HIGH COUNTRY GARDENER

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 10, Issue 442, 30 June 1992, Page 13

HIGH COUNTRY GARDENER

by

Bea

Bames

Not exactly gardening weather this last week or two. After early morning frost froze everything in sight we were treated to those blustery south easterly winds which froze your ears after ten minutes out of doors. Very frustrating when you planned to plant your new Rhodo's and get them nicely settled in for the winter. Not that we can even think of planting any more Rhodo's in our tiny garden, but when we get our bigger house in about two acres of land (possibly in the year 2092) there are several varieties that I have made careful note of. We already have Rhodo Fragrantissimum which would probably move with us, but among the other fifty or so in my dream garden I would choose Rhodo 'Half Dan Lem' a medium grower with glowing red blossom and quite an eye

catcher. The old favourite 'Unique' a bright pink in the bud opening to a rich cream, and 'Belle Heller' pure white with gold blotches. 'Purple Splendour' which really lives up to it's name and the pure icy white 'Mt Everest'. All these are medium growers and the spaces between would be filled with some of the lower growing varieties in complementing hues. 'Baden Baden' a glowing dark red, and 'Ostbo's yellow', a creamy yellow with a deep apricot centre. 'Purple Gem' a deep violet purple to name but a few. In the foreground I would plant the dainty yellow 'Chikor' and the tiny flowered 'Impeditum' both little gems at present happily growing in pots. Dreamtime We can all dream can't we? Talking of dreaming we have spent far too much time this last week gazing out of the kitchen window watching a group of seven or eight little silver-eyes which have adopted our garden as their feeding ground. I had put out half an apple on the lawn for my two little bantams to peck at and these little birds claimed it. Two at a time they perched on it pecking away at the fruit only to be driven off by two more who took possession, the others would fly up into the cherry tree twittering away and watching us through the kitchen window. We cut another apple in two and put it out there for them

and they have had a ball. As food becomes short in the winter months these little birds extend their feeding grounds to feed on nectar from winter flowering shrubs and they enjoy fresh fruit. I put out some leftover boiled carrot, mashed potato and cauliflower and they were very busy devouring that lot. We enjoy feeding and watching all kinds of bird life and our garden is planted with trees and shrubs known to attract them. Most native birds respond to our native plants especially when in flower and you can encourage them to visit if some of the larger Pittosprum such as Egenoides or Tenufolim, the native Oleria the large flowered native flax and the Kowhai are planted. Few of them respond to Corokia they seem to leave that alone despite it's attractive berries. The tui loves sipping the nectar from the flowers of the Kowhai, from the flax flowers when in bloom and you can expect daily visits all the time the red hot pokers are in flower whether they are the tall or smaller varieties. The rifleman is an insectivore and little groups can be seen in the rose bed or in the side borders busily tracking down moths, caterpillars, spiders and probably greenfly in the milder periods.