For you, from my garden

You could be forgiven, when looking at these photos, if you think I must have a beautiful garden.  I don’t!  It’s a jungle, really … but it’s amazing what a deceptive web I can weave with a little bit of close-up photography, which maximises the marvellous and minimises the messy! 🙂

I don’t even know what some of the stuff is in my garden – take this, for instance, which could even be a weed for all I know (I’m counting on the gardeners amongst you to enlighten me …):

Whatever it is, those two little bugs you can see spent a l-o-n-g time inspecting and sampling it, so it can stay even if it is a weed 😉

And then there’s the odds and sods, one of which is definitely a weed, but I just cannot resist its beautiful violet flowers …

Let’s not forget the snowball tree – oh, and who can resist the forget-me-nots (even if they do have a tendency to procreate and populate at an alarming rate!):

And what about the rhododendrons, the first of which starts flowering in late July and the last of which is just coming into bud now – such beautiful colours, and they just keep on keeping on, despite receiving no TLC whatsoever from me:

I’ve saved my very favouritest (!) for last:  the clematis.  I have two of these, one of which starts flowering some time in October, and the other of which is much later (so no photos of that this time – but later on, I promise! 🙂 ):

And you know what I’m really enjoying about the garden, now that I’ve retired?  I have all day, every day, to spend out there if I want to – soaking up the smells and the sounds and the colours, with or without my camera as I feel so inclined:  blissful!  Of course, there is also the fact that now I’m retired and I have all this time on my hands, there is no longer any excuse for a messy jungle out there … 🙂

 

 

Clematis (yes, again!) … with a little bit of lily, more azalea, and a whole lot of iris …

Every year, as the clematis goes through all its various stages of growth, flowering, and decline in preparation for the next season, I thank again and again the spirits that moved me to plant the pink one (Clematis montana Elizabeth) that grows over my verandah:  it gives me such pleasure and joy, and so many photo opportunities!  And in the sun and the rain the other day I couldn’t resist just a few more shots …

Ain’t it purty? 🙂

And then there’s the arum lily which grows on the bank of the water race that runs alongside the garden, and this year just seems to be bursting with flowers – as does my little red azalea which lives in an old washing machine bowl, and the dwarf irises which loiter beside the rhododendrons:  what a spring it’s been!

PS  Did you notice the interloper atop one of the irises?

In the herb garden

Lots of lovely gentle rain today – took the camera out into the herb garden at work at lunchtime to see what I could find …

       

Apart from the rose in the last photo, and the red leaf which I think is a flowering cherry, I have no idea what the other plants are, so if anyone is able to enlighten me, thank you, I’d be delighted to hear from you! 🙂

While out walking …

Took the opportunity at lunchtime yesterday to head out for a walk, which turned out to be about twice as long as I’d intended ‘cos I just had to keep stopping to take photos!  Beautiful autumn colours, busy bees foraging for pollen, All Black supporters, a friendly feline, cute pony, beautiful flowers:  yup, this walk had ’em all!

Just a few photos …

My brain is on strike tonight, so here are some photos instead, taken over the last couple of years or so in various locations …

    

    

    

    

    

    

Things botanical

Took a walk through the Botanic Gardens after a lunchtime meeting I had today – it was a beautiful warm, sunny day and there were lots of people (and insects) out enjoying themselves as I was.

      

   

There’s a bit of construction work just beginning in one part of the gardens, with the building of a new information centre which is due to be completed by the end of 2013.  They’ve got quite a nice story board up on the protective fence which surrounds the project, explaining what’s going to be put up and also giving a bit of history of the gardens, given that this year is their 150th year celebration.  I also liked the ‘windows’ cut into the fence at various places, which will allow you to view the construction as it is carried out – it looks as though it’s going to be a rather impressive structure!

             

I always love visiting the gardens, there’s always something to have a look at, and the bird life is quite prolific and, as per my post of a couple of days ago, quite friendly too! 🙂

Here are a few more flower pictures I took on that previous visit as well …

 

Am I right in thinking that the first 4 of these are … zinnias???  And that the pink one at the end is a nerine lily??  Love flowers, but I’m darned if I can remember many of their names!  (Being the keen gardeners they were, my parents up in that great garden in the sky are probably rolling their eyes at my ignorance!)

Well, I think that’s enough botanical stuff for tonight – tomorrow we’ll move on to how to achieve world peace, shall we?  See you then! 🙂 🙂

 

PS  Forgot to say how much I’m enjoying the NZ vs England cricket test at present:  go, NZ Black Caps!!! 🙂