I could spend all day in the garden , it is such a lovely time of the year, rhododendrons very good this year with many flowers, perhaps they are staring to mature as most have been in place for three to four years.
This little arum Has flowered for me once more this spring, but do not know its name except that it is an Arum. Can anyone help me?
Very exciting this morning when the courier delivered a parcel of 18 daylilies for me to find homes for.
Was surfing the net one night when unable to sleep and found a mail order nursery who grow daylilies and clivias further north from here, and on impulse ordered some. Have grown one or two before, but have got interested after seeing a lot on garden blogs I visit regularly.
Planted out a big pot yesterday morning after seeing a photo in a garden magazine, sunflowers and purple basil, hope it looks as good as the photo!
Today we went to Timaru to do some shopping, and we collected the tree I had recently ordered, Magnolia Red Ace, looking forward to seeing it flower, has four big, fat buds ready to unfurl. Now all I have to do is find a home for it!
The trilliums appear to be very happy in the woodland garden I am trying to develop.
Friday we had 28C and Saturday snow right down on the hills around us and today again the most beautiful mild day with blue sky all day. There was a slight frost this morning so got up early and put sheets of newspaper over the apricot which is just setting its fruit for the first year. Did the same with the tomatoes, even though they are in the glasshouse, but it is unheated.
Spent all day out there pottering, and doing a lot of little jobs that needed doing.
Cleaned out the fish pond, and found 2 goldfish that had not shown themselves all winter, do they hibernate does anyone know? this is our first experience with goldfish.
Completed planting around the pool with astibles, hostas,small kniphofia, Little Maid,and broke up my pink Dierama, and put some to hang over the water. Hopefully I should get a pleasing result.
Pricked out some lettuce seedlings I had grown, both heirloom types that did well for us last year, Drunken Woman and Four Seasons.
The image I am putting here is a little wood anemone and a small primula, I thought they looked very good together.
I think this is my favourite flowering cherry, this is its 4th year, and is so beautiful, and the bees think so too
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Had a lovely day in the garden today, finding it a lot easier to deal with now we have put the pea straw down....don't particularly like the look of it, but enables me to spray the weeds as they appear and then I just have to weed close to the plants by hand. Much better on the old back.
I think I said in a previous post in the autumn that I planted my tulips and my hyacinths in pots and then placed them around the garden as they came into flower in the spring. Well that is working well as I'm sure you will notice in the photos. The hyacinths are just wonderful, the perfume just awesome as you pass them.
The first flowering cherry, Awanui, is just coming out, and the honey bees did not take long to find it. Hope they find the Yellow plum and the greegage as well, as we are hoping for a good crop this year. The fruiting cherries have nice fat buds on them, and the apricot has just finished flowering so watching out for a frost and will have to rush out and cover it.
I had a friend give to me, 4 supermarket shopping bags full of assorted daffodil bulbs that she took out in the autumn. They are all sprouting, and should nhave been in the ground a long time ago, but am sure some of them will survive late planting and will flower next year.
Spent some time going around the garden with the camera yesterday after coming home from town with 3 new shrubs to plant....Camellia japonica called waterlily, Viburnum maresii, and Osmanthus delavayii. Of course now looking for places to put them!!
Aren't daffodils just the most wonderful bulbs at this time of the year? So cheerful and bright. However many I have, I always want more.
Thought you might like to see this cauliflower which grows during the winter, and so colourful on the plate. Taste and texture more like brocolli. Grew these from seed and will be doing it again.
Two more days of rain, looking so miserable outside, the daffodils which have been brave enough to show their happy faces have been rained on so hard that they are looking into the dirt.
I see that the Moorpark apricot is showing bright pink in the buds, 1st season and hope to get some fruit this year, will have to watch for a late frost though, as we will surely get one or two more.
I see the Leucodendron argenteum has not been touched by the frost this year, this will be its fourth year with us, so looks like it has settled in and is mature enough to handle the frost, hope so, as is a beautiful sight when mature.
Found this little coryadalis braing the weather.
At long last spring is coming, these are the first of the crocuses, and it is quite mild this morning so they are showing themselves off.
Have not been blogging for sometime, as have been unwell, but now spring is with us again, feeling a lot better, and hope to be blogging regularly again. Also computer had a bad virus which is most frustrating.
Some time ago my ever-patient hubby told me, "no more" when I suggested we dig up some more lawn for another garden bed.
I decided though to strike while the iron was hot when I had a birthday recently, and told him the only thing I wanted was another little bit of garden.
I really needed it to plant a couple or so more azaleas and also some roses that I have ordered, they will be coming in the next few weeks, and really have no idea where they are going....but I do now.
This is the work in progress, the azaleas in the background are the lovely double white, Pavlova, underplanted with pale pink hyacinths, and anemones.
Hopefully this should be a colourful corner once spring comes around.
Isn't this just the most wonderful colour? Most shrubs have lost all their leaves but this one is clinging on.
Another corydalis, just love them, but this one does not flower for very long, and then just disappears until the next spring!
Yesterday, while visiting my hairdresser, she presented me with this wonderful Colchicum bulb, "waterlily"
I have always wanted one, but never managed to see them for sale, so will have to look after this precious one.
Still lovely late autumn days, clear blue skies and no wind, but quite hard frosts. I noticed today that Camellia "Debutante" had some new growth frosted, result of confusing weather and shrubs putting on new growth too late, even have 2 Rhododendrons flowering.
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This tiny Narcissus bulbicodium cantabrensis is always the first to flower, before any other bulbs are up. It looks very delicate, but survives the frost, and when it disappears I forget all about it, but up it pops again.
This other photo is one of the last of the roses, and one of my favourites, has been flowering since about October. She is called Betty Boop.
At long last all of the garden has its pea straw blanket on for the winter.
I have never used it before, but needs must where needs want, and as I have a quite severe back problem am hoping that this will make things easier for us. I have never liked the look, but have to admit now it is finished everything looks all tidy, until it blows a gale of course, or the birds think it is a good place to scratch. At the moment, Mungo, our ginger tom thinks anywhere on the straw in the sun is especially for him. However the forecast is for snow showers, so no doubt he will find it preferable in front of the log fire.
I have been breaking up my epimediums, never done it before but am looking forward to having quite a few clumps around. Only have the pink, but my friend only has the yellow, so a swap should be in order.
Went to the local Horticultural Club meeting, where one of our members spoke to us about his chrysanthemums which he has been growing for 30 years, Very interesting the the National Show is this weekend in Timaru, so think I may go along. Always nice to learn about something different.
Went to the local Travel Club monthly meeting this morning and heard a local person speak on her time living and working in Libya, very interesting and somewhere not many people get to go to.
Last night we had 8mm of rain, not nearly enough, but surely a start, has been a long, dry, summer. We now need substantial rain for the farmers as their stock are very short on feed, with the winter coming along.
Have finished spreading pea straw mulch on the garden, have never used it before, but as I have a back problem and my mobility is limited I think it will help me keep the weeds under control. It certainly looks very tidy now, until the blackbirds and thrushes get into it of course! We have bought a grass rake in anticipation.
The tomatoes are almost finished in the glasshouse, and the outside ones of course, so have planted some heirloom lettuce seed to grow in there during the winter.
I have posted this photo, have had the plant for several years, having bought it at a market day, never knew what it was called, but just lately have seen it in several magazines and books, Rudbeckia Herbstonne. A lovely yellow, grows very tall thought, and the wind does knock it around, have it now in several places, and just love the colour.
Early this morning, looking east out our front door this was what greeted me.
Isn't it a marvellous sunrise?
Still cutting back perennials for the winter, and spreading pea straw, what I have done looks lovely and tidy, until the blackbirds get into it!
I did all the preparation for this quilt prior to having major surgery on my back, and completed it during my recuperation. The applique is all done by hand but I did get a professional to stipple quilt it by machine, as I have never mastered that. I do enjoy hand quilting though, but after doing all the hand work on this one, I wanted it finished quickly.
I am very fond of it, as it always reminds me of my love of the garden.
Do any of you find that people who are fond of gardening, also like doing handcrafts?
Today it is 30 degrees again, I don't think the weather is ever going to cool down.
We are desperate for rain, but we are lucky in that we have a good water supply here in Waimate and do not have water restrictions, so can have our sprinkler system going all the time.
Have not been doing much in the garden as it is too hot in the afternoon, just get a little bit done in the mornings, usually cutting back at this time of the year.
Had our pea straw delivered on Tuesday so that is waiting for me, although I want to put it through the chipper before I spread it on the garden as it breaks down quicker. That is a dirty, dusty job too, and will have to buy myself some masks before I start.
One of the advantages of living in a small town is that neighbours who have excess fruit and vegies hand it on, and in the last week, have had apples, plums and pears given to us, and we are still picking our own beans and tomatoes.
Have started making our own bread in the last few months, by breadmaker, and finally settled on a reliable recipe that we both like. Good not to have to go to the bread section at the supermarket, and have not been to the vegetable and fruit section for months either.
The days will be getting shorter soon, and daylight saving ends the first weekend of the next month. The mornings are very dewey so have to wait until after morning coffee to do anything in the garden.
I have at last found a source of pea straw to mulch the garden for the winter, not easy to find this year, as the farmers have realised people in the cities will pay bigger money for it, so naturally they sell it there. However by keeping on enquiring around we are having 10 bales delivered next week. In the meantime spreading the chippings from the tree we took down around.
The photo of the little boy is my grandson from Thailand who comes over for his school holidays, busy helping us in the garden, in this case preparing to plant sweet pea seeds,
Early morning heavy dews, and just a different feel about the air makes me feel as autumn is on its way.
So all of you with the snow, you have the summer to look forward to, and we have winter coming up, but not nearly so severe.
Spent some time shifting a couple of quite large rhodies, Lemon Lodge, and Horizon Monarch, which were getting too big for their positions.
Why is it we never give then enough room when we first plant them, I don't anyway, don't envisage the final picture, hence always shifting things.
Then planted out some seedling hellebores, which I hope are going to be doubles, grew them from seed which a friend and I bought from a well-known supplier in Tasmania. Had a really good strike with them, so looking forward to seeing them flower.
Ate the last of our few greengages, hopeful of a big crop next season, being the third year. They tasted just great, they seem to have become quite unpopular as a fruit, yet we think they are one of the nicest. It is a bit like gooseberries and blackcurrants, they were something everyone grew in their backyard, but seem almost to have disappeared.
Yesterday I borrowed from our local library, a book entitled "Blogging for Dummies" perhaps this will help me, and maybe I should have had it before I started on theis journey?
The farmers have been calling out for rain, and at last during the weekend it arrived, not as much here as further south, but very thankful for what we got.
We are very lucky in our garden as when we first started developing it, G installed and sprinkler system all around the section. Has a lot of turn on/off valves so you can do selected areas at a time, but the disadvantages are that you need a license to run it! However I am getting used to it and learning which ones go where.
Because of the rain and the cold wind that has followed, not much has been done in the last few days.
My worm farms need attention as they are getting too full, so hope to get that done today.
I have inserted a photo of Rose Madame Isaac Perri ere, not much during the first flowering, but beautiful during the second one, as long as it doesn't get the dreaded black spot. The most wonderful perfume though!
Just recently we noticed that there were large dead pieces appearing in the weeping silver pear, and on closer examination found that there were several breaks in it, mainly at forks, so the chainsaw had to come out again, and more firewood has been gathered for the winter.
We had very strong wind one night recently, but what I think did the damage was the fact that we had a very vigorous rambling rose growing through it, and last year did not cut it back, so the top of the tree was carrying too much weight.
I did not want to lose the rose as it was one that has great sentimental value, being found in an old garden which had belonged to my great-grandparents, which my brother and I had visited a few years ago, and I took some cuttings, of which one grew. I later found that it was called Silver Moon, which a very knowledgable person told me would cover a barn in a season!
So it has been cut to the ground, and will let it grow and flower every year, and then cut it right back.
Purchased my first bulbs for the season yesterday, via the net, and they arrived at the front day this morning before 8.00am! Great service. Too early to plant them yet, so will put them all in bags and they can wait in the fridge until I decide where to put them!
Bought 100 more daffodils as I just love them after a long winter, so cheerful.
Just noticed that the photo of the silver pear does not look all that big, but that was taken 2 years ago, so things had changed a bit!
Two days ago the last branches came down, and now we are left with just the stump, about 1.5 metres tall, and we will leave it like that and plant a clematis and a rose on it.
I have a rosa Fruhlingsgold, which is must unhappy. It was intended that it grow through a Ceanothus, but that didn't happen, so think it will be happier climbing around our tree stump, am sure it will look great with a purple clematis, perhaps "Blue Belle"?
About three years ago we took down a very large golden conifer, were unable to manage the stump so planted Clematis "Huldine" next to it, and it covered it in no time at all, and is a picture nearly all summer. Also planted beside it a rambling rose,"Leontine Gervais" but although it does plenty of rambling, it is not very generous with its flowers.
Picked the first of the "Peasgoodnonsuch" apples this morning, only a few on the tree, but it is very early days yet, hoping for a bigger crop next year. They are so lovely when cooked, go right down to mush, and such a great flavour.
Yesterday G picked a 10 litre bucket of beans, so sliced them all for the freezer, we are like squirrels storing everything away for the winter!
Am hoping to post a picture here today of "Sophys Rose", always great value right throu the season, also "Sally Holmes", what other rose has such large heads of flowers?
Just about three more large branches to come down, but these are the difficult ones, as have about 5 rhododendrons underneath, and they are ones we planted about four years ago, and just getting to a decent size, so keeping our fingers crossed that everything will fall in a suitable place. The ones in danger are Lemon Lodge, Belle Heller, Phyllis Kornn, Percy Wiseman and Macebeanum.
Once the tree is down will shift some others into this area, as a lot of them are not in the right place.
Spent yesterday in the garden, just a lovely day, enough breeze to drop the temperature a little. I tidied up the rock garden, and cut a lot of things in the perennial borders back, getting past their best now, and don't want them to seed all over the place, which they are inclined to do.
Was keen to spend another day there today, but grocery shopping got in the way, its annoying that, isn't it, just when you are in the mood something else has to be done, and when we have to travel 45 kms to do our shopping it cuts into your day.
However I did manage to buy three nice hydrangea plants while in Timaru, so that made up for it.
Picked a nice lot of beans when we got home, and cut them up for the freezer, as well as dinner tonight.
Was in the local Gardens on Sunday, quite small, but well done for a small country town, and went into the winter garden, where there were some hanging baskets of tuberous begonias, what a lovely sight! Used to grow them years ago when I had a suitable place, but thoughtI might try again next summer, have a verandah along the front of the house that just gets the morning sun.
I have baskets there this year with fuchsias, lobelia, schizanthus, and mimulus, they have been very colourful, but need watering every second day.
Silly me. posted the wrong image, the previous one was an Asiatic lily flowering a month ago.
This one is an Oriental, always seem to have a few problems with these, do not multiply with me like the Asiatics, and seem to disappear over time.
Hope to but some more this season and see if I have more luck, as they are so beautiful.
