Middle Garden Plantings
Middle Garden has always been a messy, busy garden, crammed full of foliage shrubs and flowers. The garden was originally dug around existing Pittosporums and Viburnums. Nothing ever stays the same for long in the middle of Middle Garden!
Middle Garden Shrubs - 2013
The Magnolia Stellata in the centre of the early photograph below grew to be nearly two metres tall, and would put on brilliant spring flowering displays. Alas...
Middle Garden Shrubs - Spring 2003
But the Phormium (flax) to the left in the picture is still growing strong. It's a large weeping hybrid called Tricolor. You'll see from these pictures how much I love spiky plants - particularly New Zealand native flaxes, cordylines, and astelias.
Middle Garden Shrubs - 2002
This area is full of blue pansies every spring, thanks to my blue pansy mulching program.
Garden Designer Mess
In the beginning Middle Garden was a garden designer's mess - as seen in these archive photographs. Oops.
Middle Garden Archive Photographs - 2000
Foliage plants like new Pittosporums with small delicately variegated leaves, flaxes, tussock grasses and rhododendrons shared space with sun-loving canna lilies and dahlias. But by 2005 the rhododendrons had inherited the garden, and the Pittosporums had grown far too tall. So many of the sun-lovers had to be shifted out for the sake of their continued good health.