Greetings SoSers from a sunny Wellington, after many a rainy day this week. It has been wet and warm, the sort of weather that makes my hair frizz and things grow. I only have five more working days to go until three weeks of summer/Christmas holiday and I honestly can’t wait to be free of sitting at a computer all day. Anyway, thanks once again to The Propagator for allowing us to share what is going on in our gardens. Check out the participant guide if you want to join in.
So first up, this week’s nasturtiums. My husband laughs at me raving about them, calling them ‘the sort of flowers that children plant’. Well, I don’t care because I love them – just take a moment to look at their shapes and colours. They also have the added benefit of being edible.
Next up, things appearing above the surface: the hymenocallis, dahlias and eucomis all showing signs of life. The sunflower too, though where the second one has gone I don’t know – maybe eaten.
I was in two minds about showing you what it is like at the back of the house at the moment, but here we go at number three, a sea of white and green (yes that is an old garden chair covered with leaves). It does look like a lot of arthropodium cirratum (or New Zealand rock lily or rengarenga). What you can’t really see from the picture is that the plants are sitting on a slope, and in the shade, so is ideal coverage for this spot.
Moving on to the herbs, and most things are looking well. I planted out the supermarket pot basil during the week, which will either survive or not. I have had a lot of leaves from it in any case. The echinacea is looking good, as is the lemon verbena and sages.
And so to number five, and I decided on this tui who paid us a visit yesterday. Tuis are native New Zealand birds, which have a sort of blue/green iridescent sheen to them and distinctive white throat feathers like little tufts. They are very vocal, with a distinct mix of tuneful notes mixed with what I can only describe as strange grunts or croaks. We have loads where we live, and their chatter and calling are always to be heard.
Finally, the Peruvian lilies are blooming! I put one picture at the top of the post and another couple below. There are lots more to come, so there will be more pictures in the weeks to come.
So that is my six for this week. As usual, I am looking forward to seeing everyone’s beautiful gardens in other parts of the world. Hope you are all well and enjoying your gardens in whatever the season is with you.
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 
We have crossover. My nasturtiums are still on the go despite the frost. From a couple of free packs of seed they happily self seed each year and fill gaps.
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Like yours, my yellow Alstromeria are also flowering, and what a beautiful sunny colour they are! As are the Nasturtiums! The NZ rock lily is obviously the perfect plant for slopes. What fantastic coverage it offers.
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Lovely to see a bit of sunshine (not much here the last few days). I grow nasturtiums every year and love the range of colours they come in.
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Exactly – nasturtiums come in so many colours.
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Your featured photo is the last of your six, I had to wait until the end to enjoy these gorgeous Peruvian lilies. I love them.
These arthropodium are the plants perfectly chosen to mark this path.
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Do you read the blog posts on an iPhone? I have noticed the the picture I put at the top of the post shows on my computer (where I write) and my iPad but not my iPhone. I am curious!
I love those lilies – remind me these days of Christmas.
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Yes! These Peruvian lilies are featured on my iPhone. And on my Mac, they are the first of the 4 images.
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That really cool green flower – is that your basil? I have never seen one and it is amazing!
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I think it might be the echinacea flower in its first stages.
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Your colorful garden is just what we are all needing right now! Good to have friends in down under places!
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I loved reading about your Tui bird. It’s a real treat to see all your plants bursting forth as our gardens go to sleep.
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I am with you on nasturtiums, such uplifting plants with lovely trailing habits, I grow mine among veg with calendulas. Love them in salads too.
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Sounds lovely!
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I know I often say it but, at this time of year, it is difficult to imagine the new growth and green shoots in the soil. Lovely, summery Six-on-Saturday.
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Can I swap my starlings for your tuis. I remember having my lunch on my own in the middle of Maungatautri with four or five tuis serenading me. Magic moment. Not a lot wrong with that Alstroemeria either.
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I am enjoying all these lovely flowers, especially the nasturtiums. We are in the dark and cold of winter now in western Oregon.
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Time for you to light candles and get cosy! Thanks for commenting 🙂
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We have a resident Tui up here that wakes us up every morning at 5am chirping his head off
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Yes….no chance to sleep late!
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I love nasturtiums, too! Three weeks of vacation sound grand!
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So looking forward to the break!
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I too love nasturtiums but my wife doesn’t. Have you tried Alaska? It has a beautiful marbled variegated leaf.
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So lovely to see so much colour. A reminder of what we have to look forward to next year.
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