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Isn't this what everyone associates with spring in Christchurch?  Prunus yedoensis otherwise known as the the Yoshino cherry, native to Japan. It is the first flowering cherry to bloom in spring around Hagley Park in Christchurch- usually in early September. The Vision of our Early Settlers The thing which Christchurch does so well is spring. Daffodils fluttering and dancing in the breeze, the froth of pale pink blossom around Hagley Park, was all a part of the vision of our forefathers. We have them to thank for their vision and foresight. Imagine how it must have felt 170 years ago, landing on this vast bare and swampy plain covered with mostly tough flax and tussock. After months of sailing over rough seas to an unknown land on the other side of the world they found nothing like the 'green and pleasant land' they had left behind. Make any wonder they dreamt of transforming this alien land into something resembling home. A vision which was achieved with much blood sweat and tears - the vision on which we pride ourselves and enjoy today. And perhaps all too often take for granted. The historical significance of this vision of an english woodland makes Hagley Park sacrosanct and therefore most important that it should be kept intact by later generations.  The Daffodil Woodland in Hagley Park. If there is anything that describes spring and the change of seasons in Christchurch it is this! An english woodland was the vision which our early settlers dreamt of in the 1860's. Political Expediency All the more reason to regard it as a political act of vandalism when almost a third of this historic woodland was ordered to be demolished by insensitive and soulless politicians after the Christchurch earthquakes. In the interests of expediency, part of this historic woodland was demolished, along with much of the rest of our city under special powers brought in after the earthquakes. They cared not for the vision of their forefathers or for the sadness and grief so many of it's citizens who were suffering after the trauma of the earthquakes. They took it upon themselves to violate the woodland thus adding to the grief by cutting down many of the treasured 150 year old oaks, beeches and other deciduous trees, without consulting us - the people of Christchurch and Canterbury to whom this woodland belongs. To them, it was the cheapest and easiest way to erect much needed hospital buildings, no matter that it encroached on the woodland of sacrosanct Hagley Park. The need for a new hospital building is not disputed - but cutting down part of this historic woodland to accomodate it, when there was other land available certainly is! It goes to show what little regard and understanding these politicians had for the history of Christchurch, for nature, and for the sadness many citizens would feel by the destruction of such a loved part of their heritage. This is the sort of thing which happens in China under a totalitarian government. Are we much better here?
Notice the contrast in the 2 images shown above illustrating the hospital building as a real intrusion into the Daffodil Woodland.
It's the work of unscrupulous politicians who took advantage of their special powers while people were still traumatised after the earthquakes. Pulling a swifty over their people, they rushed it through secretly with no consultation when they knew they could get away with it. The first I knew of it was when I happened to be walking in the park on a day that chainsaws were at work and was horrified to see such a huge chunk of woodland being destroyed. None of the workmen wanted to talk about it and I just burst into tears at the wanton vandalism of this beautiful place, in the midst of such trauma and damage from ongoing aftershocks. But this wasn't nature causing the mayhem - it was man! The result of this wanton destruction is a huge loss of a part of our uninterrupted woodland to be replaced by a truncated view, rudely interrupted by an ugly hospital building which destroys the serenity of the green woodland of Hagley Park. Which other city in New Zealand has a natural haven like this within walking distance - another world where nature dominates, away from the hustle and bustle of the city which is so cherished and valued by it's citizens. It should never have been compromised in this way. And it was all so indecently rushed! POSTSCRIPT Soon after the sad day I witnessed the destruction of the woodland, my son was rushed into hospital seriously ill. So I was at the hospital everyday visiting him, at the same time witnessing the excavations for the new hospital where the woodland had been demolished. All day every day 24/7 there was vast amounts of water being pumped out of the excavated site, and gushing into the Avon river. It seemed there was a 'lake' under the site where the woodland had been. How could they build on top of all that water!! Sure enough, 9 years later this new hospital is still not being fully used due to instability of the building!!
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It's also about a forest of thorny twigs and bare skeletal branches in mid-winter.  And here at Beverley Park Heritage Rose Garden in winter, it is also about a luxuriant carpet of Hellebores beneath the thorny twiginess. A forest of thorny twigs and branches does need to be sorted, and mid-winter when the bushes are bare is the best time to do it. Rose pruning time! And the Friends of Beverley Park Heritage Rose Garden are just the team to do that. A loose group of garden lovers formed from our local Englefield community as well as rose lovers from further afield, we make up a formidable team.  Some of our trusty pruning team at Beverley Park Heritage Rose Garden. Left to Right - Henrietta, Michael, Irinka and Hilary - ready for action!
From the end of July through till the end of August, it is amazing the way the days brighten. The light changes from winter dimness to brighter and lighter, and there is a sense of hope - that life is returning  We can see here that by halfway through August, when the pruning was well underway, that the light was brighter as it touched the newly and elegantly pruned roses. The Hellebores beneath look happy too, lit up under more light.  Muscari (Grape Hyacinth) and Leucojum vernum (Snowflake) flower early in the border facing outwards to the Park After a week of sunny days, the bright blue of Muscari (Grape Hyacinths) and white Snowflakes began to appear beneath the bare roses in the border facing outward to the park. The roses had not yet started to leaf up, but that didn't stop the Grape Hyacinths and Snowflakes making an appearance. Typically spring - just as everything started to flower responding to spring warmth, the weather plummeted again, and winter returned with snow on the mountains and frosts but - no matter - spring bulbs keep flowering despite the fickle weather.  'Yoshino' is the Japanese name of the flowering cherry at the entrance to the garden - its botanical name is Prunus Yedoensis And by September the Yoshino cherrys at the entrance to the Rose Garden are flowering. Now we truly know that spring is here!! Two Yoshino Cherry trees either side of the pathway mark the entrance to garden, and there are also 2 more planted in the lawn at the front of the garden which frame the rose garden. Soft pink, light and dainty with single flowered blossoms, they are reminiscent of bridal veils, and many think that these are the most beautiful of all the cherry blossoms. This is the same variety which is planted around Hagley Park, and they are native to Japan - hence the name - Yoshino Cherry. The botanical name, Prunus yedoensis, is not quite so romantic. The pruned roses can hardly compete with the delicate beauty of the Yoshino Cherry which surrounds them in spring, however even they are softened by new seasons leaf growth, starting to burst forth. And still the Hellebores keep giving, looking fresh. They flower nonstop from the end of June through to September. We love them! And even the early Snowflakes, now more green than white, are still persisting. And here is a photo of the fruits of our labours from last year, in mid-December 2019 - a view of Beverley Park Heritage Rose Garden in full bloom.  A symphony in pink - the reward we were waiting for, and a taste of what we have to look forward to for this year as well in December 2020 Above varieties 'Gertrude Jekyll' - english rose - climbing up through the metal rose supports. 'Ballerina' - hybrid musk - bushy rose with single pink flowers in clusters in the middle ground . Rosa glauca 'Carmenetta' - species - a great arching bush in the foreground with single pink species blooms nestled amongst it's attractive glaucus foliage Note - If you would like to become one of our volunteers and learn about heritage roses while helping in the garden, you would be very welcome. We would be pleased to hear from you!! Contacts Robyn Kilty ph. 03 9651281 m. 022 1039802. - email - robynkilty@gmail.com Henrietta Hall m. 027 4512315 - email - henrietta@hhall.co.nz The last vestiges of jewel-like colour in early June, before finally disappearing after days of frosts then rain.
 The beauty of skeletal trees silhouetted in the mist of a winter morning in Hagley Park . Such is the power of Pasternaks writing, as he equates the coming of winter with the pathos of a child mourning his mothers death. His words touch me, so that when I too, see those last clinging leaves and hear them tapping on my bedroom window at night, I remember Yuri's despair. Even in the southern hemisphere a world away from Russia's cruel winters, I still feel a sense of loss for the season past. Knowing that that particular season is lost in time and will never come back - a death in it's own right.
We in New Zealand can never know the bleak drama of a Russian winter, as our whole land is not blanketed in snow and ice for months on end, as above. We might have frost on the ground and cold damp foggy mornings, but apart from alpine areas, the change from autumn to winter is never so dramatic and cruel here. Russia's taiga (extensive indigenous forests) covers 45% of it's huge landmass and a big percentage of this is coniferous forest with it's spiky needle foliage . New Zealand is not part of a great continent as is Russia, but small maritime islands in the southern hemisphere and we too have our evergreen indigenous forest, but it couldn't be more different! Instead of spiky green needles, our evergreens can be soft and lush, such as soft and graceful tree-ferns, evergreen beech forest, cordylines and nikaus, so winter here is never such a dramatic picture. With our favourable natural climate and geography, we are also host to many exotic plants which were brought here during 19th century settlement. So even in midwinter some areas can almost look sub-tropical. We don't know how lucky we are!!
Nothing is as magical as the Maple Border of the Christchurch Botanic Gardens in Autumn.  The Maple Border at the end of April These 2 photos of the Maple Border at the Christchurch Botanic Gardens were taken towards the end of April when the brilliance of autumn colour was at it's best. And before the crimsons, magenta and violet colours of the Hydrangeas faded. Notice how the vertical solid structures of the grey tree trunks and branches contrast so well with the airy crimsons and golden greens of the maple foliage as they turn colour. And how this in turn enhances the green underplanting.  A view over the Hydrangeas towards the Maples at the end of April We have enjoyed an especially long and colourful autumn this year, and even now, at the end of May going into June when we are only 3 weeks away from the shortest day, the colour is still there allbeit thinner and more subdued
By the end of May when these photos were taken, we can see how the foliage has thinned out, leaving the shapes and structures of the tree trunks to show up more starkly with wider views of the sky between. The richness of magenta and violet hydrangeas has faded to muted pinks and browns as early frosts have bleached the colour from them. Even though we think the change is a gradual one, we can see here that the turn of the seasons is quite dramatic. In another month it will be even more dramatic when there will be nothing but the greys and browns of bare deciduous trees silhouetted against the pink haze of frosty skies.
The maples in this border are varying cultivars of the Acer palmatum which is native to Japan. It makes one yearn to see the colourful hillsides of Japan in autumn. Although I am perfectly happy with this little slice of japanese woodland we have right here in Christchurch. When I went out this morning to tidy up my messy garden, I looked hard and thought - it's actually not messy at all! It's simply what happens in May, so instead of cutting back and tidying as I had planned, I grabbed my camera and started taking photos. You can see the results below. This change of heart was in part, inspired after I had watched the film - 'Five Seasons: the Gardens of Piet Oudolf'. Piet Oudolf is an influential Dutch garden designer, plant nursery man and author. He is a leading figure of the "New Perennial" movement and designs plant compositions using bold drifts of herbaceous perennials and grasses which are chosen at least as much for their structure as for their flower colour. He designed the planting for the famous High Line Garden in New York as well as many other well known gardens in North America, Northern Europe and Britain. One of his most acclaimed gardens in Britain is the Hauser and Wirth garden in Somerset called Oudolf Fields. He believes in appreciating the long lived beauty of a plant, lasting well beyond its flowering period into its reproductive seedhead phase and beyond into decay.
We so often think of colour in autumn, and it's true - the fiery crimsons, golds and oranges of autumn foliage are a sight to behold. But so are the browns and bleached out beige's of dried seedheads and decay. It is in these understated dried plant skeletons that we can now easily see the structures and shape, and as Piet Oudolf says that, too, is to be appreciated. But we can't have a story about autumn without colour so here goes!
The above colour is in my face, a footstep away in my own small garden, well within my bubble! But beyond is the wider bubble! I can walk to the city if I choose, and what autumn treats there are to discover on the way. And all within my bubble!
Also within my bubble is the Red Zone and the wide open spaces this offers alongside the Avon river and environs. So yesterday for my daily walk, I turned east instead of west into more beautiful tree lined river landscapes flaunting their autumn colours and the further east I went, the more the vistas opened out into ever widening empty landscapes. Yet within these open landscapes, there are rectangular lines of shrubs and trees delineating the gardens which had once been there and the sadly bare central spaces within these boundaries where peoples homes had been before they were demolished. It's an eerie sight and an eerie feeling as you can almost hear the ghostly sounds of absent people - the voices of children playing, lawns being mown, cars pulling into driveways and neighbours calling to each other as they went about their daily business. Where there had been active and thriving communities, there is now nothing except ghostly rectangular outlines of shrubs which once enclosed someones home.
The further east I walked the more the old earthquaked road narrowed and became more rutted, and the wide open spaces of before began to close in again with more mature trees. I realised I was coming to something special and sure enough planter boxes appeared along the track and pots with flowers spilling out of them, and there were signs and steps up to a sheltered garden raised slightly above the road. It was the entrance to the Richmond Community Garden.
I'm fortunate in my bubble, as there are many places within walking distance, and those pictured above are just some of them.
A LOCAL LOCKDOWN WANDER How to amuse yourself during Covid 19? We get the message loud and clear - STAY AT HOME - So what does home have to offer? Lots - if you have a garden, and even more if you have a park in your neighbourhood! I am lucky enough to have a Heritage Rose Garden in my local park - Beverley Park Heritage Rose Garden. And not only that - I have the Red Zone too, and the recently redesigned Avon Loop walkway, all within walking distance - so I am spoilt by choice.
It's the Beverley Park Heritage Rose Garden which I visit most as it is just around the corner from me and is so beautiful. Another bonus - I always meet walkers or neighbours strolling through the garden and sometimes I arrange to meet a neighbour or friend there for a catchup chat - from a distance you understand. And why not? It is the most divine sweet smelling place for a catchup tucked away in it's sunny corner of Beverley Park. I have met both Henrietta and Katrina there, both local rose enthusiasts and volunteers who help look after the garden. Katrina was on her daily run, and Henrietta and I chewed the fat, and dreamed up all sorts of ideas for the garden, post lockdown. The garden is looking surprisingly handsome in spite of so little rain and very little TLC, as of course nobody is allowed to maintain the garden at the moment, so the nettles are looking very luscious right now! Much to the delight of Katrina, who is on the lookout for nettles on her daily run to make soup so she ended up foraging in the garden, which was a great help in eliminating some of the the weeds at the same time! LOOKING AT A FEW OF THE HERITAGE ROSE VARIETIES AT |
 'Rosa rubra Carmenetta' From the Species group, this rose was chosen both for it's bright red hips as well as it's unusual bluish bronze foliage. Although these attributes make up the main event, this variety does have little single crimson eye catching flowers dotted all the way down it's arching stems in early summer. There are 3 of these large bushes grouped behind the seats and paved central area of the garden. Unfortunately there are just 2 at the moment, as one of the bushes which had been flourishing suddenly turned up it's toes and died this season, leaving a big gap, which we hope will be filled with a replacement of this outstanding variety for next season. Planted directly behind Rosa rubra Carmenetta with the pale pink flowers are 3 'Ballerina' Hybrid Musk roses  'Nancy Hayward' -climbing rose |  'Rosa rugosa 'Alba' This is the time of year for rose-hips which in some cases outshine the blooms. In fact several of the of the roses chosen for the garden were selected for their hips. None are more outstanding than the Rugosa group which are native to northern coastlines, such as Scotland, the Baltic countries, and Siberia, so they are a very hardy variety. Many Rugosa varieties do have stunning flowers as well, which often flower throughout the season alongside their hips as seen above. Here, the pure white large single flower of 'Rosa rugosa Alba' is just as beautiful as the shiny luscious hips. Flowering behind is 'Dapple Dawn' from the English Rose group, while above through the metal rose support, 'Rosa moyesii 'Geranium' can be seen with it's distinctive bottle shaped hips.  'Comtesse du Cayla' - English Rose in the foreground a very vigorous and reliable rose with pretty semi-double apricot blooms - not as red in reality as the photo shows here. Alongside is 'Penelope', a popular Hybrid Musk and a healthy floriferous rose with semidouble creamy pinkish clusters of flowers. But it is the climber 'Nancy Hayward' over the arch in the background which everyone notices with it's huge floppy single electric pink flowers, like big pink handkerchiefs. |
One of the views from the central path of the Rose Garden showing the lavender hedge or mounds edging the central pathway. In the foreground is the popular China rose - 'Mutabilis', repeated further back in the border. There are 6 Mutabilis bushes throughout the garden - one of the hardiest and most reliable of roses which flowers almost non-stop throughout the season. On the other side of the path, is the creamy white fragrant 'Sombreuil' known as a climbing Hybrid Tea rose. Although not a climber in our Rose Garden, it is certainly one of the most vigorous and floriferous of roses - with a gorgeous scent.
REMEMBER - THERE IS ALWAYS TIME TO 'SMELL THE ROSES'
My Garden is absolutely full of weeds and do I care? NO!!
 Bronze Fennel, Verbena boniarensis and Nasturtiums which have seeded themselves in front of my jaggedy front fence. I have no idea how they got there, but I'm leaving them there. Where would the front fence be without them. |  Even though the Bronze Fennel seems so au fait with the rusty gate, I might just cull it out a little for next year, as it can be a bit of a thug and I don't want it swamping the Verbena and Nasturtiums |
I like certain weeds, probably those that are on the border between weeds and non-weeds because they complement my 'normal' plants so well, and they are easy enough to manage in my small garden. I cull out the seedlings which come up in spring in inconvenient places, and what is left just simply grows up with the perennials until they are standing tall in high summer amongst everything else, lending a fulsomeness and textural interest to the garden and sometimes colour. Although I do the main culling out of weedling/seedlings in spring, it actually goes on all season, because as they grow, if they start to take over from other plants drooping over and smothering the favourites later on in the season - out they come. Sometimes when the Orach can get so tall it becomes unwieldy leaning over other treasures, I often just trim the top out of it, as the rest of the 'weed' is usually the shape I want to fit in with the other plants. Just a little bit of judicious shaping and perhaps culling is all it needs. Even a weed can benefit from a prune!!
These are my treasured weeds!
Bronze Fennel - Foeniculum vulgare purpureum
Red Orach - Atriplex hortensis rubra
Verbena boniarensis
Queen Annes Lace - Anthriscus sylvestris
Nasturtiums
Nicotiana sylvestris
These are my treasured weeds!
Bronze Fennel - Foeniculum vulgare purpureum
Red Orach - Atriplex hortensis rubra
Verbena boniarensis
Queen Annes Lace - Anthriscus sylvestris
Nasturtiums
Nicotiana sylvestris
 Atriplex hortensis rubra - such a scholarly name for a weed - otherwise known as Red Orach or red spinach when it is young but I think it is far too lovely to eat. It's a weed because it seeds everywhere in spring, but is easy to haul out in great tufts or even better forked back into the earth where it can rot away gently making it's own compost. The foliage is such a beautiful colour that I could never be without it to bounce my other plants off. See how it takes centre stage in this photo growing so tall by mid-summer and blending so well with the grasses and other plants as it forms it's attractive pinkish red seedheads. |  Nicotiana sylvestris or tobacco plant is tall and stately with it's white spikes of long bell flowers, and heady perfume filling the night. It is sought after overseas but here it will tuck itself in, sending up it's tall elegant spikes anywhere, even under shrubs with it's large soft felty leaves taking over. |
Although I know my weedy beauties can be invasive or even plague-like, I appreciate them because they come back in abundance every year like old friends, and in a small garden it is no problem to cull these marauders out in spring. Owners of large gardens may not feel the same way!!
With these 'weeds' in my garden I look forward to late summer when they have grown tall finding their way up to the light between the perennials in the most fetching way. This, when they are at their best either flowering or setting seed.
With these 'weeds' in my garden I look forward to late summer when they have grown tall finding their way up to the light between the perennials in the most fetching way. This, when they are at their best either flowering or setting seed.
 Should I really call Queen Annes Lace a weed, because it can be bought in punnets at garden centres. But it does seed and come up everywhere in my garden in spring which I love. I would never have to buy it!! Even though seedlings come up in my robust orange front garden, from the compost I spread in winter, I treat these with disdain as I do with the weedy weeds and pull them out! I only allow it to survive in the back borders where its white laciness can be appreciated. | |  I allow Queen Annes Lace weedling seedlings to survive in my back garden, as their delicate form looks good with the pinks and burgundys. This year I let the seedlings near the edge of the path be, and in this pic you can see the result - these lovely tall lacy things leaning so fetchingly over the path, which I must part to get to the shed |
Earlier this season I was not so vigilant about thinning out the weeds in the spring. Usually I clear the seedlings away from the edges of the borders so they do not block pathways, but this year I left them just for fun. And it has been fun - they lean over the pathways most fetchingly. So much so that I need to part a space between the gorgeous things to weave my way down the path to the shed. And they feel so nice brushing against my face and body, and most importantly slow my journey down the garden path and in the process I notice more of what is what is going on around me in the garden.
So it is all a very sensuous business, and isn't that what gardening is all about - the senses? Sight , sound, smell and touch! Today, after a most welcome shower of rain overnight - the first for 2 months - these 'weeds' are leaning even more heavily over the path because they are bowed down with raindrops which means getting down to the shed is a very damp business today. A lovely cooling wet sensation after the dry heat of the last few weeks.
So it is all a very sensuous business, and isn't that what gardening is all about - the senses? Sight , sound, smell and touch! Today, after a most welcome shower of rain overnight - the first for 2 months - these 'weeds' are leaning even more heavily over the path because they are bowed down with raindrops which means getting down to the shed is a very damp business today. A lovely cooling wet sensation after the dry heat of the last few weeks.
gone - all gone
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Unbelievably it was only 4 months ago since we welcomed Spring, with blossom and daffodils yet it is all just a distant memory. Now it's all gone and I wonder did it ever really happen?''
Then by December, I sigh sadly as I watch roses drop their petals in summer heat. Now in January when rose bushes have become colourless and lack-lustre, I wonder if I can muster up the enthusiasm to dead-head, feed and water them in the hopes that they will come to life again before the summer is over.
Then by December, I sigh sadly as I watch roses drop their petals in summer heat. Now in January when rose bushes have become colourless and lack-lustre, I wonder if I can muster up the enthusiasm to dead-head, feed and water them in the hopes that they will come to life again before the summer is over.
THE LAST ROSE ..........
 ''Mme Alfred Carriere' (pale pink) and 'Nancy Haywood' (bright pink' climbing over an arch in Beverley Park Heritage Rose Garden |  Rosa Glauca 'Carmenetta' - an early species rose with blueish foliage which will have shiny black hips in autumn in Beverley Park Heritage Rose Garden |
I do, because I know that if I don''t, I won't be able to stand the sad look of them come late summer. In my own garden it's easy, as I don't have that many roses. Except climbers which are always labour intensive when it comes to dead-heading, as there is so much more of them and they climb way up high, which, for me always entails a ladder. But it's in our nearby Heritage Rose Garden in Beverley Park, where dead-heading really takes the time, as there are 150 roses and some of them have grown into huge bushes. However we gather together our little band of volunteers to help, but this isn't always easy in mid summer when everyone is so taken up with the Xmas and holiday season. However maybe it isn't so sad after all, when that magnificent first flush of blooms are over, because when the roses finish and we roll on into summer, look what happens!!
SUMMER FLOWERS
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| Flowers, flowers, flowers - of all sorts and colours. From elegant lilies to the bluest of blue Delphiniums. Bright magenta Lychnis, to bright orange Nasturtiums, purple Verbena boniarensis and virginal white Queen Anne's Lace. Kniphofia or Red Hot Pokers (although mine are orange), bronze/orange Helenium, to the weed Orach, and the weed - bronze Fennel. I've included the weeds but haven't even mentioned Dahlias yet! | | Dahlias are coming back into fashion they say! And yes - I do believe that's true, but only because in recent years some hard work has been done by breeders to simplify the flower and introduce more interesting foliage. Amongst the forefront of this exciting new breeding programme has been New Zealander, Dr. Keith Hammett. See below examples of Hammett Dahlias which I grow in my garden. |
While the images of these two Dahlia varieties below may look similar they are in reality quite different.
 This is a scarlet/red single flowered Dahlia of simple form and medium height which tucks itself neatly amongst other plants. The bright scarlet flowers stand out well against the bronze foliage |  This Dahlia is tall and impressive in the garden, and does not tuck itself away amongst other plants, but makes a statement of it's own. Again the bronze foliage sets off the flowers which are an apricot orange and semi-single. |
Sadly I can't name these Dahlia varieties, as the tubers were given to me by friends. and no one knows what varieties they are - although I suspect from the look of them, that Keith Hammett may have had a hand in them. They have his touch with single and semi-single blooms amongst bronze foliage.
I find it pays to be selective when choosing Dahlias for your garden as you can so easily end up with a mish-mash of different forms and colours, so I choose the colours and forms which blend with my garden. For instance I like just the 2 varieties pictured above for my front garden as oranges and scarlets are dominant in the front garden and I like the single forms in this situation as they suit the mini-prairie style which I have planted with grasses and simple flowers. While in my back garden the prevailing colours are crimson, magenta and Burgundy, so the 2 Dahlias there are also in those colours.
I find it pays to be selective when choosing Dahlias for your garden as you can so easily end up with a mish-mash of different forms and colours, so I choose the colours and forms which blend with my garden. For instance I like just the 2 varieties pictured above for my front garden as oranges and scarlets are dominant in the front garden and I like the single forms in this situation as they suit the mini-prairie style which I have planted with grasses and simple flowers. While in my back garden the prevailing colours are crimson, magenta and Burgundy, so the 2 Dahlias there are also in those colours.
GRASSES
Grasses are really a whole other story which I should keep for another time, another place, however I will just say that I would not be without them in my garden, as they add a dimension to my plantings which I find most satisfying, and which I hope the images below show. More about these later.
Amongst the grasses in the back garden there is a Dahlia in a completely different form - the cactus dahlia - and this was chosen for it's dark velvety crimson, and is called appropriately 'Nuits d'Etes'. There is also another dahlia in this garden not pictured here and it is pale pink and single with bronze foliage and definitely bred by Dr. Keith Hammett - ''Mystic Dreamer''.
 Grass - the variegated Calamagrostis overdam which has tall pink plumes in summer and blends well with the cool dark reds of the back garden |  Grass - the tall golden stems of Stipa gigantea rises up above the perennials of the front garden |
This story is not so much about plants which work well together as about gardeners who work well together.
 Beverley Park Heritage Rose Garden in early spring, soon after the ''Friends'' have finished the winter pruning when Helleborus is quickly followed by lots of old-fashioned Snowflakes (not to be confused with Snowdrops) and the blueness of Grape Hyacinths (Muscari) or Match-heads? which make a glorious blue carpet under the sculptural shapes of bare pruned roses. | BEVERLEY PARK HERITAGE ROSE GARDEN  Helen, Ann and Jill, are amongst some of our volunteer Friends of Beverley Park Heritage Rose Garden, who come to help on a regular basis. Today they are clearing up rose clippings after a pruning session. |
Beverley Park Heritage Rose Garden is part of the Canterbury Community Gardens Association, but is not so much about producing food for the body as food for the soul. It is a place where people come to seek solace, scent and beauty - a much needed place of serenity in our area.
As with other Community Gardens we work with volunteer support, and there is plenty of camaraderie and friendship amongst our helpers as we work towards our common goal - to create something uplifting and beautiful for the wider community.
As with other Community Gardens we work with volunteer support, and there is plenty of camaraderie and friendship amongst our helpers as we work towards our common goal - to create something uplifting and beautiful for the wider community.
LINWOOD VILLAGE CLEAN-UP DAY
There are at least 3 Community Gardens in the Linwood area including Smith Street Community Garden, Fitzgerald Avenue Community Garden, and the Linwood Avenue Community Garden, and perhaps others I haven't heard about. But as well as our Community Gardens we have something extra and very important in our area - The Linwood Village Clean-up Day. This is held in September every year where volunteers and residents from the community hold a çlean-up day in and around the village - tidying up, weeding, and clearing away accumulated rubbish from some of the empty sites where buildings have been demolished post-earthquake. The Clean-up Day is initiated by the people in our community as even though Linwood is seen as a low socio-economic area and has it's problems, it is rich in community spirit. It is here that the people themselves have the will to do what they can to improve a sad part of Christchurch which has been neglected and forgotten about by the authorities.
There are at least 3 Community Gardens in the Linwood area including Smith Street Community Garden, Fitzgerald Avenue Community Garden, and the Linwood Avenue Community Garden, and perhaps others I haven't heard about. But as well as our Community Gardens we have something extra and very important in our area - The Linwood Village Clean-up Day. This is held in September every year where volunteers and residents from the community hold a çlean-up day in and around the village - tidying up, weeding, and clearing away accumulated rubbish from some of the empty sites where buildings have been demolished post-earthquake. The Clean-up Day is initiated by the people in our community as even though Linwood is seen as a low socio-economic area and has it's problems, it is rich in community spirit. It is here that the people themselves have the will to do what they can to improve a sad part of Christchurch which has been neglected and forgotten about by the authorities.
TINY SHOPS
The most imaginative and creative of projects was initiated by the Inner City East group on a vacant site where buildings had been demolished. With the help of Greening the Rubble they, built this idiosyncratic and picturesque little streetscape on a shoestring, consisting of quaint little buildings, planter boxes and little picket fences painted orange, purple and yellow dotted amongst gardens and gravel pathways. These funky little buildings are the Tiny Shops which house a bookshop, a secondhand clothes shop, a bike repair shop and a cafe where you can sit outside, at tables and chairs surrounded by the garden and enjoy a great coffee when the sun shines. A gathering place for the whole community, it was here that people also gathered on Clean-up Day to weed the garden, do running repairs, weed the gravel pathways and plant shrubs flowers, and veggie plants which had been donated to the project.
The most imaginative and creative of projects was initiated by the Inner City East group on a vacant site where buildings had been demolished. With the help of Greening the Rubble they, built this idiosyncratic and picturesque little streetscape on a shoestring, consisting of quaint little buildings, planter boxes and little picket fences painted orange, purple and yellow dotted amongst gardens and gravel pathways. These funky little buildings are the Tiny Shops which house a bookshop, a secondhand clothes shop, a bike repair shop and a cafe where you can sit outside, at tables and chairs surrounded by the garden and enjoy a great coffee when the sun shines. A gathering place for the whole community, it was here that people also gathered on Clean-up Day to weed the garden, do running repairs, weed the gravel pathways and plant shrubs flowers, and veggie plants which had been donated to the project.
It was a most successful day not only in the spruce-up of Tiny Shops, but in the camaradarie of people from all walks of life working together for a common cause. The thing I enjoyed most was working and chatting with people and families I would otherwise never have met - moving me out of my comfort zone and broadening my appreciation of other ethnic and social groups. And joining together afterwards to enjoy a barbecue lunch organised by Tiny Shop tenants. Participating in the Cleanup Day was the most fun I have had for a long time, cost nothing and gave a great sense of satisfaction to be involved in a spruce up for Tiny Shops, a much needed beacon of hope in an area down on it's luck.
 A spectacular winter white carpet of Snowdrops naturalised near Darfield, Canterbury, from a few bulbs brought to this country by early settlers during the 19th century. | There are many exotic places and gardens waiting in the wings to be written about, but all the excitement is right here in winter, where I can't get Snowdrops out of my mind. This was in July when most of the varieties were in flower. It is now a month later in August, and the Snowdrops are fading fast, as we slip out of winter and into spring. Even though the modest snowdrop display in my garden is minimal compared to other places, I peer at my few little groups in wonder every day. They made me feel happy as they pushed up bravely through near frozen ground in July, letting us know that spring might not be far away. In the dead of winter soon after the shortest day their green shoots appeared through the crackling brown dead leaves of last summer like a million phoenix rising from the ashes with little white drops of flowers unfolding from within soon covering the ground - new life rising up from the old.  The botanical name for Snowdrop is Galanthus. There are as many different varieties and cultivars, within the genus as there are among Snowdrop enthusiasts who call themselves Galanthophiles. |
 | If you were lucky enough to have had a great great granny who had the foresight to pop a few Snowdrop bulbs into her luggage when she came in a sailing ship over rough seas from the other side of the world, then you too may now have white carpets of Snowdrops naturalised under trees on your property, as seen here on a remote property miles from Darfield in Canterbury. It was obvious there had been a great great granny at work here. Or you may be like many other slogging Galanthophiles who have been working at it for years, digging up and dividing clumps of ''snowdrops ín the green'' and spreading them around the garden. |
A month ago towards the end of July, I joined a group of Galanthophiles - becoming one myself - on a Snowdrop tour to the deep south. These included visiting some famous southern gardens which are Snowdrop heaven, including Larnach Castle, Maple Glen and Blue Mountain Nurseries in Tapanui. I don't know that any of the owners of these gardens have had convenient great-great-grannies. I think these were people who had slogged over the years for the pure love of Snowdrops to understand the differences between the varieties, and to spread many of these favoured varieties throughout their own gardens. We were lucky enough to see the fruits of their labours over many years.
 Denis Hughes (pictured) at Blue Mountain Nurseries has been one of those sloggers, and has built up an impressive collection. But the most exciting Snowdrop we saw, was the one he had hybridised himself which is called Galanthus elwesii ''Emerald Hughes'', a robust variety with large and plentiful flowers appearing amongst wide lush emerald green leaves - see above. |  This is the anti-climax of snowdrop displays and I'm sorry to say it is my garden!! It's meagre collection of Snowdrops I think consists mainly of Galanthus nivalis - a more usual variety which my Snowdrop friend was kind enough to give me a few years ago to get me started. |
Since the Snowdrop tour if the south, I have already mended my slovenly Galanthus ways, and have split up some of the larger clumps to spread around in my mini-snowdrop field. Not only that, I have bought and planted ''in the green'' 2 other varieties. One is the superior afore mentioned G. elwesii ''Emerald Hughes", as I figured in it's robustness, it might spread about quickly, filling in my snowdropless spaces. The other variety I purchased was G. plicatus plenus, for it's sheer beauty and delicacy. It is a double Snowdrop with a green ruffled skirt hiding modestly beneath it's spreading top white petals. Now, at the end of August the Snowdrops have almost disappeared while the foliage flourishes green and lush, making new bulbs towards a more fulsome display of Snowdrops to fill me with optimism next winter.
AuthorI 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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