Visiting some of my favourite gardens ...

Today we visited some of my favourite gardens at the Hamilton Gardens. I just love visiting these gardens and seeing the level of maturity they now have, I also enjoy visiting through the different seasons. Today however, was very hot and as a result we didn't get through all of the gardens.

The Indian garden. The last time I saw this garden I was very impressed with design and the hard landscaping, today I was blown away with the vibrancy of the colours in this garden. From comments I overheard I wasn't the only one who thought this way.

The Italian garden - just love this garden, the contained way that plants are grown. I particularly like the citrus in containers and the espaliered plants.

Another one of my favourite gardens is the kitchen garden, no surprises there really. I love the way the walls protect and define the garden. I love the sheer size and scale of this garden and would love a garden just like this. Again there are fruit trees espaliered on the walls in this garden and decent sized raised beds that allow growing of a lot of vegetables. 

I always find looking at gardens very interesting and it doesn't matter how many times I visit a garden I always notice something different each time I go.

Tomorrow I need to check my own garden and get down to the allotment and see what is going on there. Until next time

Happy gardening

Plot update...

We had a lot of very heavy rain last night and thought that I would check on my plot down at the allotment this morning. There was nobody there so I had the luxury of having the place to myself. I find being in the garden an excellent time for contemplation and although I enjoy the company of others at the allotment - sometimes it is nice to be able to let your thoughts go where they ought.

Everything has grown so much and I was surprised at the amount of growth, as it hasn't been that long since I had been last.

My rhubarb is doing better and is growing well now.

Pea pods are developing well.

Broccoli heads are developing.

Cabbage heads are developing too.

Beetroot are getting there.

You can see the garlic greens now.

The carrots look like they will need thinning soon.

Broad beans are flowering too.

I mulched with shredded paper today.

The other side.

I am going to have to start thinking about what the succession of planting is going to be, as I will be harvesting some of this very soon and will need to fill the space.

Until next time happy gardening everyone and please feel free to leave a comment.

Ponderings...

I brought home some lettuce from the allotment  the other day and we had a lovely salad with our dinner. I love eating out the garden and that is what gardening is all about for me. Knowing where our food has come from and having more control over how it is grown and what has and hasn't been put on it.

Two conversations the other day have had me thinking and although both of them were very short, they did give me food for thought.

The first one was with Percy about the garlic he had sown and how much it had grown. He commented that his garlic at home hasn't grown as much as the garlic at the allotment. He went on to say that the garlic at the allotment gets more sun than the garlic growing at home. I have been thinking about that and how the growing conditions can change in different locations, even on the same property especially at different times of the year. Although sometimes we have to accept that with small sections that plants don't always get the sun they need for quick growth, we can also make this work for us and create small micro-climates for growing special things that need more protection than being out in the open. This is where being involved in something like Lets get Growing is excellent as we have options for growing things in different locations.

The second conversation was about mulching. If you can't tell by the photos I love mulch - I use whatever I have i.e. lawn-clippings, paper shredding, pea straw.  The kitchen beds at our Whangarei property are about 2 1/2 years old now and when I was working in them just over a week ago I couldn't help but notice the improvement in the soil and the amount of worms - clear results of mulching. There weren't too many weeds either, compared to what I thought there would be for the amount of time that the gardens haven't had any attention. I love the way it keeps moisture in and stops the soiling of the plants and that it before we get into the benefits of mulch on the make up of the soil and the nutrients to the plants.

These conversations then led me onto thinking about the type of gardener that I am and I was reflecting on my plot at the allotment and although there is some clear order with things planted in rows, I also do plant where there is space and like filling up space with plants. I work on the theory that if I don't, nature will with weeds. I have a small space and want to grow lots - so planting wherever there is room seems the natural thing to do for me. I can see that some gardeners struggle with this concept, not that anyone has said anything but you can tell if you are observant.

Until next time, happy gardening everyone.