tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-307617722024-03-14T23:35:09.503+13:00Irises and ArchivesArchivisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03578356462912887749noreply@blogger.comBlogger325125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30761772.post-57025802512748607832014-04-13T18:48:00.001+12:002014-04-13T18:48:43.265+12:00Variegated Ginkgos<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPhUvdRGa8fOxQVcHBW2t3QHGTibW0cDJfUT9atllqyNCsaPDWc7kZuBNbjLVSTUK5LsXxNXQH4FrrBQakYNvcGtPH8mNCcLgcp-1hirIhZusnY7rSVkqBpmgYIqrZ9kHx2TyYGg/s1600/001+Ginkgo+biloba+'Variegata'.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPhUvdRGa8fOxQVcHBW2t3QHGTibW0cDJfUT9atllqyNCsaPDWc7kZuBNbjLVSTUK5LsXxNXQH4FrrBQakYNvcGtPH8mNCcLgcp-1hirIhZusnY7rSVkqBpmgYIqrZ9kHx2TyYGg/s1600/001+Ginkgo+biloba+'Variegata'.jpg" height="241" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I was talking plants with a few friends during the week and
the topic turned to plants we never expected to see. You know what I mean – something you stumble
upon in a garden that you have never even read about, and you look at it, not quite
sure what it is, and then when you work out what it is, you think – “I never
would have thought of that!”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I had a moment like that a few months back in the delightful
‘Tupare’ garden in New Plymouth. The
Head Gardener and I were strolling through the garden on a drizzly summer afternoon,
having almost the entire garden to ourselves, when we stopped to look at a tree
with green leaves, splashed with white lines radiating out from the centre of
each leaf. It took me a minute to realise
it was a variegated Ginkgo, but a second’s reflection made it obvious.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There was the same light coloured bark, and there were the
same Ginkgo leaves, with their veins spreading out from the leaf stalk, but
instead of being the usual dull green, here they were irregularly splashed with streaks of
white. It is probably more interesting rather
than dramatic, but would make a great talking point in a moderately sized
garden.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It would be especially interesting at this time of year,
when the green colouring would be replaced by gold, giving a butterscotch and
ivory sort of look to the trees.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Ginkgos are interesting trees, if a little large for most
small gardens. They are ancient conifers, although they look not the least bit
like a pine tree. They have male and
female trees, and unless you love the scent of rotten socks, I suggest you hunt
out male forms. The males tend to make a
tidier pyramidal shapes, while female forms correspondingly tend to spread
more. And of course, they also bear fruit
which contain the famous ginkgo nuts. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
If you have never had the pleasure of smelling these fruit,
all I can say is that you are very lucky.
It is almost indescribable, but perhaps seven day old socks, mixted with
the most pungent blue cheese you can imagine, with an undertone of dog
excrement gives you a hint. And I can tell you, having had the misfortune to
pick one up, the smell does not go away, even with repeated rinses. The dried nuts are an Asian treat, but the
young nuts smell rather similar to the fruit although they are said to have a sweet taste
with a cheese-like undernote.</div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02857094066036020000noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30761772.post-73006650017564728602014-04-06T17:42:00.001+12:002014-04-06T17:42:14.739+12:00Not much to look at, but ...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7hzqmg8cdYd-OZLNmDfBcSzZyZd2cH_wJFd2pHyASau56F8Dz9Qs9XgB9vAsCgKB52jAqGIBWGhVtaSi955u-5LmePs6XlpGyxMfIPluzeu7lnXURXt8Ng3eqGt42Fj3H56k96A/s1600/002+Olearia+paniculata+flowers+-+not+much+to+look+at+but+a+glorious+scent.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7hzqmg8cdYd-OZLNmDfBcSzZyZd2cH_wJFd2pHyASau56F8Dz9Qs9XgB9vAsCgKB52jAqGIBWGhVtaSi955u-5LmePs6XlpGyxMfIPluzeu7lnXURXt8Ng3eqGt42Fj3H56k96A/s1600/002+Olearia+paniculata+flowers+-+not+much+to+look+at+but+a+glorious+scent.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A minor star of the native plant world that is showing off at this time of the
year is one you might not even notice – the once ubiquitous Golden Ake Ake, <i>Olearia paniculata</i>. This is a very tough coastal daisy – again a New
Zealand native – which was once quite commonly grown as a hedge. It has light yellow/green leaves which are covered
in white hairs on the lower side. These
leaves can be flat but are more usually very wavy, and they are born on orange
stems. If the plants are grown as small
trees and are allowed to develop a trunk, the bark has wonderful texture. One catalogue I looked at described the bark as
‘stringy’, which is hardly a flattering way to talk about delightfully
exfoliating bark, although it does tend to come of the tree in strips. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There is a mature tree near the fernery at Queen Elizabeth
Park, which has this delightful bark – it is worth taking a quick detour to
look at it.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
However, it is this time of the year the Golden Ake Ake lets
forth its greatest asset – the totally inconspicuous flowers that you would
never even notice, except for one standout feature – they have the most amazing
sweet and fruity scent – reminiscent of the Easter orchid. We have a couple of
these trees in the backyard. One is
actually growing in the neighbour’s garden, but another has grown as a seedling
of that, with much lighter foliage, so I am happy to leave it growing there. At this time of year the scent is wonderful,
especially in the evening.</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
There are many native olearias, all known by various forms
of “daisy” – coastal daisy, mountain daisy, holly daisy. I am sure you get the idea. Some of them are primarily grown for their
foliage, while others have pretty white daisy-like flowers. Perhaps the
prettiest of the New Zealand species known as Streamside Daisy, <i>O. chessmanii, </i>which is smothered in
white flowers each spring.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02857094066036020000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30761772.post-89798681980512182032014-03-30T21:11:00.003+13:002014-03-30T21:11:49.608+13:00Parrots, lilies and little ones...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY-XmMhH96G6fl6GZm5N2LLfPoSvEN39KpW47mrW_P4ej9BbCJtDu945rpP_9sXg1J-l59k38_xsM-vQf554Tx9fujhd6hy2ZItFbfCj1zOPURRb4ONM4llycSBsT1p4LDkG22zA/s1600/001+Tulip+orange+parrot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY-XmMhH96G6fl6GZm5N2LLfPoSvEN39KpW47mrW_P4ej9BbCJtDu945rpP_9sXg1J-l59k38_xsM-vQf554Tx9fujhd6hy2ZItFbfCj1zOPURRb4ONM4llycSBsT1p4LDkG22zA/s1600/001+Tulip+orange+parrot.jpg" height="215" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Tulip 'Orange Parrot'</i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There are quite a number of different forms among tulips,
some of which are seldom seen in lour gardens.
Perhaps the most flamboyant of all tulips are the ‘parrot’ varieties, so
named because their petals are
feathered, curled, twisted, or waved. Probably
the best known of these is the aptly named ‘Roccoco’, which has swirls of yellow on deep
carmine red flowers. Even brighter is
one called ‘Flaming Parrot’, which has bright yellow flowers with a prominent
red stripe down the middle of each petal.
Some years ago I saw a bed of ‘Orange Parrot’ – what a stunning sight.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Lily tulips have
longer and more slender flowers than most types, with flared ends, suggesting a
lily flower. They look very elegant, but there are not many
varieties around in New Zealand. ‘Pretty
Woman’, which has bright red flowers with a small yellow patch at the base, is
probably the easiest to find.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There are also the peculiar green tulips, which tend to have
a soft coloured flower which features a broad green band up the middle of the
petal. ‘Spring Green’ is probably the
best of these.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
At the opposite end of the size scale are the rock garden
tulips, some of which are very small indeed, but they would need to be sourced
from specialist growers. The varieties
available from garden centres will probably grow about 20 cm high, and will
have the usual grey-green leaves. Among these ‘Pinocchio’, which is carmine
pink with a cream border, and ‘Boutade’, which is bright red, represent good
value for the garden.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There is still plenty of time to plant tulips. Unlike some other bulbs, they prefer quite a
chilling over winter, so it will not matter if you don’t get them into the
ground for up to a month. Of course, by
then the best selection will have gone, so it pays to get a move on.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Give them a rich, well drained soil, preferably in full sun,
and remember to snip the stems when they have finished flowering, as that way
they will concentrate of putting down some growth for next year’s flowers.</div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02857094066036020000noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30761772.post-75931917777801078892014-03-16T17:52:00.002+13:002014-03-16T17:52:25.739+13:00Faking it<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiziKT81X2La8hpNAMgJ3vSGMTN3CxKMgVmmWpf3shSTF_Xz0fajBlFTaDBiXc6vg2SlZ2viyMgvro9eft8681ahHKLJM1ej9bbfbs5zIdU2b14906q-6ci1LR3tD2LicpvWXMRJA/s1600/001+Gloriosa+superba.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiziKT81X2La8hpNAMgJ3vSGMTN3CxKMgVmmWpf3shSTF_Xz0fajBlFTaDBiXc6vg2SlZ2viyMgvro9eft8681ahHKLJM1ej9bbfbs5zIdU2b14906q-6ci1LR3tD2LicpvWXMRJA/s1600/001+Gloriosa+superba.jpg" height="320" width="275" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Gloriosa superba</i></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Perhaps the most mis-used word in gardening is “lily”. All sorts of plants are described as lilies,
even though the majority of them have no botanical connection to the true
lilies. Perhaps in this context, the
world “lily” just means “great looking flower that usually comes from a bulb” –
or something like that.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Having said that, there are some lovely bulbous flowers out
at the moment, including the stunning climbing plant, the “Gloriosa Lily’, <i>Gloriosa superba</i>. There can be few flowers that are so well
named, being both glorious and superb. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This is one that definitely is not related to the true
lilies – in fact, it is in the same family as the autumn crocus, colchicums. Like the colchicums they are toxic if eaten,
so a little care needs to be taken with them.
They are a rather curious plant, thriving when well suited – in fact, in
frost-free situations in free drain in and dry soils can even become a bit of a
nuisance, seeding and establishing too
well. They grow from a round tuber that
turns V-shaped as it ages, eventually growing up to a metre long. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
From these extended tubers a succession of wonderfully
coloured flowers will appear, superbly reflexed and in shades of orange-red and
yellow. This little climber (it will
grow a bit more than a metre high) makes
a very dramatic addition to the summer and autumn garden, although it does
struggle with our colder a little. Find
it a warm spot in the garden, or even in a deep pot, and you should have a
glorious and superb flower.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
At the moment the pots on our back patio that could be used
to grow some <i>Gloriosa </i>are filled with
some “Blood Lilies” – <i>Haemanthus coccineus. </i>In keeping with the theme of this
article, these are not actually lilies at all – they are South African members
of the Amaryllis family, growing narturally in the summer rainfall areas of
southern Africa.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I grow two species of the peculiar flowers. The first, <i>H. albiflos</i>, is fully evergreen, with strap-like leaves that part
in the summer to show flower heads that are basically a giant boss of stamen,
with sepals guarding white stamen, tipped with gold. The second species, <i>H. coccineus</i> is altogether
more dramatic. Its large strappy
leaves die off in the early summer, and the plant just shows the top of the
bulbs over summer. But come the start of
March the bulb tips slowly part and a red flush is seen appearing. Within a few weeks, these have lengthened and
the bright scarlet spathe valves open
top shows golden-tipped coloured stamen, bearing a striking resemblance to a coloured shaving
brush.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
They can be grown in warm and sheltered sites in the garden
but my clump has been happily growing in a pot for the past twenty years and
has flourished.</div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02857094066036020000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30761772.post-76575615167967463162014-03-09T17:15:00.007+13:002014-03-09T17:17:16.586+13:00Rejuvenating the iris beds <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh76mykTTXCBWAgFj4kkgL47Pxnkbc4h2vF5HG9UXwQdSb6h70okJccr5M_5aFhH67U_XZgt-b6wfROMEwbmCnh6vSkUQ4Jsn5AYX81admMWFwNvSQ6YYqhb0gVk6_HniNfKNnLGA/s1600/001+IRWELL+WALTZ+TIME+blog+DSCF0065.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh76mykTTXCBWAgFj4kkgL47Pxnkbc4h2vF5HG9UXwQdSb6h70okJccr5M_5aFhH67U_XZgt-b6wfROMEwbmCnh6vSkUQ4Jsn5AYX81admMWFwNvSQ6YYqhb0gVk6_HniNfKNnLGA/s1600/001+IRWELL+WALTZ+TIME+blog+DSCF0065.jpg" height="320" width="304" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Photo courtesy <a href="http://historiciris.blogspot.co.nz/">historiciris.blogspot.co.nz</a> </i></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Regular readers of this column will know I have a
fascination for the members of the iris family, in particular the species and
cultivars that make up the Pacific Coast Native Irises of North America. A large area of the garden is devoted to a
bed of these plants, from which I selected likely-looking parents for breeding,
and into which I plant a couple of hundred seedlings each year.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But even though these are my favourites, I also grow quite a
range of other irises, usually just spotted in between other plants in general
beds. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It might come as a bit of a surprise to learn that I have
dug out a whole lot of iris plants over the past weeks, and thrown them
away. They were all bearded iris I had
been growing for over ten years, and I decided that it time for me to replenish
the bearded iris beds, both in terms of soil, but also in terms of replacing
the varieties.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Bearded irises area little bit fussy about the conditions
they will do best in, although those conditions are easily enough met. As with most plants, it pays to consider
where the plants you want to cultivate occur naturally in the wild. In the case of the bearded irises, they
almost all grow in full sun, in very well-drained soil that is derived from
limestone. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In the garden it pays to replicate those conditions, with an
open sunny site, with fertile, free-draining soil with at least a neutral
pH. For my part, I added some extra compost
to the beds, but also added general fertiliser and a good dressing of
lime. Most compost is low in pH and if used
for lime-loving plants it pays to add some lime. I used lime flour, which is quick acting, but
coarser material, which releases more slowly, is probably better.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
When deciding what to replace my old irises with I had a particular
purpose – I wanted to grow some of the irises breed by the late Ron Busch, a
Christchurch-based iris breeder who had bred some outstanding varieties over
the past twenty years, some of which are still being released to the
public. They tend to be very colourful
varieties, often with bold colours in contrast, and stitched with extra colour
in a pattern that iris lovers call ‘plicata’.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I had to look around a bit but did find an on-line store
that stocked a lot of his varieties, and although I could not obtain all the
varieties I was interested in, I did manage to find quite a few, and they will
arrive any day soon.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
When I plant them out I will copy the way they grow in the
wild again, placing the rhizomes on the surface of the soil, with the roots
tucked in well into the soil, allowing the sun a chance to mature the rhizomes
over summer. Although some will
undoubtedly flower next spring, it will be a year before they are at their best
– but they will be well worth waiting for.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02857094066036020000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30761772.post-8600201581860936532014-03-02T17:03:00.003+13:002014-03-02T17:03:44.721+13:00Tropical flamboyance<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0D8yU3PP-GhVOyYbnZBvCqqNgFhAM1vwWYjrr7tYlwv24YLUPuiVdm8GAS4emgQsUV3w4WFHoTnlNvTDp3uQB4ljwsZB1p7vgJtLCwW9n8sXHPbkv_2fe9L65An7rNnWhSSMA8w/s1600/002+Tropical+Hibiscus+yellow.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0D8yU3PP-GhVOyYbnZBvCqqNgFhAM1vwWYjrr7tYlwv24YLUPuiVdm8GAS4emgQsUV3w4WFHoTnlNvTDp3uQB4ljwsZB1p7vgJtLCwW9n8sXHPbkv_2fe9L65An7rNnWhSSMA8w/s1600/002+Tropical+Hibiscus+yellow.jpg" height="233" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I had an interesting chat with a gardener from just north of
Auckland during the week. She called in
at the archive to talk about family history matters and to look at some papers
we hold, but talk invariably turned to gardens and gardening. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
She was saying there are lots of plants she wants to grow
but just cannot in Auckland – the weather is too warm, or to be more exact, it
is not cold enough. The lack of winter chilling
means lots of fruiting plants are useless – her husband complained about not
being able to grow currants, gooseberries and cherries – but the plants she
clearly wished she could grow successfully were peonies. When I told her about having half a dozen
varieties around the garden she was green with envy.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
However, I did say that there was a wide range of plants she
could grow that we could not consider, and she said, yes, that was true, but
she would happily give up her garden of bromeliads and succulents in order to
grow peonies.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
For my part, I said I loved tropical hibiscus and yearned to
be able to grow them. She snorted
derisively, saying her neighbour had lots of them, as if they were slightly contemptible
plants.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And therein lays the rub of gardening. We yearn to grow the plants our climate will
not allow us to, and we take for granted to wonderful range of plants that will
flourish for us. I guess it is an example
of the grass always being greener on the other side of the Bombay Hills.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Although a border of tropical hibiscuses is a dream for many
of us, there are plenty of places that the shrubs will grow happily enough if
given a little shelter. During my childhood
our neighbour across the streets had a large shrub growing up against the
chimney on her north facing wall, and each autumn it would be covered with a
hundreds of soft pink flowers, each with the prominent stamen that is such a
feature of these glorious plants.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Hibiscus flowers are intimately associated with the Pacific
Islands, and it is a tourism cliché for a pretty young girl with a hibiscus flower
tucked behind her ear to greet a tourist, but it also a reality. They are native to the islands, among many
warm places, and most of the varieties we grow in New Zealand are bred from
Fijian or Hawaiian cultivars, or from hybrids between the two types.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Hawaiian hybrids are small-growing and bear the most
stunning flowers of all, with bright colours in almost all hues imaginable. Unfortunately they are also extremely
cold-tender and need the warmest sites possible to flourish. The Fijian hybrids are slightly more
cold-hardy and larger growing with smaller, often fully double, flowers,
although these ‘double’ flowers are rather messy to my eye. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The bulk of New Zealand varieties used to be Fijian but Auckland
nurseryman Jack Clark worked crossing the two different strains, then
reselecting for those that grew well in Auckland, and his hybrids are still
very popular, including one named after him, ‘Jack’, which is a bright orange
double form.</div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02857094066036020000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30761772.post-27523501719358046852014-02-23T17:46:00.005+13:002014-02-23T17:46:52.600+13:00All the way from Chile, with bells on ...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW9NV1xD2A43Qp98oyuPCiNSF9OX9711nqqOcKCuqnTpReB2vCXty0shjp9kKSSm0rXsIbZPxJFGaH13a2TRyIsiV0yIEuyMfpvSzHcY0c3mSdjVdZxZlW2n-A9lXnhc_I437-Mg/s1600/001+Lapageria+and+manuka.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW9NV1xD2A43Qp98oyuPCiNSF9OX9711nqqOcKCuqnTpReB2vCXty0shjp9kKSSm0rXsIbZPxJFGaH13a2TRyIsiV0yIEuyMfpvSzHcY0c3mSdjVdZxZlW2n-A9lXnhc_I437-Mg/s1600/001+Lapageria+and+manuka.jpg" height="320" width="184" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i style="font-size: small;">Lapageria </i><span style="font-size: x-small;">flowering in the manuka</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Last week we were discussing gardening at work and the question
came up about the best place to grow a Chilean Bell Flower climber, <i>Lapageria rosea.</i> It is an interesting question
because ithe placement of this stunning plant does require careful
consideration. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Like many plants from
Chile it is slightly frost tender, and if left outside on a normal fence it
would soon succumb to our winters. But on the other hand, again like many of
its Chilean kith and kin, it prefers a cool root run, so is not really all that
suited to a northerly aspect. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I have two plants growing intertwined – a white form and the
more usual pink one – and they are happily growing up against the wall of our
sleepout, on a south wall, along with some Chatham Island Forget-me-nots. I added lots of compost and sand to the soil,
so it is well drained but also has a high level of humus. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The plants grow to the roofline each year, and each winter
the frost nips them back a little. Over
the past few years they have also send some trailing branches out into the adjoining
manuka and dwarf Camellia trees, but that is fine as their flowering seasons do
not overlap, and it is a nice bonus to have the beautiful bells hanging from a
slightly lower height.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I cannot think of a relatively easily grown climber that is
as rewarding as the Chilean Bell Flower.
Mine has had intermittent flowers for the past couple of months and is
now approaching the height of its season.
The white variety has flowers tinged with pink as it opens, but once fully
extended has the most pristine of flowers.
The pink or rose forms, on the other hand, have waxy flowers of varying
shades of pink, usually with white mottling on the inside, sometimes visible
from the outside.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In the wild of Chile these plants were once harvested for
their fruit, but they are now protected and are the national flower. In the garden they are relatively easily
grown, but they are difficult to propagate.
I have found the only reliable way is to grow them from seed, but it is
a slow business. They are not
self-fertile, so two different clones are needed, and even then seed set is not
reliable. Once the seed is set it forms
a small sausage like pod. The seed
should be sown as soon as it is ripe, as it germinates a lot better fresh than
it does if it has been stored for a long time.
It takes a few years before the new plants flower.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
If you have a cool spot on a south facing wall and want a special
climber, you would do no better than get one of these from the garden
centre. Treat it carefully for the first
year or so – slugs and snails love the fresh shoots in the spring and can
quickly make a big mess of a small plant.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02857094066036020000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30761772.post-84097130838040596572014-02-16T20:44:00.003+13:002014-02-16T20:44:27.572+13:00Wind flowers need rain<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIou7fHN5qo8-A67bwJx1mj1NHVJD1sCBpHrJcQFJyK7ARnw7CBapgwDt_zc99NJoBdF-Th2KjzEQAhWX06ET1FybZ3qmsKyU1-R2moxAlrSdTMWSUURFVJLFyNKHdMjjSSyddzw/s1600/001+Zephyranthes+grandiflora.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIou7fHN5qo8-A67bwJx1mj1NHVJD1sCBpHrJcQFJyK7ARnw7CBapgwDt_zc99NJoBdF-Th2KjzEQAhWX06ET1FybZ3qmsKyU1-R2moxAlrSdTMWSUURFVJLFyNKHdMjjSSyddzw/s1600/001+Zephyranthes+grandiflora.jpg" height="252" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Late summer and early autumn is a great time for us bulb
lovers. The very first of the spring
flowering bulbs have started arriving in the garden centres – the anemones and
freesias usually – and catalogues start arriving filled with new daffodil varieties
and a range of the rare and exotic for the connoisseur. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But this time of the year is also exiting because a number
of other bulbs start to come into their own – the summer deciduous ones.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We generally associate the trait of losing leaves over harsh
growing times with deciduous shrubs and trees, the majority of which defoliate
for the winter. This is because they
would otherwise be in water deficit – the cold soil means the trees cannot take
up much water, while they would continue to lose water through transpiration if
they still had leaves.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There are a few trees from hotter climates that do exactly
the opposite – they drop all their leaves over the dry and hot summer, when
again they would lose more water than they could take up. Plants from the hotter areas of Africa tend
to do this.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Bulbs are, in effect, deciduous too, except instead of dying
back to a perennial or woody system, they defoliate entirely and survive in the
form of swollen roots. Most bulbs do
this by growing over winter and early spring, flowering and setting seed in early
summer, then dying down until the autumn rains arrive, when they start the
process over again.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Others, though, do this differently, and they prefer to like
dormant over spring and summer, then burst forth with their flowers in autumn,
grow until the spring, then die down again for the summer.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My mother had a warm north-facing bed underneath her bedroom
window which was filled with bulbs – lots of old fashioned freesias and
muscari, but also big patches of three of these autumn flowering beauties.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The first of these was the clear white rain lily, <i>Zephyranthes candida</i>, also erroneously
called an autumn crocus. This is
probably the hardiest member of its family, and is a reliable late summer
flowering bulb, that reputedly flowers with the first of the autumn rains. I am not so sure that the trigger is the
arrival of rain, as I have grown this in one of the beds at the back of the
section, and it has reliably flowered in late February/early March each year,
despite receiving regular watering as I keep the rest of the bed alive.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The leaves are deep green and similar to thin daffodil
leaves. The flowers pop out of papery sheaths
and are pure glistening white, about the size of a garden crocus. It is a good garden plant without being
extremely special.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Last year I noticed someone advertising some of the rare
species and hybrids from the family on TradeMe, and took the chance to increase
my meagre stock of these. The four or five
varieties I purchased are all tenderer than my garden stock so I grew them in
pots in the glasshouse, thinking that I could also better control the water
supply that way.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This week the first of them came out, and what a glorious
surprise it was. I have read ab<i>out Z. grandiflora </i>for years, and seen photographs
of it in various books, but I had no concept of just how much bigger it was
than <i>Z. candida.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The 100mm flowers, which are a luscious pink, similar to the
colour of belladonna lilies (to which they are quire closely related) are more
open than <i>Z. candida</i>, and are held
atop 100mm long scapes. They are
certainly more exuberant than their white-flowered counterparts, and a clump of
them makes a fabulous sight.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There is now a range of hybrids that bulb fanciers can
sometimes get access to, with yellow, orange and salmon forms all to be found,
although none is readily available. The
related genus of Habranthus can also be found from specialist growers. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
By the way - you might actually call these rain lilies the true wind flowers, as that is what there botanical name means - Zephyr= wind, Anthes= flowers.</div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02857094066036020000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30761772.post-18708227423049977692014-02-09T20:19:00.003+13:002014-02-09T20:19:43.166+13:00Springing the leeks<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV4zuf6aXVimcztACc1ujSvkSrVNZi478lJjDSpDgsvu3IjBdSTBS_tjvGvAk4htX8Mm1ChSBsjOu5Yn4ftxYn8Mo8CLyB-5A3clJT2AZ739mI2D_hu46ZRFEKTu81oMBA2ftb6g/s1600/001+leeks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV4zuf6aXVimcztACc1ujSvkSrVNZi478lJjDSpDgsvu3IjBdSTBS_tjvGvAk4htX8Mm1ChSBsjOu5Yn4ftxYn8Mo8CLyB-5A3clJT2AZ739mI2D_hu46ZRFEKTu81oMBA2ftb6g/s1600/001+leeks.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The long and unspectacular summer has spluttered on through
the past week, with showers and almost wintry conditions prevailing for much of
the time. I went to a barbecue the other
evening, and we almost managed to get through the meal before it started to rain
lightly. Fortunately we were underneath sun umbrellas
- hardly needed for sun though – and were able to stay outside for a
while.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">At one stage the conversation turned to planting winter
vegetables and someone suggested leeks would be good to pop in now. I was a bit
surprised as I always think leeks should be planted before Christmas, especially if you
are keen to grow the large leeks we are accustomed to.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My friend, though, said she always planted later, and that she
didn’t mind if they were a bit smaller than usual, as she likes the small sweet
leeks that come from a later planting.
That made me think a bit, not least because I had not planted any leeks
in the early summer. So this weekend I got
a bundle of field grown leeks and popped them into the garden.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ideally leeks should go into ground that has previously been
used for a fruit crop (tomatoes, capsicums, egg plants) but I am a bit short on
space at the moment and I had to plant them in land I had just harvested my
crop of Elephant Garlic. I refertilised
the soil because leeks and Elephant Garlic (larger and milder than usual
garlic) are actually variants of the same species and I probably should have
chosen a different site – except this is perfect for leeks.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I did the usual stuff for leeks – creating a small hole for
the seedlings – about 20cm deep – and carefully planting the leeks into the
holes. They were well watered in, and as
time goes on the hole will naturally fill itself in, ensuring the bottom
portion of the leek will be white when it is harvested.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You can make a ridge about the same height, and then plant
the seedlings in a trough along the top of the ridge, gradually filling it in
as the plants start to grow, and that will have the same effect.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">The good thing about leeks is that they are
pretty much fool proof, and as such are great for the new gardener, who is
probably a little unsure about what to do with the garden over winter. We have never had any disease problems with
leeks, and as long as you make sure you keep on feeding them they will grow for
a few months yet. Make sure you harvest
them before the spring </span><span style="line-height: 115%;">of course,
as they will develop a woody stem as they start to put up their flower hea</span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;">ds.</span></div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02857094066036020000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30761772.post-11776843447521806932014-02-02T20:26:00.001+13:002014-02-02T20:26:09.243+13:00Whipping the hebes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwMsramaO90IEr4LK1VCRVmlehQ9RC6TQU7dpcQJBivxr9UEb37qzHexnvGqFC2UvcGDN0R5M4KjILCQToSaUs6_wisscr8reOCN-FTddj3b7DwW_D3p8oDI_5b9bOCmx3yDzVlA/s1600/001+Hebe+cupressioides.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwMsramaO90IEr4LK1VCRVmlehQ9RC6TQU7dpcQJBivxr9UEb37qzHexnvGqFC2UvcGDN0R5M4KjILCQToSaUs6_wisscr8reOCN-FTddj3b7DwW_D3p8oDI_5b9bOCmx3yDzVlA/s1600/001+Hebe+cupressioides.jpg" height="215" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Among the many native plants I am fond of, the vast
collection of flowering shrubs that make up the genus Hebe come top of the
list. This remarkably diverse group of
nearly exclusively New Zealand shrubby equivalents of the Northern Hemisphere
veronicas has evolved into a wide range of plants in Aotearoa, and fills many
ecological niches in our environment.
Through in the works of hundreds of years of plant breeding and you have
a valuable range of plants suitable for most gardens in one way or another.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In the heights of the mountains a particularly odd-looking
group of hebes grow, with leaves almost completely absent. These are the whipcord hebes, now known by
botanists as <i>Leonohebe</i> but for our purposes they can remain hebes. Perhaps the best k own of these is the South
Island species known as <i>H. cupressioides</i>. Those of you familiar with Latin will know
that this means “like a Cypress”, and there could hardly be a more apt
description. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In a case of similar adaption to the same environmental
conditions, this hebe has evolved the same tiny, adpressed leaves that conifers
that live in the sub-alpine conditions that these plants live, and has ended up
looking just like them rather than the closely related hebes that grow nearby.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The very small leaves – almost scale-like- grow tightly
around the stems until the casual observer would not think the plant had any
leaves. This is, of course, the same
adaption that the conifers have made to avoid losing too much moisture in the
dessicating winds that blow almost incessantly in the mountains.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Unlike the conifers though, these plants have a wonderful
show of flowers when the conditions are right. The white or light blue flowers
are held at the end of the upright stems and when the season is right, can
completely smother the tops of the shrubs in a haze of colour. It seems to me that these flowers are carried
with more abandon in cooler areas, and the plant does not often flower
abundantly this far north, but this is still a plant well worth growing.</div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02857094066036020000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30761772.post-87936632991713056812014-01-26T20:20:00.001+13:002014-01-26T20:20:13.192+13:00On the straight and yarrow<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYE8ZdePu5fIC_ozR_pZcdifASI6XHEheKNe5SbKTZlww7287FajFsJBPYsfRUNN-i8Z1tb0P_H-uN5bQb2S5MWOBS4oLbZKWeQtDabKVNe7S1DNzvD6r1an5_TEG72k1-DTXYkg/s1600/002+Red+Achillea.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYE8ZdePu5fIC_ozR_pZcdifASI6XHEheKNe5SbKTZlww7287FajFsJBPYsfRUNN-i8Z1tb0P_H-uN5bQb2S5MWOBS4oLbZKWeQtDabKVNe7S1DNzvD6r1an5_TEG72k1-DTXYkg/s1600/002+Red+Achillea.jpg" height="267" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In the past few weeks I have been reconstructing parts on my
garden, and reconsidering others. Two
large plantings of Alstroemerias have been cleaned out – they were both about
fifteen years old and become just a little overgrown in their beds. I will
have to think about their replacements as I have nothing in mind yet.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I have been using another area to grow-on plants as I decide
whether I want them in the garden, and I think I will clean that out, plant the
ones I like into other places in the garden, and set about planting a little
summer flowering garden, based on the North American prairies.<br />
<br />
As a general rule I am reluctant to get too intellectual about gardening – it
is primarily a fun activity for me and I am not interested in building a garden
that has a complicated set of rules about what plants should or should not be
included. I love New Zealand plants, and
have many of them in the garden (some to the Head Gardeners dismay I have to
say) but I would never think of planting a New Zealand-only garden, and so the
same rule will apply to the prairie garden – I want to create a garden with the
feel of a wilderness dryland garden rather than a botanical replication of the
prairie.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There is a group of plants that will be essential for this
garden – the vast daisy family, which has many representatives that revel in
these sort of conditions. Among the
first of these daisies will be the relatives of the common weed yarrow, the
white (usually) flowered plant found growing in wastelands on the side of the
road, as well as invading lawns. There
are many beautifully coloured cousins and hybrids in this family that add a
sort of wild elegance to the border at this time of the year.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Perhaps the most dramatic of these is the stately <i>Achillea</i> <i>filipendulina</i> 'Gold
Plate', with the finely dissected fern-like foliage typical of the family, but
with bright golden heads of flower carried about 1.5 metres tall. In this
variety the foliage is grey-green, giving another contrast for the border even
when it is not in flower. This plant
would be ideal as the central highlight in my garden.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Around it I would like to have one or two other varieties as
well. A few years ago there was a lovely strain of seed grown plants available
and I think some nurseries must have kept cutting-grown varieties from these as
there are some named forms found nowhere else but New Zealand.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
There are some pink and lavender forms around, but as this
garden will be in the yellow/orange/red range of colours I will avoid those,
and plump for ‘Terracotta’, which has flat flower heads of rich terracotta that
fades to a soft yellow. ‘Fanal’ is a
good red flowered variety that will perform better if the flower heads are
removed after flowering.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02857094066036020000noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30761772.post-7776003127497223552013-08-25T20:08:00.001+12:002013-08-25T20:08:04.995+12:00Give peas a chance<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNRCIj9DHoNx5TcV8sldqmyi-YoBUdygt-LuJvyjkQrTi_oXyjdOvJq57W6d8JqKS9fUZcEOi7uHtS8eZkL4ZWtLCWA82Nm2PyetpxSM8laWYEua_W4KMBMtgNBT51cxM_JkyjwA/s1600/001+Peas+in+a+pod.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNRCIj9DHoNx5TcV8sldqmyi-YoBUdygt-LuJvyjkQrTi_oXyjdOvJq57W6d8JqKS9fUZcEOi7uHtS8eZkL4ZWtLCWA82Nm2PyetpxSM8laWYEua_W4KMBMtgNBT51cxM_JkyjwA/s320/001+Peas+in+a+pod.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Although it is just the very start of spring at the moment,
it is the time to start thinking about the Christmas day meal, and to start
preparing the vegetable garden for the fresh vegetables that form such an
essential part of our season festivities.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As much as I love Brussels Sprouts, the iconic staple of the
English Christmas feast, I certainly would not want to swap a plate filled to
overflowing with potatoes dug freshly from the garden once the presents have
been opened, and recently harvested and podded peas.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We do not grow peas every year, as we are now constrained as
to the size of our garden, and wit only two of us at home we concentrate on
other vegetables, but if you have young children anywhere in the vicinity, you probably should grow some. They are a great vegetable for encouraging
young gardeners, as they are relatively easy, normally free from diseases, and
can be seen growing by impatient youngsters.
And of course, and freshly picked and podded peas taste so much better
than any bought produce.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In Wairarapa, early September is a good time to get sowing,
provided you have a nice well-drained site that is not too cold. Peas generally need to be grown through the
cooler months as they are very prone to mildew, and once the warmth and humidity
of summer kicks in, they will just get disease and fail to thrive. If your soil is not already supplied with
plenty of organic matter, it pays to add some well rotted compost to it,
As well as adding extra nutriment it will also improve the soil texture,
making it better for the plants to grow.
As you work the compost into the soil, make sure it is cultivated to
about a spade’s depth, and worked to a fine tilth.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Peas are probably best sown rather than planted out from
seed trays – they are certainly a lot cheaper if you sow directly as pea seed
is relatively inexpensive – but there are some pea varieties that will
transplant alright, and if you just want a few plants of sugar snap peas or
snow peas to grow in a container (they do very well grown that way) it might be
just as easy to get the head start that nursery-grown plants offer. The kids will love having pots of peas near
the house too.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
If sowing, just make shallow rows in the well prepared soil,
the rows about 45 cm apart, and each seed about 5 cm away from its neighbours
in the row. If you want to give their
germination a kick start you can soak the seeds in warm-ish water for an hour
or two before sowing, but this is not essential.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Newly germinated seeds are like magnets for birds, and to a
lesser extent, slugs, so it pays to be careful and ready for the
onslaught. I like to use a roll of
chicken wire, rolled over to form a tunnel, as this can be easily removed as
the plants grow up and can be used as cover for other young seedlings. You can also just keep the chicken wire in
place and use it as a base for further support by adding bamboo stakes, or even
just garden twigs. Plenty of people just
start off with twigs, and that system works well too. Make sure to put some form of slug prevention
down as the plants are just popping through the soil.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It pays to make sure the peas are not too crowded in by
other tall growing vegetables as that will taken some of the sun off them and
will also prevent good air circulation which is the best defence against
mildew. You should have few other pests,
but aphids are sometimes a small concern – just use some organic neem oil and
them and that should keep them under control.
I am not sure that aphids do too much damage to the growing plants on
their own but they can help spread virus diseases and you do not really want
that in the garden.</div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02857094066036020000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30761772.post-70499089880707600062013-08-18T18:13:00.001+12:002013-08-18T18:13:24.780+12:00A wet spring weekend<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEics-q_HA8ar8z1GLy9L929UGXf76HvacQ8YGxwoMA_WlIw5pBiCAdmZaojSUR8RqwGYLZatcg8f7E2-NptNPE24_P-OpbU2Y4XIKXmzG-SWezXxuGS_yUlEQGVqomvirzQJc1jDg/s1600/001++Magnolia+Sweetheart.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEics-q_HA8ar8z1GLy9L929UGXf76HvacQ8YGxwoMA_WlIw5pBiCAdmZaojSUR8RqwGYLZatcg8f7E2-NptNPE24_P-OpbU2Y4XIKXmzG-SWezXxuGS_yUlEQGVqomvirzQJc1jDg/s320/001++Magnolia+Sweetheart.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Magnolia </i>'Sweetheart'</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A wet weekend at this time of the year seems like a bit of a
waste for the home gardener. The
imminent arrival of spring means all sorts of things are starting to move, and
there are a few chores that need to be carried out.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I have been aware that the shepherds purse – <i>Capsella bursa-pastoris </i>to give it its
Latin name – has been flowering in my iris beds, and this little member of the
brassica family has many, many seeds, all of which will lie dormant in the soul
to smother next early spring’s growth, so I knew I needed to get in and weed
them. They grow so quickly that leaving
them for a week or two was simply not an option, so I grabbed the chance in
between showers on Saturday afternoon, and got onto them. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I was distracted in the work though, as our Magnolia
‘Sweetheart’ is just starting to
flower. It has been heavily budded for a
while but the recent warm weather has made it rush out into flower and it looks
outstanding on our back boundary. I love
the tree magnolias in general, and the pink shaded ones most of all. This
variety has deep pink flowers, upright facing, with lusciously creamy
interiors. The flowers are medium sized
(some varieties have very large flowers) and fit this tree perfectly.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I was also distracted by a planting of some new bulbs. This year I spent my birthday goodwill on a
selection of new bulbs, and they are just coming out now. Two in particular have really impressed me, a
soft pink hyacinth and a bright yellow lachenalia.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I have come to like hyacinths late in my life – I think I
always regarded them a slightly fussy, overly formal plants, and associated
them with the precise bedding the Dutch are so fond of, or the potted specimens
you see in the supermarket. One of my
boys, after giving his mother a potted blue specimen for Mother’s Day, told her
it reminded him of Dame Edna’s wig, and that image stuck with me, I suspect.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But we were given a handful of bulbs by my sister-in-law a
few years ago, a mid-pink variety of great vigour that has slowly expanded and
taken over a sizable container at our back door. It looks fabulous at this time of the year
with a succession of pink spires of flower giving great colour.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Over the past few years I have planted more varieties around
the garden, and have a lovely yellow form (more like cream to be perfectly
honest) called ‘Yellow Queen’ in the back border but this year I planted the
softest pink flowered form called ‘China Pink’ and what a beauty it has been,
with flowers of porcelain-like beauty of the softest cool pink, all with a lovely
fragrance. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Just across the pathway, in a bed filled with South African
bulbs, is a new planting of the “Cape Hyacinth” (they are not actually that
closely related), one of the new African Beauty lachenalias, ‘Romaud’. This is a new hybrid and has flowers similar
to the old fashioned ‘Pearsonii’ which has been grown for many years in New
Zealand, with yellow tubular flowers, with a waxy texture, hanging from a
strong stalk. The difference is in the
size – ‘Romaud’ is slightly taller but also much stockier, meaning you get a
much better floral effect from the plant. </div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
I also grew the blue form called ‘Rupert’, and I have to say
that neither of these new forms are as hardy as the old types, so do not expect
them to increase quickly in the garden, and give the mass effect that the old
red form ‘Pendula’ gives in the garden, but they are stunning plants.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02857094066036020000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30761772.post-91816787967863513112013-08-11T14:22:00.002+12:002013-08-11T14:24:23.498+12:00Scentational scene<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTJIci7PNDOhS5KhjNpZ1m8vYpK_xN8LCeM2MLmYyE5Pnl1Riklfp0xjlUwNZ7nBPLbJGePW2-4jdm3WtW1tBlBKh1LuWpxyH91vToVM555BatYqq-RFA4Ye3xxhmuHsVo6Zu25A/s1600/002+Osmanthus+Pearly+Gates.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTJIci7PNDOhS5KhjNpZ1m8vYpK_xN8LCeM2MLmYyE5Pnl1Riklfp0xjlUwNZ7nBPLbJGePW2-4jdm3WtW1tBlBKh1LuWpxyH91vToVM555BatYqq-RFA4Ye3xxhmuHsVo6Zu25A/s320/002+Osmanthus+Pearly+Gates.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Osmanthus </i>'Pearly Gates'</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Many trees and shrubs that flower in the late winter (or early
spring) have pale flowers, often highly scented. Flowers use scent to attract pollinators,
usually bees and butterflies in the day time, so in a sense brightly coloured
flowers offer no advantage.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This week I saw, or rather smelt, two new white-flowering,
highly scented shrubs. The first of
these was on the ledge at the workstation of a colleague. She had picked some flowers off her <i>Camellia transnokoensis </i>and brought them
into work. In the warm work environment the
few sprigs of flower were enough to scent a small room, with their spicy, heady
scent. To my nose it smelt slightly
reminiscent of the once common winter-flowering, shrubby honeysuckle, <i>Lonicera fragrantissimum</i>. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This camellia species from Mount Noko in Taiwan is sometimes
given the colloquial name of ‘transnok’, and has with dainty leaves, perhaps willowy,
with a graceful upright habit. The pure white flowers open from tight buds marked
with deep pink. This shrub is ideal for screening or hedges, and over the past
few years has become very popular. It
will grow to about three metres ultimately but is easily kept much smaller by
clipping. Like most camellias it thrives
in moist, humus-rich soils with a neutral pH.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The other new plant (to me at least) was one that was recommended
by an old friend (the friendship is old, not the friend!) who had seen it
growing in a local garden – the slightly scarily named <i>Osmanthus</i> variety, ‘Pearly Gates’.
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I have grown some Osmanthus shrubs in the past – larger,
autumn flowered forms mainly, with overly heady scents, but I had not seen this
lovely form of the smaller growing species <i>O.
delavayii</i>. This is of the most fragrant
of all flowering shrubs, its usually insignificant flowers having ta rich heady,
fruit-filled scent. Plant hybridisers have been at work on this species and in
the past few years a couple of new varieties have been released, with much
larger flowers, while retaining the exuberant scent.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The better of them, ‘Pearly Gates’ has not yet become grown
widespread but when gardeners learn about its good points it will soon become a
firm favourite, as it has a lot of things going for it. It is a very hardy evergreen shrub, providing
good clean texture, and the white tubular flowers give a great display at the
time of the year when there is not much out in the garden. It is quite slow growing and makes a perfect
hedge as it is very suitable for trimming – one Masterton gardener has planted
it along a contained area between a wall and a glass swimming pool fence and it
looks stunning.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This is not too fussy as to soil conditions – it will cope
even with quite poor soils – and looks at its best when clumped into reasonable
sized groupings. With the addition of
the scented flowers, it makes a great basal planting for near a house. Left to its own devices it might grow to two
metres, but its compact growth habit, and its ready acceptance of trimming,
make it easily kept to a much smaller size.</div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02857094066036020000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30761772.post-15528631948740326272013-08-04T17:57:00.002+12:002013-08-04T17:58:23.860+12:00The camellia blight problem <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX8ROrT5Xx3bBsYAHTLbwHvWUedxLexV7iOo5pGUOYNmWX0o3O3wkLimr6Mc6ftiqoRuYXyKMYDidawnfIRH_HnWplSKNBZQKhPXAvVitGw-an1MyTV9lxiYxZ8-EXddKs4m8QNw/s1600/001+Camellia+blight.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX8ROrT5Xx3bBsYAHTLbwHvWUedxLexV7iOo5pGUOYNmWX0o3O3wkLimr6Mc6ftiqoRuYXyKMYDidawnfIRH_HnWplSKNBZQKhPXAvVitGw-an1MyTV9lxiYxZ8-EXddKs4m8QNw/s320/001+Camellia+blight.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
At this time of the year – late winter but warming up
towards spring – there is one shrub that should be coming into its own, a shrub
that has been relied on to supply colour for the garden and flowers for the
house for generations, that wonderful evergreen shrub, the camellia.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But over the past few years things have changed and
gardeners need to be a bit more careful about how they plant and use this once
ubiquitous shrub. The arrival of the
dreadful flower blight has changed everything.
This horribly disfiguring disease is caused by a very virulent fungus
and effectively destroys the beauty of the blooms by browning them almost as
soon as they open. There is no sign of
any effective chemical control yet, and those who passion is growing camellias
must be throwing their hands up in frustration.
I know the New Zealand Camellia Society has been funding research into
control of this nuisance, and overseas societies have also been throwing a lot
of money at solving the problem of this scourge of camellias.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This fungous, <i>Ciborinia camellia, </i>lies dormant in the soil where it can live
for up to five years, becoming active when a cool period is followed by
warmer temperatures and moisture – does that sound like a Wairarapa
spring? It has been known in the United
States for over sixty years, and has gradually spread through almost all
growing areas. It has not been in this
country so long, being first reported in Wellington in 1993, but once it
arrived it spread very quickly. In theory it mainly spreads incrementally,
their spores moving only short distances in the wind, but I have friends who
garden in very isolated places, and they all report that they have problems
with this disease, so I think it is most places in New Zealand – certainly
everywhere in the North Island.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There is talk about the way gardeners can be careful with
hygiene among the fallen flowers, carefully picking up all infected flowers,
even to the extent of taking the flowers that have fallen among the branches of
a tree away, and burning them. I am sorry, but this is wildly optimistic, and
will never work in reality, as the flowers are so numerous and flower for
months, and many gardeners have more than one variety. I am no specialist in camellias, but I grow
six varieties – too many to harvest the flowers.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There is also some talk of using neem oil to help control
its spread, but I think even the most enthusiastic supporter of this wonderful
organic spray would agree that it has not proven to be any use against this
disease.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So what do we gardeners do?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There is some talk of being able to breed our way out of
this conundrum, by finding resistant varieties and breeding from them. Some recent work at Massey University
suggests this might be feasible, but it looks like it will be a long way away
before it is commonly available.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
At the moment the only tactic to keep the pest at bay seems
to be to grow varieties that flower before the disease really gets under way at
this time of the year. This will not
please everyone, as some of the most delightful varieties flower in the middle
of the season, or later, and the reality is that they are going to carry the
horrid brown patches that typify this infection.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
One obvious answer it to grow more sasanqua camellias. These autumn flowering varieties look quite
different to the more familiar <i>C.
japonica</i> and allied species we are more familiar with. They have a more open growth habit with
narrower leaves and willowy growth in many cases. They make wonderful wall shrubs, when
allowed to splay out in one dimension, but some of the denser growing forms
also make very good hedges.</div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02857094066036020000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30761772.post-29246394932864893522013-07-21T20:50:00.004+12:002013-07-21T20:50:59.718+12:00A thought for my peonies<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2qtI54g1o7RAUV8aE-0jXlmpILC2Z1AutFgl0MFpvxrATpPFy3JbD6ahbIxgPKaorhIIFJC2QdZnu16ME8vgsB87tkfZ5SzgXtceVlGrRsB7-Ou2Hk18qewo6vMiVoFSgP7ycpw/s1600/001+Peony+Coral+Charm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2qtI54g1o7RAUV8aE-0jXlmpILC2Z1AutFgl0MFpvxrATpPFy3JbD6ahbIxgPKaorhIIFJC2QdZnu16ME8vgsB87tkfZ5SzgXtceVlGrRsB7-Ou2Hk18qewo6vMiVoFSgP7ycpw/s320/001+Peony+Coral+Charm.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">'Coral Charm'</span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Last weekend, when the weather was at its worst, and it was
windy and raining heartily, I went down to my local garden centre to choose
some peonies. Not unsurprisingly, it was
very quiet and I was able to take my time and look through the racks of packets
on the shelves. I was excited to see what a good range of varieties is
available nowadays, but I did catch my breath a little at the prize of some of
the newer forms – they were over $30 a packet.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I am used to looking through catalogues from various bulb
growing firms and I am quite accustomed to seeing daffodils and irises reaching
these sorts of prices, but their value quickly diminishes and a variety that
was selling for $50 one year will be down to $5 within a decade.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Not so for these peonies – although the types I was looking
at were certainly relatively recently introduced, they were also all at least twenty
years old.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
At first I was a little taken aback, but then I thought of
how long-lived peonies are, and quickly came to the decision that I would still
buy a few varieties as part of a revamp of a couple of flower beds out in the
back garden.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The site I had in mind is absolutely perfect for peonies as
it is both sunny and well drained in a bed that was originally part of a
vegetable garden, then used for lining out bearded irises. Over the years it had had a lot of compost
added to it, and thus it is deep and fertile soil, soil that is ideal for peonies. Although
it seems counter-intuitive, peonies can still do quite well in relatively infertile
soils, as long as it never becomes water-logged.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It is quite important to make sure peonies do not have too
much competition from nearby trees and shrubs, as they do not cope with that at
all. In fact, they can even throw in the
towel if they are under a lot of overhead foliage. I suspect the flowers might also be a bit
troubled by botrytis in that situation too.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
When you buy plants at this time of the year you are getting
divisions from larger plants, and will usually get some roots that look very
much like the rhizomes of a bearded iris, with large buds about 3 cm long, and
coloured bright pink. It is quite
important to plant these correctly as they can fail if planted too deeply or
shallowly. Unlike bearded irises which
need to be planted on the surface of the soil so they can creep along in the
sun, these plants actually need the rots to be slightly buried. But they should not be planted too deeply – if
they are planted too deeply the buds will be insulated from the winter chills
which induce new growths. The ideal depth
is for the bottom of the new buds to be about 5cm below the surface. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
You do not need to add any fertiliser when planting – in
fact it can be counterproductive as it may damage the new buds – and, despite
their long-lived reputation for needing super-fertile soil, they are not gross
feeders, and probably do not need a lot of supplementary feeding. We have a large specimen of the pale pink,
late-flowering form ‘Sarah Bernhardt’ which is grown in a mixed perennial
border and has done fine for the past fifteen years without any extra feeding,
and has slowly increased in size.</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Some people think peony is slightly coarse, but I have no problem
with my plants – I just plant other summer flowering plants around them, and their
admittedly unexciting greenery is hidden for the summer. It is important that you do not cut the
foliage down straight after flowering, in the way you might with daffodils for
example (you shouldn't really do it with daffodils either!) as it will stop any
plant growth. Instead, wait until the
autumn, when it will slowly turn yellow and die off naturally. I always cut the old, dead foliage at that
stage and compost it. If you wanted to, you
could give the plants a quick spray with fungicide at that stage but I have
never felt the need.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02857094066036020000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30761772.post-50916388460768726182013-07-14T20:36:00.002+12:002013-07-14T20:36:59.360+12:00Cyclamen surprise<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLFpBicKqbex-6-vsrDy-hFKidU8fMFStV2o-QAWHhz1ihZhQpW_4z0xGV5rkIirbllpWGrQpiV2qsfIWTE8SMdGwZd2478SUHrNrW-KDLDFGPzqoC8sZ9FBM0uTWEsBmNFlfHGw/s1600/003+Cyclamen+coum.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLFpBicKqbex-6-vsrDy-hFKidU8fMFStV2o-QAWHhz1ihZhQpW_4z0xGV5rkIirbllpWGrQpiV2qsfIWTE8SMdGwZd2478SUHrNrW-KDLDFGPzqoC8sZ9FBM0uTWEsBmNFlfHGw/s320/003+Cyclamen+coum.jpg" width="176" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Cyclamen coum</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There are plenty of plants that have lots of variety, with multicoloured
forms and a variety of different plant shapes, but sometimes it is the
singularly unchanging plants that capture out attention. At this time of the year it is the humble
cyclamen that grabs me, despite the inescapable fact that all cyclamen species follow
the same basic shape, and they are really only available in white and pink,
with a little variety thrown in with modern hybrids – purple and other shades
that are not found in the wild being added.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And at that point I suppose we had better start making a distinction. In most gardeners’ minds there is only one
type of cyclamen, or perhaps two at most, and they are the florists’ cyclamen,
early winter flowering plants that are very popular around Mothers’ Day. In fact, when we owned the bedding plant nursery
we grew these plants by the thousand, both traditional large-flowered forms,
and the more recent miniature varieties.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In the wild there are about twenty species of cyclamen, although
you would probably have to be a botanist to differentiate between them. Just one species, <i>C. persicum</i>, has provided the basis of the florists’ cyclamen, but
in the hundreds of years of selective breeding within this species, a wide
range of forms has been selected, and the cyclamen now represents great value
as a winter pot plant, providing many months of colour for a relatively cheap
price. For a price of about $10 you can
have flowers in the house for months on end.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There are just a few tips to growing these plants as potted
plants. The first is that they need good
drainage, but at the same time they like moist soil, so it is important to make
sure they are in moisture retentive soil but not sitting in a saucer filled to
the brim with water. When watering, make sure you water the soil and not the
corm, and also ensure you let the water free drain. It also pays to water early
in the day for two reasons; firstly, to allow the water to soak through the
plant, and secondly, to let the corm dry out again before the evening. If these steps are not followed the plants
are a little prone to mildew.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
When growing potted plants inside it also pays to be a bit
canny about light levels as, cyclamen do best in bright indirect or curtain
filtered sunlight – if they are exposed to direct, hot sunlight they will
probably develop burns on their leaves.</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Like most potted plants, it pays to give the pots a little feed
every now and then especially if you are looking to retain them for more than
one season. The easiest thing to do is
to apply a liquid fertiliser on a regular basis – perhaps once a fortnight.
Remember to put this on in the early part of the day, and try and avoid the
corm.<br />
<br />
Once the plant has finished flowering there is no reason to discard it - you can either plant it in the garden in a
shady spot that is protected from frost, or you can put it in a cool spot for
the summer months, reducing the watering, and then re pot it in fresh potting
mix next autumn for winter.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Smaller and certainly less well-known are the dwarf
species, found throughout the Mediterranean area. The best known of these is
the diminutive ivy-leaved species, <i>C.
hederifloium, </i>which is sometimes seem naturalised in extensive swathes in
large gardens, its carpet of shining white and soft pink flowers always looking
stunning in later summer and early autumn. I have grown this in pots in the
glasshouse, along with its slightly less hardy cousin, <i>C. africanum,</i> which has marginally longer stems in my experience.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Among the other forms I have grown is the lovely winter
flowering <i>C. coum</i>, with rounded leaves,
usually deep green, but sometimes marbled with silver, and in some special strains,
pewter coloured. The flowers, which are slighter stumpier than other species, are
usually pink, of varying shades, with a deep maroon blotch at the bottom of
each petals. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This species is quite hardy – it is naturalised in parts of
Great Britain, so should be perfectly fine in New Zealand. It is also reasonable able to look after
itself in the garden. I grow moist of my
small cyclamen in the glasshouse, not because they are not hardy, but because
that way I can get too see them easier, and can appreciate their beauty better.
Like all cyclamen species, they set deed readily, contained within a capsule
that sits just above soil level, but is spring loaded. When the seed is ready the seeds are rapidly
dispersed, and germinate where they land, meaning I have pots that end up with
more than one species.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Over summer my iris seedlings are grown underneath the glasshouse
benches, each 100mm pot holding a separate seedling. Imagine my surprise and my perplexed expression
when I discovered some <i>C. coum</i> growing
in the iris beds this winter. I can only
assume they must have been dropped into the seedling pots before they were planted
out, and have germinated in the potting soil when it was placed into the iris
beds. </div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02857094066036020000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30761772.post-80680106891956744222013-07-07T19:57:00.002+12:002013-07-07T19:57:59.940+12:00Hebes out front<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggc4c5jytiCqv-CcQ6eDcbX7py0veZQ6LwNHNBjYe5wlIojjik88OhulRxIi-3AJJzMnMONep3td3n7BrY7DUR0OxtHvpxGi97FQc7p0ZYJcEirlVIbMLWDE4Cm1Chb8Ob_hPQ9A/s1600/001+Hebe+Red+Edge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggc4c5jytiCqv-CcQ6eDcbX7py0veZQ6LwNHNBjYe5wlIojjik88OhulRxIi-3AJJzMnMONep3td3n7BrY7DUR0OxtHvpxGi97FQc7p0ZYJcEirlVIbMLWDE4Cm1Chb8Ob_hPQ9A/s320/001+Hebe+Red+Edge.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
The combination of the week’s mild weather (despite it being
the middle of winter) and a bit of time at home, led me to have a wander around,
looking at what is happening in the garden.
As it is still very early in the season I was surprised to see a number
of spring flowering bulbs out in flower. The tazetta narcissus (that most
people call jonquils) are out, but as they can flower very early I was not shocked,
but I was very surprised to see the little green and black flowered snake’s head
iris,<i> Iris tuberosa</i>, in flower, at
least a month early.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A clump of hyacinths I planted in the autumn was in flower
too, the pale yellow ’Yellow Queen.’ I suspect that this might be a case of an
imported bulb breaking cover early, and that it will revert to its usual
flowering period next year.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I also had time to look at a couple of shrubs that I knew
needed trimming or removing. One was a seedling
kohuhu, <i>Pittosporum tenuifolium.</i> It was a lovely small-leaved form, with a
shimmering silver colour, but it had grown up through the lower branches of a
semi-mature<i> Magnolia grandiflora</i>, and
was rapidly growing to be a nuisance, and really had to come out.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The other problem was of a smaller nature – a dwarf dark-coloured
Coprosma, whose growth ambitions outgrew the space I had allocated for it. It was
also very free with a crop of berries each season, and as such also had a crop
of seedlings each year. I am not
normally too worried about seedlings appearing among my plants (it’s a natural consequence
of using lots of mulch among shrubs) and often keep and propagate the seedlings
I find, but not in this case.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I was very keen to add another hebe to the number growing in
this bed, as they have proven to be very reliable in what is a difficult
site. The previous owners had altered
the front of the house, and had added truckloads of soil. Unfortunately it is of very poor quality –
very much clay-based and sticky in the winter.
On the summer it dries out badly, and forms great crevasse-like cracks,
and most shrubs struggle to grow in it.
However, hebes, of various stripes, have managed to cope with the soil,
and in the main they have thrived. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I planted a
scattering of cuttings from the strongly coloured ‘Wiri Prince’ a few years ago,
and they have flourished. This is one of
Jack Hobbs’ Auckland-bred hebes, but seems very hardy here and quickly forms an
upright, evergreen shrub reaching at least 1.5 metres high. The rich
violet-purple flowers are mainly carried in summer to autumn, but the shrubs
seem to have a flower or two at most times.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We also have a plant or two of the deep rose pink flowered ‘Wiri
Charm’, which is a very tidy growing form (tidier than ‘Wiri Prince which needs
to be trimmed annually) and grows to about a metre high, forming a dense
shrub. ‘Wiri Cloud’ is smaller, with crisp
green leaves and pale pink flowers. This
one makes an interesting alternative to a box hedge.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We also have a number of the grey-leaved species, as I love
the foliage contrast they offer. Perhaps
the best of these are the form of <i>Hebe
albicans</i> known as ‘Red Edge’, and the stunning (and very well-named) ‘Quicksilver.’
‘Red Edge’ is descended from a species mainly found in the mountains of Nelson province,
and is very hardy. It has a
compact growth habit with a grey leaf of its parent species, but its point of
difference is the pinky-red edge around the leaf. In summer the foliage colour
intensifies giving the shrub a pinky hue.
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
‘Quicksilver’ is a form of <i>H. pimelioides</i>, with an open arching habit. The small grey leaves, each
with a red edge, contrast well with the dark branches. The flowers are small
and light blue-mauve, carried in the early summer, and although they are
attractive, it is the foliage that is the winner with this plant.</div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02857094066036020000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30761772.post-23596046817057636452013-06-30T21:33:00.005+12:002013-06-30T21:34:29.868+12:00Mid-winter ramblings<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihDsvAC4RTBnIazwV7SwPDT0X-AH03F3bvrHmolbv9OVPEw5b_hgUWudQiFalN681Nx2ZTUkAXYyPlekHBAmfDPCj7BkCkqVZ3gXoCeESb41MqLuDL8-QmjMiNp58hDLzT6X-JTA/s1200/001+leucoxylon+Rosea.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihDsvAC4RTBnIazwV7SwPDT0X-AH03F3bvrHmolbv9OVPEw5b_hgUWudQiFalN681Nx2ZTUkAXYyPlekHBAmfDPCj7BkCkqVZ3gXoCeESb41MqLuDL8-QmjMiNp58hDLzT6X-JTA/s320/001+leucoxylon+Rosea.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
For the past couple of weeks I have been on annual leave,
having what I believe young people call a ‘staycation’, when you are on leave
but remain at home. Mid-winter is
certainly an interesting time of year to be on leave, and the days have alternated
between cloudy and cold, and frosty and fine – and cold.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
On one of the finer days I swept the dust off my old golf
clubs, packed them in the back of the car and went out east, to gently hack my
way around the Castlepoint Golf Club at Whakataki. It was an interesting round,
where I was accompanied by the sounds of yarding from a neighbouring farm, with
the usual sound effects from a mob of sheep, a pack of barking dogs, and the
whistles and shouts of the farmer.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
On the side of nature, I was also delighted to have the company
of a large troop of tui as I moved from hole to hole. Over the years the golf club must have
thought of winter feed for honey gatherers as they planted out the fairways and
byways of the course, and the tui were greedily sipping from the red flowered
gum trees that were scattered throughout the course.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The most common of the red flowering gums, and by far the prettiest,
is the Western Australian native <i>E.
ficifolia</i>, now called <i>Corymbia
ficifolia</i> by botanists, if not by gardeners. This is a small but densely-growing tree with
large racemes of tightly growing flowers, and at its best in the summer, is a
vibrantly dramatic tree, sometimes confused with pohutukawa. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It is slightly frost tender, but will grow in inland
Wairarapa as long as it is given some protection in the first few years of its
life – there is a spectacular tree in Opaki Road, nest to the Mormon church. In
warmer areas, such as on hills or nearer the coast, it makes a wonderful small
tree, and is frequently planted as a street tree in towns further north.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It is easily raised from seed, but is very hard to graft,
and therein lies a slight problem. This tree does not come true from seed, so
there is a risk in planting out a seedling – it may not give the wonderful orange/red
colour the gardener looks for. The
flowers can be paler, right through to soft pinks, and even pure white. A few years ago I ran along an avenue of
these trees on the other coast, and there was no unanimity at all – no two
trees seemed the same colour.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The winter flowering
species, which is so useful at supplying feed for honey-eating birds, glories
in the names of <i>Eucalyptus leucoxylon</i>
‘Rosea’, and is a form of a South Australian species, known as Yellow Gum in
its homeland, although it also has a number of other common names. It
grows in a more open manner than <i>E.
ficifolia,</i> displaying its light coloured bark. Although the species is variable as to flower
colour, the bright red form commonly grown for ornamental purposes is generally
fairly true to colour. Having said that,
I have to say that it is not uncommon for pink forms to appear when these trees
are grown from seed.</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
This tree is
slightly bigger than <i>E. ficifolia</i>,
especially when grown in a position sheltered from the worst of the wind – conditions
which do not apply to the Castlepoint Golf Club I have to say. That size, and the propensity of gum trees to
shed branches, probably means that this tree is not really suitable for growing
in smaller sections, but larger gardens can easily cope with one of these.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And the golf? Well, I enjoyed a walk in the country, and
sounds of a working farm coupled with then bird song in the bright clear skies
made for an enjoyable morning. The less said about the golf, the better.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02857094066036020000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30761772.post-12837076125468171352013-06-23T20:49:00.002+12:002013-06-23T20:49:50.322+12:00Schlumbergia - what?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCGFw8g2BWkh8uQHpi2vmYEcDQ7A76ukAw8Tbpw0HbfL71hiU9iMRcmw7ODdzRRyWhekAo3nej8t3h8BYU4s9BDKAKpud9rVP78j1SWppRPTzG_CLXYrmLgoBhFil70DOA4JghzQ/s1600/002+Zygocactus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="249" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCGFw8g2BWkh8uQHpi2vmYEcDQ7A76ukAw8Tbpw0HbfL71hiU9iMRcmw7ODdzRRyWhekAo3nej8t3h8BYU4s9BDKAKpud9rVP78j1SWppRPTzG_CLXYrmLgoBhFil70DOA4JghzQ/s320/002+Zygocactus.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Among our favourite plants there are many with such ugly
names that we prefer to call them by their old ones. The fabulous winter flowering iris is known
by most people as <i>Iris stylosa</i>,
surely a much classier name than the now correct, <i>Iris unguicularis</i>. Similarly,
the winter flowering cactus that I always knew as <i>Zygocactus</i> has now been renamed with the un-euphonious <i>Schlumbergia</i>. I think I’ll stick with
the old name, or perhaps use a common name.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In the Northern Hemisphere these plants are known as
Christmas Cactus, rather obviously because they flower in the middle of winter. Here in New Zealand they are sometimes called
Crab Cactus, from their unusual flower shape, or more commonly, chain cactus
(although there are other cactus known by that name) or inch cactus, from the
fact that the leaflets grow an inch at a time.
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As a matter of botanical interest, these “leaflets” are
actually the flattened branches of the plant – it does not actually make any
leaves, but carries out photosynthesis through the branches.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
These wonderful plants, given their “new” name in the 1890s
to commemorate Frederic Schlumberger, a French collector of cacti, but it never
became popular, and to be honest, most modern nurseries do not use it now
either. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Although these are true cactus plants, they are not desert
plants as you might expect - they originate from the jungles of Brazil, where
they grow as epiphytes on the trunks of large trees. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I am sure that most
people will be familiar with these cute little winter flowering plants, usually
from ones that have been handed around among the family, as they are so easy to
propagate. Once they have finished
flowering, the “leaflets” can be detached and popped into potting mix where
they will quickly grow new roots and start all over. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I have a small collection of these in the glasshouse where
they can happily sit on a bench until they start to flower. The most magnificent of these is a lovely
light pink flowered form, which I started some years ago as a cutting from a
plant that a workmate’s mother brought in to work for us to share the
flowering. I do not know that she
thought we would also pinch one or two leaves!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The other plants I have are some I bought a few years ago
from a nursery, and they were very modern ones with quite different
colours. These are very popular potted
plants in the northern hemisphere, as you can imagine for a plant that flowers
at Christmas, and breeders have got to work on them, expanding their range from
the older forms which tended to be in the cerise pink range. I have to say that these new ones, which have
orange, bright red and even yellow-ish, have not been as vigorous as the light
pink form but they are still very attractive.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As you would expect from an epiphyte (a plant that lives
attached to another) these guys need really good drainage. I think you could probably grow these in an
orchid potting mix but I have just used a standard mix with some orchid mix
added to it, about 60/40. That does not mean they like to dry out – they do
not, and it is important to keep a steady supply of water. If allowed to become too dry they will
quickly withdraw water from the leaves which will shrivel.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
If you want them to
do well it pays to give them some food every once in a while – I just sprinkle
slow release pellets on the surface and it does the job well. They prefer semi-shaded conditions, as you
would expect from a jungle plant, and the leaves can easily burn if left in
full sun. If you have a really warm
spot, you could even try growing them on the branches of a tree.</div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02857094066036020000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30761772.post-44491407720139718042013-06-09T13:51:00.001+12:002013-06-09T13:51:21.337+12:00Pitching in<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9AQRqvPBQkBDRYwxxRx7GnyiH40dDMjBgLiwgYSTF7XhLz3Lx6tRtl1f1Fb5NPlBaCnlrxBPzz-J3h-qlyouEQcUReravUb47VT99LsUGX6pczKgY7xyCRJ0aIdl75hnxH5fCAA/s1600/001+Pitto+Golden+Ball.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9AQRqvPBQkBDRYwxxRx7GnyiH40dDMjBgLiwgYSTF7XhLz3Lx6tRtl1f1Fb5NPlBaCnlrxBPzz-J3h-qlyouEQcUReravUb47VT99LsUGX6pczKgY7xyCRJ0aIdl75hnxH5fCAA/s320/001+Pitto+Golden+Ball.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Sometimes my two jobs interconnect in interesting ways, and
this week gave a great example. A local
landscaper came in to see whether I could tell him about the sort of plants
that were in use in the 1920s, as a client wants to re-establish an authentic
garden around a beautiful workingman’s cottage from that era. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Interestingly, his client wants to use camellias, natives
and evergreen Magnolias to supplement to laurel hedge which has already been
planted. Luckily, we have an old
Robinsons catalogue from the 1920s at work, and I was able to show him that the
wonderful <i>Magnolia grandiflora¸</i> with
its large bay-like leaves and bowl-shaped scented flowers was a favourite in
the 1920s, and that there were a few old Camellia varieties around too,
although there were none in the catalogue that were commonly grown now.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It was in the native tree and shrubs area that things have
changed the most, with the 1920s catalogue being very sparse on varieties that
we would think of as commonplace. There
were no Hebes or Coprosmas, and even very few Pittosporums. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This was a little surprising as Laurie Robinson became well-known
a little later on as one of the most ardent garden fans of native ornamentals, and as the introducer of quite a number of
variegated forms of some of the shrubby Pittosporum species, especially tarata
or lemonwood, <i>P. eugenioides</i> and silver
matipo <i>P. tenuifolium.</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Robinson’s nursery, no longer in family ownership, continues
to grow new forms of these popular native shrubs, and in the past year or so
has released two new dwarf forms of <i>P.
tenuifolium. </i>Over the past few years a number of different dwarf forms have
been released in New Zealand, including a lovely silvery/green leaved form from
Clareville Nursery called ‘Elfin’, which we have in the front garden. They all share a naturally compact growing
habit, with the ability to be clipped to be kept under control. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Perhaps the best known of these is ‘Golf Ball’, a fast-growing
dwarf shrub that can easily be kept to about 30 cm high with a similar
width. These are quite often used as a replacement
for box hedging, having a lighter look
while being just as easily kept under control.
A few years ago the nursery industry was promoting the use of some Hebe
varieties for formal hedges, but this makes a much better choice. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Recently two new coloured forms have become available from
Robinsons, and a few other selected nurseries – a golden form and a silver one,
called, you will not be surprised to read, ‘Golden Ball’ and ‘Silver Ball’. As
you would expect, these varieties have bright glossy foliage, and form
naturally rounded shapes, with foliage of golden and silver hues respectively. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I have been intrigued by another relatively new selection, a
semi-dwarf form called ‘Reflections’. This
selection I immediately noticed in the nursery stocks as it has a very tidy
form with clean high gloss foliage and striking colour. The small leaves are
green with a curiously wavy edge, coloured yellow on the central rib and
veins. As if that was not enough, the
stems are red and the new growth is right creamy-yellow. This makes a nice com pact growth, perhaps a little
more vigorous than the truly dwarf forms, but also much more compact that the
willowy larger forms.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Like all Pittosporums, you need to be a little bit careful
about insect infestation, especially the pesky little native psyllid which can
pucker the leaves of left unchecked. A
quick spray with an insecticide will soon sort the problem out.</div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02857094066036020000noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30761772.post-37865895302363461242013-06-02T17:57:00.000+12:002013-06-02T17:57:20.594+12:00<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgElKQ-SYZjjdKxUQgJZiytTf5VNCa2kVzUjS-td2H5YlSJM62Hf2yt_RdmBxsCtQ2Rxj3TLlPLfjZxivgW2h2PlQSjU-NlOJajlAWWWhw7bEUUTcvZYIepY-YmQstnBdByZOrcQQ/s1600/001+Oxalis+versicolor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgElKQ-SYZjjdKxUQgJZiytTf5VNCa2kVzUjS-td2H5YlSJM62Hf2yt_RdmBxsCtQ2Rxj3TLlPLfjZxivgW2h2PlQSjU-NlOJajlAWWWhw7bEUUTcvZYIepY-YmQstnBdByZOrcQQ/s320/001+Oxalis+versicolor.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I had a special treat during the past week. A regular reader of this column rang me to
say she had a special present for me from her late mother’s garden – a big pot
filled with oxalis.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I know most of you will be appalled at the idea of such a
gift, and anyone who has struggled with any of the few pestiferous members of
this widespread family of bulbs will throw their hands up in horror at the
thought of a gift of such pernicious, unwanted plants.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But those of you who are fans of small bulbs will have
shared my excitement at the offer, especially as it was a pot of the intriguing
<i>O. versicolor</i> the creatively coloured
little plant with barbers’ pole flowers.
This little charmer has a slightly different habit of growth to most
species as it forms a very low-growing sub-shrub with almost woody stems, only
growing a few centimetres tall. At this
time of the year their flowers are in evidence, and what funny little flowers
they are. The plant produces crimson
striped, funnel shaped buds like tiny striped old fashioned barbers poles. They open to reveal pretty white cup-shaped flowers
with crimson margins. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We grew this plant years ago in a warm garden in front of
one of the glasshouses in the nursery, in a bed where one of our sons grew his
miniature roses, and it flourished, which gives a good indication as to the
sort of conditions it requires – warm soil, a sunny open site, and a bit of
watering over the summer. It is reportedly
half hardy but it coped with anything our climate could throw at it. And it did not spread at all!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I have a bit of a thing about the whole group of these
lovely little bulbs and have a number of pots growing in full sun underneath my
office window, many of whom have been in flower over the past few weeks.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I think my favourite of these might be the delightful South African
species,<i> O. massoniana</i>. This is a strong growing and very free
flowering form, ideally suited for growing in containers. It has the most amazingly coloured flowers –
sometimes called ‘bright orange’, but really more of a warm, light terracotta
colour with bright golden centres.
Unusually for Oxalis, this species can be propagated from cuttings of
the tree-like shoots. I find this one is
not as strongly-growing as some of the other species I grow, but it is startlingly
beautiful when in flower in its terracotta pot.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The various forms of <i>O.
pupurpea</i> that I grow are now just slightly past their best. This is wildly variable South American
species, and is grown for its attractive winter flowering habit, and their
attractive cut foliage. There are a
number of forms available in New Zealand, and an even wider range on sale
overseas. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Among those I grow, the one I like most is a deep purple
foliaged variety which I have seen described as ‘Nigrescens’. Naming of these plants can be confusing as nurseries
have confused similar looking types, and it may be possible that it is the same
variety grown in the rest of the world as ‘Garnet’. The deeply coloured, clover-shaped
leaves are wonderfully offset the glowing pink flowers. These flowers are very difficult to photograph
effectively as they have a shiny gloss and the flowers always appear lighter in
photographs than they do in the garden.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I grow two other forms of <i>O. purpurea</i>, both having
(oddly enough) green leaves; one with glowing white flowers, the other with the
same shining pink flowers of the dark-leaved variety. There are yellow and cream forms of this
species too, but I have never seen them on offer in New Zealand.</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
This species increases very well in the pots, and, even
though there are plenty of species I would happily plant in the garden, I think I would be hesitant to plant any of
these varieties in light well-drained soil as they might get a little too
territorially ambitious and could multiply a little too quickly.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02857094066036020000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30761772.post-47780971941465817132013-05-26T13:51:00.002+12:002013-05-26T13:51:25.846+12:00Pineapple guava or bad medicine?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjTqwQNLc1RwoJwSZITZxmpw9_6JU8SG9StSXxq7XnZj72AGBwZ9w282i9AQhWYFl94ePV65oW983mBfSvOt9ZwTPLr5LqcTsPjL5lYWmwAxmhpCbOkFxvQqD82fWwH-akzWZ2ug/s1600/001+Feijoa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjTqwQNLc1RwoJwSZITZxmpw9_6JU8SG9StSXxq7XnZj72AGBwZ9w282i9AQhWYFl94ePV65oW983mBfSvOt9ZwTPLr5LqcTsPjL5lYWmwAxmhpCbOkFxvQqD82fWwH-akzWZ2ug/s320/001+Feijoa.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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In a well-known poem devoted to autumn, the English Romantic
poet John Keats, whose relatives live in Masterton, called the season a time of
“mists and mellow fruitfulness.” Writing
in the early 19th century, Keats would have had apples and pears, medlars and
other old world fruits in mind, but here in New Zealand in the early 21st
century, an entirely different set of fruits scent our misty season.</div>
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Perhaps the most uniquely New Zealand fruit is the
Feijoa. I am not claiming this as a native
plant, but New Zealand seems to be the only place in the world that the fruit
is grow on a large commercial scale, and the only place where it is a common
garden fruit.</div>
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Botanically, the feijoa is member of the vast myrtle family,
and thus is a distant cousin to our rata and pohutukawa, a kinship that can be
appreciated by looking at the flowers.
They occur in the wild in highland parts of different countries in South
America, and are now grown as a crop in New Zealand and a few other temperate countries.</div>
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They were introduced to New Zealand in the 1920s, and quickly
became very popular as a reliable evergreen shrub that could be used as a small
feature tree, but was also well-adapted for use as a shelter tree, and was
often grown as a tall hedge. Even under
these conditions, the feijoa will crop, and most of us will have eaten these
fruit as children, usually from trees that bore so many fruit that the owners
could not cope with it all.</div>
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Opinion is divided on exactly what the fruit tasteslike. Some say the flavour is reminiscent of
pineapple, guava and strawberry, while other catch hints of mint. Those who do not like the flavour usually say
it tastes like an unpalatable medicine!</div>
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When I was first involved in horticulture there was a very restricted
range of varieties available, and they were not that much better than the seed
grown plants offered for sale for hedging.
That has changed in the past few years and there is now quite a range of
different varieties available. Some are
self-fertile (‘Unique’ is the most reliably so) but most will do better if
there is another variety growing nearby.</div>
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I have grown ‘Unique’, and it is a very reliable cropper,
with medium to large fruit which it carries from an early age but there are
many others around. ‘Pounamu’ is a newer
smooth skinned type, with fruit that ripens early in the season – they should be
edible by the end of March – while ‘Opal Star’ is a later fruiting form with
strong flavours. ‘Gemini’ and ‘Apollo’
are also reliable forms, although both need another variety nearby for
pollination.</div>
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Feijoas are very easily grown, but they do best in well-drained
moist soils, rich in humus. They will
cope quite well with periods of drought but need abundant watering during fruit
maturation if full sized fruit are to be enjoyed. They need little trimming or pruning, but can
easily be shaped and trimmed if that is needed.
Give them as much sun as you can, but they will also cope with partial
shade.</div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02857094066036020000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30761772.post-19967814918804800992013-05-19T15:49:00.001+12:002013-05-19T15:49:07.265+12:00Made in Japan<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG235wsmv8XGFzp_1wcpMVOFrKvDnx1ludAMWfo_19RX-XZ5LTqQrjZY40NdvMgLTmoqTVuqWBEt9goNpwOiwA_wga-4QTfHMvPzlWV2QBj9OxmY-hw_Axllugs7-qs66que-VAw/s1600/001+Red+maple+leaves+in+autumn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG235wsmv8XGFzp_1wcpMVOFrKvDnx1ludAMWfo_19RX-XZ5LTqQrjZY40NdvMgLTmoqTVuqWBEt9goNpwOiwA_wga-4QTfHMvPzlWV2QBj9OxmY-hw_Axllugs7-qs66que-VAw/s320/001+Red+maple+leaves+in+autumn.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">This year’s long and very warm summer has been followed by an equally protracted autumn. It is nearly the end of May and we have not had a significant frost, and there has been comparatively little wind. The result of that has been a wonderfully drawn-out autumn display by the many deciduous trees that abound in Wairarapa. At the weekend we went over to Wellington and the poplars in the Abbotts Creek valley were in full golden glow, while on the other side of the hill the avenue of American oaks opposite the Birchville entrance was glowing rusty red.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">We have a fiery purple Japanese maple putting on a show halfway down our drive – or, more correctly, our neighbour does, but the tree comes over the fence and gives at least as good an autumn display for us as it does for them. I know there are two much-divided schools of thought on autumn leaves. One hates the very thought of them, and tries to catch them before they land, and sweeps them away to oblivion instantly. On the other hand, there are those who relish the changing seasons they herald, and delight in crunching through piles of discarded leaves. I am very much in the latter camp, and am never worried too much about fallen leaves. It might be different if I had huge London Plane growing outside my front door, but Japanese maple leaves are airy and ephemeral and any inconvenience of their falling in autumn is more than compensated for by their on-going beauty through the year.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I think Japanese maples are the perfect small deciduous tree for the home garden, with their elegant shape, and their year-round attractions. In the winter most varieties have an attractive ball-headed shape of interlacing branches. In some cases they also have very attractive bark, especially the coral bark maple, <i>Acer palmatum</i> ‘Senkaki’, which has coral pink young stems which carry bright lime green foliage in the spring. Come winter the exposed red stems are an attractive feature, although it has to be said that the bark darkens as it ages, and it is only the outer part of the tree that carries this coloration.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Many of the purple foliages varieties also have deep red/purple stems as well, offering another level of enjoyment. There are very many red varieties around but perhaps the best is ‘Bloodgood’, which holds its bright colouring well into the summer, before darkening and then turning bright crimson for the autumn. This is quite an upright growing form that spreads nicely as it matures. Like most purple varieties, it has tiny little purple flowers very early in the season – hardly noticeable unless you go looking for them but very pretty – as well as purple helicopter seeds in the autumn.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">If you want a smaller version of this there is a new variety called (rather unattractively) ‘Skeeter’s Broom’. This arose as a witch’s broom on ‘Bloodgood,’ a tightly growing mass of smaller branches often seen on silver birches but rarer on maples. It means that this variety has much twiggier and denser growth than its parent, while retaining the same colouring. It also means its ultimate height is more restrained, growing perhaps two metres tall and about half that around.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Another cultivar that supposedly originated as a sport of ‘Bloodgood’ is the shrubby ‘Shaina’, which forms an outstanding small globe-shaped tree with very dense purple foliage. As well as being great in the garden this one also makes a tremendous patio plant, and for those who are so inclined, a great bonsai as well.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 16px;">If you want to go even smaller you are in the realm of the dwarf, weeping maples – among the most desirable of all dwarf trees. I think ‘Crimson Queen’ is as good as any, with its finely dissected foliage slowly turning from bright crimson in spring, through to deep, dark purple for summer, then switching to scarlet for the autumn</span><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16px;">.</span><span style="line-height: 16px;"> Like most of the dwarf varieties, it has naturally arching growth that will fall to the ground if left, and looks spectacula</span><span style="line-height: 16px;">r</span><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16px;"> </span>at any time of the year, including winter when the clear, clean outline looks very attractive</span>.<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-NZ; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> </span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02857094066036020000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30761772.post-60809593806640474942013-05-12T18:13:00.000+12:002013-05-12T18:18:11.943+12:00Thinking of Daphne<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin6g3M1p8ebPmziLU3U3vLqJ4D_dMlBe8w8kvawVmZ6b5GMRpAiTB3nnNiJj76447TwfdxR3clvI86Y56qfDm73j6boNtRVP2VaUlkIJDsEtgPoOkIwoK_cPE6JC4MBQU9bRfeVA/s1600/001+Daphne+odora.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin6g3M1p8ebPmziLU3U3vLqJ4D_dMlBe8w8kvawVmZ6b5GMRpAiTB3nnNiJj76447TwfdxR3clvI86Y56qfDm73j6boNtRVP2VaUlkIJDsEtgPoOkIwoK_cPE6JC4MBQU9bRfeVA/s320/001+Daphne+odora.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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At work I have been helping a lovely lady called Daphne with
some research, and I guess my subconscious has been hard at work as my mind has
been filled with thoughts of those sweetly fragrant favourite plants all week.</div>
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I suppose it could also be something to do with my first real
acquaintance with the newly-arrived (in New Zealand at least) hybrid that
glories in the name of <i>D. x transatlantica</i>,
although in our country it is usually met with in the form of ‘Eternal
Fragrance.’ </div>
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This plant is a hybrid, the result of a naturally occurring
cross between two species seldom seen in New Zealand, <i>D.
collina</i> and <i>D. caucasica</i>, combining
the small stature and strong fragrance of the former with the fragrance and
long blooming period of the latter. It is sometimes possible to find <i>D. collina</i> in New Zealand – usually further
south than here – and there is a lovely pink-flowered hybrid called, somewhat
bizarrely <i>D. hybrida</i>, that can be
found in some garden centres.</div>
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Daphne ‘Eternal Fragrance’ is a compact, semi-evergreen,
mounded shrub that blooms with gusto in early spring, then continues from October
to the first frosts of winter with small clusters of fragrant, pink-budded white
flowers. This plant has become very
popular overseas and looks likely to be as popular here, being longer-lived
than the more commonly grown forms of Daphne.
It is also a very tidy growing form, and will grow well in pots – in fact,
I have even seen overseas magazines that have shown it used as a hedge, but
that may be taking it too far!</div>
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Overseas there is a variegated form called ‘Summer Ice’,
with a lovely white rim around the edge of each of the fine leaves, but I have
not seen it offered for sale in New Zealand yet.</div>
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I am looking forward to planting ‘Eternal Fragrance’ soon,
as over the years I have grown more kinds of Daphne that I care to remember -
at least ten forms I would think.</div>
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The most popular of these are the various forms of <i>Daphne odora</i>, the daphne that most
people know as the common variety.
Nowadays this is usually encountered in the form of the strongly upright
growing form known as ‘Leucanthe’, and its white counterpart, ‘Leucanthe Alba.’ These are both lovely shrubs that carry superbly
fragrant flowers in great abundance in later winter and early spring. The scent is very heady and spicy – some have
described it as being reminiscent of jasmine, another heady-scented shrub. However, like many Daphnes they can be
slightly temperamental, and it does not pay to get too attached to any one of
them, as they are prone to slowly slipping away.</div>
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They are a bit fussy as to soil – they need slightly acidic conditions,
with humus-rich soil that does not dry out in summer, or become waterlogged in
winter. They can cope with full sun, but
I think most do best if they are grown where they will get some shelter from
the worst of the afternoon heat. They do
not like being replanted, and are best replaced with container-grown stock. They are not too fussed about heavy pruning
wither – it is best to nibble away at them throughout their life. I find one good way is to remove the
flowering buds, either when they are in flower (they are great in the vase) or
shortly after they finish. It helps keep
the plants compact too, as they can get a bit straggly.</div>
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There are a couple of other forms of <i>D. odora</i> that are with looking out for. The old form, ‘Rubra’ has the deepest
coloured flowers, although I have to admit it is a slightly untidy grower, the
branches dipping off at their own behest.
This is the form our grandparents grew.</div>
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As a general rule variegated plants are not as hardy as those
that are fully green – it is obvious when you think about it as they have less
chlorophyll and as such are not so efficient at growing as their more complete
cousins. But this does not seem to be
the case with daphnes, as the classy ‘Aureomarginata’ seems to be tougher than
its green counterpart. I love this
lovely plant with its lively yellow rim around the edge of each dark green
leaf, and it does seem to survive longer in the garden than the plain-leaved
types, which can be a little transient.</div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02857094066036020000noreply@blogger.com1