Central Plateau, North Island

Central Plateau, North Island
View from a friend's farm

Thursday 12 December 2019

The mess and the Garden

Life continues, Hugh's laptop is larger than mine so the keyboard is a challenge.

When we came here a year ago, there was NO garden at all , 2 maples, one lime tree, one lemonade tree, bare dirt at the front, and a cherry tree by a palm.
We
added loads of soil and compost and mix, put in an edging and now it is showing so much colour. The lily has multiple heads, and the hollyhocks at the back are about 8 foot tall.






The tall tree was there, but now has Dianthus at the front, Foxgloves, Lychnis, Gaura, and other small plants to fill it all in.




It was a  bit difficult to get the light  and shadow right,  but there are tall pink forgetmeot,Watsonia, more Lychnis, some lobelia, and gladioli just starting to bloom


This is the most beautiful flower right now, a Japanese Iris, a  plant gifted from a new friend, and has already had 3 stems with 5 blooms.



No post would be complete without the ginger Boris making an appearance. He has coped fairly well with the move, but does stray over the street.



I will not spoil the garden views with photos of all the  dust covers and paint pots, they can wait until tomorrow

Meantime, thank you all SO much for the lovely comments, it is so good to be back, I think the 
year of moving, adjusting, and having workmen doing alterations and more took its toll. 

There is one wall in the lounge to paint, it has been filled with whatever the painter slaps on then sands off, the primer coat is on, and next will be a lovely grey. Half Alabaster, a Resene colour, and we have used that in the other lounge and the hall

Quotation of the day, author unknown

" Look beyond the rain and see the rainbow"

Greetings from Jean,




19 comments:

Nancy J said...

Oops, I should have read the paint tin label carefully, the colour is still Resene, but is Half Surrender, the second 10 litre pail is just so slightly deeper, which will be fine for the lounge.

eileeninmd said...

Hello Jean,

Your garden,plants and yard are looking beautiful. I love the pretty poppies and Japanese Iris. I hope Boris stay close to home and in his own yard. I am sure it feels good to have the renovations done and now you can relax and enjoy! Enjoy your day, wishing you a happy weekend!

FlowerLady Lorraine said...

Lovely new gardens and I can hardly believe you've been there two years now. Time is zipping right along. Have a lovely Christmas ~ FlowerLady

P.S. Thank you for the encouraging comments you leave on my blog. I am blessed by your friendship.

Carole @ From My Carolina Home said...

Gorgeous garden, and I love that Japanese iris!! Looks like spring is really taking hold with the flowers. Your garden inspector is doing a great job.

Sandra Walker said...

When it cold and blustery here in the Northern Hemisphere, it is such a breath of hope to gaze at your garden. I cannot wait to show our yard when we, well mostly my husband, gets going on ours in 2020. For now, we dream, and live in that dust to which you refer! Glad Boris has adapted so well.

Kate said...

Thank you for the garden pictures. I appreciate them here in the snow.

Jenny said...

Hopefully, the end is almost in sight, then you can relax and enjoy your wonderful new home.

DUTA said...

You seem to know quite a lot about trees and flowers.
I like the last picture with the cat admiring the beautiful garden.

Susan Heather said...

Your garden is looking wonderful. I love tall plants in a garden like the foxgloves etc. Hope Boris doesn't wander too much. Have a wonderful Christmas.

Out To Pasture said...

Looks like you two have put a lot of work into your gardens and your grounds look wonderful. Plants (and new paint colour) certainly make a house a home! Glad you're back to posting pictures.

Carol Mattingly said...

Can't believe all of the gorgeous flowers in the garden. You must have been working endlessly. It's beautiful. Carol

Jocelyn is Canadian Needle Nana said...

You've given me a real treat with these photos of the lovely flowers and growing things. As you know,it is winter here and though our snow has melted, it uncovered the sad wilted brown fall foliage. But the birds like poking around in it.
That particular iris is a real beauty.
Good luck with the computer.

Tanya said...

Wow! What a garden in just a year’s time! You and your hubby must have green thumbs and an artistic eye or two! It was so nice to see Boris and I’m glad to know he is well!

Susan Zarzycki said...

Your garden is lovely! A lot of hard work but you can be very proud of the end result.

Fundy Blue said...

Everything looks lovely, Jean! You are almost there!!! You definitely have a green thumb. I dread the thought of moving and/or renovating. Right now I'm glad to be home. Take care, my friend!

Julie Fukuda said...

What a big beautiful garden. I am green with envy at all that space. Yes, adjusting to all that change must be hard but you have put your energy to good use.

Mystic Quilter said...

Jean you have worked wonders in your garden!! Lots of colour and I am envious of your Japanese iris. Jumping ahead to your latest post your hollyhocks are beautiful, I must try some of these next year.

Kathleen said...

So very good to see you back! It is hard moving and hard having renovations!

Jenn Jilks said...

It's wonderful seeing what you've done with the garden. It makes me remember that spring will come, although it is important to enjoy each day! xx