FROM PAEONIA to HEBE -flowers that gave us
joy in DECEMBER and JANUARY
Photographs taken by Gay Klok with her trusty
digital camera
A David Austin rose blooms over a pink Astilbe "Hyacinth" with a
lovely Euphorbia "schillingii" which is rather new in Australia and
is a spectacular specie forming a bush up to 90cms with grey-green
leaves and large heads of yellow flowers mid summer. Planted
for
two years now, is already
dropping its babies everywhere
In this picture you can see a Hebe small shrub which we keep cut in a
formal ball. Behind it is a claret cut leaf standard Acer and
behind that
the dainty cut leaf Alder, a lovely Ash that we keep in check by pruning
bottom branches every year. In front of that is a Gleditsia triacanthus
"Sunburst" with frond light green to yellow leaves in Spring, Summer
and Autumn. Just out of the picture, I have planted another Gleditsia
"Ruby Lace" with foliage coloured light burgundy
Paeonia lutea var. ludlowii
in bush and closeup. The deep goldenflowers with
central boss of stamens contrast with the deeply divided leaves.
It is a valuable tree peony, grows in sun or semi shade and will take a
chalky soil
Paeonia suffruticosa. This tree peony sp. is one of the most beautiful
plants
we grow at "Kibbenjelok". They will grow in either sun or semi
shade
but are best when shielded from early morning sun. Very long living
plants,
the tree peony can reach 8 ft in height by about the same across but I
have
never seen any as large as that. The flowering season is not
very long
but for the two weeks they are in bloom, I will go and pay my respects
every day, you don't blame me, do you?
Day lilies may be planted anywhere,
at anytime and may give you streams
of very lovely flowers for many weeks
from early Spring to late Summer.
There are early and late bloomers,
repeat bloomers [if they are happy] and
are edible! Their only fault is that you will
end up with so many, you can
increase by splitting with
a spade, or planting the side shoots of new leave
often start from the stem.
And if that is not enough free plants for you, you
might like
to start a new cultivar from seed. I like this strong yellow colour.
Another strong colour, this is a very
strong tomato- red day lily. I have
many other colours, mostly growing
in streams in a garden on their own.
In Suite 101 we have a gardener
whose speciality is dayliles so I will
not show you any more but suggest
you go to "Contents" and look at
that excellent site
This is the "Hoheria" glabrata tree, a native
of New Zealand. From
the middle summer to late summer the tree covers itself
with clusters
of pure white cherry-like
flowers. It is a very handy time for the garden
to have a flowering tree. The flowers are much bigger than the similar
"Halesia",
and the racemes last, shining amongst
the lime green, for several weeks
Its worse feature is that it is deciduous but
never quite loses its leaves
in our cool temperate
climate and so spends the Winter looking rather the
worse for wear or as if it was just getting over the 'flue
One of the Rhododendron beds in the Old Orchard Garden A perennial Sweet
pea
lathyrus clambering over a Philadelphis
"Belle Etoile" and in the middle is
a strong red "Astilbe".
On the far side a hydrangea is just starting to flower,
the blue blooms
showing that the soil is acid. Next month I will show you the
many shades that have begun to appear on the various cultivars
growing
at the country garden.
Hardy orchids growing lushly in the damp, but drained, conditions
in the
long border
This is one of my Christmas presents from my daughter, Francesca.
The head
is a fishing buoy and the body is made of straw and he has a great face.
The clothes
come from the Salvation Army and
another member of the family suggested that
I may like to swap my gardening clothes for the straw man's, as his were
in far better condition
I don't know if you can see this Christmas present,
well two gifts really. I had to
take this through the window as this was their first stroll out into the
big World. In the
top
hand corner you may be able to make out the Dove Cote my son Matthew made
for
me last Christmas. It has taken us all the year to find two
white turtle doves [fantails?]
to occupy the grand house. Matthew managed to find these two,
very young and a pair,
with the gentlest, pretty faces you can
imagine and last weekend, I heard them coo!
Their parents are named Romeo & Juliet
- so do you have any suggestions? If you
can come up with a suggestion for their names, I will send you a dozen
peafowl as first prize!!!
A better photo taken last weekend. The doves have settled
in quite
happily now and are tame.
Let me know by using the discussion
& question link at the bottom of my article.
If you can't see the link, that means you haven't become a
member of Suite101. Why don't you? It will cost you nothing
and we have a lot of fun.
