was a bevy of ducks happily enjoying the water. Very few flowers here except for a pleasing comination of dusty miller Senecio cineraria and a single Japanese iris Iris kaempferi cv.

With no time to spare we were off again to Potai street, and a quick visit to a couple of very different gardens, one of natives and the other a riot of perennials and colour. The new pond at Geoff Willsher’s and Liz Cleaver was graced with a lily and solitary bloom…(how do you do that in time for the safari?) Also adjacent was a spectacular cactus also with one flaming red bloom. Cascading down a bank from the pond was group of Californian poppies Eschscholtzia clifornica. Other noted plants were giant lobelia and many bromeliads.

On to Palm Beach and the garden of Stu Farquhar Where again perennials reigned. A flock of tin pukekos grazed along the top of a bank of mingi mingi Muehkenbeckia sp. around the corner past a bed in shades of blue cream and yellow to a pottager small but perfectly formed, complete with fork ready to upend the beetroot! A small path then winds back beneath native shrubs underplanted with the New Zealand prostrate fuchsia Fuchsia procumbens the smallest fuchsia in the world and opposite a stunning yellow clivia Clivia miniata cv.

Now we even had time to catch a couple of trolly derby races before heading out to Nick Johnstone drive and to Tangaroa. Here on entry adjacent to drive was a spectacular display of the rose ‘Lest We Forget’. After following a flight of stairs lead by a series of potted red geraniums Pelargonium sp. we came to a terrace affording a view not only of the pottager but also glimpses of the gulf beyond. Through the back past a hedge of Teucrium fruticans, trimmed to a precision seldom seen, to a vista over the top of pohutukawas to Motuihe Island all framed with native shrubs in the foreground. Back around to the front of the house to enjoy the more full panoramas of the gulf. It was tempting to just lie out here in the sun, ah well.

Goodwin Avenue took us to the garden of John Freeman where we enjoyed a subtropical garden inspired by trips to Bali. Not least of all was the interesting placement of large bamboo poles. (A note here to John, the flower you had was of the Mexican hand tree Chiranthodendron pentadactylon.) This garden also had many water features all burbling with fountains and not to mention the many intriguing wooden sculptures.

Finally we visited the garden at Givernny Inn. Here the first of the sunset coloured day lilies were starting to make their presence felt around the margins of the spa.

Well I didn’t get to see all the gardens and to those I missed I only hope you are open next time, so I have something to look forward to. To all of those involved thank you for a wonderful day and I hope it has been an inspiration to many to get into their garden also what a wonderful way to support a worth while charity the Jassy Dean Trust.

MANUKA

2004-11-16T15:11:00.000+13:00

What a great weekend this was! Firstly the weather turned out to be wonderful and secondly there some interesting things to be doing out and about. Saturday a friend and I drove about the island from Rocky bay to the Everything Olive Festival where we were treated to some delicious morsels and a pleasant relax on the lawn while listening to some live entertainment. From here it was on to the ‘Garden Gurus’ grand launch. Dino and Andrea have a fabulous selection of garden ornaments, furniture and water features. All this with more music and a glass of bubbles made for a great social occasion. I have to say I was impressed by how much work they have put into making their garden look so good in such a short space of time.

It was while we were out and about I couldn’t help noticing the manuka Leptospermum scoparium flowering everywhere on the hills and along the sides of the road. When I was young manuka L. scoparium was considered scrub, which I guess it is basically, but a very attractive one if you ask me. Manuka L. scoparium has a very definite role in nature, being known as a pioneer plant. These pioneers colonise land disturbed in nature by erosion or other natural events where soil is left exposed. The young scrub soon takes hold and then provides shelter for the birds who in turn deposit the seeds of the larger forest trees. No better place is this displayed than the revegetation schemes in place down at Matiatia.

In the garden, there are many forms available from double flowers to colours from pure white through pink and red. When picked and brought inside, the blooms and leaves have a slightly sweet smell, almost pine like. One place worth a look for manuka L. scoparium specimens is at the Manurewa botanical gardens. Here there is a wonderful display of a large number of different varieties. They trim them to keep them from becoming too large and also to keep the plants lower so the flowers can be more easily enjoyed. I think the effect of them all together and trimmed, even when not in bloom, is captivating. The foliage seems to froth in shades of dull green to bronze and almost deep red. With this in mind, it surprises me they are not more often used for hedging as I am sure they would make a most unusual and interesting hedge. The other thing in their favour is their tolerance of harsh conditions, cling to dry road side banks and in the full blast of howling salt laden winds. Marvellous recommendations for plant expected to grow in the conditions which largely prevail here on Waiheke. All this and I haven’t even mentioned all the medicinal and cosmetic properties of tea tree, its other common name, and not least of all honey from bees working manuka flowers. By all accounts the latest information is, manuka honey has great anti-viral properties.

I mentioned the other name tea tree, I prefer to use manuka to avoid confusion with the tea tree native to these parts. This tree is a much larger specimen altogether however rather similar in appearance. The botanical name is quite different, Kunzea ericoides. Flowers are much smaller and appear closer to Christmas, but then they are another story.

2004-11-12T17:39:00.000+13:00

Anemone painting

MEXICAN GORE

2004-11-01T15:21:00.000+13:00

Spring is moving on, so too is the growth of plants and nowhere is this more evident than the vines now festooning themselves across the front rail of our deck. My favourite of these is the Mexican blood flower Distictis buccinatoria, syn. Phaedranthus buccinatoria the common name being rather gory for such a showy plant. As the name suggests this vine is native to Mexico, where it was discovered in 1824, (or at least first botanically noted). It sports not only wonderful red blooms, yellow at the base, up to 5cm in length, but also bold glossy foliage. The leaves forming a great foil for these attractive flowers. The vine does best when planted in a location with the benefit of all day sun.

Another vine competing for space on the deck rail is the bower vine Pandorea jasminoides ‘Rosea Superba’ which bright pink flowers with a much darker throat. The foliage is dark glossy green and quite handsome, but I think I prefer the tubular blooms of Mexican blood flower. Maybe one day I will let the Mexican have full reign of the deck as pink is not one of my favourite colours. It would seem odd to have a plant that doesn’t really fit my taste, but as is often the case I inherited this vine when we bought the property. In the meantime the bower vine gets the stay of execution because it is providing shelter on the deck.

Whilst most things in the garden are going ahead in leaps and bounds, many of the subtropicals are looking a little worse for wear after being savaged by the spring gales. In particular at present I am thinking of my bananas Musa sp. and gingers Heliconia subulata (no relation to the weed ginger Hedychium gardnerianum) This season I really must get more shelter planted along the westerly boundary to try and negate the howling sou’westers and westerlies that belt in. It is a pity because right now the H. subulata are sending up their flower spikes amid a collection of ratty old leaves instead of lush bright green foliage. Still I can pick the blooms and bring them inside where they should last for weeks. There they will keep company with the orchid flowers of one of my Cymbidium sp. which also lasts for weeks when cut.

Well for now that just leaves me to remind everyone about the Waiheke Retravision Jassy Dean Trust garden Safari coming up on Sunday November 14. I am sure there will be something for everyone who has any interest in gardening and well worth taking the time to explore gardens and places otherwise not seen.

2004-10-18T16:32:00.000+13:00

The 6 kg cauli

VEGETABLE BOUNTY

2004-10-18T13:20:00.000+13:00

I can’t help myself, I just have to brag, last Sunday I picked an enormous cauliflower, weighing some six kilos!! I was so impressed, I had to have my picture taken with it. We have been able to provide seven different lots of people with a feed from it. This has to be one of the greatest pleasures of having a productive garden, being able to give away food and flowers. I must confess to now being a little over cauliflower, cauliflower and cheese, cauliflower bake, cauliflower and mustard sauce, cauliflower sauce with fish soufflé and cauliflower stir fry. I find though, this is how it goes with the vegetable garden, you all at once have a fresh vegetable, not available for some time and then you eat it almost every day. Next to take the place of the cauliflower are the sugarsnap peas and broad beans, and so goes the vegetable year.
One vegetable I have not yet grown is asparagus, a perennial and a crop you must be patient for, because it really takes up to three years before a decent crop can be harvested. Each season enough shoots must be left to support the growth the plant for the crop the following season. But then, you have a time where nearly every meal will include some form of asparagus, I just live it.

This time of year in the garden is most definitely without doubt the most prolific both in vegetable bounty and also in flourishing weeds. It is also good time to get fertiliser on to the garden while plants are in flush growth. Glancing outside now, with the first sunshine in what seems like ages I can see my citrus trees, or rather somewhat stunted shrubs, needling me to throw some fertiliser at them, I will I promise! Fertiliser not only helps the plant maintain its growth but also by being healthy helps to keep pest and other diseases at bay.

Another task urgently required to be done, is the placement of bird nets over the strawberries. Having been given a chocolate fondue set for my birthday, it would be rude to loose my strawberry crop to the birds! Naturally birds are not our only enemy at this time of year, but also the weather, how sick are we of the wind and blustery showers of the equinox? I have seedling runner beans running all across my covered clothesline area waiting for the moment I prepare a spot for them, with a sturdy climbing support for them, unlike my feeble attempt to keep my sugarsnap peas and broad beans within their bounds. My sugarsnap peas have totally pulled down the support I so dutifully provided for them and now cascade down out of the garden bed and over the pathway! I just console myself with the thought that ‘all is fair in love and war’ in my backyard and the battle is never over but ongoing. I think on reflection though, the successes far outweigh the failures.

JASSY DEAN TRUST GARDEN SAFARI 2004

2004-10-17T13:25:00.000+13:00

Once again the Garden Safari is just around the corner and it is great to see the increased number of gardens that have been included, 17 in total! I have been lucky enough to have a sneak preview and can say we are in for a wonderful spectacle full of inspiration and ideas.

A garden safari not only provides us with the opportunity to see into the private realms of others but also to gain ideas that may be transposed upon our own plots of land. I know after going around and viewing what others have achieved, I am always inspired to get on and work on my own plot.

My short tour starts in Church Bay at the property of Frank and Helen Magee, Church Bay Lodge. Frank and Helen first came to the property by chance, having come out to Church Bay to view the sunset, they noticed the for sale sign and within seven to eight weeks they were living there! Their property has commanding vistas across Motuihe Island to the city beyond, which form the focus for the garden around the house. Further a field lies an olive grove, planted before they arrived, from here a track leads into an area of regenerating bush and finally into a remnant of mature native trees around the bend in a stream, providing a wonderful habitat for native birds. Other points of interest are the small vegetable and herb gardens and a rose garden. After five and half years of work, Frank jokingly commented that it is not “a lifestyle block, rather a workstyle block” I suspect he would have it no other way.

Moving on over to Nick Johnston drive I visited the garden of Brian and Sally McKibbin at Tangaroa Lodge.
What struck me the moment I arrived here was the consideration of the landscape the house and garden are located within. They have used not only local materials where possible, but als o local labour and knowledge. The paving stones, for example, have been cut to reveal a flat surface, a labour of some 365 hours of love! The resulting paved areas are really something unique and blend perfectly the areas between house and the rest of the garden. Before starting the garden the McKibbins waited to see what natural elements they were going to have to deal with or in fact benefit from. The positive aspects are, of course without doubt, the brilliant views from this location and the ever changing hues of blues and greys. To this end, Sally has planted plants to reflect and enhance these colours using tones of blues and greys. One element of this garden, and common to many on the island, is the eternal battle with wind.
At the front of the house, great use of low to medium sized natives have been used to bring the wind up and over the house, sheltering the front verandahs. To the rear of the house is a wonderfully sheltered courtyard containing a pottager backed by high local stone walls. This garden is only four years old and I look forward to seeing it in the years to come as I am sure there are going to be many more surprises in
store.

Now on to Givernay Inn, above Sandy Bay, home of Gabrielle Young and Bruce McLelland. Gabrielle and Bruce have only been here for two years, but in this time they have been very busy in their garden. This garden is another with panoramas across bays and sea. Working within the existing plantings of fruit trees and Mediterranean plants they have established new pathways and steps, including a petanque court. Gabrielle has been concentrating on creating a few new intmate areas working on colour schemes within a limited plant range. An example is to be found around the new spa pool area where she is using daylilies on shades of sunset colours, a wonderful metaphor for a dip with the sun disappearing below the western horizon.

My last ports of call on this preview were two gardens next door to each other in Potai street, both very different from each other. The first, the garden of Aaron Putt and Myke van Irsel, is on a corner site, and is a response in part to creating privacy from two roads. This has been achieved by the mass plantings of native trees, shrubs and native grasses. The grasses are largely propagated from seed in the glass house at the rear of the property, and when planted out have provided a wonderful weed suppressant. Also grown from seed in the glass house are vegetables for the organic vegetable garden formed in raised beds. Here you will find a bewildering array of delectable plants for the dinner table! Another favourite corner is the sheltered deck covered from the elements and adorned with palms and other subtropicals, the perfect spot to enjoy your labours of the vegetable patch.

Just across the boundary is another relatively small garden, the home of Liz Cleaver and the creation of her son Geoff Willsher. Here is a place where the person who is interested in not only seeing a wonderful garden but also many rare and unusual plants. At the front of the property visitors are greeted with a cottage style garden, in keeping with the wee house. Everywhere is gravel, no grass anywhere but this is an interesting and practical change to lawns which become too muddy during the winter months to make passing around the garden impossible. The gravel used is all local and provides a great foil to the plantings. To the back of the property is an abundant subtropical haven filled with many unusual plants and includes a large water feature. Finally tucked right in the back corner is a small but perfectly formed vegetable garden. I am pleased to see most gardens seem to have a place for the vegetables! Although this garden has only been under construction for 18 months, I am sure you will be amazed at what can be achieved in such a short time.

As with most of gardens, they are still works in progress and I am keen to see them again in November, let alone in the years to come. I have only given a hint of what is in store for this year’s garden safari having only visited five of the seventeen open to the public on November 14. Many of the properties will have refreshments available and in some cases local coffee and olives products available for sale. In all a wonderful day out and a good way to experience parts of this beautiful island that you would otherwise not see and an opportunity to support the Jassy Dean Trust, providing support for Waiheke families whose children suffer illness or injury.

2004-10-04T16:40:00.000+13:00

The black tulips

QUEEN OF THE NIGHT

2004-10-04T13:39:00.000+13:00

So, at my front door, I have a pot of tulips in flower, Tulipa x ‘Queen of the night’. Nearly every year I can’t help myself, I buy a bag of tulips – I know they are only as good as annuals here – but there they are, in the pot at the front door? Tulips as with the rose (why do we consider tulips as a plural, where as the rose is considered singular?) have a long and very considered heritage. I am not the first to have thought of the tulip as almost irresistible, it is amongst the oldest of cultivated flowers. Tulipa is a genus of some 100 species, bulbs from Europe, west and central Asia, and North Africa. The name Tulipa, is from Turkish, the word for turban, which if we think about it, the flowers do resemble. The bulb we grow in our gardens or are familiar with in municipal settings, are thought to have been introduced to Europe during the 16th century by Ogier Ghiselin de Busbecq, ambassador of the Holy Roman Empire to Suleiman the Magnificent. He first sighted it in Adrianople, on his way to Constantiople in 1554. The tulip was introduced to Europe in 1572 and reported as seen growing in Ausberg in 1559! During the early 18th century, the tulip gained as much notoriety in Turkey, as it later did in Holland at the height of ‘tulip mania’ in 1634-7. The tulip is even now to be seen growing in vast fields and still of great importance to the economy of Holland. The colour most prised was that which was as close to black as possible, ‘Queen of the Night’ is one of these attempts. I like her because of the fact that in attempting to accomplish black, very interesting shades of purple to red also come through. My painting simply can’t catch the beauty of the real thing.

On a more practical note, these bulbs will have to be tossed at the end of the season, as it is too warm here for the bulbs to maintain their strength, the bulbs will split and no longer flower. Despite all this, I still will have them in a pot at the front door, purchased every year at not too much cost, given the pleasure I get from them.

Now from fantasia to food, my French beans are hoving into rows and my sugar snaps are falling over themselves in an effort to produce wee peas. The corn as already ten centimetres tall and the first crop of beetroot nearly all down the palate! Spring is a time of such rapid growth; it is almost impossible to keep up. I am in dread of summer in my new garden, with such full on sun, a deep rich soil and limited water, certain peril for thirsty vegetables. Hopefully I can cope with careful mulching and interplanting to keep exposed soil to a minimum and keep as much moisture in as possible. Good luck in what seems to be already a dry season!

BLOWING IN THE WIND

2004-09-20T12:41:00.000+12:00

Currently flowering in my vegetable garden are Anemone, Aneomne coronaria ‘de Caen’. These plants grow from corms and are of the Ranunculacae family, the same family as our Mt. Cook lily Ranunculus lyallii, certainly a family with a global presence. The name Anemone comes from the Greek anemos meaning wind and was first coined by a chap called Theophrastus, and so windflower apparently because its flowers open only in the wind-a good thing we have ample spring westerlies! The genus is large, containing some 70 species. A.coronaria in the wild is found from Southern Europe to Central Asia, and it is from this parent the cultivar ‘de Caen’ comes from. The flowers are single and range in colour from bright red through purples to almost blue. There is another cultivar commonly planted and this is A.coronaria ‘St. Brigid’, this being a double form with the same colour range. Other commonly seen
hybrids are of the Japanese anemone, Anemone hupehensis frequently white but some of pink shades. These anemones are perennial and just need a little trimming back at the end of the season, but will flower over a long period during summer.

When I was young, my mother used to grow Anemone coronaria cv. for the cut flower market in Wellington, her blooms being just that much earlier she could command a better price. Other produce for the Wellington market included mushrooms, which we would all go out and pick, pack into 20lb apple cases and send off on the mail bus. For me, I am happy to enjoy my blooms arranged on our dining table.

I will though, be off under the house shortly, to get all my summer seeds and spring cuttings on the way in my plant propagator. Two years of looking at a bare patch of weed mat is enough! This area of offending weed mat is opposite our front door, I have in mind grasses, flax Phormium sp. and a red cordyline. The cordyline is growing else where in the garden and I hope to be able to take cuttings, fingers crossed! Other cuttings on the “to get” list are hibiscus, as it is time to prune them, it is also a good time to get some hardwood cuttings before the soft new growth appears.

It is interesting how one project leads to another, for with all these new plants, I will need some where to harden them off. So next will be to make myself and wee shade house, a lean-to on the side of my existing clothes line area, mmmmm this may also be a good place to grow some bonsai, something I am keen to give a go, better keep an eye out for suitable cutting material for this project also!

FLORAL ARRANGEMENT

2004-09-05T15:17:00.000+12:00

It would seem spring is on our doorstep again, after noting many trees beginning to burst their buds. With the longer days and hopefully warmer weather things will really start to take off now. One delight I have in my garden is the rampant nasturtium Tropaeolum majus flowering already for a couple of weeks, I let it romp around the place in the vegetable garden as it softens the look of the area and provides added colour and piquancy to a salad. As with many things, the accidental is often more pleasing than the planned and so it is with my nasturtiums. They often assert themselves in surprising style, sending runners out over the edges and down the steps, in a way I could probably never arrange! If they are at risk of over powering other vegetables, out they come, easy.
I hope to introduce more flowers into my vegetable garden scheme, ones which will perpetuate themselves without my assistance and also contribute to my salads. Of these would have to be included, borage Borago officinalis, violets and violas viola sp., pot marigolds Calendula officinalis, sweet bergamot or bee balm Monarda didyma, to name just a few, all of which are suitable for adding to salads. Sweet bergamot M.didyma is one of the ingredients of Earl Grey tea, but equally at home adding a touch of red to fresh salad. The flowers of herbs too can be used in cooking, not least of all rosemary Rosmarinus officinalis and I have often use the blossoms of lemon in dishes.
There can be some good reasons to include flowers in the diet as they often carry with them extra minerals and vitamins. It is well known that coloured vegetables are good for us, particularly red ones, as with red wine, justification enough for me! Encouraging flowers in the vegetable garden also helps the other more conventional vegetables by providing diversity and diversion for pests which would otherwise find a diet of your greens most pleasant. Companion planting makes good sense if not good looks. My theory is monoculture leaves us prone to devastation from the vagaries of pests and disease not only our crops but also in our diets. If one crop does not do well one season for what ever reason, there is always something else that has surpassed itself and so there is nearly always something for the table.

IN TRAINING

2004-08-25T09:20:00.000+12:00

Last column I discussed the pollarding of trees, the pruning of large trees to form smaller round topped forms. There is also another treatment of trees, and this is pleaching. As with pollarding the aim is to control the shape and size of the tree and this is done by training the branches. The branches may be trained in one plane to create a hedge, or in the case of fruit trees, espaliers. (strictly speaking an espalier is the frame onto which the tree is trained) Trees that exhibit long slender water shoots are often considered for this form of training, popular amongst these are lime Tilia europaea, hornbeam Carpinus betulus and beech Fagus sylvatica. Young supple branches are trained along a frame work to form the basis of the shape while others are cut out. Once the frame work is established, the laterals can be pruned out every winter, and a light prune in the summer keeps the whole in control. There is a famous example of this method at Sissinghurst Castle Kent in the UK. Here Lime trees have been pleached as standards, holding their hedge of foliage at head height.

All this has been done before of course by the Chinese and then later by the Japanese. However, in the Orient, their objective was to emulate nature, either as a true representation or symbolically. Specimens were collected, often from the wild and then trained into shapes mimicking those found in nature, frequently these were wind swept and knarled. So we have the bonsai, in all its many forms and those are almost boundless.

On walks around the island are many examples of wind swept and stunted trees and shrubs, most common I would say would have to be manuka Leptospermum scoparium, growing in tortured formations. The wind swept look is achieved simply by the windward buds continually being burnt off, leaving the leeward buds to grow consequently leaving the tree and with a rakish lean. These walks, while not just being good for me, also replenish and inspire me. Whether it be a different combination of plants or the relationship between plants and their natural environment with a sharp eye, it is interesting what you will discover. It is from the patterns and juxtapositions of plants animals and the elements that are exciting. On one recent walk I discovered the perfectly preserved skull of a seagull, amazingly undamaged for the frail thing that it is. Ah, if only my garden was so perfectly formed!

LIGHT MOVES

2004-08-10T09:39:00.000+12:00

A few more thoughts on light in the garden. Light as we all know is essential for the sustenance of a healthy plant, for all plant must photosynthesise to produce food. With this in mind it is important to consider the position of plants in the scheme of things horticultural. This is to say when planting your vegetables, try to line the rows up so they run north south, and there by preventing one row over
shadowing another, this is also the best way to align a green house.

My garden lies on a northerly facing slope, so in the winter it attracts all day sun which is wonderful for getting things away to an early start. The problem arises in the summer when this blessed little suntrap bakes my poor plants and saps the ground of moisture. The solution hopefully is to let the hedge on the westerly side grow a little taller there by providing summer shade in the afternoon and also allowing the Indian bead tree, Melia azedarch to grow on a tall trunk there by creating light shade also for the summer. Morning sun is preferable for plants as the ambient temperature is cooler in the morning. The westerly hedge provides shade in the summer as during the winter, the sun passes across the sky and sets in a more northerly quarter.

The same works for our deck, at present the sun floods onto the deck in the late afternoon, which is wonderful at this time of year, later as the summer comes on, the bamboo hedge to the west of the deck shades the it in the late afternoon sheltering us from what would possibly be a wee oven. So when planting and planning where to plant trees it is important to consider how the sun and light moves through the seasons.

Another thing to consider is the type of foliage a tree or shrub has, as this will determine the intensity of the resulting shade. A large spreading tree on the southerly boundary may be alright providing heavy shade in the summer when the sun is over head but allowing the low winter sun to penetrate beneath. I have another tree, the name of which I don’t know!! It has a vigorous growth habit, clothed in drooping pinnate leaves. Before the onset of winter I prune this tree heavily, so it doesn’t cast its long shadow across the top terrace. It does
create a partial screen from the rest of the house and garden and so is important in that way. In the parks department, when I was completing my apprenticeship, we used to go annually into the streets to prune the trees; the practice is called pollarding and is widely practiced in Europe. Popular trees for the method are; London plane trees, Platanus X acerifolia, lime trees, Tilia X europaea, English elm, Ulmus procera
and English oak, Quercus robur. This method of managing trees ensures places which are limited in space may still enjoy the green world of nature. In this country more and more, city councils are alowing the trees to grow to their full potential. Certainly there is much more to tree pruning than this, may be next time.

SPRING UNDER LOCK

2004-07-14T09:43:00.000+12:00

First off just a few notes more about genus Passiflora sp. the passion vines. The common edible passionfruit, P.edulis realy only does well for up to six years, beyond this it loses vigour and should be replaced with a new plant. It would seem they live fast die young, I guess this is in the nature of some things! To propagate, they are usually easy enough from seed; however of course P.x caeruleo-racemosa ‘Eynsford Gem’ does not produce fruit, and so must be propagated by heal cuttings of shoots taken in the spring. I believe most species can be reproduced in this way. As to the rest of their culture, they, like most subtropicals, prefer well drained soil and any pruning need only be carried out to keep the vine in check.

Unlike my tropical passion vine P.ligularis many plants are still soundly packed away, waiting for spring to unlock the tightly packed buds. For deciduous plants (those that loose their leaves in the winter) the first flush of spring growth is already neatly folded away within the buds. This all happens in the autumn and it is this little bit of knowledge that makes sense of spraying for such diseases as leaf curl in the autumn, when the new leaves are just being formed and can be damaged by the fungus. The spray most commonly used for leaf curl is copper. Did I spray my apple in the autumn to protect my new buds….no! I just didn’t get around to it, but I am not too worried, my tree will survive the season.

When you look inside a bud, you can easily, if carefully slice one open, you will be able to make out all the wee leaves, ready and waiting. What triggers the rush of growth is hormones, and they are usually moved into action by day length, and not so much by temperature. With the all clear, the plant starts to pump up the new leaves with water and they burst forth from beneath the bud scales and hey presto spring is
sprung!

It would be difficult to consider spring without blossoms and flowers. Knowing which buds contain flowers and which contain only leaves is a useful tool for pruning. As a general rule, floral buds are fatter than foliar buds and if we are pruning a fruit tree this is of course important, as fruit follows flower. As I look out my window at the moment, a big fat kingfisher is using our Indian bead-tree Melia
azedarach as a perch (no doubt to spy on our newly acquired goldfish). This deciduous tree is native to northern India and China, and has white and purple star shaped flowers produced in summer. Therefore the buds at this time of year don’t contain any flower parts. The flowers are followed by yellow berries (beads) which hang from the branches. The name of bead-tree probably relates to the use of the bony
seeds be used by monks for roseary beads. Our tree will hopefully eventually provide summer shade for the vegetables and winter sun after the leaves are gone.

Next column I will address some aspects of pruning, not all as I don’t have room and besides there are plenty of publications with ample inches devoted to the subject.

Growing passion

2004-06-30T09:46:00.000+12:00

Passionfruit mostly brings to mind the aromatic fruit topping of that national icon, the pavlova and of course this would be correct. The Passionfruit or granadilla is the product of a lush growing vine Passiflora edulis which, along with all other passion vines, come largely from South America. The name of the passion vines comes from the early missionaries to South America who likened the parts of the flower to the implements of the crucifixion, the three stigmas representing the three nails and the filaments the crown of thorns for example.
Whilst P. edulis is the one we are most commonly aware of, there are in fact over 300 species in this genus, many of which not only have lovely fruit but also attractive flowers. A recent addition to my garden has been sweet granadilla P. ligularis syn. P. lowerei discovered in Peru in 1819. This vine is vigorous with heart shaped leaves, flowers of white petals and filaments banded in white and purple stripes produced from autumn to winter and scented strongly of vanilla. The fruit comes ripe in the spring and is edible, making a good alternative to P. edulis which produces its fruit in the autumn. Having only had this vine just over a month, it has already put on about 20 cm of growth! I plan to grow it up the fence and then create an arbour across a seat in the corner of the top terrace of my garden.
Another recent acquisition is red banana passionfruit, P. antioquensis syn. P. van volxemii syn. Tacsonia van volxemii, a very attractive vine producing pendulous cerise flowers followed by delicious fruit. I have planted mine with the intention of it climbing over an arch across the steps up onto the terrace, this way the flowers and fruit should hang down and be easily viewed from beneath. Both P. ligularis and P. antioquensis require a warm spot to thrive and produce fruit. However one species that is quite hardy is P. x caeruleo-racemosa ‘Eynsford Gem’ syn. ‘Lilac lady’ this non fruiting cultivar is naturally of garden origin, ‘Eynsford Gem’ being a sport of the hybrid cross between P. caerulea and P. racemosa. I recall this vine from my mother’s garden on the farm in the lower Wairarapa where it certainly endured harsher growing conditions than here. It produces lilac coloured blooms on a back ground of dark green glossy, deeply divided leaves. The buds are also rather purple in colour adding to the overall effect. I don’t as yet have a plant of this one but hope my mother will soon be able to produce a small plant from hers currently growing on the wall of my parents house in Masterton. Another spectacular ornamental passion vine is scarlet passion flower or red granadilla, P. coccinea syn. P. fulgens syn. P. velutina, from tropical America, produces the most brilliant clear red flowers. I have only seen this flower once when I first gardened here on the island and had a plant myself, which suffered from abject neglect on my part and died from lack of water! The fruit of this species is also edible. Another passionfruit available is the giant granadilla P. quadrangularis from tropical America, is a large and vigorous vine with large, up to 20cm round, edible fruit.
Last but not insignificant is the banana passionfruit P. mollisima which in this climate is really a weed. I do remember though our neighbours when I was young had a large vine of which we were often given bags of delicious fruit. Now all I have to do is plant my specimen of the common passionfruit P. edulis, and await the fruits of my labours.

INEVITABLE INDIAN SUMMER

2004-06-16T09:49:00.000+12:00

What a relief this week of fine weather has been after all the howling sou-westers! I can now report, having commenced maintaining a journal, we have, at our section, recorded so far this winter a low of seven degrees and only thirteen mm of rain. Dry and warm I would say, but I believe our site is very much a microclimate. Have just picked fully formed trusses of tomatoes (the plant was still fully growing and
flowering!) which reinforces my idea of growing ever more tropical species in my garden here. The said tomatoes had to be removed after transplanting the citrus trees which were cohabitating with them.

So I now have a terrace in my garden containing solely citrus, six in all. A veritable grove, lined beneath with local gravel and at the base of each tree, a curb
of local rock to keep the compost in around the base of each specimen. I hope my citrus will now thrive in their new home. However I still need to prune the top
growth to balance the damage to the roots. They also need a spray of copper and an insecticide to combat the bad infestation of mealy bug and scale insects. These pests take advantage of plants under stress aided and abetted by the ants who positively farm the scale insect to harvest the honey dew.

In my new vegetable plots I have sprouting through the ground sugar-snap peas and enough lettuces to supply us with winter salad, a refreshing change at this time of year. All these details are dutifully recorded in my journal, not kept every day just every so often. It will be interesting to compare next year with what happens this year. Extra to my arsenal, I hope soon to have a soil thermometer; this will enable me to really know what I can get away with in the garden in terms of tender plants. It is often not the air temperature that is the problem rather than cool/cold damp/wet soil. The roots of many subtropical and tropical plants simply won/t tolerate cold damp feet (I don’t blame them!)

The other thing my journal is encouraging me to do is a little drawing. This occupation is not only very pleasant, but also helps us to look more intently at our vegetable specimens and the environment in which we are surrounded. While at university studying Landscape Technology, my favourite class was speed sketching, going out into the field and doing five minute sketches of trees plants buildings, whatever was around, great fun. We also took specimens into lab to do botanical style drawings, one way to really study and look closely at a subject, time I guess is the usual enemy in achieving these things, still I have made a start!