A Surprise Garden Ramble

Last week I celebrated a birthday.  I was starting to feel a little peevish with my husband, because he hadn't given me a gift.  Imagine my surprise and delight when I arrived home from work on Saturday afternoon, to see my Mum sitting on the sofa, while my husband gave me my gift, which was tickets for us to take part in the Franklin Hospice Garden Ramble the following day.

Sunday dawned, warm but drizzly (mum brings wet weather with her, any Australians needing rain should get her to visit them), we donned raincoats, walking shoes and carried umbrellas, and had a lovely day visiting large scale country gardens.  I think we managed to visit 11 of the 18 that were open.

The following are some of the gardens, vistas, plants and plantings that caught my eye.

 

 

Meanwhile, I've got a trailer of mulch to spread on my gardens, so that will stop me from thinking I need a house in the country with wonderful views, and perhaps a gardener to help me maintain my dream garden.

Things Here Lately

• A new sewing project 

Yes, I'm obviously a sucker for punishment, cos I am sewing with rayon again. The sewing hasn't been too bad actually, I find cutting out out harder because it seems to slip and slide.  I'm at the point though, where I'm not sure whether to continue or try and turn it into something else.  For some reason, once I attached the neckband,  the bottom of the sides and back, aren't really hanging evenly  I've tried trimming it, but if I take any more off, I think it will end up too short.  I don't really want to throw it out, cos I love the fabric.  Anyway, I'll persevere for a little longer, luckily the fabric wasn't expensive.

• Recent good reads.

The Lost Vintage by Ann Mah is set predominantly in modern day France, but takes you back to life in German occupied Vichy during WWII.

A Month of Sundays by Liz Byrski is set in the Blue Mountains of Australia, about 4 woman from an online book club that meet for the first time, sharing a love of books and their life and histories.

The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart by Holly Ringland.  I think this might be one of my favourite reads for 2018.  Set in Australia, it is a hard read at times describing abusive relationships, combined with family dynamics and histories, and strong female characters.  It's not all bad though, with lovely descriptions of Australian native flowers and their meanings.  In a way I found this a similar read to another favourite novel The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh.

• Spring in my Garden

No spring bulbs or blossoms in my garden, but my Manuka shrubs are flowering, and I love the splash of colour they bring at this time of year.

Kalanchoe pumilla - this lovely potted succulent was a cutting I purloined one day while walking - luckily it seems to thrive on neglect.

Chinese Ground orchid (Bletilla) for a bright splash of mauve.  This seems to survive light frosts, lots of rain and summer drought.

Heroic Garden Party at Foggydale Farm

Children's Playhouse

I need a view like this and the garden art to go with it

Rudbeckia and Dahlia

Rudbeckia under the apple trees

Bird and bug hotel

Close up of some of the guest rooms

Coleus and flowering Hosta

Russian Red Sunflower 

Just before Christmas I booked tickets for Mum and I to attend the Heroic Garden Party hosted by gardener and author Lynda Hallinan at her home and garden, Foggydale Farm as part of the Heroic Garden Festival.  The garden festival  itself is held over two days and visits many different town and country gardens in the greater Auckland area.  Originally it was established as a fundraiser for Herne Bay House which offered respite care for suffers of HIV/AIDS.  Now it supports Hospice.

We just wanted to visit the one garden event,  the idea being that everyone would dress up in pretty summer clothes and wear lovely creative sunhats,  Unfortunately the weather put paid to that, it was Soggydale Farm we visited with everyone garbed in coats, gumboots and wielding umbrellas.

The gardens were lovely, especially the potager garden of which most of my photos came from.  There were some stunning colour and plant combinations too, which I think I may be inspired to recreate albeit on a smaller scale in my little garden next year.   I was also quite intrigued to see how she mixed coloured vegetable plants in some of her flower gardens.  Devonshire teas were available, there were different market stalls to shop at offering plants, garden art and other treats.

Weather aside, was still beautiful garden to visit, and to see in real life so many of the different features we have read about or seen pictured in various house and garden type magazines over the past few years.

Flowering Now

New Zealand is currently experiencing a run of glorious summer weather, with temperatures  equivalent to what we normally receive in February.  My summer loving garden has suddenly burst into colour.  Won't be long before my sunflowers and cosmos are flowering.

Hoping you have all had a lovely weekend.