The sun is shining which is wonderful after a week that saw hailstones (bye bye a couple of seedlings), wind, rain and sunshine of course. It is lovely to have good weather on this holiday weekend here in New Zealand. Anyway, thanks once again to The Propagator for allowing us to share what is going on in our gardens.
First up, we went to the garden centre for some more pots, more soil and three herb plants – a chocolate mint to replace the one that didn’t last over the winter (fingers crossed…), a pineapple sage (which smells exactly like those old fashioned pineapple cube sweets) and another tarragon (see the contrast between the new and old below!). I’ll need to put these into proper pots over the weekend.
Next up, all the thymes are doing well, and with a roast chicken planned for Sunday, so of it will get used – perhaps the lemon thyme and chicken thyme? It is lovely to see dormant things come to life again – except for the lemon balm which has given up the ghost completely. I have no idea why – I’ll give it a couple more weeks to see if there are any signs of new growth.
I know you have seen lots of pictures of the hellebores already, but they are still blooming and still looking lovely. There are some stunning dark purple ones in the Botanic Gardens near the Duck Pond that I have been admiring.
Next up the hostas, which in the picture below, make them look like they are located in the midst of a forest (let’s face it, we are surrounded by rather untamed land). They looked stunning in the sun today,
The sun has brought out the bees, and I spotted this beauty on one of the lavender heads. It is a bit out of focus due to wind and its own movements, but lovely to watch. If my planting plans come to ‘florition’ (rather than fruition? sorry….) I hope we can attract a few more this year.
Finally, the rhododendron (featured at the top of the post) is looking stunning right now, a lovely splash of bright pink in the green surroundings. The camellia (again, sorry for another picture) is still producing an abundance of flowers, enjoyed by both bees and tuis.
As usual, I am looking forward to seeing everyone’s beautiful gardens in other parts of the world.
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 
Odd that the lemon balm might not have made it. It’s usually pretty tough. Nice to see the bee enjoying the lavender.
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Exactly my thoughts too. I thought they were really hardy. I might repot and move to a different place and see if that helps.
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How wonderful for you having spring and summer to enjoy in your garden whilst we are winding down now. Your rhododendron looks wonderful in the gorgeous first photo.
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A pineapple sage?! What a find !…
My hostas turn yellow and the leaves fall when yours wake up and shine… envy…
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The pineapple sage is quite strong smelling. Hope it grows well – should be nice in summer drinks.
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Mmm chocolate mint and pineapple sage sound delicious!
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Beautiful rhododendron! I assume that is French lavender. I always think it looks as though it needs a haircut or at least a good comb through! Nice Six.
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I know what you mean about the lavender!
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You’re doing it again. A picture of Hosta and the fern and Arthropodium behind them is encroachment from untamed land to you, choice garden plants to me. Do tuis feed on nectar in the camellias? And do they do so without trashing the blooms. Tuis would be a nice pest to have mind.
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I hadn’t thought of it like that before! Tuis have long, thin beaks so they can get right into the flower without destroying the blooms. They are such fun to watch.
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Nice to see your lush hostas as mine yellow and shrivel.
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And when mine are yellow..yours will be blooming!
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I’ll echo the others in saying, while our stuff is dying back, you southern hemi folk are gifts to the eyes. I looked up tui song videos & was stuck by their appearance. Reminded me of men from the Inquisition w/their big collars, etc. The rest of the plumage is equally amazing & must look wonderful in the sun. This particular video featured several calls – do they mimic other sounds? I agree w/Jim about liking them in the back garden.
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Tuis are wonderful birds and yes they do mimic other sounds at times. We are so lucky where we live that we get them coming round so often.
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If I was in New Zealand I would have planted my bulbs months ago. Must emigrate.
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🙂
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Yes, your posts are gifts to the eye, as Lora put it. Such a pleasure to see what is in bloom in your part of the world. Good luck with those herbs!
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Thank you so much! What a lovely comment.
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