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Septic Tank Garden Tour

Septic Tank Border

The garden borders on the east side of the house still have their original names. Would you like to visit the Icing Sugar Border? Or the Septic Tank Border? Or perhaps just sit on the East Side Decking, with cats and early sun, drinking that first cup of tea and looking through the archway to the Pond Paddock beyond.

The Septic Tank Border is a messy mixture of plants - dahlias, lychnis, roses, irises, geraniums and small daylilies. Originally this area housed an old ceanothus, but the snow in winter of 1996 cracked and killed it. The old stumps are now completely covered with euphorbias and some large Sparrieshoop roses. Assorted pots (ferns, a red flax, etc.) sit on the cover to the septic tank, and there are two beautiful Prosperity roses in the centre of the bed. There are also white irises in the middle which always surprise me.

Go through the house side arches to the Icing Sugar Border. This garden is overwhelmed by white and pink roses at certain flowering times. The biggest rose in that border (Clair Matin) climbs up a dead tree lucerne trunk. There are three Abraham Darbys on the fence-line, a rainbow coloured flax, phlomis and a small brown tussock. One of the original plantings, a clear pink camellia, is still here, much loved and admired.

The small Laundry Garden has a reading seat surrounded by herbs and lavenders. I'm sneakily training a slow growing Banksia Lutea along the washing line, using plastic pegs...

These borders are built around the old sheep fence, which originally marked the end of the house gardens. Plantings now continue through to the next paddock with roses, flaxes and euphorbias dominating. It's always alive with colour - in spring purple honesty covers the ground, by autumn the purply red dahlias have taken over.

What's in a name? The Septic Tank Border is one of the prettiest in the garden.

White Dahlia... Thu 17th Feb 2005: My dahlias are randomly scattered throughout the Moosey garden (and throughout the Moosey web site!) - they seem to survive my attitude of total neglect. This large white flowering dahlia is a real beauty, surprising me every mid-summer.
Pink Rhododendron... Thu 3rd Jun 2004: This is one of the first rhododendrons I planted in the garden. This shrub grew quietly at first, minding its own business, then suddenly a few years ago burst into spectacular Spring colour.
Roses and Helenium... Wed 2nd Jun 2004: The two house-side arches are covered with climbing roses from early summer on. The Septic Tank Garden to the left is a riot of summer colour.
Phyllis Bide Rose... Fri 21st May 2004: The top rose arch has two Phyllis Bide roses growing either side. After a slow start they are finally fluffing themselves out and reaching together, as all well behaved roses on archways should.
Heuchera & Astelia... Fri 26th Dec 2003: I love this combination of the perennial Heuchera and the New Zealand native Astelia. Their colours are subtle, like tarnished silver or pewter.
Lemon Rose Washing Line... Sun 23rd Nov 2003: The Banksia Lutea climbing rose is very carefully being trained along the washing line. You can just about spy the pink plastic pegs which give it away.
Cherry Tree Blossom... Sun 19th Oct 2003: Two flowering cherry trees were transplanted here from another part of the garden, and every spring I photograph their beautiful blossom.
Rose Garden in Summer... Tue 25th Feb 2003: Roses, roses, roses - climbing over archways, and growing sedately surrounded by perennials. This is the Septic Tank Garden in all its summer glory.
Summer in my Garden... Sat 22nd Feb 2003: The side border which backs onto the fence has a mixture of plants. There is one beautiful rhododendron in here, plus some rather squashed in roses and perennials. Dahlias grow here in late Summer, and Honesty in Spring.
Spring Combinations... Tue 19th Nov 2002: From the blossom of the flowering cherry to the deep pink rhododendron and the cabbage tree, these plant combinations are really beautiful in the Spring garden.
White Garden Roses... Sun 24th Feb 2002: In mid-summer the white Prosperity roses flower brilliantly in front of a tall flowering shrub, making a pretty picture. The garden in front is full of colourful small perennials.
Tulips... Thu 24th Feb 2000: The Septic Tank Border in spring is full of bulbs, frothy blue forget-me-nots, foxgloves and aquilegias, with a flowering Deutzia and two Prosperity roses. Later a patch of white irises flower here.
Two Cat Garden Arch... Thu 24th Feb 2000: There is another archway which you'll pass under as you go through into the Pond Paddock. The borders have been created around the old fence, and the gate to the Pond Paddock has also been retained. Now the gate posts serve as a resting place for cats.
Septic Tank Garden Cover... Sat 19th Feb 2000: After going through the two rose arches you'll see the wooden cover of the septic tank and some terracotta pots. This is the Septic Tank Border, a rather 'down-to-earth' name for a cottage-garden style bed.
Scrophularia & Fungi... Fri 18th Feb 2000: This has to be called 'Still Life in the Icing Sugar Border' - a composition of fungi, tagaste (tree lucerne) stump, and new scrophularia leaf, tastefully recorded by an artistic son.
Red Rose Arch... Thu 17th Feb 2000: I have two rose covered archways which link the Icing Sugar Border with the house lawn. In late spring the roses start to bloom - the red rose in this archive picture is the small well behaved rambler Bloomfield Courage.
Red & Pink Rose Arches... Wed 16th Feb 2000: These archways look like they were always meant to be here, whereas they were a late addition. The borders and the grass path seemed the perfect shape to be 'archwayed'.
Lavender Rosemary Garden Path... Sat 15th Jan 2000: This stone path leads from the laundry to the top of the Icing Sugar Border, You have to push past the lavender on the right and the Tussock and Rosemary on the left, often competing with bees.
Lavender Garden & Azaleas... Wed 12th Jan 2000: There are a lot of lavender bushes in this part of the garden. Some are getting rather woody and are due for renewal. Other shrubs of interest include a deciduous Azalea, a Philadelphus, and two Daphnes.
Jerome the Cat... Mon 10th Jan 2000: Jerome the cat is sitting by the pots on the septic tank cover, thinking about cat things!
Yellow Hypericum Flowers... Sun 9th Jan 2000: Between the rose arches in mid-summer the shrub Hypericum steals the limelight with its bright glowing yellow flowers.
Hydrangea Flower... Sun 2nd Jan 2000: On the way to the washing line from the back door you'll pass by this blue hydrangea flower, which was well established here in this strangely dry spot when we arrived. Plants have to be tough in the country I guess.
From the Archives... Sat 1st Jan 2000: This garden border backs onto the Septic Tank border. Self sown purple honesty flowers near the fence in Spring, then roses and perennials take over. Foliage is provided by a flax and a ruby Astelia.
Gardening Writer... Thu 23rd Dec 1999: The laundry seat is sheltered and gets the morning sun. I can sit here with a cup of tea and pretend that nobody can find me. Trouble is that it's between the laundry and the washing line.
Garden Path Stone Ferns... Thu 23rd Dec 1999: This is one of the darkest parts of the garden. The flat stone laundry path was already here, as was the Hydrangea on the left, when we came to live here. Ferns line the path up to the Laundry seat.
Foxglove Flowers... Tue 21st Dec 1999: I love using foxgloves, and am very happy to let them decide where they'd rather grow. Originally I tried to remove all the magenta pink ones, but now I'll welcome any colour.
Carex Plantings... Sat 4th Dec 1999: Walking back down from the washing line there is a small garden which I used to call the Icing Sugar Border. Originally it was sprinkled with white and pink roses, but now there are some compulsory foliage plants like this small brown tussock.
Banksia... Wed 1st Dec 1999: As you walk towards the washing line you'll pass this oldish Banksia with its corn cob-like husks. This plant is an Australian toughie.