Ed’s Letter: Naomi Larkin delights in spring.
After I left home for university my dad sent me a blossoming hyacinth in a pot every spring. He did the same with my two sisters. These starry flowers were grown from bulbs he stashed away from the sunlight until it was time to plant. Carefully nurtured and grown in clay pots, which were either made by my mother or were op shop finds, his fragrant gifts were a wonderful herald of spring. They were also a symbol of great kindness because their very existence meant he had to be thinking about the three of us from May, when they were potted, and throughout the cold winter months until they bloomed in late August. The hyacinth remains my favourite flower and although tricks and tips abound on how to fool these bulbs into flowering early, for me, that delightful distinctive sweet smell is inextricably linked to the prettiest of seasons.
Spring is traditionally seen as the time to usher in new beginnings, to seek out the fresh and the latest, to reboot and shake off the winter blues. In line with the trend to eat seasonally, our Food section offers feel-good dishes featuring the leafy and tender vegetables of the new season (page 130) along with smoothie recipes that are sunshine in a glass (page 138). Imbibe is all about why we should be sipping rosé right now (page 146). Our houses – from the light-filled renovated Auckland villa (page 30), which boasts the stylish kitchen on our cover, to the compact Hawke’s Bay family home (page 70) – all demonstrate how considered design can be life-enhancing.
Although my dad was clearly the gardener, I love gardens and the two we feature this month are particular favourites. Jan Mathers’ love affair with hydrangeas has produced a paddock-sized ode to this fascinating flower that changes colour through the year (page 120), and the Russell’s beautiful art-filled wonderland is an inspirational show-stopper (page 108). For the intrepid gardener, we’ve selected five of the best private gardens from around the country worth visiting (page 164). The Special Feature on outdoor rooms (page 149) is a handbook on how to transform your own outside area – be it an urban garden, patio, deck or balcony – into an inviting space.
This month’s Style Edit (page 44) is a masterpiece of colour and pattern that marries fashion, furniture, art and objet in an exceptional feature. These standout images are all the inspiration you’ll need to greet the new season with enthusiasm and vigour.