Myfanwy Rees Design

So exciting to see Puawhananga, Clematis paniculata, flowering only a year after we planted this corner fernery. The vertical Ponga fence is a dramatic dark/light contrast. Ferns are looking great too

A very friendly Piwakawaka kept me company while doing a bit of an autumn prune. With Carex dissita (forest sedge). Really should have done a before photo…

A much underrated New Zealand native Dianella nigra outstanding in Midsummer with bright blueberries which the birds love

Lush spring growth in our Western Springs garden

Hebes are one of my favourite New Zealand native plants firstly because they flower from autumn through winter providing nectar for birds and Bees when not much else is flowering. And secondly because they are super easy to propagate via cuttings. The photos show cuttings taken today, some I did six months ago and a tray of plants ready to plant in the soil which are approximately a year old. Who doesn’t like free plants!

An impressive bag of mulch made from autumn prunings of fruit trees and native hedglings . I will use this goodness either in the compost or when I plant as a mulch and soil improver

The patients; I split one of my original Poor Knights Island Lilys, Xeronema callistemon, in winter and against my own advice. It was unavoidable because the crown was full of leaf litter (and feijoas) and starting to rot. The plant was too large to handle at this massive size so have split it into six pieces, washed out the crown with a jet of hose water, and sprayed it with a seaw**d & Trichoderma solution. In order to dry out the root ball but not expose the roots I am trialing wrapping in coir w**d matting then standing up in containers until they show signs of surviving ( or not). If you are thinking of splitting one of these magnificent plants the time to do it is in Spring immediately after flowering.

Tahitian pohutakawa a dry tolerant star performer. In spring it has peak flowering followed by interesting seed capsules, dark red stems and furry grey new growth. Like all metrosideros it is loved by lizards and insects. Just spotted a wee stick insect with brilliant camouflage colouring

Mature Pseudopanax ferox at Hamilton Gardens

Not a job I like doing but when faced with a flax that has been in a pot for too long the best approach is to divide it into 3 or 4 pieces using an old pruning saw. Cut back the old leaves into a fan so that the wind won’t knock the newly planted divisions over before they have established new roots