IN THE GARDEN

A sense of place

It is such a magic and special thing, this sense of place, a powerful emotion that encompasses, envelopes, protects, and nurtures. Walking around the estate on our morning tours of inspection, one gets this overwhelming feeling that is this is where you belong and every little detail is noticed and remarked upon, like proud parents watching and mentally recording the progress of your offspring.

New growth is noted with excitement, older plants are encouraged and spoken to with kindness, and where not performing as well as they could or should, are provided the necessary to entice them to give of their best. Each and every plant, tree and shrub is examined to various degrees, new and completed projects, watched over and remarked upon, new ideas formulated, fine tuning where needed, or recognition that an idea has not worked or is successful beyond the gardeners wildest dreams, is noted, nothing escapes the keen eye of the gardeners.

This garden is loved, it is a labour of love, and like all true love, it exasperates, it frustrates, it disappoints, it inspires, it is everything that it should be, it has a sense of place.

This piece of land also has a history, long and honourable, which reflects the human cavalcade that has passed through and left their mark. Some good, some bad, but all part of what makes this place special. While creating this garden you are aware of this past and honor it, to preserve and protect it, but also by adding new ideas, methods and new plantings you are adding further pages to the book of its history for future generations to enjoy and remark in years to come that this estate and garden has a real of feeling of belonging and sense of place. The estate sits proudly in its landscape, sure of its place in the great scheme of things, radiating a welcome and peace to all who enter the gates.

Notes from the Garden Page 1 Issue 36, May 2009

NOTES from the GARDEN

Issue Number 36May 2009

Published by:Neil Stephenson,

Woodside Cottage, Woodside Bay, RD 1,

Waiheke Island, 1971, New Zealand

Telephone: 09 372 7954Mobile: 027 484 7954

Email: neilwoodsidehouse@xtra.co.nz

We are indeed fortunate to have been given the chance to enhance and to build on something that is almost intangible but is so strong and real. Felt and remarked upon by all who visit, for they, like us who live and work here become very quickly aware that it is indeed a privilege to have experienced such a special place.

THE PAST MONTHS

It seems to the gardener that time has flown, God knows where, but gone for good. Good intentions are always being diverted to seemingly more important ideas and tasks. Siting at the computer and recording the Herculean achievements, gut wrenching disappointments and the sharing of great plans (that to the gardeners are of earth shattering importance) has been constantly relegated to the ‘later’, ‘tonight’, or ‘tomorrow’ time slot, and as we all know unless you are very strong and decisive they will always remain in the aforesaid time frames. There is always something more urgent, more interesting, and more exciting to divert even the best of intentions. No promises of amending these recalcitrant ways will be forthcoming as the writer knows, by nature he is easily diverted by the unfolding daily events in the garden and any excuse to become immersed in the horticultural minutiae is seized upon. However having said that efforts will be made to increase the frequency of these notes, even if it is only just to prove that these is some resolution in the old man and the he can get his act together.

Ned is at present in the Northern hemisphere on an eight week trip re-living his dissolute past and will take the opportunity to visit various gardens and Horticultural institutions to further his gardening education. The Gardener is fearful that on his return there will be demands for a kitchen garden, Heligan style, long borders as at Great Dixter, colour themed gardens al la Sissinghurst and great colourful parterres as at Vilandry. Messages filtering back so far give credence to these fears. How does one temper the enthusiasms of the young? However having said that Ned’s presence in the garden is sorely missed, his good humor, many and varied skills and ability to curb the worst excesses of the old man are talents that are invaluable in a garden such as this, and not least of all is his ability to mix a great gin and tonic at the end of a days labour.

THE KITCHEN GARDEN

It is hard to imagine the fecundity of the kitchen garden as one surveys the damp sodden mess that it is this morning after days of rain and strong winds. However even yesterday the gardener was able to pick a trug of produce to deliver to friends, which included celery, white turnips, beetroot, cabbage and rhubarb.

The second asparagus garden has been completed, situated at the opposite end of the kitchen garden in an area that had long been under-utilised. This bed is twice the size of original with 18 roots laid in a well prepared beds of mature barn yard manure, compost and sea grass. The ‘number one’ bed has had last seasons ‘ferns’ cut down and put on the bonfire. Having received its annual dressing of manure. compost and sea grass it has been put to bed for the winter.

A program of sequential planting of winter greens, Broccoli, mini cabbages, red cabbage, curly kale, bok choi, has provided a continuing supply of these vegetables to the kitchens.

Notes from the Garden Page 2 Issue 36, May 2009

Sugar snap peas have been planted with the necessary supports and a bed has been prepared to receive further rows of Massey early crop peas. The first of the potatoes (rua) are in and showing and when the weather allows agria and red rascal will be planted. Sliver beet, spring onions, beetroot, red onions and white turnips continue to provide sustenance.

The two Chinese quince Pseudocydonia sinensis went all out to dominate the kitchen garden, laden with large (average 3 kilos each) golden, sweet perfumed fruit. So many that the gardeners became almost overwhelmed by their super abundance. Sadly, one of these trees had to be sacrificed for the greater good of the garden as they were starting to dominate and shadow the new rose plantings in the Gin garden. However, experience has shown that maybe one tree is sufficient. The gardener is tempted to plant one in the Arboretum as they are such beautiful trees, and after all he has seedlings growing on in the cold frame yard. Again as with the melons, baskets of

fruit were given away to friends, and ‘Black Betty” has been fired up over the past week converting these and other produce into chutneys, jams and jellies.

Every garden needs a little humour and whimsey and certainly this need is catered for here at Woodside Bay. The latest and certainly not the last was created by the old man as soon as Ned’s back was turned, now you see what is meant by Ned curbing the worst excesses of his fellow gardener. There was a gate leading from the upper kitchen garden into the new Arboretum, but it was

innocuous, said nothing and issued no invitation to pass through. With the freedom of Ned’s

absence the creative juices flowed, and every flight of fancy was indulged. Now we have the gate to Somewhere, Nowhere, or Whatever in short Hero Gate.

Created out of a door salvaged from the local rubbish tip, two plaster busts from the local market, given a coat of gold paint and not a little imagination, we now have a tribute to all gardeners. It just

Notes from the Garden Page 3 Issue 36, May 2009

remains for a central piece to be added, a triumphal crest constructed out of old gardening tools. The evil old man can’t wait for the look of horror on his cohorts face when he returns from his travels. When will the young learn, never trust the old, they will always get up to mischief. as soon as their back is turned.

THE PICKERY

Much work has to be done here to bring this garden up to scratch, with new plantings planned and new gardens to be created, particularly a long border of perennials to give colour, background, flowers and foliage for the vases.

Waiting in the wings, safely tucked away in the cold frames are stock, delphinium, aquilegia and pansies just waiting for the right conditions for planting in the annual beds, and the already planted Iceland poppies are budding up nicely. At the moment the sasanqua camellias are providing background color in the perimeter of the pickery and many more have been planted to form a hedge here and at the upper edges of the kitchen garden adjoining the arboretum. The gardeners are not entirely happy with this garden and plans are slowly being formed to reflect their aims and aspirations.

THE GREENHOUSE, MELON AND COLD FRAME YARD

The melon yard has been a real success story, and it has gained the sobriquet “Ned’s Glory” because of the inordinate pride a certain gardener has displayed in when showing the produce from the melon beds. Large succulent water melons, guarded so jealously and shared out only to the most favoured, Rock melons, so sweet and perfumed (not shared but squirreled away for secret feasting), and Pie melons, so large and heavy (two weighing in at 12 kilos each) and so prolific that the old man is concerned about what we are going to do with them. Two have been sent to Tracey the ace chutney maker at Touchwood Books in Hastings and others given to friends but the shelves in the storeroom continue to groan with the weight of the remaining melons. The Gardener envisages many long tedious hours spent chopping and de-seeding making them ready for transformation into the deservedly much sought after “Butlers Revenge” chutney and Melon and Ginger jam (fondly remembered from the old man’s youth). Recipes are being sought to make use of this magnificent abundance. Many hours have been spent on the computer “Google-ing” to research this once popular fruit but now very much in obscurity, hidden in the gardens of the older generation who have cherished memories from their childhood and Grandmother’s kitchens.

The melon beds are lying in fallow at this time, having received a dressing of the sweepings of the hen house, and Ned has left a long list of instructions for the preparation of manures that will be needed on his return for applying to his pride and joy, so they are ready to receive the new seasons planting. This season, seedlings will be started much earlier in the green house so that when the weather shows signs of warming up they can be planted out under cloches to get a head start, to take advantage of the long summer months to develop and ripen to Ned’s greater glory.

The nursery is slowly emptying as the trees and shrubs collected over the past months are planted out and made ready to receive all the spring and summer plants to harden off before planting out.

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THE PLEASURE GARDENS

What an aptly named area of the estate, covering over fifty per cent-um of the total space, full of promise, glorious vistas of ocean and bush with the main house sitting proudly and with great dignity in the center, the reason for everything, all the hard work, planning and scheming, framed magnificently by the majestic ‘Queenie’ our 600 year old Pohutukawa. When we first came to Woodside Bay the house sat lonely and forlorn, neglected grounds that did not live up to the beauty, albeit hidden, of the nearly 150 years old house.

Now she sits proud and smiling, waking up after a long sleep and starting to be dressed in clothes fitting such an elegant old Grande Dame. Lawns sweep from the cliff edge to the surrounding bush, old unsuitable trees have been culled and plans are afoot to create formal gardens, long borders and vistas created by hedging leading to secret places to walk, sit, and allow all to enjoy the peace and tranquility of the gardens and the contrasting views of the Waiheke Strait, sometimes smooth and glass like and at other times wild and tempestuous, as it is at the moment. Always interesting with something to capture your attention.

Planting of trees has been continuing apace in every area, with a mixture of native and exotic species, all to add protection from the elements, to lead the eye to borrowed landscapes, or to excite with color and form.

The wild flower gardens, a great success last season, have been cut back and made ready for further sowing of seeds, spring flowering bulbs have been added to give early spring interest, and by the time they die down the new spring growth of the wild flowers will hide the dying leaves of the bulbs.

The new rose garden has been prepared to receive new plants and cuttings of lavender and rosemary have been struck to provide low hedging where appropriate. It is hard to curb ones enthusiasm when walking or working here, it would be easy to get carried away with grandiose schemes but simplicity and style are the two ‘s’ words that must be our guide when planning the pleasure gardens. Let our natural ebullience and need for drama be expressed in the more hidden parts of the estate. The Gardeners spend much time here just sitting and taking in the feeling of the spaces, discussing and planning what could be done and more importantly what should be done, but I am afraid sometimes more time is spent on the former rather than the latter.

Our walk (named the ‘Witten way’ after some much loved friends) through our ancient native bush area has also been receiving some attention, repairing weather damage, removing dreaded exotic weeds, such as asparagus fern, wandering willie, tobacco plant et al, and removing scrubby growth so that the many ancient trees can be seen to their full advantage. We have indulged ourselves here just a little in a small glade in the centre, at the meeting of two paths, by planting 100 blue bell bulbs, which hopefully will multiply in the future to give a real point of interest and colour.

All together we have planted nearly 500 bulbs this season, all by hand, with care and attention to their needs. Lets hope that they will prosper and give future generations the joy that they will give us.

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THE WATER GARDENS

Another of Ned’s glories, (how come he gets all the glories)? A real success story, one that proves that steady does it and planning is the key to success. A great amount of hard work has gone into creating, from what was a tangled, foetid mess, to what it is today a delight and pleasure to walk through also when time allows to tarry a moment and observe the very clever and eclectic planting.

However an area such as this needs a great amount of attention to stop it from becoming messy and overgrown. All the canna lilies that provided such a spectacular backdrop to the other planting during the summer have been cut back and are already growing strongly and promise great things this coming summer.

All the compost and other material that we dug in to build up soil levels and quality, have resulted in exuberant weed growth, which has had to be dealt with. Now we know why Ned decided to travel at this particular time. However help was at hand and a white Knight rode to the rescue in the form of Trish, the Gardeners sister, who spent many happy hours immersed in mud and gunk, removing even the most recalcitrant of offenders to the ever expanding compost heap. She found it a real joy to work in a garden again, not bothered by the possibilities of the occasional snake or creepy crawly that she had to contend with in her most recent gardens in North America.

The water quality in the ponds has improved immeasurably over the past months and the resident gold fish and water lilies have shown their approval by growing in leaps and bounds, providing interest and colour to an increasingly attractive destination in the gardens. The water lilies have just about finished their displays for this season, but there are still a few blooms bravely reminding us of the glory days of summer.

As in all things there is always a viper in the woodpile, so to speak. In this case there are two vipers, the first it is in the form of a grey shag who sees the gold fish as a ‘free lunch’ and constant patrols have to be mounted to discourage his attempts at a gourmet feast, the second is our old adversary the pukeko who view the old Granny Smith apple tree in the orchard as an amusement park as well as a source of food. They gather in the tree and in their attempts to steal the fruits they knock them off the branches, whereupon they roll down the hill into the pond. We have had to buy a net, commonly used in swimming pools, to gather the harvest of apples from the center of the ponds. Each day the ponds take on the appearance of a great apple bobbing barrel, and if left where they are there is a danger that we will have the largest apple cider vat in the world. It was considered leaving them to rot but that would have set back our attempts to clarify the pond water and once again we would have been left with a body of water rich in nutrient and in danger of reverting to the previous less than pleasant mess of earlier days.

The purchase of the aforesaid net has proved to be of more worth that first thought as it has been remarkably useful in removing all the fallen leaves from the willows that surround the ponds, plus any other debris that seems to congregate at this low point in the garden. The Gardener had several attempts at making a net to do this job, but as with most things mechanical or constructional was doomed to failure, the ideas were great but the actuality was seriously lacking in viability.

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RECIPE

HONEY PICKLED ONIONS

4 kg small or pickling onions ½ cup salt10 cups white vinegar 1½ cups liquid honey2 tablespoons pickling spice

Sprinkle peeled onions with salt and stir to coat evenly. Leave for 3 hours then rinse well and drain. Pack the onions into sterilized jars or a well washed crock.

Bring vinegar to the boil, add the honey and pickling spice. Turn off the heat and cool. Strain the sweetened vinegar over the onions and cover with screw top plastic lids, (The vinegar will corrode metal lids and evaporate through cellophane, so plastic lids are best) It is not necessary to exclude all the air. Store in a cool place and wait for three months before using the onions.

RANDOM THOUGHTS

We must be mad. Those four words keep repeating on me like an over-rich feast. Opening the garden for the scrutiny of the public is like that terrible nightmare when you are walking down the main street with no clothes on. You are exposed warts and all, and be certain that there will always be someone who will discover what you prefer to be hidden.

Even months before the gates open for this public viewing one breaks out into a cold sweat at 3 am when you realise all that has to be achieved before the (yet to be announced) date, and being a ‘worrier’ by nature the issues to face loom large and threatening. Looking around the garden this morning through rain spattered windows, all that can be seen is plants beaten into the ground by leaden rain drops and wind that comes from every direction, twisting and distorting every branch, twig and leaf, at least those remaining that haven’t been ripped and torn from the struggling vegetation. It is hard to imagine a bright sunny day, with all as it should be, lawns mown to within an inch of the lives, edges clipped, borders weeded and plants standing to attention with a floral display rivaling that of a great garden with a permanent staff of fifty happy toiling gardeners. No weeds, no mud, no deep puddles of dirty water sitting in depressions in the lawn that you could have sworn you have leveled out to perfection, what a dream, what a nightmare.

Then there are the tables laden with produce from the garden, all for sale to eager purchasers, that will provide funds for the gardeners more esoteric fantasies for improvements to the garden and to allow us to donate further to the charity that we are supporting by opening the garden. What tables, what produce? They all have to be gathered, made, and set up. Who is going to help? Where do you get these paragons of virtue that are prepared to give up their weekend to assist two rash gardeners that thought they could do it.We know we can do it, and will, and as they say it will be alright on the day, but to get through those two days and past them into the sunshine of achievement seems like the impossible dream at this moment.

The gardeners mantra at the moment is WE SHALL OVERCOME!

Notes from the Garden Page 7 Issue 36, May 2009