Burnt orange zinnias, brilliantly fluffy celosia and showy zinnia swizzle cherry and ivory heading now for the LPLL garden beds. Thanks Mitre 10.
January 22, 2012 by Admin
Planting now
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November 26, 2011 by Admin
Smelling the roses
I spent Election Day smelling the roses, literally. As there has been so much manure on the campaign trail, I thought it only fitting. I’m now as sunburnt as a Raspberry Ice floribunda. But I don’t think it’s that making me feel ill.
I’ve been staying up late surrounded by Whittaker’s chocolate wrappers, with a mad twitchy left eye thing going on. It’s the look of furrowed concentration that is the most alarming as it will probably cost me more than supermarket shelf moisturiser to repair the lines. I got this idea ya’see. And clearly because I don’t have enough to do…..I’m launching a new project. Yes, another one. So I’ve been out shooting it up, preparing prettiness for you. Prepare for prettiness people!
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November 15, 2011 by Admin
Poppies are here!
Came out on the same day. So nice to see them 
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January 7, 2011 by Admin
Poppy evolution in the LPL garden
Poppying up among the natives
I’ve been growing poppies for years. Beautiful big reddish-pink single poppies. I never plant them they just freely seed everywhere. And I do mean everywhere. With each flower capable of producing a thousand seeds you can see why.It’s never been a big problem though. The silvery-grey foliage looks very attractive next to my vegetables or ornamentals.
Last year, a new poppy suddenly arrived on the scene. A big pink and ruffley number. But there was only one.
This year there seems to be a war going on. The pinks and reds are battling it out for supremacy and they seem to have called in other mercenaries to prop up their numbers.
I can’t find any houses near me growing poppies, we’re just not a floral garden kind of ‘hood. But I’m assuming they’re crossing somehow. Another sign may be that all the darker ones are sterile – no seeds have developed from the pods. Curioser and curioser…
If you’ve got poppies, just leave them be as they really don’t like being moved. If you don’t want them, then be vigilant and chop them down. Don’t let them go to flower. After the pod has developed the seeds will continue through to maturity even if you’ve beheaded them..
Here are some pictures of our current crop.
The original LPL HQ poppy, going strong
Poppy #2 - the pink ruffled number
The quite princely poppy #3
Poppy 4 has low numbers so far
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October 28, 2010 by Admin
Resplendent Natives
To the uninformed, New Zealand natives are green and boring. How wrong those poor saps are. Have a look at these deliciously radiant native species all flowering now: Hebe speciosa ‘Magenta’, manuka and Phormium cookianum flowering spike.
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September 30, 2010 by Admin
Orchids
Photos taken in the Tutukiwi Orchid and Fern House, Lower Hutt after the funeral of my great-uncle Murray Bond (7 April 1929 – 20 September 2010).
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July 23, 2010 by Admin
Seeds of Delight
Golan Levin and Kyle McDonald have been unwrapping flowers – taking images and stretching them out flat using panoramic software. The results are gorgeous, you can see them all on Flickr. And to celebrate such loveliness I’ve used the images as the icons below. Many delights to be found amidst the links below.
Talking Plants talks plants really well. He’s covered two of my long-held suspicions lately. Firstly, Organic isn’t always the enviro-friendly option – sprays that are supposedly ‘natural’ aren’t always better than manmade chemicals. Everything is toxic in the right concentration. (Article on derris dust). Secondly, we’re just sex slaves to orchids.
John Folsom makes beautiful mixed-media images and his exhibition Lure of the Low Country features intoxicating images with plenty of trees. Other pictorialised plants I’ve fallen for lately include Dan McCarthy’s screenprint and Luigi Benedicenti’s hyper-real plant products.
The beautiful people at Homegrown.org have been busy putting together a series of cute, little how-to cards. Steal ‘em, print ‘em, share ‘em! So far released: Kale Pesto Recipe, How To Save Tomato Seeds, How To Make A Self-watering Container. They’ve also got seed packet templates and adorable labels on the goodies page.
Canada’s University of Guelph is offering Certificates in Sustainable Urban Agriculture and Horticulture. Each programme consists of four online core courses and one online elective. “Learn the strategies that allow your urban space… to become a destination for the growth of plant material that is both sustainable and productive.”
Confused by Biodynamics? Don’t be – a good little intro video via Pete @ Ooooby. Holistic sustainable organic agriculture and horticulture – really, should there be any other kind? Often dismissed for being a bit ‘out-there’, most of the practices are based on sound farming principles developed over 100s of years. More at Biodynamics NZ.
Press release by the International Blackcurrant Association working to make Ribes nigrum the next superfood. There are plenty of good things to say about blackcurrants and I don’t mind them being said – but I do so dislike this horrible ‘Could-do’ marketing employed by the natural health industry. I reckon I’m about a berry-width away from despising the term ‘functional food.’
Looking for more plant-related link love? Check out past editions of Seeds of delight.
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May 14, 2010 by Admin
Friday Seeds of Delight: 14 May
So it is my firm intention that every Friday I post some of the fascinating little gems of info, photos and links that have delighted me that week, discovered in the wonderful garden of knowledge that is the internet.
For those lucky enough to own a digital SLR and love getting all macro, but can’t afford the equipment, the Flickr blog introduces a reverse lens technique. Links through to gorgeous examples and a quick overview to get you started.
In the wake of Mother’s Day, Pruned reflects on the world cut-flower trade, doing an excellent summary on Kenya and it’s ‘conflict flowers’ in relation to horticultural haemorrhaging in the shadow of Eyjafjallajökull.
Speaking of unspeakable volcanoes, it will be interesting to see how food supplies, ingredients and medicinal herbs will be affected by this event. Ohhh – but watch this video and have you seen these glorious images?
Garden.geek.nz takes a look at the aesthetics and tastiness of the tamarillo, and provides an excellent link through to a report on nutritional composition and benefits of New Zealand tamarillos.
Veg.itecture introduces us to the Bolton eco-house in the UK (via World Architecture News), which from the air looks like a pretty little flower. Also check out the post on the Lincoln Center green wall.
And you’ve gotta see Vincent Callebaut’s dreamy, jewelled airship-cities powered by seaweed. The Belgian architect also does a lovely line of Dragonfly Vertical Farms. Makes me want to live in the future!
Main image by Flickr user Holger Hill.
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October 9, 2009 by Admin
Lilly Schreyer Tulips
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