Today is Palm Sunday, and I have planted my nikau palms in the garden. One is by the Japanese maple and another is next to the tree fern. Apparently they are very slow growing and like shaded gullies. I considered growing them within hammock distance of one another, but the opportunity didn't present itself.
Paradise is near completion.
I have also installed a new hotbed - of flaming celosias. Upon removal of the tomatoes, the back bed is now free and edged in tree prunings of peach and pinecones. I planted four punnets of celosia 'fairy fountain' in yellow, orange and pinky-red plumes. Also in my flaming bed is a rock rose and a hebe, rescued from their languishing state in the front rock garden and I have replaced their vacant spot with gazania. I also removed the ailing hibiscus which seemed not to last so now there is just one there, the one that came all the way from Whangarei. Clianthus too, is now planted there in hopes it will root itself again, the white variety doesn't seem to do too well and I possibly bought it too late in the season. Next time I will find a red one.
Flowers are so ephemeral. They bloom and then they fade..
I'm considering growing sweet peas up the arch to replace the morning glories which are going to seed. The weather assisted me with light showers on and off this weekend.
I've started my landscape design course with the accumulation of stationery - I had to buy a french curve, tracing paper, coloured pencils and a set square. Of course, my garden had never been so much as designed as planted, but it was my brothers who put in the hedging which is the bones of the garden, which they clipped in box shapes and perfect curves. Apart from this, I had never given much thought to putting plants on paper before I put them in the ground. But I suppose if you have a vision you ought to put it on paper so everyone can see it, but in my case I am painting with words. For those with no reading comprehension skills, I suppose a birds eye view can come in handy but you could never completely replicate a garden by looking at it from above. And gardens aren't flat either...aside from this difficulty in comprehending garden or landscape plans, I suppose to achieve my unit standard I must conform to horticultural procedure and documentation. But already I'm thinking , I didn't garden so I could do paperwork!
