Spring is definitely here

And the trees at the Otumoetai Railway Gardens are looking fantastic. 

This is what spring looks like in Tauranga, New Zealand!

Absolutely stunning!

Where do you find your inspiration?

We visited several garden centres recently looking for ties for tying the roses to wires, and also compost and potting mix to repot the citrus trees. I always find walking around garden centres interesting and inspiring, both in what they have for sale and how they display it. 

We saw a fantastic example of a lemon tree in a pot producing a huge amount of fruit, clearly we have been doing something terribly wrong with ours as we have never had that much fruit off ours. So the repotting of our citrus is very timely I think. In all fairness they have also been moved from one temperate zone to another and did receive some minor damage in the move. 

With repotting, some root pruning, foliage pruning and feeding we are hoping that our trees will spring into action and start producing what they should. We also purchased a second lemon of a different variety as we use a lot of lemons plus a lime tree and these will also be planted into pots. While you do have to water and feed them more often than if they were in the ground, I do like the way that they can be moved around and be contained more.

The mandarin tree showing new growth a couple of weeks on from being pruned and replanted.

I have always been quite apprehensive about pruning but have finally grasped the understanding of the purpose of pruning. Maybe my knowledge of plants and their purpose wasn't enough for me to totally understand what I was wanting to achieve through pruning before or maybe as I have developed a better understanding of what each plant or tree is trying to achieve my knowledge and confidence with pruning has grown. I have also seen myself what happens when pruning hasn't been done early and regularly enough and this has also contributed to my understanding of the importance of pruning. 

When I was younger and had no idea of what I was doing at all, the elder members of the family would provide guidance with all gardening matters especially pruning. As time has gone on and they aren't with us any more I came to realise that I was going to have to step up and take on this responsibility completely on my own and the only way I was going to learn was to remember what they had always said and give it a go, and that is exactly what I have done.

The needs of gardeners has definitely changed in my lifetime, I grew up on large quarter acre sections with fruit trees and vegetable gardens being the norm, now with the shortage of land available for housing in many cities and the smaller section sizes we are needing smaller trees and plants around us as there just isn't the room for them now. However we still want everything that we had before, our fruit trees and vegetable or kitchen gardens so container gardening, dwarf root-stock trees, multi grafted trees and pruning are just some ways that we can still achieve growing our own fruit and vegetables on our smaller sections and still have it all. 

With some careful planning we can utilise the aspects and niches around our sections to grow a good variety of produce and still have some interesting outdoor spaces in suburbia with some good inspiring landscapes in our neighbourhoods. 

I enjoy visiting public parks and gardens for inspiration and they are fantastic places to visit and enjoy some chill out time. I also enjoy walking and driving around suburbs and seeing what everyone is doing in their own personal spaces. The smaller section sizes does definitely enable you to enjoy exploring what else our awesome country has to offer, especially once the yard work is done.

Until next time - happy gardening everyone.

Donna-Maree

Spring is nearly here....

The temperatures are moving just a little, the sun is rising earlier in the mornings and setting later in the evenings and I love it.  I have made a list of jobs that need to be done and have been slowly chipping away at them and progress is being made. 

I have finished pruning the roses and have nearly completed tying them up to the wires. I didn't want to prune them any earlier as I didn't want any new growth to be damaged in the frosts that I knew we would get after the shortest day. They are reasonably new plants and are still in the training period. I am hoping that we have a lovely display of gorgeous scented flowers this season. Most of the roses are down the driveway along the boundary fence, when we moved here there were conifers along there that were crowding out the driveway and were collecting wing mirrors. This year I have chosen new ties for securing the roses and so far I like them, they aren't as noticeable as the black stretchy ties but just disappear among the canes and foliage. Time will tell how they stand up to the weight of the canes and flowers, I don't know yet if I have used enough but I am sure that time will tell. 

I have a thing for scented plants in the garden and that is often the first thing I look for when choosing a variety in a plant. My daphne plant has flowered again and it is just lovely. I love the way that scents can transport you back in time and connect to memories.

The other plant I have been Impressed with has been stock plants, the scent from these catches me every time I walk past them in the garden. They have nearly finished flowering now, so I have cut some and put some in a vase in the living room and have been really enjoying the scent they give. There is nothing like bringing the best of the garden indoors with you.

The petunias are just starting to flower too.

We got some more plastic for the grow house yesterday, this will be my first spring with it built and I am hoping that it makes a huge difference to getting my seedlings started. At the moment it only has plastic at one end and we weren't sure if it would need it on the front, but alas it does as the outdoor heat pump unit sits opposite it and is blowing very cold air straight into it. I am also wanting to make the most of any sunshine that we have to create a lovely warm environment for my seedlings.

It is really pleasant just being outside in the fresh air and sunshine, even if it is for as long as it takes to drink your cuppa and have a walk around the garden. I can't get over how many plants are suddenly coming to life.

What have you noticed coming to life in your garden? Please feel free to share with us all.

Cheers Donna-Maree

Look what came in the post...

Last Friday my Kings Seeds catalogue arrived in the post and yes I was ready. A few weeks ago I went through their last years catalogue and my seeds and sorted what seeds I need for this coming growing season making a list of what I need in the back of my diary. Although I have some seeds left from last year there are gaps and things that you always need more of every year.

In last years catalogue is circled what I ordered and likewise i have circled what has been ordered in this years catalogue. Even though I order my seeds online I still fill in the order form for my reference and to calculate my costs before I go to their website, that way I am totally prepared and I have already worked out how many bonus seed packets I am entitled to. The bonus seed packets are A seeds only so I don't tend to buy those but leave them to be selected as my bonus seeds. My bonus seed selections I mark in my catalogue as squares not circles. This might seem a bit odd but it works for me. Having my order form already filled in makes the ordering online very easy as you already have all the codes and can fill in the code number instead of having to select everything through the vegetable and flower selection pages.

This year I have selected some flower seeds as well, can't go past sweet peas in my opinion for colour and scent in the garden and an amazing cut flower bringing the essence of the garden right into the living quarters - just magic. My theory with ordering flower seeds is that for the cost of a punnet of seedlings I have enough seeds to keep my gardens full of the little beauties that I enjoy in the gardens around the house. I normally choose scented flowers and the bonus is of course attracting insect life into the garden which always helps with the pollination of my veggies.

My order has been placed and now I am eagerly awaiting the delivery of my parcel of seeds, to me that delivery is as good as Christmas morning with my family. 

Come back soon to see what will come in the post, I wonder when it will arrive?

Cheers

Donna-Maree

Whoops ..... Injury in the garden

Saturday afternoon saw me doing some tidying up in the garden, I had a lot that I wanted to get done and had pretty much just started when I couldn't believe my eyes - I had cut my little finger on my left hand with the secateurs. I was trimming back the thyme plant, removing some dead wood and just giving it a really good haircut. I immediately put pressure on it to stop the bleeding - I don't do blood very well.

I got hubby to help dress my finger (the don't do blood thing prevents me from sorting it myself) and once I recovered a bit, I returned to the garden and carried on with what I wanted to do but I left the thyme plant alone.

My finger is healing well but is still a little tender which is a pain that close to where the finger bends but it has served as a good reminder about taking care and watching what I am cutting in the garden.

Since the weekend when I have been working in the garden I have remembered to wear my gardening gloves to protect my fingers from further incidents but also to keep anything that could infect it away from the wound. I count myself very lucky as this could have ended very differently and I do use that finger a lot, which has been confirmed every time I knock it since I injured it at the weekend and I couldn't imagine not having it anymore.

Take care out there everyone and remember that some of the equipment that we use in the garden can be dangerous and harm us.

April is here...

Wow, I can't believe that we are in April already. The day temperatures are still very good and the evenings and early mornings are a little cooler, but the plants are still growing!

Some things are coming to an end as they do, the tomatoes, courgettes and strawberries are definitely slowing down and stopping production. I am giving the beds a good tidy up ready for the next crop.

I am determined this year to be more successful with my succession planting and cropping. I was a bit late getting organised last year and that affected everything. I have reflected on that and are getting myself more organised, working out when I need to have seeds etc ordered by to allow for sowing of seeds to be ready for planting.

I was looking around online for garlic seed/cloves as I was a little late last year and couldn't really get what I wanted. There were a few sites that I found that I had never heard of before. One of them was CountryTrading  Company from Nelson and I am very impressed with their range. But I am getting ahead of myself. I was looking in particular for elephant garlic. I used to purchase mine for eating from the Whangarei Growers Market but have never previously grown it myself.

I was determined that I would indeed grow some this year, however Country Trading Company were out of stock, which was what I was pretty much expecting. They did however have the facility that I could be emailed when they came back into stock, I dutifully filled out the required information. Over the weekend I received an email saying that the elephant garlic was in stock. So I ordered some!

This came by courier this morning, within a couple of days of my ordering it. I am very impressed with the timely manner and the condition of the bulbs. Check Country Trading Company out here.

Please comment on your favourite seed purchasing company in the comments section below as I love getting your comments.

Happy gardening everyone.

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

How things are going here...

The butter beans are yummy and we have had several feeds from them although they often don't make the dinner table if I leave them on the bench.  I expected there to be a difference in their performance as to where they are but there isn't, although the ones by the drive cope with more wind their roots don't dry out like the plants in the pot in the backyard.

We are enjoying strawberries on a regular basis too. I can't believe that the stalks of the strawberries can support the weight of the fruit like they are, as they are holding them upright into the air and the fruit is large.

The potatoes are flowering and are all doing well. The ones behind the garage seem to be doing the best, getting enough sunshine without drying out too much at this time of the year.

Potatoes in pots.

Seeds and things ...

I have had these sample jiffy pots to try for a while and I decided the other day to give them a go. I have to say that it certainly makes things easy and there is no mess. Yes, I would definitely use them again. 

Isn't spring and watching seeds germinating exciting? And don't bean seeds look like some prehistoric plant emerging from the ground?

I had forgotten how exciting sowing your own seeds can be. I was gifted the bean seeds, they should be butter beans. The other seeds I have sown; peas, corn and sunflower are seeds that had expired beyond their useby date however a lot of them have germinated.

What seeds are you sowing?

Let me know in the comments below.

Donna-Maree

Spring is here...

This is a photo of my bed at the allotment which was taken near the end of August. It was a take stock time, looking to see how things were going and what needs to be done to get ready for spring planting.

I had clearly missed some garlic last season and they are growing well. I had also planted some onions which are doing well too. Since this photo was taken I have tidied up the bed, removing anything that I don't want or need any more and weeded it all. I harvested four cabbages which have been shared with family members and we have been enjoying those.

I then put three wheelbarrows of compost on the bed just going around what is still planted. The compost was made on site in the bins for this purpose. I thank everyone who does the work making the compost for us. As gardeners we just fill the appropriate bin with garden waste, and remove it from the one marked as for use now. There are four bins at different stages of composting and the whole system works well. I then liberally coated my bed with sheep pellets which the rain has broken up and I have to say that the bed is looking very good and the produce growing in there at the moment has seen heaps of growth.

Yesterday I took up some leeks and red onions that I had growing in bunches here at home in the garden at the end of the driveway and planted those. These plants will need checking on today as we have been having beautiful sunny days this week and they might need some water plus I always like to check my babies when they go into the garden.

I have been sowing some seeds but will save telling you about that for the next blog.

Until then happy gardening everyone.

Donna-Maree

Small steps ...

Sometimes you have to take small steps to achieve your goals. This garden is a good example of that. Hubby has chipped away, doing what he can, when he can to get this done and it isn't totally completed yet. If you look to the right in the photo you can see that the corner bit hasn't been completed. I will share a photo when it has been, although I don't know when that will be.

This garden is across the end of our drive at the back of our property, it was a funny space which gets a fair amount of sun - too good a position not to do anything constructive with it.

This end is all completed - there is a grape in the corner with a few herbs and vegetables planted. I like to over plant to make the most of space.

Red spring onions and red onions in this piece, with some violas that were in the specials bin at the local garden centre. Nothing like a little bit of colour amongst the veggies.

I was very lucky to get this planted today as the forecast was for rain and lucky for me, it rained after I had completed the planting which also meant I didn't need to water everything. I keep finding myself going out to have a look, I am sure that this garden is going to get a lot of use and I can't wait to get some more things planted.

That is all for now, thanks for checking in. Please make a comment as I love getting some feedback.

Until next time, happy gardening everyone.

Delicious scents....

I just love delicious scents both in my home and in my garden...

Here is the daphne bush that was in an earlier post at beginning of July - boy has it grown and the flowers are plentiful and smell delicious. It has definitely been worth the wait to see this plant flowering.

We have had several days of continual rain and wind and with the sun shining today it is a perfect opportunity to be outside letting the sunshine and fresh air invigorate everything while giving us the opportunity to take stock of how things are doing.

This hyacinth is filling the kitchen and living room with its beautiful scent. These are bulbs that I bought last year and I have done absolutely nothing to them since then apart from bring them inside when I saw that they were starting to flower.

I finally pruned our standard roses this morning, I have been looking at them and wanting to do it for a few weeks, so it is now done. I will have a tidy up in the garden beds around them and feed them. There are three standards and the one in the middle isn't doing as well as the other two, I suspect due to there being less plants around the base of that one which means that the roots are more exposed to the sun and the wind - and possibly the cats. I have some annuals that I will plant around it to give it a little more protection and see how much of a difference that makes.

Until next time - happy gardening everyone 

Donna-Maree

Daphne

Wow my daphne is flowering - I have been watching the buds as they get bigger and bigger. The smell is just glorious. I haven't had a daphne bush since we left the Waikato in 2001. I purchased the plant last winter and have been waiting patiently for it to do its thing.

Hope you are managing to stay warm and dry in our awesome winter weather. How is the planning for your spring garden going? I am starting to think about what I am wanting to plant this coming spring and summer.

Please leave a comment as I love getting your feedback.

Cheers Donna-Maree

Anticipating spring...

I haven't been down to the allotment much at all for a while and while I feel guilty life can be like that sometimes. I visited today and was the only one there for a while and I enjoyed getting the garden back under control and seeing how everything is doing.

I came home with a few potatoes that I had thrown in the plot a while ago, one Kumara, beetroot and a broccoli, better than returning empty handed. I did have to shelter under the shed verandah through one shower of rain, but that just gave me a chance to catch up with Percy and check out information that I need for the up and coming garden ramble.

I really miss my mums gardening ability and the resulting yummy smelling flowers and I have taken to buying some spring cheer to brighten our home.

Hello, it is 2014...

Hi there 

I started working full time during October and was putting in some really long hours up until Christmas - boy does that have a huge impact on everything. As a result of that the gardens got a little neglected. That doesn't mean to say that I haven't been enjoying them at all though over our summer, it does mean that they haven't been as productive as they could have been.

Frangipani flowering - we have never had so many flowers on one stalk before, quite remarkable as this plant got quite a bit of damage when transported to Tauranga from Whangarei last year.

The rhubarb plant that was in earlier photos - well I have harvested two lots of stalks from that plant and it has developed more crowns. I know you shouldn't harvest during the first year however I had no choice - it was absolutely huge. Unfortunately I don't have a photo of the plant before the harvesting as I didn't have my camera with me.

The stalks were a lot greener than I thought they should be and googled whether or not they were safe to eat as I didn't want to make my family sick. In warmer temperatures the stalks don't go as red as I remember and we have enjoyed the cooked rhubarb for breakfasts and I still have some in the freezer as there was so much of it. The rhubarb being greener in no way impacted on the flavour.

Here are some photos that I took back in spring showing the trees in blossom. Such a fantastic sight. These are taken at the community garden where I have a plot.

It is nice remembering these photos as summer has now passed and we are definitely seeing signs of autumn. We are still having nice sunny days but the evenings and mornings are definitely crisper.

Until next time, happy gardening everyone.

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.

Quick visit to Hamilton Gardens

My daughter and I did a day trip to Hamilton and while there visited the Hamilton Gardens. I absolutely love the Hamilton Gardens and it has been a long while since I have been there.

It was at the Hamilton Gardens that I did Landscaping papers at what was Waikato Polytechnic and we walked around the gardens just about every day learning and identifying a huge range of plants and their uses. It has lots of good memories for me and is somewhere where I definitely feel at home. The peace and tranquility along with the inspiration, as well as the smells is what also makes it so special. The fact that it was Georgia that was with me this time was also poignant as I was expecting her when doing the last of my classes and exams.

While the gardens are definitely in their winter mode, it is a fantastic time to see the structure that each garden has, and how it holds the garden together especially without the prettiness and abundance of leaves and flowers.

Just a few of the photos that I took but these show the variety of inspiration that there is here. I love the way that the gardens are laid out and how they interconnect but have their own definite boundaries. You are constantly drawn through into the next area with peek-a-boo vistas that entice you on.

I will share more photos in the next couple of posts as there are too many for one, plus I want to talk about some of the photos in greater detail, especially the sustainable and kitchen gardens. We didn't get around all of the gardens, but I am planning to return soon and to continue my exploring and seeing what has changed at the gardens since my days there.

Until next time, happy gardening everyone. 

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.

August already...

I haven't been down to the allotment much due to trips to Whangarei and Quilt Symposium in Taupo. Had a fantastic time, but now it is catch up time.

Looking at the photos of the plot when I first planted it, makes me really appreciate what I saw today down there.

Today when I was there.

Percy put up a string to frighten the sparrows which have been eating my lettuce. Has bottle top seals hanging from it.

The cabbages and broccoli are hearting up.

Unfortunately I tidied today before taking the photos. In here were some Asian greens that were going to seed, I removed them to let the garlic get more light. You can just see the garlic if you look closely.

The parsley and coriander are doing well and that is my carrots under the cloche.

When I was in Whangarei last I took some photos of the gardens up there and I will share those in the next post, so please come back.

Remember that I love to read your comments, so please leave one.

Thanks

Donna-Maree