It seems hard to believe it is nearly the end of May already. It has been such an odd year, with nothing quite normal. At least our gardens somehow remain constant. Anyway, it is a lovely autumn day here (or was….looks like it might be clouding over as I type this afternoon…) and time for Six on Saturday. Thanks once again to The Propagator for allowing us to share what is going on in our gardens.
New Zealand is beginning to emerge from lockdown, with shops and restaurants open, albeit with tracking and hand sanitiser. We went to a garden centre on Sunday. There was no potting compost or bulb mix, some sad plants on sale, and lots of certain things where they had obviously just had a delivery. As you might expect, there were very few bulbs left, but I did pick up these, though I am unsure quite where to put them. My mail order bulbs have still not arrived although they have been dispatched. Due to more people ordering online in general, there is a backlog of parcels, so I am not sure when I will receive them. Hopefully this week as it is getting very late to plant.
Next up, an update on the tecomanthe speciosa or Three King’s Climber. Below you can see one of the flowers and also what it looks like if you hold it up to see ‘inside’ so to speak! The third picture is from a group that should open fully very soon. There are a lot more flowers and buds high up the tree, just out of reach of any decent photograph, but lovely to look at anyway.
It is the start of camellia season, with quite a few to see in the Botanic Gardens and around the house. So for number three, the buds below are from one of the three plants we have in the garden. And at number four this week, this wonderful display of the camellias which have roots in our neighbours’ garden but which border our staircase. I actually think we get more out of the plants than they do!
To the herbs, and I bought some broad leaf parsley plants last week. They have planted them out, so we’ll see what happens there. There is still a good amount of marjoram, oregano and thyme, and one of the rosemary plants is covered in flowers still.
Finally (I cheated a bit with numbers 3 and 4 I am afraid…but it is autumn and there isn’t much new going on), there is a lovely fatsia at the side of the house, which I have tried and failed to get a decent picture of as it is in a hard to get to place. There are some stunning ones right now in the Botanic Gardens (see here for an example). There is a bush covered with bright red berries to the left of it, and then. one of the camellias. You’ll just have to imagine it
That is all from me this week. As usual, I am looking forward to seeing everyone’s beautiful gardens in other parts of the world. Take care out there! Kia kaha.
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’s great to see the evolution of tecomanthe flowers (and to think of me because I may be the only one to have asked you the question earlier) but these unusual flowers are very interesting. In addition, they look very fragrant !
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They don’t actually smell, though I do agree they look as if they should. They are quite beautiful though.
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Like Fred I am enjoying watching your tecomanthe progress. What a fantastic camellia walkway! Hope your bulbs come next week, looking forward to seeing what you bought. Have a great week. 🙂
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Enjoy your week too 🙂
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As I haven’t looked at SOS for a while I had to do a bit of research on the techomanthe which looks rather fascinating. Will yours grow to huge proportions?
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It already is big…it is wrapped around the fence at the front of the house. I need to try to get pictures of that for the next post.
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The tecomanthe looks very exotic to me. Sure would like to see it in person. Or rather, in flower. 😉
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I should try and get a picture of more of the plant on the next sunny day.
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That’s my favorite kind of parsley, the flat leaf. Mine is struggling to do much, I might not get any. Our weather’s been hot (over 90 F) then cold and rainy, so some things don’t know what to do.
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We are entering into winter here so not sure how it will do, but here’s hoping enough survives to give me enough for cooking!
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It’s so strange to see the opposite climate! Our camellias are just about done and yours are budding up for their moment….
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Yes – one of the things I like about SoS is seeing the different seasons in different parts of the world.
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I love how the fabulous camellia borders the steps. The steps are pretty fabulous too – that area looks so atmospheric.
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It is a bit, though am not keen on coming down those steps with bags of shopping!
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My first visit to our nursery was a disappointment as the place was packed, and I spent more time social distancing than focusing on the plants. We were lucky in that the online nurseries were open the entire time, so I happily shopped online. I do hope your purchases arrive in time! Its been lovely seeing the Three Kings Climber each week. The flowers are beautiful. The Fatsia looks interesting too.
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The nurseries were closed during our Level 4 lockdown, then opened for click and collect. We might try this weekend as my bulbs coming by post have arrived.
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Glad the bulbs arrived. Our nurseries were inundated by customers. There was an outstanding increase in people showing an interest in gardening, in particular vegetable gardening. Business rocketed. As did the DIY! Now the rush to get out is over, I find nursery shopping is a more pleasant experience again!
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Yes there was a big rush here before we went into lockdown. It is great if it has boosted gardening as a thing to do.
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Yes, I agree.
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I think you have features Three Kings Climber before and if you did I think it is a new one on me. That Camelia is lovely.
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Yes I featured it last year when I discovered what it was called! I love the cameilias too.
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That teconmanthe is wonderful. Nice to see something different from the clematis.
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