January 2022
Hello Everyone
January 2022
For forty years I have been visiting Ship’s Cove at Endeavour Inlet in the Marlborough Sounds. This is the spot where Captain James Cook took refuge on five occasions when he travelled to New Zealand. The first voyage was on the ship Endeavour, and the four subsequent voyages were on the ship Resolution. A stone monument, erected in 1913, commemorates this spot. One of my Christmas gifts this year was ‘Joseph Banks’ Florilegium: Botanical Treasures from Cook’s First Voyage’. One reviewer has described this book as ‘A stunning piece of history, art and botany in one’.
Stories of past, present and future times link up in all walks of life. The gardening world is no exception.
As I have much to do after taking a two and a half week holiday, I thought I would share photos of ‘old’ varieties of flowers, which I have been growing at Frensham for many years, and some of these, such as the dahlias, have been making a strong return to our gardens.
Photo 1: A tawny beige chrysanthemum which has grown here for many years. It will start flowering in late summer and its warm tonings look good on a clear autumn day. Photo by M.Long
Photo 2: One of the many dahlias that grow here. Photo by M .Long
Photo 3: Monarda, also known by names such as Bee Balm and Bergamot, does well for us. Many gardeners find that this plant is prone to mildew. While some varieties are more susceptible than others, I have read where lifting and dividing the plants every two or three years helps to prevent the mildew. Photo by M. Long
Photo 4: Alstroemerias are most useful plants, although some varieties can be a little invasive. This cultivar, ‘Red Baron’ does well in our warm-red border.
And of course there are gladioli, which I resisted planting in the garden for many years as I thought that they would look too formal, and they need staking, but I found a remedy. At the end of the potager I have sweet pea stakes supporting the pinky mauve sweet peas and in front of the stakes, dark purple gladioli have recently come into flower. They are discreetly tied to the sweet pea stakes.
Best wishes to you all for happy gardening times,
Margaret Long
