Late spring on Sequoia Farm

3 Oct '06 12:57 am

Saturday 30 September

At last, I gather my thoughts about the garden, the season, and life, and sit down to write a long letter to my gardening friends around the globe… where do I start?

With the garden, I guess, and new acquisitions, but that immediately takes me to death – and to life, and how the two go hand in hand. For I bought plants on two daytrips to Johannesburg 8 days apart: on the first to say goodbye to my great friend Stephan, dying of a brain tumour in his prime (38, a strapping fellow, diagnosed 15 months ago on the day he was accepted for his doctorate in genetics) and on the second to attend his funeral. In between I turned 50, and spent time with my sister and family, including her two sons aged 11 and 13, whose energy and joie de vivre and trust in life and love is boundless.

For Stephan I shall plant five roses in the Beech Borders: 3 David Austin’s – Mary Rose, Sharifa and Gertrude Jekyll, as well as Cornelia (a Pemberton Hybrid Musk) and Duet. Then I am still looking for two pink flowered indigenous trees to plant there as well, as he always approved of mixing the unexpected, whether it was science and art, or the natural and the cultured. They are Dais cotinifolia, the Pompon Tree and Calodendrum capense, the Cape Chestnut.

Other roses I bought were Pat Austin (copper-orange) to fill a gap in the Anniversary garden, Mozart and Phalaenopsis (or Chatillon Rose or Butterfly Kisses – sic) to compliment the somewhat similar Ballerina in the Upper Rosemary Border, as well as Cardinal Hume. For the part of the Upper Rosemary Border beyond the steps, where I intend a much larger scale of flowering shrubs, I bought Erfurt and Nevada, and will combine them with homegrown roses and shrubs including Mutabilis, Pink Grootendorst and Viburnum plicatum. Lastly, and dedicated to Liza who reminded me of its beauty, a small but stunning rose will form a focal point as one walks along the top of the Upper Rosemary Border towards the steps: planted just beyond and above the steps will be Grüss an Aachen.

What else did I buy? I have finally found a focal point for the view down the main axis (between the rosemary hedges) in the Anniversary Garden: a most beautifully glazed deep blue sphere. A photo will hopefully soon follow! I bought 4 beautiful little azaleas (talk about coals to Newcastle) for my mother – they are new to our collection and currently used as house plants.

I bought several plants for the Upper Rosemary Border, mainly plants that I’ve been coveting and will fit in there: a cardoon (artichoke), some rhubarbs, Rosemary ‘Tuscan’ - the third of the seven ‘different’ rosemaries to go into the lower edge of the border, over 50 Delphiniums (Pacific Giants and Magic Fountain), 32 Anthirrhinums and 32 McKana’s Giant Aquilegias, 64 Gazanias and 64 Achilleas . We’ve also planted blue, white and pink daisies from my tunnel, now that the risk of frost is over, and several verbascums and lavenders. Some of the larger shrubs planted out-of-ground have died and need replacing. (We are so often unsuccessful with out-of-ground transplanting, no matter how much I stress that plants should be removed with the maximum amount of roots attached…) And then there are still several shrubs in pots and roses grown from cuttings I need to position in the bed.

For the large Italian pot at the end of the Rosemary Terrace I bought (and planted –proof in the pic!) Cupressus macrocarpa ‘Gold Crest’ and surrounded it with some golden plants: Acorus gramineus ‘Golden Edge’, Lysimachia nummularia aurea and Carex hachijoensis ‘Evergold’. Acorus and carex are new ‘spikeys’ to me and I plant them in honour of Moosey and all New Zealanders who love spiky things (including rugby boots). We planted the six steps with a variety of ‘inter-cobble’ groundcovers: 3 different thymes, pennyroyal, chamomile and silver carpet (Dymondia margaretae, a wonderful silvery indigenous ground hugger with yellow daisy flowers.) Oh and of course! The 4 beautiful pots given me by my parents for my birthday are planted: two flank the entrance at the top end of the Rosemary terrace, and are planted with rosemary (to be balled) and two stand at the head of the steps, planted with box, also to be balled.

Then both my father and I bought seed-mixes for the Lower Rosemary Border – bad communication, but just as well, as there is over 170m² to be planted. This morning I marked it all out for sowing on Monday. Oh, and I bought an Alchemilla mollis, my umpteenth attempt to grow it. I shall plant it near my house for some stern observation!

That sounds impressive – especially as I was heading for my usual mope: ‘the holiday is nearly over and I’ve achieved next-to-nothing!’

Now I need to follow up a few of the threads that have caught my imagination over the last weeks; at first I thought to lump all my responses together in one post, but I think it better to add to the originals, no matter how belatedly. Later: and talking of belatedly – the week-end is over, I have written a little, photographed a lot (also see my post in response to my birthday wishes and the one below) but responded to only one post: Liza’s recent butterfly pictures. I promise to catch up!

3 Oct '06 1:24 am

When I went out this morning just after six, the world was beautiful, the schizophrenia of September – all colour and no green – coming to an end. Then it struck me: it was the beginning of October. ‘Oh to be in England now that April’s here’ is echoed by an Afrikaans poem which has been set to beautiful music: ‘It is the month October, most beautiful of months’ (And Hurray for the Hemispheres!) As the day progressed, growing hotter and hotter, my enthusiasm wilted (a suitable image as much of my time went into watering – it is hot and dry and we are trying to catch up after pump problems) but by five the dogs were no longer listlessly seeking the shadows (in fact only Doubly stayed with me all day) and I kept going till after dark. It is the first day in months that I have spent entirely in the garden… there is much that it is depressingly neglected, but luckily depression over detail is fleeting – thus have I trained myself, or I would get no joy out of the garden ever! Instead I kept my camera close (well, in the early morning anyway!) and now I share with you a few moments from the day…

3 Oct '06 1:50 am

More pics - I didn't want to bomb out halfway through...

3 Oct '06 2:20 am

Wow, Jack you've done huge amounts for your garden, I don't know why you feel you haven't! Very Happy

How beautiful your Azaleas are, and your Japonicas and your roses, and your Nicotanias, and...oh...everything! Wink

I particularly love your "Erfurt" rose in your first post, it looks so delicate and fragile, almost as if it's not quite real. I'm sure your French Garden is a lovely, peaceful place - I can just imagine walking slowly through there and maybe sitting down against one of the tree trunks to do a spot of painting or writing, or some other creative pursuit.

I feel for you so much, having lost your friend Stephan, as my mother-in-law died of a brain tumour three and a half years ago at the age of 58 which is also far too young, and I miss her so much even now (we were very close and often used to go shopping together, etc.). My father-in-law has made a lovely seating area in his garden in her memory which has a pergola over with climbers of different sorts growing up and over the top - it's a lovely place to sit and read, or just look out over the garden and think of her. I'm sure your roses will mean the same to you when you have them all established.

Good old Doubly for staying with you all day though - it must be lovely to have such dedicated company with you while you potter!

Anyway, thank you so much for such a wonderful update on your progress and, as always, it's so cheering to see the wonderful colours coming through in your southern hemisphere spring gardens, especially when here it is cold, dreary and absolutely pouring down with rain (and I just had to move my car so it's now parked miles away and I got soaked walking back to the office!) Sad

Bambi
x

3 Oct '06 2:47 am

Thanks, that was a quick response! I've also updated my avater with a more cheerful, springy picture - the white shrub behind the bridge is Viburnum plicatum...

3 Oct '06 3:05 am

Jack!! You are so happy, so full of inspiration and energy in this post!! And your garden follows your creativity!! I hope you have a lot of good gardening help for all these adorable perennials and adorable Roses you adopted for your beloved garden!

I mostly fell in love with your "OK,OK.OK" adorable Azalea, your pond dream picture --it smells purely of Spring!!, the Scilla and Erigeron one, and the French Garden! The spot you are going to plant "Liza's Rose" is magical( dear Gruss an Aachen will be delighted , performing and smelling(!!!) in his best!), like all your Italian potteries and terracota coloured constructions! Why Entrance of Rondel Garden a .."failure"?? Nooo!! I love Alfred's Arches! With Erigeron!!

If you sometime are inspired to do it, why don't you make a plan of your whole Garden for us to see it globally!! You can draw it on a good quality mat paper,then put it on the floor in a well lit spot, and then take a photo of it, without a flash, like you take flowers'close-ups! I would so much love to "see" like this the whole of your garden!

Well. I edited my post , just to add, that I got some more imaginative kilos ... by just reading your Birthday delices' gourmet descriptions!! By the way, are you a chef as well???

3 Oct '06 1:15 pm

This was taken two days ago . Somewhere in Jack's posts he names this daisy which gives such a spectacular display in Spring .The red roof of the wishing well can be seen in the centre ,where the fairy garden is.
Dixie

4 Oct '06 4:25 am

I took a few photos yesterday, first in the early morn, then of the lovely light as the sun dipped below the clouds that had shrouded the mountain since first light. The wisteria photo is a week old - it is all but over, dessicated by the heat.

4 Oct '06 8:27 pm

Sometimes, whenever I have the blessing to remember my dreams, the scenes in my dreams are exaclty in the same shades of colours like in these gorgeous, recent photos of yours! It is amazing... You just sent dream-coloured photos, dear Jack!!

5 Oct '06 2:29 am

And I quite agree, especially when she then refers to Liza's garden perfection. But I must quote myself too, in contrast: 'luckily depression over detail is fleeting – thus have I trained myself, or I would get no joy out of the garden ever!' I wrote in this very string only two days ago. Thus is the dilemma of gardening on a large scale Rolling Eyes

Luckily we have photographs, and they (and words)are our medium in sharing our gardens. So now I can CHOOSE the detail. I had a panic attack( Liar

well not really) in the middle of the heat on Sunday - what if one of my gardening friends appeared out of the blue now and saw (a) the state of the garden and (b)the listlessness of my gardening!

Instead we share the wonderful moments: Liza's butterflies, or my golden sunset. And luckily (thank you all!) we can admit to the bad moments too.

Liza, you suggest I do a plan of the garden. It has been something I wish to do for months - no: years! But I want to do it correctly, with the proportions right etc. In fact it must be a bit of a work of art, which is pushing my abilities beyond the limit: so perhaps I must draw a measured plan and commission it. Or perhaps I must just start with a rough sketch... Think

Dixie: your SA daisy is osteospermum. They are usually white with an ink blue eye and sometimes reverse as well, or ink blue all over. Of late several new hybrids have come on the market and I have planted a selection in the Upper Rosemary Border: burgendy, mauve and the most beautiful soft yellows.

Late spring on Sequoia Farm

Late spring on Sequoia Farm

October!

October too

Thank you Bambi!

Spring inspiration and energy!!!

South African Daisies

More pics and news

Colours of my dreams...

'Garden big, think small' says Moosey in her journal