The capricious nature of Spring has certainly been shown lately. At times summery, then suddenly it is winter once more and not sure if a sunhat is needed or a warm coat. After a cloudless, warm and balmy day in the garden yesterday, as I write, it is now only 8 degrees with a strong…
Tag: garden design
“Spring: a lovely reminder of how beautiful change can truly be.”
Spring has arrived with the seasonal promise of warmer days and floral beauty everywhere you look. The long, wet winter has finally come to an end, but nature, in true Spring style, has kept us wondering daily about what season we are in. Winter has been spectacular, quite cold as expected, with many days of…
“It will never rain roses. When we want to have more roses, we must plant more.”
Winter lingers on, but the sun shines, all the bare-root roses are planted, and the first inkling of Spring is in the air. it is always exciting to see the first glimpse of tiny delicate shoots coming out on the dormant roses. There are no roses as yet to photograph, but a selection of inspiring…
“…in all my garden there is no red rose.” said Oscar Wilde
Unquestionably, roses are the quintessential symbol of love. The red rose has long been a symbol of beauty, passion, desire, and everlasting affection dating back centuries. History is steeped in stories, myths and legends of the symbolic red rose from ancient Greece and Rome, the Middle Ages, Persia, Egypt, China, and the Victorian era. One…
The Painters Collection of Roses
When I consider my favourite roses in the garden, the ones that are ‘must haves’ many are from the French Delbard family of roses. Delbard is a family-run rose breeding company that began in 1935 by the founding member of the family, George Delbard, along the banks of the Seine in France. By 1958, their…
“If roses could talk, they would not boast of their beauty, because they know that they have always been beautiful.”
If roses could talk they would be telling tales of recovery, exhausted from a long hot and dry summer. Offically we’ve only had a week of winter but already a deep chill has set in. Fortunately, for the garden roses, they are growing in sheltered conditions with little chance of heavy frost in the garden….
Canowindra Charm: a Paul Bangay Walled Garden.
Noojea Lee Homestead was open last week. On a perfect autumn day a great opportunity for a scenic drive to Canowindra. The property known as Noojea Lee has, apart from the spectacular views, veteran trees, a wisteria-covered walkway, expansive croquet lawns and, a tennis court, two Paul Bangay-designed gardens. One is a walled garden and…
“Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the Autumn.”
When I started to garden, I knew nothing. The evocative names and romantic nature of roses was appealing and enticed me to focus mainly roses: the array of styles, colours and perfume was addictive. The first year after planting, the roses have demonstrated their true nature and the idiosyncratic way they fill the garden spaces….
“The greatest piece of gardening in the world is a little staircase in the Generalife,”
The gardens of the Generalife, Spain in Arabic are ‘Jinnah al-Arif’ which translates into English as ‘Gardens of the Architect’. The gardens are situated in a high area above the Alhambra’s main Palacios, Nazaries in Granada, Spain. The gardens and the Alhambra have been a UNESCO world heritage site since 1984. These stunning gardens were…
“We learn from our gardens to deal with the most urgent question of the time: How much is enough?”
The words ‘How much’ are often on the lips of gardeners, whether it is water, fertiliser, compost, mulch or seaweed? Plant lovers all over the world ponder how much sun and shade plants need? Where should I plant this? How much rain have we had? How many plants are enough or How many roses are…
A garden is never really finished, and I’ve only just begun.
Creating your own garden is about creating spaces where you feel at home in nature. Regardless of the style, design, or size, it’s about the joy a garden presents. Once begun, the small incremental rewards from your work brings a new forever changing landscape into being. Gardening, is a simple, honest pastime, a powerful way…
“Then followed that beautiful season… Summer….”
The magic of Summer begins with sun-kissed days that close with dazzling sunsets and balmy nights. Summer moves on and accelerates quickly into a flurry of activity; end-of-year parties, Christmas festivities and shopping, holiday plans, and catching up with everyone we value most. Simultaneously, the temperature soars, and the anticipation of celebrating with family and…
“Nothing feels like home more than a garden full of gorgeous plants.”
Living in a country town rather than out on the land, an interest in growing a garden is a requisite of the street and our town, and I am only too happy to oblige with the status quo. We live where almost all our neighbours are ex-farmers, and all seem to have beautiful gardens. After…
The hum of bees is the voice of the garden….
As the weather becomes warmer, the sound of insects fills the air. The cicadas are deafening, announcing summer, and the bees are gently humming as they go about their work. The sights and sounds of summer are welcome, the weather is glorious, and sensational for the roses. “Every flower must grow through dirt.” Laurie Jean…
“And the secret garden bloomed and bloomed and every morning revealed new miracles.”
In no time at all, masses of roses are now gracing the garden with their beguiling perfume and blooms galore: Carmagnole, Tangles, Princess Charlene de Monaco, Sally Holmes, Iceberg, Mme Alfred Carriere Clg, Belle Parfume, Graham Thomas, Quatre Saisons Blanc Mousseux, Ballerina, Australian Beauty, The Fairy, Olivia Rose Austin and Mother’s Love amongst others that…
“I love spring anywhere, but if I could choose I would always greet it in a garden.”
Living in a climate with distinct seasons, Spring is a dramatic change that delights every day as new buds and blooms catch the eye each morning. Spring is the reward for all the planning and hard work of Autumn and Winter. Spring is an old English word with Germanic origins related to the Dutch and…
“Spring is nature’s way of saying, ‘Let’s party’!
Yes, it’s party time, and like the best celebrations, there is a quiet moment before a party is in full swing when everything is ready: the venue is decorated, music on, food prepared, and the drinks are chilled, but not everyone has arrived yet. Well, the garden is much the same at the moment. Spring…
‘Is the spring coming?,’ he said. ‘What is it like?’…’It is the sun shining on the rain and the rain falling on the sunshine…’
Today is one of those amazing mornings after a day of rain when the sun glistens on every leaf, like hanging crystals. It reminded me of the quote above from The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett, so I’ve added it as the title. In my eagerness to plant today, I went out early only…
Just now my garden is like faith – the substance of things hoped for.
Today was a really satisfying and enjoyable day in the garden. The weather was perfect, and I got most of the bare-root roses planted. The list of tasks are being ticked off, the first round of trees are planted, and the remaining trees have been trimmed, leaving space for groundcovers and companion plants. Gardening is…
“Gardens are a form of autobiography.”
Spring is unfolding with daffodils, buds, blossoms and warmer days. Garden centres are bursting with colour, and the frenzy of growth is just around the corner. After a recent trip to Bell River Nursery, several trees are now waiting to be planted: a Teddy Bear Magnolia, Bay Tree standard, Silver Birch Trees, and several large…
“One of the most delightful things about a garden is the anticipation it provides.”
We are on the home stretch of the first winter in our new climate. The minimum temperature on most days this week has been around -3 each morning. One cannot change the weather; it is what it is. Thankfully, frosty, cold mornings usually bring fine sunny days, the perfect conditions for gardening, although still…
In one’s garden, a person may be one’s own artist without apology or explanation. Here is one spot where each may experience the “romance of possibility.”
Inspired by attending a recent gardening symposium and the glorious autumn weather, I’ve been pondering the best way to start my new garden. It is ever so tempting to get out there and tackle all the areas I’d like to change. However, I’m trying to be more patient and wait until I’ve established a design…
Like sunshine in a garden, yellow roses whisper tales of hope and resilience.
Yellow is magic. It can lift our spirits and create cheerfulness and optimism. The golden hue of yellow roses spreads joy, happiness, and positivity wherever they are seen; in a garden landscape amongst lush green foliage, a wedding bouquet, picked fresh from the garden for a friend or a vase in the home. Yellow roses…
“Hoe while it is spring, and enjoy the best anticipations. It is not much matter if things do not turn out well.”
Spring has flooded the garden with colour from hundreds of plants: salvias, geraniums, perennials, herbs and roses. The Lady of Shalott roses have been superb this spring, although, nature always has the upper hand. Looking closely around the garden, overall the first round of rose blooms did not open as well as expected. There are…
“I feel as if I had opened a book and found roses of yesterday sweet and fragrant, between its leaves.”
Wherever we look the cheerfulness of Spring is present: birdsong, blue skies, sunshine, rosebuds, an abundance of rose blooms, blossoms and flowers, greenery, bees and insects, with only remnants of winter remaining felt as the chill in the early mornings. “Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience.” Ralph Waldo Emerson Some roses show…
“My green thumb came only as a result of the mistakes I made while learning to see things from the plant’s point of view.”
As I began to grow roses I gained initial advice from books on garden greats in history, the locals in the country town where I lived, and various rose nurseries and horticulturalists. I followed their advice and I noticed I had considerable knowledge of plant species and names even though I didn’t know I knew…
“It was such a pleasure to sink one’s hands into the warm earth, to feel at one’s fingertips the possibilities of the new season.”
All through winter, keen gardeners wait for the onset of Spring and long for it even if the coziness of winter is enjoyable. The change of season always brings renewal and vitality to garden growth in the early days of Spring, and it is an exciting time. Eagerly watching for signs of new buds and…
“If you have never had a garden you cannot understand, and if you have had a garden you will know that it would take a whole book to describe all that came to pass there.”
The essence of gardening is doing, digging, shaping, moving, and fine-tuning. After weeks of work, it is time for the best part, the planting. The bare-root roses have arrived; half are planted already, with the remainder soaking in buckets waiting for the welcome rain to stop. It is a heady time of year that culminates…
In winter, I plot and plan. In spring, I move.
Unfortunately, the garden is unsightly and tired now that winter has settled in and the frosty conditions have begun. The leaves on the roses are falling or going yellow and many blooms have balled up in the wet conditions. The Pelargoniums continue to look fantastic, and it won’t be long before Clematis and Daphne are…
“I like generosity wherever I find it, whether in gardens or elsewhere. I hate to see things scrimp and scrubby. Even the smallest garden can be prodigal within its limitations.”
The essence of a garden is all about generosity, as Vita Sackville West confirms in today’s title quote. Garden, generosity is not only about the blooms and plants but also the space, the size and the scale of a garden and its location; the width of the paths, the height of the trees, arches, pergolas…
“Do not watch the petals fall from the rose with sadness, know that, like life, things sometimes must fade, before they can bloom again.”
In anticipation, I wait for nature to bring more cold days to give the roses the silent nod to sleep. After only a few days of chill, the garden is showing signs of slowing down, and moving towards dormancy even though many roses remain in bloom. Some are brilliant, almost perfect whilst others are lovely,…
Gardens have a way of coercing you into an undertaking or doing things you never intended to do, and when you have, you wonder why you waited so long.
It is a beautiful Autumn day again this morning spent in the garden planting out a few Salvia leucantha, Mexican sage bushes. Before I knew it, I had taken the irreversible steps in removing the supposedly ‘weeping’ rose that has annoyed me for so long, with its belligerent attitude, and refusal to weep over the…
‘A garden is a friend you can visit anytime.’
Now that the flurry of Easter and all that goes with preparing a house and food for the family is over, our rural location seems deserted, and the sounds of children in the garden have quietened. Yet, the garden remains full of excitement and activity as if, by magic, hundreds of roses are in bloom…
“Golden Yellow; the Colour of Joy.”
The glow of ambient light in Autumn is so atmospheric as the cooler temperatures and changeable weather create a season of dewy mornings, and the dramatic light stays golden all day around the late-flowering rose blooms. For some time now, I’ve wanted to replace the overgrown French lavender and the two Princess De Monaco roses…
Life In The Autumn Garden
Many hours have been spent in the garden this week. I’m taking advantage of the cool mornings that allow at least five hours of gardening before the sun’s intensity becomes too hot. It is cathartic, cutting back summer growth and pulling weeds so tall in some spots they were up to my shoulders. The word…
“Garden design is all about concealment and surprise.”
Now that I’ve had time to reflect on all I’ve seen in recent travels my favorite Botanical Garden is in Tasmania? The Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens ( RTBG ) has a wealth of specialist collections ranging from the Lily Pond, the Japanese Garden, the Historic Wall, and the Gate Keepers Cottage to the Community Food…
“Despite the gardener’s best intentions, Nature will improvise.”’
Today is a serene and beautiful clear sunny day, peaceful and still after the early morning cool and not a cloud in the sky. The sun shines, and the day is expected to be hot, a perfect summer day. Alas, like all things in nature, just when you thought it was time to enjoy the…
“And now let us welcome the New Year, Full of things that have never been.”
The dawn of a New Year is nearly here – a fresh start full of life’s promise, a time when we celebrate new beginnings and plot new year’s resolutions to be more mindful in our lives. For the garden, though, the new year is summertime in the southern hemisphere. By year’s end, the delights of…
“If every tiny flower wanted to be a rose, spring would lose its loveliness.”
Roses are the masterpiece of nature, adored the world over for their beauty and mesmerising fragrance. Today I have a selection of roses I photographed on one day early this week when I ducked outside to the damp garden to shoot a few snaps of the roses that were in bloom and had survived the…
“Each garden has its own surprise.”
Season after season, wonderful surprises pop up in the garden as if by magic. These unexpected elements create new landscapes that are delightful reminders of what gardening is actually about. Mirabel Osler calls it the ‘alchemy of the garden.’ A pleasing effect from a myriad of plants creates something more than individual details. An unexpected…
“The real voyage in discovery is not in new landscapes but in having new eyes”
New landscapes are emerging, and I’m seeing the garden for the first time with fresh eyes because, at last, when I walk in the garden, I feel as though with fragrance wafting in the air and an abundance of perfect roses it is a ‘proper garden’ now. The experience of watching the roses unfold is…
Out of the Blue
Blue is one of the most popular colours. The azure blue of the sky is reflected in our lakes, oceans and waterways and creates the haze in distant mountains but the pigment blue in the garden is extremely rare. So, even though Blue is all around us in the environment, Blue is elusive and there…