From one gardener to another
I was inspired by margaret monk’s letter published in the June issue of Kiwi Gardener. Like margaret, I have been trying to keep up with the fast-changing seasons and activities in the garden of late. I have been trying to put my large Richmond hillside garden to bed for winter, but everything has caught up with me and I am still gardening on this steep cold hillside. I became so enthusiastic with the summer garden I forgot to plan forward.
I am just a regular gardener having more losses than successes. I try to keep to the basics, but my planning for the seasons is always off. The lovely autumn-coloured leaves on the hillside have gone to expose the dark trunks of the trees to the frosts of the valley below, a sign that the seasons have changed again and still I haven’t planted my broad beans.
Thinking of the bees, I planted two sections of my bank, one as a little mānuka forest in a bare part of the hillside surrounded by dark blue lavender and the other as a hebe garden under some tall trees. There might be some pink and white flowers from the mānuka out soon. Yes, all these were planted in summer, so my water bill went through the roof and then all watering had to stop as the council put water restrictions on. However, they all survived and are growing surprisingly well. I did all this for the bees, but at the wrong time again. I think secretly I would love to have a beehive!
Helpers in the garden make gardening interesting. The fantails at the moment flitter around catching food as I am rustling through the garden, and the cats, Creamy and mira, follow me around and sit and watch the bumblebees fly in and out of a hole in the wood cupboard under the pizza oven, where they have made a home. even though the cats are enjoyable, I notice they have dug up some of my crocus bulbs.
During these winter days, I have been waiting for some flowers, like margaret in Waikanae. I am still having nightmares with the dying off of my dahlias. When I have a coffee out in the garden I have been imagining places where I can plant some more. all of a sudden the camellias are out, great! masses of silvereyes/ tauhou are swarming like bees around one of the single-flowered camellias, sucking nectar from each flower. Well, of course, the bees are there also.
The bird photo competition has given me another distraction from gardening and the seasons going by. I realised though that the camera in the phone is not that good for taking photos of birds. all the birds around here seem to come back from the snow-capped mountains behind us in winter to feed closer to the coast. The harriers can be seen again cruising across the edge of the hills, and the goldfinches, sparrows and chaffinches have all been eating the seeds that have been left out, but I must put some sugar-water out for the bellbirds and the tūī. The wekas scratch around in the garden, and at night I can hear the morepork calls echo across the valley.
Spring bulbs have also been a welcome distraction. By the time I had ordered some new ones, on a rainy day, from that online shop we all know, I had a surprise with some of last year’s bulbs coming up in the garden already. More flowers, great! Once my new spring bulbs arrived I was planting them out late as well.
I am waiting for pears and plums as I planted them last year – no fruit yet, but my feijoas, which are established plants, had no fruit either. margaret, I didn’t need a health and safety sign under them, but I have done something drastic to the trees.
Finally, my sister gave me a large bag of lupins, the living compost – they are all up like tall grass in my raised garden beds. You will be pleased to know I have finally gathered up all the coloured leaf fall for the gardens, though being on a mountain range there is a constant flow of leaves from the surrounding bush. The lemons are glowing like large daffodils on the lemon tree and, yes, another flower, my different-coloured broccoli, is blooming, I’m so pleased. Now I can rest by the fire.
Ray Therkleson, Richmond Ranges, Nelson