The rain it raineth everyday. Good for nap days, not so good for gardening. I saw one of my roses I had transplanted drowning in a puddle. Hmm maybe not such a good idea to plant anything in clay right now. But clematis are in - two clematis 'Sweet Hart' and one clematis montana my workmate gave me (thanks Richard!). Also a nice hellebore for under the maple tree, and in the Lady of the Camellias bed, another hen and chickens fern, plus a Chatham Island Forget-me-not. This one quickly got chomped by slugs and snails. Out came the bran.
The wet weather is a time to stay indoors and plan and dream, so I have been day dreaming about my garden and what I will do next with it.
Plan A is to not do anything and leave it all as is. Mum is very happy if I do Plan A.
But Plan B which is the real Plan is to do more gardening along the north facing side of the house and lose the thin strip of lawn that doesn't do anything, and have a real garden border there. I am considering rows of lavender by the path - dwarf Hidcote - even though it's clay, surely I can have a mediterranean garden since there's already an olive tree? Even if Cathy Angell seems convinced it will hit clay and die...? After all, I did not say anything about all her frost prone plants she had planted in her garden that she has to work extra hard to protect.
If I was being eco-concious and grew what was there before it would be Kauri trees, cabbage trees, manuka, flax and toe toe. And nikau palms. But I am not allowed Kauri trees and Nikau palms.
I do not plan to do any mowing ever in my garden as I have enough of that at work. So I am not going to grow grass.
My plant list -
Chinese snowball tree (viburnum)
Chinese toon
Clematis
Salvia
Parsley - can never have too much
Rows of dwarf lavender
Achillea/yarrow
Japanese windflower
Gaura
Angelica
I plan to have a purply/white theme to go with the wisteria. But shall see. Am very happy with my hardenbergia or coral pea it's growing great over the arch with sprays of white and magnolia is now blooming with crimsony red cup shaped flowers. The grape muscari didn't really transplant so great underneath but I might leave it in for another year and see if it spreads.
One bulb that does great in Auckland is onion weed. It looks like a bluebell but white and everyone hates it and tries to get rid of it, but I know you can eat it and it's just like garlic chives. However I think I will be shot by the garden establishment if I try and make a case for swathes of onion weed naturalised on banks. Also, it keeps away pests with it's onion smell. It will save me mowing, my back, and my ears, but maybe if we don't do enough mowing, they won't need to pay us gardeners to run the lawn mower anymore. So it's a catch 22. My Plan C is to keep the onion weed and sell it at the market as a wonder herb that can cure cancer and give you long life at the retirement village.
