On a warm summer's morning I took a stroll through the Christchurch Botanical Gardens. Some of the plants were receiving an early morning freshening, before the heat of the day took its toll. (Behind the garden bench is the conservatory, which has sadly been closed to the public since the earthquake. I posted a tour through the hothouse back in 2008)
I wandered through the rose garden and past the dahlia beds. They were stunning but I was here to see one thing in particular...
The perennial border. Full of textures and colours, I'd been dying to see it in its full summer glory.
I am in love with dierama. Delicate grasslike leaves, graceful arching stems with bell shaped flowers and perfectly round seed pods. I've got some seedlings at home that I grew from seed. They are tiny now and nowhere near flowering but I can't wait till they are all grown up like these! Mind you, these are rather huge... some of the flowering stems were taller than I am! I'll have to think carefully about where I place them.
I don't know the names of many of these plants but they are certainly pretty. They would make some lovely flower arrangements...
Spiky eryngium is one I do know. I am intrigued by it's form but I don't think I'd have it in my garden. I generally like my flowers to be softer and a bit girly!
And here are some hot summer flowers for a hot summer's day. Red hot pokers are a classic.
I hope you enjoyed strolling with me, I'm off now to find a shady spot to rest a while and ponder the placement of shrubs in my own garden...
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