GET PURIRI LANE’S COTTAGE LOOK

Deb’s top 5 Plants

• Orlaya grandiflora (white laceflower)

• Achillea millefolium (yarrow; Puriri Lane grows about 20 different varieties of this perennial, which is great for picking).

• roses (‘Lavender Pinocchio’ and ‘Jude the obscure’ are a couple of favourites).

• Penstemons (‘Alice hindley’, ‘raven’, ‘stapleford Gem’ and ‘snowstorm’).

• Chrysanthemums (old varieties, which Puriri Lane is well known for).

Deb’s top tasks Staking

Staking is absolutely essential with so many cottage plants, and finding stakes that are attractive is important. Puriri Lane sells a range of stakes featuring corten steel (steel alloy that does not require painting) native and garden birds, with the birds appearing to ‘float’ above the plants.

Deadheading

With a lot of annuals, the more you deadhead (remove the spent blooms), the more they flower. Deb has a couple of ‘garden fairies’ who help with this task, plus a florist friend and others who come and cut fresh flowers from the garden, which also helps promote second blooming.

Forget-me-not control

Sown by the previous owners, these pretty flowers can be such a nuisance, especially as they get stuck to clothes and are transported to another area of the garden before you know it. Pulling them up and then mulching (they don’t seem to like pushing up through mulch) is the answer.

Paths

Earthen paths may look idyllic, but they are a huge amount of work, requiring ongoing weeding. Better by far is to lay down weed mat and cover it with very fine metal. It does away with the need for concrete – a material that does not sit well in a natural-looking garden.