It’s been a darn good summer and tested us as gardeners. Extremely sunny across New Zealand. The combination of northwest winds and the ‘blocking high’ resulted in record January sunshine across the eastern South Island. Temperatures were above average. Of the six main centres in January 2013, Auckland was the warmest, Dunedin the coolest, Wellington …
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One of the most interesting and popular plants for winter colour is the Helleborus or Lenten Rose. The most commonly grown variety is Helleborus orientalis. A native of Greece, Turkey and Soviet Georgia, it’s natural habitat is in scrub and at the edges of woods and forests, and a number of variations are often found in …
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There is no real archaeological evidence of onions so the domestication of them as a garden vegetable is really guesswork. Some people believe they were first domesticated in Iran and Palestine but others suggest central Asia. They are known to have been grown in Egypt 3500 years ago as they were left in tombs dating …
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Each spring the first Magnolia to flower is Magnolia campbelli. It is a stately tree suitable for slightly larger gardens and well worth growing. This deciduous Himalayan species eventually grows 24 m tall with a 12 m wide crown in the right conditions and there are few this size in NZ, usually they are a …
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One of the most interesting and popular plants for Winter colour is Heleborus orientalis or Lenton Rose. In recent years both in New Zealand and overseas plant breeding programmes have created new and named cultures of beautiful plants. Flowering in later in winter they send upright stems up through the old leaves. The slightly nodding …
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Spring would not be spring without Forsythia. Forsythias grow well in almost any garden soil and are very hardy. They do need a lot of sun to ensure they flower well in spring. Each spring the Forsythia is one of the first and most colour flowering shrubs to welcome the new growing season. Its bright …
Read more »Hamamelis mollis – Witch Hazel Great for very cold places this large open branched shrub produces interesting flowers with strap shaped bright yellow petals all along the branchlets. There are a few cultivars namely H.mollis ‘Brevipetala’ and ‘Ruby Glow’. Chimonanthus praecox – Winter sweet Excellent upright shrub for the back of the border in summer …
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