Nikau
Walking around the garden it the last few weeks I noticed that the nīkau palm at the gate has two flower clusters beginning to form and I realised that I really know very little about them.
Time
Chatham Island Forget-Me-Not – Kopakopa
I’ve been seduced – again!
I’m seriously considering growing a Chatham Island Forget-Me-Not – Myosotidium hortensia for a third time. Tricky to grow, but if you succeed you will be rewarded with an outstanding cluster of plants that have large glossy, rippled leaves and impressive blue flowers in the spring. There is also a much rarer white variety.
Plant of the Month: Tauhinu / Cottonwood
We lost a little bit of ground earlier this year – it slipped down the hill! We wanted to plant something that is native, not too tall, attractive for birds and bees and is recognised as an erosion prevention plant.
Houhere / Lacebark
Did you notice the delicate white flowers in the bush in April? It is the Houhere, (Lacebark) flowering.
White Rata / Metrosideros perforata
My garden is buzzing with bees and bumble bees. They are all over the white rāta vines that climb up the whekī trunks at the edge of my garden. Metrosideros perforata, to give it its latin name, is part of the pohutukawa / rata family and is one of 12 species native to Aotearoa /New Zealand.
Renga Renga Lily
The low maintenance Renga Renga Lily, also known as the New Zealand Rock Lily (Arthropodium cirratum), is a great replacement for the invasive agapanthus and an alternative to bromeliads.
Renga Renga lilies are clump forming perennials about 75 cm tall with soft grey green arching strappy leaves. They cope well with dry coastal areas but do best in dappled shade and when mass planted they are an impressive sight in spring and summer when they send up tall spikes that produce clouds of white flowers that are followed by fruits and seeds that are attractive to birds.