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MANGAWHAI'S NO.1 NEWSPAPER
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Gardening with Gael - My favourite seasonA recent trip to Cambridge to visit My Friend Jan and then on to Rotorua to look after a grandchild has once again ignited my joy in the autumnal colours of the leaves as they prepare to leave the trees. On the radio on the way down one of the presenters was posing the question to their workmates as to their favourite season.
I gave it some thought. I am not fond of the extremes. Summer is hot and dry and I spend the whole time worrying about the plants. Winter is ok but there is not much happening in the garden. Initially I thought spring. The fresh green of the leaves as they clothe the trees, the abundance of flowers and blossom on the fruit trees. Who can resist a cherry tree in full bloom? Then I thought autumn. That’s my favourite. Autumn, providing us with the annual harvest of fruit and vegetables. There are still flowers as well. Dahlias, daisies, perennials and even roses continue on into the autumn. And then the colour. The trees a blaze of colour. I even love the leaves gathering under the trees. I can understand the Americans calling it ‘fall’. I view these leaves as wonderful mulch ready to protect the roots during the winter and provide coolness and moisture during the summer. When I dropped my grandaughter off at school in the morning I parked the car and walked the block in a bid to retain some fitness while not at yoga classes or gardening. The greatest pleasure of this walk was the avenue of maples on the final stretch. Both sides of the road were lined with young maples with bright scarlet leaves, a vivid contrast to the bushes and hedges in the neighbouring houses. In her previous house in Auckland Jan had a ‘maple walk’. The beauty of maples is the enormous variety, trees that can reach 40 metres and then others are suitable for an inner city garden. The maples Jan chose for her ‘walk ‘only grew to 1 x 1.5 metres. Acer palmatum dissectum ‘Crimson Queen’ retained a reddish purple hue throughout the summer with the leaves intensifying to a brighter scarlet in the autumn. Some maples are happy in full sun but the ‘dissectum’ varieties prefer filtered light which was perfect for Jan’s walk on the western side of her house with an olive close by which helped filter the light. There is a large variety of these maples which can be very easily accommodated in a suburban garden. There are other varieties which grow to 2, 3 and 4 metres. Palmer’s Manual of Trees, Shrubs and Climbers details over 80 varieties which makes decision-making very difficult. Maples grow in average well-drained soils preferring a slightly acid content much the same as rhododendrons. They prefer to keep their roots cool in the summer. All my maples at the Block have survived two very dry summers without extra water and just a good heavy layer of mulch. They are relatively surface rooted so need protection from strong winds when young and require deeply worked soil with the addition of peat and bark. Jan’s new property in Cambridge is quite small but she has still managed to plant five new maples. She has chosen them for their small to medium size and spectacular colour. Jan’s recommendations are Acer palmatum varieties and she has chosen ‘Beni Komachi’, ‘Chishio’, ‘Shindeshojo’ and ‘Bloodgood’. AUTUMN: A wonderful time of harvest and trees become a blaze of colour |
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