I so enjoyed writing last week’s Six on Saturday, and meeting so many interesting gardening bloggers out there, so am having another go today. It is another lovely sunny and warm spring day, so the right time to be tidying up a rather sad looking rosemary in a pot and sewing some micro-green seeds. Without further ado, here are my Six on Saturday.
1. Seeds
I ordered up a few packets of seeds: some basic, mixed nasturtium and some night and day nasturtium, which promise to be mahogany and cream; marigolds; chives (I use them a lot in cooking); radishes and some cherry tomatoes, which I hope to grow in either a grow bag or large pot. I have had luck in growing tomatoes indoors in a sunny spot in the past, so let’s hope these flourish.
2. Little violets
These pop up all over the place in our yard, in unexpected places. You have to keep your eyes peeled to spot them.
3. Kawakawa
Kawakawa is one of the most distinctive New Zealand native plants, and we are fortunate to have a few bushes around the house. It is an important plant in traditional Māori herbal medicine, and these days often appears as an ingredient in some restaurant dishes. The holes in the leaves are caused by the caterpillar of the kawakawa looper moth, which restricts its diet to kawakawa.
4. A book
A slim volume of essays, this book praises all things to do with gardening. It is a book to pick up and put down, rather than read all at once, and is full of literary references to gardens.
5. The back terrace
This is a neglected spot, and we hardly ever venture out here, except to admire the magnolia when it is in flower. We sit outside in another spot, close to the kitchen, and often forget this other area outside. I keep thinking this could be a good spot for a nice pot with some flowers. Ideas welcome!
6. The bush
This is the view from the side of the house, looking out into the bush. Not our garden, but what we are surrounded by on two sides, just to give you some indication of where we are situated.
Thanks to The Propagator for starting Six on Saturday.
If you want to know more about kawakawa, here is an article.
You can find Thistles and Kiwis on Facebook, and also on Instagram@thistleandkiwis. As for Twitter….am totally inactive these days. If you want to get in touch, email me on thistlesandkiwis@gmail.com
Thistles and Kiwis 
It all looks very lush and green. We have violets in our garden too. Lovely scent. That sunny spot looks like a good secluded place to read a book. I’d go for a little table and chair!
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Good idea!
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Ah, happy Spring! I must get a copy of the Lively book. Sounds like a fun read.
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Thank you!
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I would love the little violets in my garden. Thank you for sharing the gardening book. I will look it up and put it on my (Winter Gardening Reads List)
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The unused corner is crying out for a large pot of something colorful, however I am clueless about your seasons or lack thereof.
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I agree, even just a large pot of marigolds. It is spring here, so time to think about planting things our for the summer.
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I love violets! I need to make a list of seeds and a good source to buy them from. “Life in the Garden” sounds great. Thanks for recommending it! 🙂
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The Penelope Lively book looks like one to keep a lookout for. I just planted some pots with a variety of colourful annuals in each..alyssum, petunia pansies and violas. Something like that would look bright in your corner- or balsam if you don’t get a lot of sun there. Interesting about the kawakawa: I remember noticing that tree with its holey leaves as a child, many years ago.
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Hi yes thinking of pansies or marigolds for that corner, and petunias are always lovely. Yes the kawakawa is a fun plant to have in the garden and they say that the holes mean it is ready to eat. Not sure if that is true!
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So great to see a spring post when we are all heading into Autumn. I also love seeing so many different plants form your part of the world. Love. X
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Bush on two sides of your garden! I have “bush” on one side and that’s enough for me to cut back continually as it seeks to invade. That out-of-the way spot with its dappled light looks perfect for a chair and small table (somewhere to put the wine glass) where you can settle down and read Penelope.
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Sounds an excellent idea!
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Lovely to see you again with all your springtime vibe. Jealous. I will be busy the next few weeks with clean-up jobs then preparation for next year. No rest for the wicked!
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Thank you! It’s such a great idea love seeing what other people are up to in their gardens.
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My first thought for the empty space was table & chairs, & others’ve said. My Doodle would suggest putting a paddle pool there, for cooling down after her walks. Maybe a more human oriented water feature, then? I was intrigued by the night & day nasturtiums from your description, but doing an image search, I’m not so sure. Often, I need to see these in the garden. Have you had them before? If not, keep us posted as to how you like them. Do they go hog wild like the usual bandits?
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A paddling pool sounds great! I’m going to put an old garden chair there and see how it blows about – we are luckily sheltered from the cold southerlies, but do get blasted at times with other winds. I haven’t seen those nasturtiums in a garden, and haven’t tried them before, so it is a bit of an experiment to be honest. Let’s see!
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