Top ten list of garden plants

  • Abutilons of all kinds
  • Buddlejas old and new
  • Epiphytic orchids and ferns
  • Gordonia species
  • Heliotrope, Lemon verbena, Fennel and herbs
  • Michelias of all sorts
  • Perennial Salvias large and small
  • Species Camellias
  • Tea and China Roses
  • Weigela of all types

Montville Rose

Monday, February 20, 2012

Open Gardens, not all Scones and Roses


We spent a whole day going around primping and preening gardens which on the face of it seem only to have just been done. Kyleigh worked with the pole hedge trimmer while I stumbled around with my shears. We fixed an ornamental pump head, repaired and painted the letter box and even used some remnant paint to paint an outdoor table top.
Many ornamental shrubs and perennials such as Plectranthus saccatus, Plectranthus exklonii (white, pink and blue) and summer plants such as Dahlias are flowering well.
The rain has continued intermittently so moisture loving plants such as Coleus (Solenostemnon spp), Ruellia repens and epiphytes such as the many Dendrobium spp, Cymbidium spp, Oncidium Spp orchids and various ferns are looking well.
Even the Caladium spp which resents dry weather is in appearence. Roses and Camellias are covered in bud and all is on track for our Open garden organization visitors on Thurday morning
Michael Simpson

Saturday, February 11, 2012

Open Garden Montville again


Photo: Plectranthus ditectly on the scanner plate.

With a few weeks left until Easter Saturday, Sunday and Monday and our Open garden event at "The Shambles"everything is going well for a lovely event. (details at www.montvillegarden.com )
The weather controls a great deal of what our visitors will see and so far the sunny days are evenly balanced with showers and the odd storm so the garden remains fresh and our buffalo grass (not really a lawn) is thick and green.
All the old fashioned roses had both a dressing of potassium sulphate and a spray with triforine. That and a long dead-head , a demi-prune has seen them right for a display around the Easter time.
The Gardenia jasminoides of various types had quite a severe trim along our North east boundary hedge so I hope they thicken up with the rest of summer. Many other young plants are establishing quickly. In flower just now Phaseolus giganteus, Phaseolus caracala (our snail creepers). Ipomoea horsfallii (Cardinal Creeper), Quisqualis indica (Rangoon Creeper) and of course our honeysuckle.

Some silly Camellia sasanqua are coming into bud but also spotting flowers and we are not usually bothered with disbudding Camellias.
The cuttings grown perennials for our plants stall are all very well established as is our growing collection of ferns of all sorts which thus far I have failed to identify
Michael Simpson