May 2023
WELCOME TO OUR MAY AUTUMN NEWSLETTER
This month Penny Zino from Flaxmere has written for us about Brilliant Autumn
Trees are groaning with unexpected growth with all the summer rain. What a brilliant autumn this is going to be. I do not think I have ever seen the Hurunui look so good, emerald green and now the change of season which for me is one of mother nature’s jewels before winter sets in. The vibrancy of the autumn colours is impressive. When I first started gardening some 57 years ago my mother-in-law who came from Hawkes Bay, married and lived on the Island of Madeira, which is an island off the coast of Morrocco, where all plants are tropical evergreens kept saying to me use plants that give seasonal value, great in spring and then again in autumn with rich colours. It was such good advice and has lived with me all my gardening years.
So many trees and shrubs fall into this category and some even have three seasons that they shine in! Planning a garden that gives these changes is a wonderful process. I used to tie the appropriate coloured large flag on waratahs and then bang them into the ground so I could visualise the autumn colour combinations from a distance! I spent many hours reading catalogues selecting trees which would survive our climate, not forgetting the conifers which would create a skeleton in winter.
My favourite tree at Flaxmere is the North American Nyssa sylvatica, which loves a damp place to live in, mine is on the edge of a pond, and is about to turn firery red. It will hold its colour for about 5 weeks. It is a very graceful tree and gives me so much pleasure. Amelanchier canadensis are multi stemmed, a very much sort after small tree with beautiful delicate spring flowers and superb colours in autumn. Cotinus Rhus americanus is also a smaller tree/ shrub with smoke like flowers in summer and vibrant orange red in autumn. Many of the oaks, Quercus palustris, coccinea, rubra are all superb with red tones while robur, canariensis, and cerris are more yellow and bronze tones in autumn. Maples, Acer davidii one of my favourites as it has bark that looks like a snake, Acer freemanii Autumn Blaze is as its name implies. All the Acer palmatums are superb in autumn. Liquidambers are wonderful as well but are wind and snow tender. Prunus (flowering cherries) yedoensis much planted in Christchurch fills the brief wonderful flowers in spring and autumn multi coloured. Mt Fuji Tai Haku Shimidsu Sakura are all Prunus favourites. Magnolias and all the Malus fill the double brief as well.
Many shrubs fall into the double category. Azaleas mollis are wonderful, scented flowers in spring and great autumn colour. Deciduous Viburnums, Chimonanthus praecox Wintersweet also, the list goes on and on! Plant things that give wonderful spring flowers and then a fantastic autumn display, it will feed your soul!
I feel so incredibly lucky to live where we do, to appreciate the joys of autumn.
Penny Zino
At the Hurunui Garden Festival AGM last month, Penny stepped down along with two other valuable members of the committee. We thanked and acknowledged, Penny Zino, Anita Todd and Ruth Appleby for all their excellent work during their time on the committee. Graeme Abbot from Hurunui Tourism was pleased to be able to present to Penny, just a small acknowledgment for all her work for the Hurunui Garden Festival since its inception in 2018. Enjoy your retirement Penny in which every direction it takes you.
SPONSORS SPOT
As our sponsors support us please support them.
Corten or Mild Steel Sculptures to enhance your garden.
Ready-made, with some viewable at Karetu Downs garden in this year Hurunui Garden Festival or made to order.
Heathstock Apiaries is a small, family owned and operated beekeeping business based in the beautiful Hurunui District.
We have a long history of organic sustainability and pride ourselves on production of top quality honey. This year we will be displaying in the Hurunui Garden Festival at Saddlewood Garden on Thursday 25th and Friday 27th and our honey is stocked at Karetu Downs Gift shop.
THE FESTIVAL DATES THURSDAY OCTOBER 26TH - SUNDAY 29TH, OPEN DAILY FROM 9AM - 5PM. WE LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU THEN!
We are very grateful to our sponsors. Without their support we would not be able to bring you this wonderful event. Our sponsors are listed below plus on our website. The website will begin to be updated ready for this years festival in early to mid May.
If you want to contact the committee, or require any information contact us via our email address info@hurunuigardenfestival.com
If you haven’t ‘liked’ our Facebook or Instagram page yet, we recommend you do as we are often posting snippets of information and updates – more regularly than newsletters.
Check out our website www.hurunuigardenfestival.com which holds information about the gardens, places to go, see and do. This will be updated regularly as we lead up to the festival in October.
