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6/5/2024

End of Autumn

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GOING - GOING - 
EVEN TH0UGH IT'S THE MOST BRILLIANT SCARLET IN THE WORLD, WE KNOW THESE LEAVES ARE IN THEIR DYING THROES AND  ON THE WAY OUT. 
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Vitis amurensis - (Scarlet Ornamental Grape) spreads itself along my front verandah. I am one of those smitten gardeners who has given this vine the most important spot in the garden where it can clamber and spread itself along the front verandah in full view of passersby who often remark upon it,
This stunning red leafed vine is not to be confused with Virginia Creeper - Parthenocissus quinquefolia - a climber which sports bright red autumn foliage and hales - we presume - from Virginia in the good old U.S. of A!

The climber pictured above with the red foliage above is not Virginia Creeper, but - to me the much more exotic vine - Vitis amurensis (Scarlet Grape).  It is native to the area around the Amur river which forms the border in the far East between China and Siberia.  
Can you get much more exotic that that??
This vine has long been adopted by gardeners in the west, as it's larger grape like foliage is so decorative and changes to such a brilliant red in autumn.  I am one of those smitten gardeners, who have given this ornamental Scarlet Grape the most important spot in the garden.  It clambers and spreads itself along my front verandah, showing itself off to the street where it is often remarked upon by passersby throughout summer when it is green, and thought of  as a fruiting grape.​
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GONE!

Fast changing into winter mode when there is just a leaf or two clinging for dear life on to the bare branches.
​​Like the regular grape vine it does grow rampantly, which means I need to capture and train it along my verandah, keeping it  clipped over summer, as it sends out great long tendrils everywhere! 
Also in winter it has to be pruned mercilessly to keep it contained to the verandah so  it doesn't spread all over the roof of the house which I know it would love to do!
  It is a visual treat rather than an edible treat, as although it does produce bunches of little grape-like fruits, they look so hard and inedible that I have never been tempted to taste one.

Everyone takes it as an edible grape vine throughout summer when it is green, as it certainly can easily be mistaken as that, and  I am often asked if the fruit is sweet? good? 
But when I tell people it doesn't produce edible grapes they begin to look  disinterested, and I can see them wondering why on earth I would bother to grow it? 
​That ever practical Kiwi streak comes out again and again - if you can't eat it or use it in some way - why bother?  They find it difficult to believe that I would want to grow it just for it's beauty and autumn colour??  What use is that??



​​I don't bother to explain that to me, colour and beauty is as important as food or drink!   
​
 I don't have to go far to see the branches are already bare reflecting in the cold water of the Avon River. 
There is already a glimmer of orange or pink in that water which means that even though it is just around the corner, the pink sunsets of winter are almost here and in spite of those bare trees, winter is not entirely devoid of colour, despite golden leaves long dropped from the trees.

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The spent sunflower leaning over my front fence into the street, tells me it is Autumn, and when it flops right over onto the ground, I will know it is winter!
PictureBy late autumn the bright red leaves are beginning to drop, leaving the vine bare and twiggy as cold takes over, and winter begins. When the vine is totally denuded, that is when we will really begin to shiver--r-r-rrrr.

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​​So soon???


G00DBYE  AUTUMN - HELLO WINTER


The sunflower has flopped which means winter is early this year, so I spoke to winter saying "I wish you had waited a little longer before you made your appearance".  Of course it took no notice, because although there is no snow here yet, it has already made an appearance up there on those mountains to the west of us!
YOU CAN FEEL IT
Sometimes we have a balmy May and we wonder if winter might even pass us by - but not this year!   Br-rr-rr.  There are people already skiing on those mountains which we can see so dramatically  from our city on a clear day - snowy white mountains!!
ALL OF THIS MAKES ME WONDER WHAT TREATS WE WILL HAVE TO LOOK FORWARD TO IN THE WINTER GARDEN??
​




 

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26/3/2024

End of summer

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​Where was the Indian summer we so often get.  Not this year - Summer came and went like a flash​, and the leaves are falling already

​AUTUMN IS HERE
 

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 The lovely weeds and grassy seedheads which I rely on to sparkle up my garden in summer are drying up and fading away already!!  So early!!
And the courtyard outside my kitchen and living room is already carpeted in golden leaves which have fallen from the Wisteria growing over the pergola above.
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Dying back in such splendour, the Hosta almost looks more stunning than when it's in its green prime.
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When this fresh pretty blue plant starts to flower very late in the season, we know it's nearly all over.   Commonly known as Bog Sage, it's unflattering name does not do it justice.  It is a perennial which appears so lushly just when most other perennials are looking tired and dying back.  But it's botanical name Salvia uglinosa does it no favours either.  There is nothing ugly about it, as it's terrible botanical name 'uglinosa' suggests.  

​JUST A REMINDER OF WHAT SUMMER WAS LIKE WHEN WE HAD IT!!
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We may not have the Flower Shows any more which boosted up our flagging garden enthusiasm in mid to late summer, after spring excitement was over.  But we do have Wildflower meadows in Hagley Park and what a joy that is!   It is right up there with the newest naturalistic trends in gardens, so our Council who initiated these lovely meadows must be congratulated for being so 'on to it'!!   
I wish I had realised earlier rather than later that these meadows existed, as I would love to have followed the progress of the meadows from the outset.  But I know now - and I shall be looking from this coming spring to see the meadows progress from small green mounds at ground level to their tall majestic floral beauty in their mid summer flowering glory.   And then watching the  beauty of decay as they fade away.  

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11/7/2023

Is July really the dreariest month?

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​It is. It is. It truly is!!!  

As I sit inside gazing through the window there seems to be no colour out there but ​brown!
 

And grey!!   

Especially grey - grey sky, grey weather, grey garden How depressing it all looks, because even if there is green out there - it seems to take on the drabness of greyish brown, on these dreary, lifeless, windless Christchurch days in the low light of July.    

It's that lifeless pall in the air!
You can't get away from it - it's everywhere!
and no wind to blow it away!

Why is it that in spring Christchurch gets - wind, wind wind - ad infinitum from every direction when we would so love a balmy calm windless day to enjoy spring blossom - but no!!  It's all blown away by great dollops of wind coming from every direction!  Yet in mid-winter when we really need a bit of wind to blow away the grey dreary freezing murk of mid winter - what do we get?  ZILCH!!

 But there is hope, because from the photos I took in the Botanic Gardens earlier in this dreary July,    things did look like quite colourful - floriferous even!! 
We can thank the winter flowering Kniphofia (Red Hot Poker) for that!   

​Having said that, how many of us actually grow the striking winter flowering  Red Hot Poker in our gardens?  Not many of us, I fear! 
​But I, for one, am toying with the idea for next winter because ..... 

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Red hot pokers Kniphofia are such a welcome sight on a dull day in winter.  And these exotic and striking plants from the eastern parts of Africa and Madagascar have transitioned to our temperate shores with ease.    Appropriately named Kniphofia 'Winter Cheer', this variety pictured above certainly does cheer us up at this dreariest time of year.
One of the nicest things about Kniphofia is that it obliges us by flowering in mid winter and then again in mid summer.   The summer versions are a different story.

​But in mid winter, it is Kniphofia 'Winter Cheer' which takes centre stage as it is such a standout flower  and so welcome  in July when there is nothing much else around.  
  Although native to South Africa, Knifophia does very well in New Zealand where in some warmer areas it has naturalised itself along road verges.  It does really liven up a road trip in mid summer especially when growing in conjunction with Agapanthus which has sadly naturalised to noxious weed status particularly  in more temperate northern areas of New Zealand.   Because the summer version of Kniphofia so often appears in conjunction with Agapanthus it has proved to be a very naughty plant indeed.   As they flaunt their vulgarity so blatantly that any hope of them integrating with our much less showy and more tasteful native species fades away.   
​Instead of integrating they scream at our dear little natives!!
How dare these blowsy showy foreigners upstage and take over from the authentic native roadside plants of our country!   But don't forget there were no such thing as roadside native plantings back in the day before we arrived.  Because there were no roads!  Roads came with us - the foreigners to this land!!
We can wring our hands in worry and chagrin that even our roadsides are being swamped by these gaudy foreign devils.  But will it help?  Sadly it would be all in vain to keep wringing our hands in misery - we must just grin and bear it!!  And why not make the most of it by actually enjoying these impolite ring-ins and realise that this colorful combination can liven up many a journey in midsummer.  It's really a pleasure to be overwhelmed with these flamboyant botanical runaways particularly when you encounter them on the long straight boring roads of Canterbury  flourishing in such tawdry confidence along our roadsides on a mid-summer road trip.  Red Hot Poker teams up with Agapanthus so effortlessly, as though it has just landed there to sparkle up your life,  as you drive along our country roads.   
Even though native plant purists might wring their hands in despair, the rest of us can enjoy and admire this picture which has taken to our roadsides with such reckless abandon.  We had better enjoy this picture while we can though, as the plant purists will want to root them out asap!  
If they can - as they will not be easy to root out which will anger the plant purists even more!!


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​Although much more modest than the Red Hot Poker, I was delighted to come across this planting of a variegated ground Ivy with primroses in Cambridge Terrace in a street garden close to the city centre in Christchurch.  Even though any sort of Ivy is often classified as a weed, this variegated version looks O.K. as part of a lively winter combination in July. It shows some imagination amongst our city landscape planners and hope that they are not always p.c.  It doesn't have to be all flaxes and hardy natives in high traffic areas in the middle of our city.  Even the shyest little primrose can be a winner in the most modest of ways    



​Subtlety can prevail!
and maybe the meek will inherit the earth!
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Hardenbergia violacea - purple twining pea - native to Australia
And we can grow Hardenbergia which flowers too in
July in sheltered spots. It's not a N.Z. native plant, but is native to our closest neighbour - much warmer Australia. and look at it - with it's purple pea flower scrambling along the ground, perfectly happy in midwinter.  It has tough leathery leaves and apparently regrows from its roots after fire so make any wonder it is tough enough to weather July in Christchurch.
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Even though July, is a grey, drab, cold and really dis-spiriting month for gardening in Christchurch, and is everything that the  phrase  mid-July' conjures up in the midwinter minds of  southern hemisphere gardeners - cold dank earth, icy,  shivering.  But in the  northern hemisphere, all is colour and light in July because it is mid summer!  
 But at the bottom of the world, July is full of  cold damp mists rising from the river, the stark nudity of bare branches silhouetted against the white fog, sloshy muddy tracks, filthy shoes and no relief from chill until one day - the sun comes out!
And slants across the river even as the mists rise. 

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 By the time I went outside to try to take a photo of dreariness - everything had changed.  The sun had come out and was chasing away that dreary greyness.   Even though the bareness of winter branches was everywhere, the sky was blue with pretty fluffy clouds, so even though I tried to photograph it, dreariness eluded me. There must be hope!!
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​And then there were Hellebores!

And today we are out of July and into

August

My third son Matthew was born on the 1st August, so it is a month of joy and hope for me! 

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23/4/2023

Autumnal Thoughts morphing into winter

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It happens every year - that brilliance of the dying season - and every year I think how can this autumnal season pull me in yet again, but  it does.    I seem to need to photograph it - talk about it - write about it sigh about it  - and try to clear those messy leaves up yet again, even when I know they will keep falling 
ad infinitum!

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I think I have at last found the answer, and it revolves around the word 'messy'!  Just don't say this silly word or even think it!!  
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How could anyone ever think this golden carpet of fallen leaves - messy.   They are a gift!
As are the less spectacular brown leaves!  Although in this picture it's more about mists and atmosphere - the romance of the lone figure in the distance -  walking on into the dark unknown, towards the misty depths of winter.
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Vitis amurensis - Scarlet leafed vine - often called Ornamental Grape because of the grape-like shape of it's leaves and twining climbing habit
The intricate twining of the  stems and branches fascinates - even though I know a lot of this twining intricacy will be pruned away during the winter prune and tidy up time.  The trunks will no longer be covered up by softer foliage and will be bare and subject to scrutiny. 
​Once the softness of the foliage of the ornamental grape is gone, it's amazing how noticeable  the forms of the trunks of the pair of native Lancewoods Pseudopanax ferox become.  Planted in front of the climbing ornmental grape, the ridges and lines etched by nature into the trunks of the pair of native Lancewoods become much more apparent as the P. ferox changes from it's juvenile state to it's more mature state.  A long time ago, I planted two of them - one either side the steps leading to my verandah and front door.  And they are both double stemmed from the base of each plant.  Often called the toothed Lancewood, P. ferox is distinguished by it's etched trunks and leathery narrow dark evergreen leaves.   
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The shadows are longer and the mists are mistier.  And the red leaves are getting more sparse.  But the sparser they get the more like jewels they become.

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Vitis amurensis - Scarlet leafed vine -native to Manchuria and the Russian Far East.
The N.Z. native evergreen P. ferox is quite the opposite to the scarlet leafed vine - Vitus amurensis, which clambers through it in my garden.  Commonly called the Ornamental Grape, it is deciduous, with exotic beginnings as it is indigenous to the Amur River - a major waterway which defines the border between North Eastern China and the Russian Far East.
Who would have thought that the spectacular but humble Ornamental Grape had such exotic beginnings!   This is one of the lovely things about gardens and the plants we like to cultivate in them - they can come from all over the world and here they are flourishing away at the bottom of the world, in the opposite season to where they came from - happy as Larry! 

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28/3/2023

March 28th, 2023

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THE END OF SUMMER
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Towards the end of summer choice weeds  start to take over from the choice plants in my garden.   
And I like them just as much if not better than  garden plants because they are so confident!
They just arrive with no fuss - no bother.  I don't have to work out or agonise if I should put it this spot or that, or whether it might fit in better over there?   And I don't have to get out my trowel or spade They just simply plant themselves and take over with no effort - as weeds do! 

The weeds which make themselves at home in my garden seem to know what they are doing - and are very discriminating.   However they do come up in droves over the garden in springtime and when they are still small I do have to decide which ones to pluck out and which ones to leave, so I admit I do have some say.    The best weeds have names.    ​
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Phlomis russelliana .
This is not strictly a weed, although it's a very easy to grow perennial which spreads easily and can pop up anywhere. It has yellow flowers throughout summer which grow in whorls up the stem of the plant and which develop into these attractive brown seedheads which will last throughout winter.  It's these distinctive seedheads which make it worth growing even though it's a strong grower and could be a bit of a spreader, perhaps making it a little difficult to dig out when you no longer want so much of it.
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This beautiful patch of weeds photographed between the chain link fencing surrounding this patch.

I photographed this lovely patch of weeds on an empty section which had once been home to a commercial premises along a main road near my house.  It is next door to a service station and 2 years later the weed patch alongside the same service station is still there!!   And still fenced off by the same chain link fencing.  -  I have been expecting an architectural horror to go up on that weedy site any day, but no - not yet!   
​There is no way this area is accessible to enter in order to photograph the weeds, as the chain link fencing is inviolable.  So the only way to get a good photo of this quite lovely patch of weeds  is to point and shoot with the phone/camera between the links in the fencing, which means
 that by somehow wedging my phone between the metal links, I have managed to photograph this impressive weed patch as best as possible.  It's truly a wonder that some developer hasn't built a cheap and nasty building there. ​

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A pretty field of weeds as seen through chain link fencing.

One of my very favourite weeds is the annual 'Orach'.  Because it can be so decorative I tend to allow it fairly free rein in my garden - you can see why!  It is so decorative and a stunning colour.  It's problem is that it seeds absolutely everywhere and comes up in droves every spring.  The only consolation being that because it comes up so thickly it is very easy to pull out in great clumps leaving just what you want to add colour and interest to the garden 
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The Botanical name for Red Orach is Atriplex hortensis rubra - what a mouthful for a mere weed, otherwise known as Red Garden Orach or Mountain Spinach - and yes it is grown as a popular vegetable in Europe, cooked like spinach when the leaves are young and tender. But it is much more than that in my garden - it is one of my most striking plants!  Forming colourful seed-heads it adds contrast and is so worthy of a place in my summer garden.  It's rich crimson foliage and seedheads are too striking to be classed simply as 'weeds', and it's dark crimson foliage adds such contrast, especially now in late Autumn as it goes to seed!!  But just the mere fact that it is going to seed means it is the end of the season and soon it will dwindle and disappear.  
 So in my garden I have given it the status of 'plant' not 'weed'!

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Atriplex hortensis rubra
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When the seedheads of Oriental poppy's and the variegated grass 'Overdam' take centre stage they tell us summer is dwindling
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And when more grassy seedheads are joined by flyaway thistle seedheads, taking the place of flowers we know for sure there is not long to go before it is all over!! 

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Autumn flowering Sasanqua Camellia 'Apple Blossom'
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White Nerine flowering with Michelmas Daisy in late autumn

​But is it really all over??  

I don't think so - because look what is appearing in my garden looking as fresh as spring!
It's the autumn flowering Sasanqua Camellia -
'Apple Blossom' 
And the autumn flowering white Nerine - given to me as bulbs so many years ago by a friend, that I can't remember where or when.
Just  a practical note here - it does sulk!
So if you ever acquire Nerine  bulbs,  expect no flowers for a year or 2. 

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8/11/2022

spring into summer

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IT WAS EXACTLY 6 MONTHS AGO THAT THIS WAS THE VIEW FROM MY WINDOW?
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This impressive white Wisteria is a stayer called 'Snow Showers'.  It is the very last of the season to flower heralding the end of spring.  Saying goodbye-bye spring/hello summer, it's white petals drop all over my bricked courtyard garden just as the early roses start to flower!!   

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Not to be outdone, this mauve flowered Rhododendron ponticum is also one of the last species to flower.  One of springs greatest species in it's infinite  varieties, sizes and styles, it is mostly native to the region of the Himalayas - and Asia,  although there are some to be found in North America. 
But this common variety,  R. ponticum has become invasive in parts of Scotland and North America  becoming a nuiscance.  Even here in the Christchurch Botanic Gardens, R. ponticum has spread very easily in certain areas where branches droop and root into the ground creating their own mini woodland.    Yet there is a sculptural quality to their trunks and branches, and their fallen petals create a stunning mauve carpet as they die away, which certainly tells us spring is about to depart.  A carpet more beautiful on the ground  than on the bush, they announce that

SUMMER IS A COMIN' IN
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PictureHybrid Musk Rose - 'Penelope'

  AND THERE IS NOTHING THAT SAYS

​SUMMER QUITE LIKE ROSES!


 suddenly pink is everywhere - many shades of pink!!
 

From the gaudiest of cerise pink to the softest pale china pink in hundreds of types and varieties.  So many that we can't possibly know the names of them all - and I certainly don't!  
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 But I do know the name of the first rose of the season to flower in my garden!  It is 'Penelope' (see above)  which flowers early and in profusion - a soft apricot pink in the bud opening to cream with pink edged petals.  ​It is a hardy hybrid musk rose, which can be trimmed as a bush - preferably a large shrub, or allowed to climb if it has somewhere to climb to.
In my garden it started off as a bush, but then gradually crept up a nearby Camellia sasanqua shrub.  And why not - Sasanqua Camellias are evergreen and tough, and can cope with roses climbing up through them flowering away in summer while the host bush itself is leafy green.  C.sasanqua has it's own moment of glory when it flowers in late winter/early spring.  So when you allow a rose to clamber up through this tough evergreen shrub in summer, you get a double whammy!​

​Then there are those gaudy pink blooms
which some of us must learn to love


PictureNancy Hayward

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Unknown modern variety but looks like a David Austin rose.
So which is the gaudiest pink of these 2 roses?
And does it matter?
This cerise pink single flowered climber - 'Nancy Hayward' is always a favourite with it's seven perfect petals clustered around the stamens.
On the other hand if you are into ruffled muddly and multiple double blooms of a very pinkish hue, you might prefer this  sweet smelling David Austin favourite pictured above.  If only I could remember it's name!
AND THE PALEST OF ROMANTIC BEAUTIES
which you can't help loving despite yourself
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Souvenir de St. Annes
 Then later on, during the early 20th Century Souvenir de St. Anne's, was discovered by the head gardener as a sport alongside Souvenir de Malmaison in the garden of St. Anne's, Clontarf in Ireland. ​
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Souvenir de la Malmaison
 The Bourbon rose, Souvenir de la Malmaison  was created in 1843 by Lyon rose breeder Jean Béluze for Josephine's magnificent garden at Chateau de Malmaison where she entertained Napoleon. 
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THE SIMPLICITY OF THE OLD ROSE GONE MODERN 
The simplest form of Wild rose consisting of only five petals can be also quite diverse in colour and form.  They originate in the northern hemisphere from Europe to Asia to North America.  But in recent years breeders have shown a lot of interest in Rosa persica, a species which is native to the countries of Central Asia and western China, and which I have been lucky enough to see myself growing in the wild in Iran.  They are the simplest form of wild rose, and are distinguished not so much by form as by colour.  Other single 5 petalled roses often called dog roses  originate in Western Europe and are usually white or pale in colour unlike Rosa persica which originates in eastern Europe and Asia and which is bright yellow, red or even orange in colour, often with a splash of darker colour around the stamens.

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'For Your Eyes Only'
-It took three decades of breeding using Rosa persica to produce a rose with a fixed contrasting colour spot at the base of each petal, giving it the appearance of an ‘eye’ reminiscent of poppies and peonies. 
Jack Harkness in the UK began experimenting in 1974 to combine the eye of Rosa persica into modern roses to create a new style of rose. Unfortunately, the “persica” seedlings were weak, prone to disease, but fear not - the rose breeding world persisted and continued to investigate that most exotic of species - Rosa persica and in recent years have come up with the 'Eyes' series.  Looking back to recent additions to the rose repertoire such as  'Eye of the Tiger', 'For Your Eyes Only' and 'Eyes for You', we can see that they have all been bred from Rosa persica.  They take the same simple form consisting of 5 or 7 petals and many such as 'For Your Eyes Only' feature that distinctive coloured blotch at the centre of the bloom. 
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Picture'Eyes for You'
It is easy to become ho-hum about yet another new introduction to the rose world, as there seem to be infinite varieties out there which just keep coming, but these latest introductions have made me sit up and take notice!  I am hooked on the simple form of the  latest 'eyes' varieties with the blotch around the eye and would recommend them for any garden.  

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4/10/2022

Spring goes mad!!

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By early October there is nothing tentative about spring - it is breaking out all over
PictureCercis canadensis 'Forest Pansy'

And yet while these magenta buds do sit on the bare branches as does plum and prunus blossom, they are  not really pale and pretty like earlier Prunus blossom.  They are rather brash, in a dainty kind of way.   Of course they are of North American origin, and not shyly Asian as is earlier spring blossom.  And it is  that very brashness which means it can vie happily with my orange front door and window frames.   Magenta and orange - a colour combination which sounds too horrible to be true, yet can work if you flaunt it bravely.
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Tulip 'Temples Favourite'
And this is exactly what the front garden looks like today!  For many years, I have always planted 'Temples Favourite' which is what I consider the best of orange tulips - for my garden anyway - as they have long stems so sit up above the grasses.  I have tried many other orange varieties with 'Temples Favourite' at different times, but they have never been so successful with and tend to become dwarfed by the grasses which 'Temples Favourite' never does.
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PictureTulip 'Temples Favourite' with N.Z. native grass Carex buchannii, and Astelia chathamica 'Silver Spear' in the background.


​Here, you can see the way 'Temples Favourite' stands up above the grasses and complements them - especially the bronze native grass - 'Carex buchannii'.  And also in a different sort of way with our native Astelia chathamica 'Silver Spear'!  I was lucky enough to see Astelia chathamica growing in the wild in the Chatham Islands when I went there in  February this year.  We were too late to see the Chatham Island Forget-me-not blooming, but we did see plenty of natives, around the islands, some of them similar to the native flora you would find in New Zealand, but the fascinating thing was that they were often larger versions of the same species i.e. Kowhai which the islanders told us is spectacular when flowering. Sadly we were too late to see those flowering as well, but the other fascinating botanical treat were the groves of the Chatham Island Nikau Palm with their bright clusters of red fruits hanging just below the fronds of palm foliage.  This trip to the Chatham Islands was a general trip which I enjoyed, but if there was ever a botanical trip to the Chathams offered, I would be there like a shot! 
BUT NOW IT IS EARLY NOVEMBER - I HAVE BEEN TO SYDNEY AND THERE IS A WHOLE
DIFFERENT STORY TO TELL
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6/8/2022

signs of spring???

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By August we are just hanging out for something gorgeous, fresh and preferably 'pink' to appear in our gardens after the drabness of winter brown and grey which feels as though it's been going on  forever. 
So I've been trawling around in my garden, looking for some early treats - see below  what I have found!
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HELLEBORES ARE IT  
 even though their pink can be quite muted. 

But aren't they the flower of winter? 
Or should we say late winter/early spring.  Mine don't start to flower till July, but other cleverer gardeners seem to get them flowering much earlier.   

And broad beans are IT too!   Especially the ones that have these delightfully cerise flowers!!
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​ They are called 'Hughey' as they were especially selected and raised by Denis Hughes, right here in the South Island almost locally  at Blue Mountain Nurseries, in Tapanui, Southland.   And if you sow the seed in the autumn you are rewarded with this bonus at the very dreariest time of year!  

​Surprise! Surprise!   
These very special seeds are available from - of all places - The Warehouse!! 

​Back to the ornamentals - as though 'Hughey' wasn't ornamental enough!!  It certainly is! 
​But we are more accustomed to noticing those very early Camellias, and the ones that appeal to me most in my garden, are the simplicity of the early single variety's.  
Picture'Camellia 'Quintessence' The name of this rather simple and virginal beauty hints that it must be scented. And it is - slightly! But it's the rather graceful drooping growth habit of this low growing Camellia which makes it really suitable for growing in a pot. I have grown mine in the same pot for years and it never seems to need repotting. I just simply trim it up a bit after flowering, as it can be easily trained to just the shape you like, and throw a bit of acid fertiliser around it and bob's your uncle! It never fails to delight me in July and August!

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'Quintessence' showing it's almost horizontal growth habit planted in a pot in a shady part of the courtyard area beyond my kitchen.
Even though you can buy many beautiful named Hellebores these days, I am just as happy with the simplicity of a pure white old-fashioned Hellebore!  Or mixed unnamed varieties, clustered around a pot in a damp and shady spot.

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 The above Camellia, although ornamental is actually un-named.  I acquired it from a modest little roadside plant stall where I found it as a tiny unnamed seedling!!   It has now grown into a largeish shrub effortlessly producing  little single pink  flowers edged with white ​from early June through to September.  Although it's flowers look so delicate, it is actually a tough old thing!
It blends happily with tree-ferns and is the mainstay of my side garden through winter and early spring. 
​
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 But every now and again, one hankers after the creme de la creme of Hellebores - a special named variety - something rare unusual and rather grand in Helleborus terms.  I do have one from the special Living Fashion Designer Series called 'Anna's Red'.  Which quite by accident happens to look good clustered around a red flax!  An example of unlikely bedfellows hitting it off!  
PictureHelleborus 'Anna's Red' from the Living Fashion Designer Series

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Galanthus nivalis - the common woodland Snowdrop - so modest and unpretentious - but there many different and choice varieties out there for the confirmed Galanthophile.
You can't talk about late winter without mentioning 'Snowdrops'!  And mine are modest compared to most.   Even though I do not have a big enough garden with space to allow Snowdrops to spread into wonderful drifts where they can naturalise, I can still satisfy my Snowdrop mania with a few clumps of them in a garden bed or 2 within my urban garden.  Any gardener worth their salt, would want to finish the winter with Snowdrops!

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11/7/2022

'in the bleak midwinter'

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​WHEN THE SKIES ARE GREY, THE WATER IS GREY AND EVEN THE THE TREES ARE GREY, IS THERE ANYTHING OUT THERE THAT MIGHT CHEER US UP?
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Would it better if everything was white as in the northern hemisphere winter?  This is something I wonder every winter. Of course there is plenty of snow in the mountains if you can get there!  That pure clean white environment can lift your spirits, like the mucky grey down below never could.  Make any wonder skiers can't get up there quickly enough. 
   ​​​​But sadly, we are very seldom a complete white blanket as in Scandinavia or Russia or North America.  Would the pure bright freezing white of winter in those northern countries be more uplifting than the sombre grey of a cloudy winter day here in the South Island of New Zealand? 

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And is the twiggy tangle of bare branches as beautiful as the snow laden branches of northern climes?
Instead, we put up with the depressing and chilly greyness of life in a Christchurch winter,  hoping for the sun to shine.  And of course it does.   Eventually! 
In between the greyness we do get crisp bright sunlight after

​frosty mornings -
 sometimes. 
 
WE JUST DON'T GET THE WHITE

​ PURITY OF SNOW!
PictureEven though those fir or cedar trees of the northern hemisphere are evergreen like our native trees, look how they are designed to cope with snow - their branches naturally drooping so they are not so inclined to break under the weight. And their foliage is not lush and green like our evergreen native foliage, but is merely needles and dark green needles at that, covered in a waxy substance which protects them, making them tough and slippery so that the snow slides off them easily.
 ​

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Pure Dr. Zhivago isn't it?   Yuri might come galloping through those white birches at any minute in his eagerness to see Lara. 
Would the pure clean whiteness of northern winters lift our spirits more than this dreary greyness!  I think it might, because despite the inconveniences and difficulties of day to day life with snow, people say that they are 'geared to it' in northern countries - And know how to manage it.  Something I don't think we have ever accomplished here in NZ. ​ Probably because we have not really needed to.
​ 
We don't have the drama of snow but there are reflections - even 

if they, too, are grey 

​
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​

Dried brown winter leaves and detritus can look positively sparkling against grey water in a grey gutter.   

​​If you are lucky there might be a puddle as well, which can reflect - even if it is only of the grey sky and bare branches above.  Magically grey sky can look blue when reflected in puddles!  Especially when contrasted with brown dried leaves which in comparison can sparkle!
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This garden is so winter - all labels and a few well placed rocks and hardly anything else!  It does look bare right now, but those labels do spell hope!  They tell us there is something live under the ground, which will come up after winter, when the sun starts to shine again. So if there are labels there must be something special under there to warrant a label!  Even though it looks empty and drab right now, there is a sense of expectation. What will it look like in spring and summer?  What plant treats are there under the ground, to look forward to?
​
PictureHelleborus lividus subsp. corsica

























​​In between these bare branches, lime green Helleborus corsica shines  like a soft green light amongst the grey and brown.  And one which almost flaunts it's flowers, unlike the lower growing Helleborus orientalis, which hides it's beautiful little faces so modestly. 
This taller, more robust variety is said to originate on the island of Corsica, where Napoleon was born, so make any wonder it is 'out there'.
​It is also incredibly easy to grow, and could conquer other plants, just like Napoleon. It can seed and pop up in all sorts of places, as in the photo where it's intertwined with the roots of a deciduous shrub.
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Pseudowintera colorata - or Horopito also known as the Pepper tree.
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Helleborus orientalis appears beneath the brown winter garb of Hydrangeas.

​Helleborus orientalis is the perfect antidote to those frosted brown flowerheads of Hydrangea macrophylla in winter mode.  You could be forgiven for thinking that the Hydrangea had died and gone to heaven. 
But no - it's just resting for winter, and actually takes quite a while to come back to life again, when green buds start to appear along it's branches later in the spring.
Originating in Greece the delicate flowers of Helleborus orientalis appearing in the middle of winter are part of the Buttercup family, but not in yellow.  H. orientalis appear in muted shades of pink white and burgundy, and appears just when we need it most, adding much needed colour.  Yet the colour is in accordance with winter - there is no flamboyance - just muted and quiet. Enough to add some life beneath the bare branches of brown H
ydrangea bushes.   

​
​And then there are Evergreens

​We don't always need flowers to give us colour in winter, as there is also some colourful foliage out there as well.
And one of the most colourful is amongst our native evergreens.
This is a medium sized shrub known by it's Maori name as Horopito.   It's much less attractive botanical name is Pseudowintera colorata, but it is often called the Pepper Bush, as the leaves are strongly aromatic and spicy when crushed.  Seldom reaching more than 1.5 metres in height with it's colourful evergreen foliage, it is wonderful plant for enlivening a shrub border in winter.
PictureDaphne odora 'Alba'







 Most gardeners know about Daphne odora, that smallish evergreen shrub which drenches the late winter garden with such a delicious scent.   We usually associate Daphne with a pinkish burgundy flower,  but it is this is Daphne odora 'Alba', the pure white version which I can't resist as it heralds the new season with such perfection and honesty, flowering in July and filling the air with it's heady perfume.   
I lust after a Daphne bush for my garden, but it doesn't like me! 
I have planted several and they always expire.  I have tried growing it in acid loving areas, in neutral areas, even in limey areas, but no matter what I do - it expires!
​For me, it's just like falling in love with the one who doesn't love you back!  

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14/6/2022

jUNE TREATS!

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Hurrah!   The shortest day has been and gone and we know we are on the upward turn again, we heave a sigh of relief - even though we know the worst is still to come!
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It was only a week ago that my ornamental grape went from looking like this
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to this ........
Just a week between brilliant red across my verandah and dwindling red over the verandah, so we know the seasons are beginning to turn very fast now.  Yet, even though it's halfway through June, there are still a few sad leaves trying to hang on despite the odds in my garden
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And from from all about colour in mid May
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a month later in mid-June everything is drained of colour and it is form and structure which counts.
​And yet by mid-June in the depths of winter the common Snowflake appears.  It's botanical name is Leucojum and it multiply's like the clappers, not to be confused with the charming little english Snowdrop - Galanthus, which is not nearly so common or anxious to be first, so waits till July before it appears.  
​NOTE - the so-called english Snowdrop Galanthus is actually not english at all - far from it.

It originates from the Middle East and eastern parts of Europe,  and it grows in the wild in Iran and around the Caucuses, flowering in late winter and spring there - from January to April - depending on the variety and location.  I was lucky enough to be Iran in late May almost 3 years ago, too late to see it flowering, but I did see it's green foliage growing on after it had flowered, as we explored it's natural habitat. 
PictureIs the Snowflake or Leucojum which can't wait to invade our gardens and woodland so early in the season, really such a treat? More of a weed than a treat, a lot of gardeners would think!

Although the little white bell shaped flower  holds it's head down demurely in a similar fashion with both the Snowdrop and Snowflake, they are quite different plants. Many people mistake the   the green leafy Snowflake Leucojum for the Snowdrop.  That is actually, a bit of a sham!  The reason  being that  the Snowflake is an unexceptional invasive plant - a common weed popping up in unwanted places and not nearly as gorgeous as the true lower growing Snowdrop. 
​The common Snowflake Leucojum is taller and is more about it's fleshy green leaves than the flower.  And it tends to pop up everywhere, like a weed with huge fleshy bulbs, which can take a lot of effort to dig out. 
Whereas the charming Snowdrop Galanthus comes up pure  white pushing it's way through brown leaves and carpeting the winter ground in pure white.  There is no hit and miss here as in the sparser flowering Snowflake, also t
here are many different strains and variations of the true Snowdrop Galanthus, which endlessly intrigues Snowdrop lovers. 
​So much so, that they have been given a name - Galanthophiles (besotted Snowdrop lovers).  Especially in the northern hemisphere and in England these strange creatures can be seen bottoms up, in english woodland, peering down into the ground in late winter, looking for different and unexpected strains of this treasured white jewel.  ​ There are even places in New Zealand where they grow au naturel in areas of exotic deciduous woodland, so there are some besotted people here too!  These areas are often privately owned, so there is not always access to them, and of course Snowdrops being strictly deciduous, do not come up in native bush!
Native bush and Woodland Snowdrops are like chalk and cheese!​
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And who can blame Galanthophiles for being Galanthophiles, when they are met with a sight like this in late winter! And this is here in New Zealand!! On a private property in inland Canterbury.
PictureThe taller leafier greener Snowflake (Leucojum) flower is sparse in comparison to Galanthus - the true Snowdrop, I fear. The intensity and purity of the white Galanthus (Snowdrop) is apparent here as it pushes up through the crackly brown leaves of winter.

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​ Snowdrops flower mostly in July, so although they are winter treats, they are much more refined, than the common Snowflake, waiting till July to beguile us.
But there are also other June treats if you really look, and the interesting thing is, that June combines the last of the previous seasons treats with a few new seasons treats.  Which means you can find some bright colour even in mid-June.  ​
PictureWhat a triumph this winter flowering Kniphofia 'Winter Cheer' is. Commonly known as Red Hot Poker this variety flowers in June, and is shown here backlit by low winter sunshine in the Herbaceous border of Christchurch Botanical Gardens.

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From a distance I thought this was an exotic flower that had found it's way into my garden - but no! It is the last leaves of the new Hydrangea 'Bloody Marvellous'
So do look out for winter treats and colour - they are there if you look hard enough!   Our other much coveted winter treat in the garden is of course Helleborus, and they will be starting to flower right now - but that is a whole other story!!

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    I AM A GARDENER, GARDEN WRITER AND ARTIST.   AFTER SEVERAL YEARS WRITING REGULARLY AS A COLUMNIST I HAVE MISSED WRITING ABOUT MY GARDEN, OTHER GARDENS AND GARDENS IN GENERAL FOR THE GARDEN PAGES OF THE PRESS SO HAVE RESOLVED TO SET UP MY OWN BLOG AND WEBSITE.
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     IN THIS WAY  I CAN DISCUSS WHAT IS HAPPENING IN MY GARDEN AND IN OTHERS AS THE SEASONS TURN.  I STILL DO GO RUSHING INTO THE GARDEN TO TAKE PHOTOS OF SOMETHING  WHEN THE LIGHT IS RIGHT OR SOMETHING LOOKS PARTICULARLY DELECTABLE, BUT ITS NOT THE SAME WHEN THE PHOTOS DO NOT GET 'OUT THERE'.  HOWEVER WITH MY OWN BLOG, THE PHOTOS AND ACCOMPANYING STORY CAN AGAIN BE SEEN BY THOSE WHO ARE INTERESTED.  

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