Karin's Garden

Nerine sarniensis – Guernsey Lily

Bulbous member of the Amaryllis family (Amaryllidaceae) with a flower stem that rises about 30cm above strap-like leaves. Up to 15 brilliant scarlet flowers with recurved petals and wavy margins in each inflorescence.

If it seems a little excessive to list three separate Nerine’s in the Karin’s Garden database, that is a fitting tribute to the captivating beauty of these flowers. We are in that sweet spot where it is not too dry in summer and not too cold in winter, and it seems only right to revel in that good fortune. The brilliant red of Nerine sarniensis stops you in your tracks.

Click here to view the Nerine sarniensis page in Karin’s Garden.

This is perennial herbaceous plant with flower spike rising to around a metre, above a mass of grapevine-like leaves. Statuesque buds open to rose pink flowers with cupped petals around orange stamens in late summer.

Anemone x hyrida is a “must-have” plant in gardens around the world. “Whirlwind” has semi-double white flowers, and provides long lasting interest with its attractive buds, long lasting flowering period, into winter interest from the faded flower heads. They are particularly noted for flowering in late summer when many other flowers are fading.
Click here to view the Anemone x hrbrida “Whirlwind” page in Karin’s Garden.

A bulbous perennial to 30cm, with the the very striking blooms coming out before the large, broad leaves. Scarlet/orange petals surround a mass of stamens on a spotted flower stalk, resembling a shaving brush to some.

This is a plant that will stop you in your tracks when you first see it. Not easy to come by and easy to lose if it is in the wrong place, it rewards you with a display in shade like no other. At a time when Amaryllis and Nerine are blazing away in the sun this slightly coy plant asks you to go and look it out in whatever corner it has become established in. Those who grow it, highly recommend it.

Click here to view the Haemanthus coccineus page in Karin’s Garden.

This forms a mound of leaves about 60cm tall and the flower spikes rise above that to about 100cm. Spikes of fragrant, large, white flowers rise above broad, pale-green, weed-supressing leaves in summer.

We generally grow hostas for their leaves. The flowers of this one give a welcome boost of interest to shady spots in mid/late summer. The fragrance is wonderful but not especially strong, so you have to get down with the plant to really appreciate it.

Click here to view the Hosta plantaginea page in Karin’s Garden.

This plant grows from a large bulb that sits on, or close to, the surface of the soil. Extravagant pink flowers rise on bare stems in mid-summer.

Named hybrids are hard to come by as Amaryllis set seed relatively easily. In our garden, as well as the species, we also have the plant pictured below – which I take to be the result of back-crossing an Amaryllis / Brunsvigia hybrid with the A. belladonna species. That would make it A. belladonna x “Multiflora Rosea” though it may be a similar wild hybrid clone. Extraordinary either way.

Click here to view the Amaryllis belladonna page in Karin’s Garden.

This is a vigorous small tree, growing to 6M. Frothy pannicles of pink flowers cover the new growth for many weeks in summer.

This is a lovely, reliable tree that deserves to be more common around coastal Tasman than it is. The dense foliage also provides good nesting sites for song birds.

Click here to view the Lagerstroemia indica page in Karin’s Garden.

Vigorous shrub that will grow into a small tree if not pruned. Clusters of pink, funnel-shaped flowers over lance-shaped grey-green leaves.

This is a relatively common plant in Karin’s Garden, often forming part of a screen or even a formal hedge. It is justly popular as reliably producing showy flowers over many weeks, with just the annual prune as maintenance.

Click here to go to the Nerium oleander page in Karin’s Garden.

This is normally an annual that self-seeds each year with the flowers atop single stems to 30cm, above free-branching mounds of finely divided foliage. Bountiful golden satiny flowers arise above lacey grey-green foliage

Quick to bloom and easy to grow these poppies provide a wonderful blast of colour for many weeks during the height of summer.

Click here to go to the Eschscholzia californica page in Karin’s Garden.

This plant grows as a vine, reaching 2-3M. Extraordinary red/yellow flowers in mid-summer justify the rather immodest latin name.

This is a completely astonishing flower, that will stop you in your tracks when you see it. I am aware of only one other garden that has this in it – the one my rhizomes came from! It was good enough for  Queen Elizabeth II received a diamond brooch in the shape of this flower for her twenty-first birthday while traveling in [then] Rhodesia. Once discovered it is hard to avoid a little gardening lust creeping into your life.

Click here to view the Gloriosa superba page in Karin’s Garden.

This cactus is slow growing, eventually reaching about 2.0M tall with 10-15 ribs and 1-2cm long golden yellow spines. Architectural, spiky, parallel dark green columns, with occasional spectacular white flowers.

This provides welcome architectural interest year round, but it is the flowers that are absolutely amazing. And you do have to be patient – this plant had been in its current position for twelve years before flowering and it will have been a few years old when planted.

Click here to go to the Trichocerus spachianus page in Karin’s Garden.