I took mum out to the Parnell Rose Gardens on Sunday as we wanted to at least go somewhere now the 'traffic light system' is operating. I figured it would be nice to see all the roses in bloom. We did see them but more impressive at the moment is the pohutakawa trees which are vividly blooming red all around Auckland. Ironically Auckland is still in 'Red' at the traffic lights.
Mum thinks we could make rose wine, as Por Por used to make it. But we need roses that haven't been sprayed, and I'm not too sure about those Parnell Rose Garden roses. Unfotunately they all seem to have lost their scent too, as we tried smelling them and none bowled us away. I don't know who is looking after them now (maybe a council department that has contracted out to the lowest bidder?) but the roses looked like they needed a good fertiliser and mulch.
The Nancy Steen Garden though was looking as lovely as ever, with the borders filled with annuals and perennials. I'm not too keen on the all white garden, but the rest of the garden featured some gorgeous flowers like purple catmints, lobster claws, echinops, ladies mantles and pansies that I want to repeat in my own driveway border.
I came home one day to find that dad had ripped out all the plants to the left of the back door, leaving only the jade money tree in its pot. Of course I was distraught but mollified somewhat that mum had saved the daphne and the aeonium from total destruction and was planning to transplant them somewhere else.
It's because she needs access to the tap so now there is nothing but sharp stones and I can see the black plastic peeking through the holes. Sigh. You win some you lose some. The daphne is now in a pot (hopefully it will live through this trauma) and the aeonium is now turning purple in its new spot in the front yard where the mugwort used to grow.
Apart from that I was able to get to the first Te Puna Saturday market where there were only five stalls, though one was selling plants so I got a zucchini for $3, and that's growing near some goji berry cuttings. My lazy housewife beans have come up as has my snake beans I only hope it's not too late in the season for them as my uncle already has flowers on his beans. He says its not worth growing snake beans but I've never tried so..we will see. He also had them tied to strings and placed a plank of wood underneath the eave of his garage with nails all along to tie the strings to. But I don't think my dad would do anything like that to his garage. This time the beans are going to grow up maple branch prunings against the back fence.
I also have the cucumber Jacqui gave me and several pumpkins have sprouted so it will be a race to the finish of who can scramble over the garden the longest. The only thing is we don't have room for blocks of sweetcorn or tomatoes which is a real shame as they are my favourite veges. Well I better go water my cosmos and beans. It looks like we'll get more Christmas lilies this year at the right time since the Pohutakawas have come early, they'll probably be all over by the 25th. Fingers crossed that we can still have Christmas lunch and it's not all canceled this year!
