Spring goes mad!!

By early October there is nothing tentative about spring - it is breaking out all over

Cercis canadensis 'Forest Pansy'

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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.

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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Tulip 'Temples Favourite' with N.Z. native grass Carex buchannii, and Astelia chathamica 'Silver Spear' in the background.

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​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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