ANTS AT WORK There are quite a few things that will pollinate a flower, including ants, as this photo of an evening primrose shows. It was taken while we were visiting Brunei. Joan Cooper, Otahuhu. Congratulations you have won this issue’s $20 prize for the winning digital photo on our letters pages. NATURAL DETERRENT I [...]

RARE VISITOR Frogs have become a rarity in many areas, including our’s. So, I was surprised and delighted to discover this one enjoying the warmth of the sun when I was tidying our fish pond garden. It was totally unaware of my presence and I was able to get close enough to take this photo. [...]

INDEPENDENT BLOOMER WE have had a warm autumn and early winter here in the Esk Valley, near Napier. Three of my roses growing by the entrance have been lush with foliage. I am attaching a photo of ‘Fourth of July’ pictured flowering on July 4. Steve Bevin, Napier. Congratulations you have won this issue’s $20 [...]

FANTASTIC FUNGI I took this photo a few weeks ago just outside my henhouse door. You can’t eat them but don’t they look beautiful! Jennifer Parks, Dunedin. POSSUMS FOILED We have planted a small orchard with various fruit trees but because there’s bush on our property and on the farmland behind, we have a possum [...]

LOVELY DOVES Readers might be interested in the ever-increasing family of Barbary doves that have made our Puhoi weekend property their home. Three years ago, one lonely dove sat in our plane tree calling for what seemed like months. Eventually, it was joined by another and we hoped we would hear the pitter-patter of little [...]

FLOWERS GALORE This oriental lily I planted ended up with 102 flowers, more or less (I stopped counting when I reached tight buds). Attached is a photo of the lily next to another plant with fewer flowers. I have been ordering bulbs over the years, but this is the first time I have encountered such [...]

WORTH THE WAIT My Poor Knights lily (Xeronema callistemon) took about 12 years to flower. I had wanted to plant it in the garden but kept it in a pot – I cracked the pot in a couple of places to help the plant to grow. I was away the first time it bloomed, but [...]

LATE BLOOMER For many years we have had an Agave victoria–reginae, a fairly small plant, in our garden. Recently, to our surprise, a thick spike suddenly shot up from its centre. This grew quickly to 4.5m before small buds appeared on the stalk, about a metre from the top. These thickened and gradually opened out [...]

I don’t remember from where I acquired my gymea lily, but I planted it in a large pot where it grew to about 75cm high over five years. When we moved the lily came too, and was planted in the garden where it has grown taller than me.  Now, a further eight years on, we [...]

Scarce bees Our fruit trees always look so pretty in spring I thought I would share the early blossom of a plum (above right) and apricot (above left) with other readers. The dazzling white plum blossom is my favourite. It’s sad that we have so few honeybees around to pollinate them but there is the [...]