Garden Rambling - From Alstromeria to Zantedeschia

By Rob Pooley

Once again Mangawhai turned up trumps for this years Palmers Planet Mangawhai Garden Ramble on November 10-11, delivering weather one could only get if specifically ordered. 

As a showcase for spring gardens in their absolute finest this was hard to beat and gardeners had worked extremely hard to have their plots denuded of weeds, edges trimmed or sprayed and flowers in bloom for this special weekend.

Copious quantities of bark and post peelings had been laboriously trucked, barrowed, shovelled and raked to work not only to a timeline but to also effect an annual mulch, so a deadline in this case was a good incentive towards getting the job done. 

No doubt gardeners – not just those on display, but also the wannabe’s – indulge in a lot of note-comparing to raise the plants that take their fancy and how to get the best from them. Despite the recommendations of multiple gardening guides, through different treatment, different gardeners get some quite different results from the same plant proving that fingers can come in many different shades of green.

Everything whose botanical name ended in -folia, -ilium, -osa or -anthus could be found , discussed, admired and mooned over. Of course many just prefer the simpler common names like the ‘tractor-seat plant’, recognisable by those with rural leanings who recall the days of David Brown and Nuffield.

Just as we now indulge in exotic foods, so in the past 20 years we have a definite leaning towards the grand, smooth-trunked, papery leafed tropical plants and palms – and to great effect. One must have the utmost respect for those who have planned planted, replanted and shifted literally hundreds of specimens on a seemingly unforgiving, windy two-acre block simply to meet the challenges of the inner gardener. 

While the tropicals are grand and ever-interesting in their intricacies, there is still a definite place for the annuals that pervade the English cottage-style gardens where roses and hollyhocks nestle in among snapdragons; and stocks where colours of yesteryear, apricot, old gold, heliotrope, tusk, bleu, and double icicle abound. Many new cultivars were amplified by the brilliant early summer sunshine but of course, avid gardeners have been breeding plants from time immemorial.

Several gardens entertained us with warbling tuis delving in the succulence of new flax flowers, and a variety of sculptures, rock formations, water features and the odd pizza oven all contributed towards the gardener’s style or plan in creating what, for many, will always be a work in progress. 

Somehow the schedule put the snack stops at just the right places for a coffee and nibble and as we got into the afternoon, a refreshing high tea at Tara Lodge was a good time to relax for a bit and discuss what we had seen earlier in the day. 

At one point we came to judge what was the ‘best’ we had seen. Two very amateur gardeners came up with two very different summeries and found that each garden had a special point of interest and point of difference.

A big thanks to the homeowners who welcomed ramblers and gave freely of their knowledge, experience, experiences and hospitality in making this ramble a successful one and a great fundraiser for  Plunket and Kindergarten.

Now what first, the secateurs or the chainsaw…?