This is a vigorous, evergreen, climber that can reach 5M. Bunches of bright pink flowers cover the evergreen leaves in summer.
Various varieties of P jasminoides can be found around Motueka, often having outgrown their original space. It does seem that you have to be mindful of just how vigorous this plant can be, when choosing where to plant it. However, it is a real joy when you come across it bursting over a fence.
Click here to visit the Pandorea jasminioides page in Karin’s garden.
This is a small Gladiolus, and the plant grows to a little over ½M, with a more lax form than many Gladioli. Spikes of brilliant white flowers with exquisite carmine markings rise above sword shaped leaves in spring.
G. nanus was the only small Gladiolus name that I was aware of before I was given these bulbs by a friend. They have opened my eyes to a whole new world of Gladiolus species and their hybrids, separate from the tall flashy flowers we see in the florist’s. It turns out that G. nanus is not a species, but rather a generic terms for all small Gladiolus varieties.
Click here to view the Gladiolus x Colvillei “Blushing Bride” page in Karin’s Garden.
This is spreading evergreen that forms a weed-supressing mat some 15 cm high. Five-petaled lilac flowers with neatly “pinked” tips completely cover this plant in spring.
Oakington Blue Eyes is just one of the many varieties that are readily available from nurseries and garden centres. The foliage is completely covered by the flowers and the evergreen foliage forms and effective, weed-supressing mat.
Click here to view the Phlox subulata “Oakington Blue Eyes” page in Karin’s Garden.
This is a rounded bushy shrub with oval mid-green leaves, growing to about 1M tall. Pea-like rich mauve-purple flowers appear on the tips of the stems almost all year around.
This is slightly more unusual version of dwarf Polygala than the [justly] popular “Little Bibi”. This one will require some trimming to keep it compact, though you will have to take care not to cut back to old wood that does not regrow.
Click here to view the Polygala myrtifolia “Little Charmer” page in Karin’s Garden.
This is one of the best spring flowering crocuses, flowering in early August. Delicately marked petals are mauve outside and inside white with a yellow throat and orange stamen.
This is a beautiful plant, providing a reliable splash of colour in early spring. Each flower is a stunning creation and it is worth pausing and getting down to really take in such beauty.
Click here to view the Crocus biflorus “Blue Pearl” page in Karin’s Garden.
The flower spike is up to 1.5m tall raising above leaves that lend to fold, so they never rise above about 60cm. Spikes of bell-shaped, creamy-white flowers rise from a basal rosette of sword-like leaves.
This is a wonderful plant to have, with a flower spike that lasts for several weeks. And it is a very robust and reliable plant. However, there are not many around, and I have been unable to find a source in New Zealand. My plants have been grown from seed brought in from overseas, with all that entails!
Click here to view the Yucca flaccida page in Karin’s Garden.
Leptospermum scoparium – Mānuka or Tea Tree
This is a large bush, growing up to 4M tall. Profusion of pink flowers covers the tree for weeks in late spring.
This is such a common plant in Tasman that it can be overlooked. The garden cultivars are a huge improvement, in terms of flowering impact and longevity, on the native forms. It is [of course] spectacularly well suited to growing in Karin’s Garden.
Click here to go to the Leptospermum scoparium page in Karin’s Garden.
This is a spreading evergreen herbaceous perennial subshrub that grows to about 2½M. Dense spikes of purple/blue flowers rise above hairy grey-green leaves in late spring.
This eye-catching plant can be found in New Zealand as a garden escape, on road-side verges. In Karin’s garden there are also some Echium pininana with their flower spikes up to 4M tall! Their flowers are not as bright as E. fatuosum; so, amazingly, you may actually walk right past one without realising what an awesome plant you just [nearly] met.
Click here to go to the Echium fatuosum page in Karin’s Garden.
When young, F. parmentieri forms a rosette of stiff, blue-grey leaves, which mature into a tall trunk felted with the remains of old leaves. After growing for a few decades, a flower spike of epic proportions arises from a yucca-like trunk. The flower spike is some 4M tall!
You may only get to see this sight once very few decades, so the plant in the front garden next to Mitre 10 in Motueka, on Tudor Street, is really worth a special visit. There is also on flowering beside the coastal highway. Indeed, if you are of a certain age to be able to really appreciate plants, then another one may not flower in Motueka in your lifetime.
Click here to go to the Furcraea parmentieri page in Karin’s Garden.
This is a small deciduous tree when mature, growing to about 6M, with a narrower shape than other dogwoods. Large white flowers, 12cm across, cover this plant in early summer, followed by fiery autumn colour.
The bright white flowers of Eddies White Wonder are unusually large for a dogwood, and there are several of these around Motueka, though none mature as yet.
Click here to go to the Cornus “Eddies White Wonder” page in Karin’s Garden.