February 2022
Hello Everyone
An exciting thing happened last week. One of my plants, Kirengishoma palmata, came in to flower for the first time for me. I’ve had several attempts at growing this plant over the years and I think I had it in conditions that were too dry. Plants of Kirengishoma are growing in the garden against the west wall of the house, alongside Tovara (also known as the painter’s palette), and under a pale green and cream-leafed cornus, Cornus alternifolia ‘Argentia’.
Photo 1: Kirengishoma palmata. The floweris a richer lemon than this photo shows. Photo by Margaret Long
Photo 2: K. palmata with Tovara in the foreground. Photo by Margaret Long
I am planning on planting more kirengishomas in the main woodland garden. What a treat that will be in February each year.
Photo 3: A planting in a dry spot at the base of the rock area. In the foreground are stems and seedheads of a dierama, the Wandflower, light blue agapanthus, and in the centre near the rock, Grevillea ‘Mt Tamboritha’. Photo by Margaret Long
Photo 4: In the pink salvia garden, we have groups of Penstemon ‘Hidcote Pink’, tall echinaceas, and clumps of this dwarf variety of echinacea. To the left is Fragaria ‘Lipstick’ which makes an ideal groundcover with its very bright pink flowers and tiny, green, edible strawberries. The colour of the flowers is a richer, warmer pink than this photo suggests. Photo by Margaret Long.
Workshop at Frensham
In conjunction with Jane Mahoney from the Secret Gardens, www.secretgardens.co.nz I am holding the first of three workshops in our garden on Friday 18th March. This workshop will be on how I place colours in the garden. Many of our visitors comment on the ways colours have been placed at Frensham and this workshop will be an in depth look at how I have achieved this.
The garden changes every week and every month, and continuity of pleasing colour combinations is important to me. Flowers, foliage, tree trunks and the use of filtered light will be discussed.
For further information about this workshop, please refer to www.secretgardens.co.nz and contact Jane for further information, and to make bookings.
Later in the year I will be running two other workshops at Frensham, in conjunction with Secret Gardens.
Friday 10 June: Winter Work
Friday 4 November: Plants for Dry and Shady Places
This afternoon we are planting seedlings of a tall, white antirrhinum. The seed was given to me last season by a gardening friend. The seedlings will sit amongst miniature roses, Little White Pet.
Best wishes,
Margaret
