Planting up

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Popped an Azalea ‘Silver Anniversary’ into our new fenceline border in the side are (not the driveway side), & stood back to admire it …. & realized that the whole bed was just too narrow! Mentioned it to my OH & bless his heart, he immediately began work on making it twice the depth. Moved the Azalea forward a few more inches, so that it is now sitting in the middle of the bed, with plenty of room to grow. Although small at the moment, it’s already covered in ‘masses of semi-double delicate pink flowers with silver tones’, so a nice splash of pastel colour for that plantless area. This morning we put in a Lobelia ‘Lucia’ Dark Blue, which should spread nicely & make good ground cover, & be a nice companion colour to the Azalea when it flowers. Near the corner where the big fountain will be sited, we have just put in a native NZ tree Clianthus Puniceus Alba ‘White Heron’ (White Kaka Beak). It’s an evergreen native which grows to a height of 2 mtres & is fast growing (I particularly like that!). It has ‘long arching branches clothed in green fern-like foliage. Lovely white flowers, resembling a Kaka parrot’s beak hang in clusters during spring & summer" …. Hardy but needs protection from slugs. There are a few flowers on it already. I feel so pleased with this one … it also comes in yellow & another one comes in a scarlet-red. I am wanting to pop in some of the smaller NZ natives. Also planted two Wallflowers with flowers which open ‘bronze terracotta & change to a soft maroony violet shade & is never out of flower’. My new birdbath is in place & the birds are already trying it out. Two NZ native Tui birds visited the big Kowhai tree again this morning, which was a total joy to watch … the love the sweet nectar of the yellow flower. More plants arriving from an online nursery mid-week. Off to browse through an online nursery which specialises in the more unusual daylilies.

• 18 Sep, 2011
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