Time lawns bowled
Leigh Bramwell, seeking a life free from mowing, turns to plants she once considered weeds
THERE’S NOTHING LIKE A lockdown to send you off on a tangent. Combine that with the typical Far North spring weather of sun/rain/warm/cold/wind in 10-minute cycles, and all sorts of strange things happen in the gardening brain.
Having spent a couple of weeks staring through the drizzle at the garden area furthest from the house where, thanks to the weather, the lawn had not been mown for ages, I began to think of how permanently to solve the problem. And when The Landscaper returned from his gumbooted morning walk and reported that, despite a rain-free half day the lawns were still very, very soggy, it was clearly time to trash the grass and grow something that didn’t need mowing.
Coincidentally, a copy of the English magazine Gardens Illustrated turned up that morning on the coffee table, presumably having swum its way to the top of the pile to provide some inspiration. The front cover was fresh and pretty and summery, and inside were a number of gorgeous, wildflower-style gardens featuring swathes of what I would once have thought of as weeds. I was smitten. I began to wonder if my gardening style was about to do a U-turn.
The plants that so took my fancy were called umbellifers, and they’re top of the style pile in the UK. The name alludes to the formation of their flowers in umbels — umbrella-like form.
I read quite a lot of frighteningly technical information about them in the English mag before, thankfully, I realised that these are the most common of plants.
They are mostly herbs — annuals, biennials or perennial — usually with long stems, feathery foliage and the flower heads held above in a collection of lacy umbels. Many set seed very freely and provide food for seed-eating birds in autumn and winter.
Parsley is an umbellifer, along with coriander, fennel, hemlock, celery and angelica, amongst many others. The common ornamental ones include Orlaya grandiflora, also known as White Lace Flower. It’s perfect for attracting bees and butterflies and it’s a great cutting flower, lasting up to 10 days in a vase. Ammi majus (Daucus carota), also known as False Queen Anne’s Lace, is another old time cottage garden favourite.
And the carrot family is a big player in the umbellifer style stakes. They are mostly aromatic, and have many tiny flowers joined by short stalks.
The carrot family is well represented in the New Zealand flora. Anisotome latifolia has clusters of pink pompoms emerging from rosettes of stiff, divided leaves; Gingidia montana, sometimes called New Zealand aniseed, has glossy, divided leaves and white, lacy flowers; Aciphylla dieffenbachii is a speargrass from the Chatham Islands, Scandia rosifolia is a sprawling subshrub, also known as native angelica, with shining, rose-like leaves.
And don’t forget the carrot’s favourite companion, the parsnip. Several years ago designer Cleve West won the Best in Show award at the Chelsea Flower Show with a garden featuring a little-known plant called Pastinaca sativa — a parsnip. The strong architecture of its stems combined with the open airiness of the flowers was literally a winning combination. This alliance of a bold structure with soft, frothy flower is a clue to designing with umbellifers.
There’s an umbellifer for every situation from damp meadow to woodland shade to full sun. They play nicely with other plants in relaxed, informal planting schemes where the hard landscaping is provided by paths, paved areas, rocks and glades lined with frothy flowers. If, like me, you are still wedded to structure in the garden, define an area of lawn to establish, say, a yoga or meditation garden, and thickly plant the periphery with umbellifers. Use these frothy darlings as your border filler, and support them with statement plants with strong architectural stems, as well as some verticals and spires for focal points.
I like the idea of a mix ‘n’ match with some of the lower growing, arching lomandra grasses, dietes, upright rosemary and traditional wildflowers. Don’t forget to add a garden bench where you can sit and listen to the bees the next time a lockdown comes along.
Arbonne presents Dermresults – its newest dermatologically tested skincare collection formulated and designed to reduce the signs of ageing using plant-based and vegan ingredients including bakuchiol, the vegan retinol alternative.
Arbonne’s Dermresults products — Illuminating Skin Therapy Concentrate With 15% Vitamin C - 2% Bakuchiol - 1% Ferulic Acid and Daily Radiance Peel Pads With 2% Caviar Lime — work to deliver more youthful looking skin with a luminating glow.
ARBONNE DERMRESULTS ILLUMINATING SKIN THERAPY CONCENTRATE WITH 15% VITAMIN C 2% BAKUCHIOL - 1% FERULIC ACID
Achieve radiant results with every drop of new Arbonne Dermresults Illuminating Skin Therapy Concentrate With 15% Vitamin C - 2% Bakuchiol - 1% Ferulic Acid. Just a touch of this skin-brightening booster each morning is all it takes to help combat visible signs of ageing and reveal radiant, healthier, and more youthful-looking skin.
The powerhouse ingredient duo of stabilised vitamin C and vitamin E will send your skin on the path of enlightenment. Stabilised vitamin C works to reduce skin damage from weather conditions, pollution and the ozone, while vitamin E improves the look of skin firmness by supporting collagen through moisturisation, to promote a brighter, smoother, more luminouslooking complexion.
Bakuchiol, a plant-based retinol alternative that is kinder on the skin, helps reduce the look of facial wrinkles, and ferulic acid ethyl ester with antioxidant properties helps support the overall appearance of skin.
This harmony of ingredients works together to target the visible signs of ageing such as wrinkles and age spots without being too harsh on the skin.
Better yet, as a Certified B Corporation, Arbonne is always looking for opportunities to reduce waste and plastic packaging. That’s why you’ll only find the Illuminating Skin Therapy Concentrate With 15% Vitamin C - 2% Bakuchiol - 1% Ferulic Acid in a luxurious glass bottle, because glass is greener on the other side.
How to use:
• Apply once every morning after cleansing
• Use two to three drops on face, neck, and chest.
ARBONNE DERMRESULTS DAILY RADIANCE PEEL PADS WITH 2% CAVIAR LIME
Reveal more radiant, even-toned skin with new Dermresults Daily Radiance Peel Pads with two per cent caviar lime.
Dermatologically tested and designed to be used daily on your face, neck and top of the hands, the pads will exfoliate, to leave your skin looking brighter and more radiant after every use.
The key ingredients found in the Daily Radiance Peel Pads With 2% Caviar Lime work in synchronicity to make your skin glow. Caviar lime extract, a key ingredient sourced from a unique fruit native to the Australian coast and naturally filled with citrus pearls, supports cell renewal through exfoliation to reveal even-textured, radiant looking skin.
The fusion of phytic acid and sea water helps gently slough away dead skin cells and hydrates to minimise pores. Hyaluronic acid and radish root ferment filtrate both support the skin’s protective moisture barrier to keep your skin looking fresh and dewy, while reducing the appearance of wrinkles.
When married together, these ingredients support eventextured, hydrated, radiant looking skin.
How to use:
• After cleansing, wipe pad over face, neck, décolleté and top of hands in circular motions
• Use daily morning or night
TIP: This product may make your skin more sensitive to the sun. Ensure you have adequate sunscreen protection while using and for a week after use.
THE ARBONNE PHILOSOPHY
Arbonne is all about healthy living to improve the mind, body, and skin.
Arbonne believes in a holistic approach to beauty, health, and wellbeing, focusing on the whole person to help people flourish inside and out.
Their philosophy embraces the connection between a healthier mind, stronger body, and more beautiful skin. All product innovation uses premium plant-based ingredients grounded in science and clinical research with high standards for safety. Arbonne collaborates with holistic experts and their passionate community for new products and education.
The brand’s healthy-living lifestyle and entrepreneurial business opportunity fosters a positive mindset that helps people and communities’ flourish.
Arbonne products are vegan, cruelty-free, and formulated without gluten. Arbonne is a certified B Corporation.
For more information, please visit arbonne.com/nz