Greetings from New Zealand

Dear Friends,

Greetings from New Zealand.

After an autumn filled with colourful, quiet, relaxing days, it is now time to enjoy the months of “leaves off” for the deciduous plants and a retreat for many plants as we settle into winter.

Winter plants which are giving much pleasure for their fragrance are Daphne bholua ‘White Ice’, Lonicera fragrantissima and the ‘Erlicheer’ daffodils.

Dark red hellebores are in flower, Sarcococca ruscifolia is covered in red berries, having finished flowering with its dainty white fragrant flowers. Another option is Sarcococca confusa, which has dainty cream fragrant flowers, followed by black berries. The sarcococcas do very well in dry spaces where nothing much will grow once established, and it’s quite a good idea to plant them near a path so that you can enjoy the fragrance. The camellias are flowering exceptionally well, having been given a sprinkling of gypsum earlier this year.

With just this small list there is plenty to pick from the garden for indoor arrangements; not to mention many other things that we would find on our walk. I mention these plants so that you can look up further information and photos and decide if you would like any of them in your garden, if you don’t have them.

The dahlia foliage blackened earlier this week with the frost, so the dahlias will now be cut back nearly to ground level and given a sprinkling of Blood and Bone.

A plant that I find rather annoying is the trillium. I love its flower and foliage, and many have clumped up over the years. However, trilliums nudge their noses through the ground in February, and for seven to eight months we have to be so careful not to crunch on them with a shoe or boot – a rather difficult thing to manage in a woodland area; particularly when autumn leaves fall, I think.

Days are short for gardeners and birds. I am making bird porridge now with dripping, bird seed, sugar and rolled oats. The many birds in our garden devour it quickly and I do think that I am cooking more food for them than for the two of us.

I am including a selection of photos selected from a series taken in the garden in autumn by Jenny Cooper of Blue House Amberley: www.bluehouseamberley.nz Jenny took so many great photos that I would like to continue sharing them with you.

Photo 1: The old olive oil pot sits against an olive tree trunk.

Photo 2: Autumn light.

Photo 3: The Myrtus luma, or Chilean myrtle tree has been superbly pruned to show off its handsome cinnamon coloured bark.

Photo 4: An early autumn conversation.

Photo 5: This pot has aged in colour well. Behind it is the bluey-green foliage of Lonicera korolkowii, a rarely seen shrub.

Photo 6: Many a conversation has been had here.

Very best wishes to you all,

Margaret

Margaret Long

Frensham
139 Old Tai Tapu Road
Christchurch 8025

www.frensham.co.nz