<![CDATA[No 11 - Blog]]>

The time of the most frenentic activity in the plant world is

FROM WINTER THROUGH SPRING
TO SUMMER

Come November there is only the memory of spring left. Summer is advancing fast - too fast!! And suddenly it's December with Xmas looming on the horizon. And then it's January and mid summer - again!

There has been so much to take in and enjoy!

In these few short months plant activity has been frenentic!

From the early spring of September daffodils and cherry blossom to the late spring of Rhododendrons and Banksia rose, and the early summer of roses, roses and more roses, and then perennials galore in mid summer. And before we know it - late summer and seedheads!!

The Hellebores which saved our sanity in June/July have now become a distant memory - even those lovely new strains and hybrids which appear every year to delight us when there is nothing much else. All of this has been forgotten about in the abundant fever of spring!!

The Daffodil Woodland in Hagley Park - note the weedy Snowflake (Leucojum) in the distance, which appears to be taking over from our treasured Daffodils.

We are lucky in Christchurch to have defined seasons and spring is always such a treat here after the dreary winter months. But it seems we have to go through the drear of winter to appreciate the burst of spring which for me begins with the common Snowflake Leucojum aestivum - not to be confused with the much more sought after and modest Snowdrop - Galanthus.
Despite it's weediness when the common Snowflake, Leucojeum appears beneath the bare trees of the Daffodil Woodland in Hagley Park I am glad because it tells me spring is on the way. Where the Daffodil Woodland once used to stretch as far as the eye could see, the view is now interrupted by new building and so is sadly truncated in order to accomodate more hospital building.

Although there is still some woodland left, my fear is that now that it has started, the commandeering of precious daffodil woodland may continue at the whim of development minded officials, who have regards only for money and profit. They, who do not see the value of our precious and historic Daffodil Woodland. Please can our precious woodland not become further compromised willynilly by further development. Weedy Snowflakes are infinitely more preferable to inappropriate development.

We have our Founding Fathers to thank for our Daffodil Woodland as this land which is now Hagley Park, was set aside in the 1850's as part of the Canterbury Settlement. Their vision was to create english parkland in the centre of Christchurch, which would always remind them of home.
But they didn't realise that the common Snowflake Leucojum which appears in the Daffodil Woodland, as early as June or July with it's strong strappy green leaves, was going to be such a weedy thug! So much so, that it appears to be almost taking over in the Woodland, weeks before the Daffodils even start to bloom. And even though I feel I must wash my mouth out after saying it, I still get a thrill when this common Snowflake appears, even though it must be verging on noxious weed status, but it does mean that spring is on the way, even though admitting it fills me with shame - for who wants to admit they love a noxious weed! Even though I am thrilled by it's appearance in July, I haven't actually bothered to take a specific photo of it's rather unremarkable flower - only an overall view of it's rather dominating foliage as it appears early in the season - see above.

Prunus yedoensis - Yoshino Cherry

Another shame I feel is that we must share our blossoming avenues with noisy smelly cars. It's a double edged sword as surely it is better to share blossom with cars than have no blossom at all!

Or is it a joy? In spring our main avenues are transformed from busy traffic routes to magical clouds of dreamy pale pink blossom of the Yoshino Cherry - Prunus yedoensis. But if only there were hillsides of blossoming Yoshino Cherry as in Japan!

Magnolia soulangeana

Just when we begin to think spring cannot possibly become more beautiful the Magnolias start to flower, and we are overwhelmed all over again! We are lucky to have a Magnolia grove in our botanic gardens which we can wander through and pretend we are in China

Camellia 'Cornish Snow'

Rosa banksiae 'Snowdrift'

I grow a pair of these most obliging of miniature
flowered Camellias as topiaries, spaced symmetrically in full view outside my living room window. I simply chose 2 of the strongest looking plants of the same variety from the same Camellia nursery.
In the beginning I hunted for 2 plants in the nursery which were the most similar in size and growth habit. I was looking for young plants of the same symmetrical shape with defined central leaders which could be trained from the very beginning.
After finding and purchasing a suitable pair of plants, I trimmed back all of the side branches and leaves, leaving a little topknot of branches and leaves at the top of each plant stem. These original little sappy stems are now great hulking central trunks - well, not that hulking, but thick sturdy trunks

And what a burst Spring is!! You hardly know where to look first! Cherry Blossom, Magnolias, Camellias, Banksia. All these flowering plants, from the northern hemisphere which have so happily found homes in these remote and shaky isles of the Southern Hemisphere.
When in flower this Banksia rose exudes the most delicious perfume. It starts to flower as the white Wisteria is fading, so there is a crossover point when the perfume of both species in early summer swamps the garden in the most delightful way. When my kitchen and studio doors are open the perfume invades the house as well, reminding me of early summers in years past. Scents are the most evocative of sensations - reminding one of special events and times past.

As I write in late January, there is sunlight everywhere and it is blazing hot. It is sad to see some flowers frizzle in the hot sun, when you can do very little to protect them, and shadow is so hard to find.
This is not a time to be working in the garden no matter how much you can see the garden needing your attention. You need to avoid the heat of the day, just as much as you need to avoid the freezing cold in mid winter. So there is not much incentive to work in the garden in either midsummer or midwinter. Spring and Autumn are the times!

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