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A few weeks after the beginning of Spring is a good time to collect some inspiration for your garden. Check out the local Botanic Garden, take a looksee in open gardens, a visit to the Garden Club, or else a simple walk around the neighbourhood to see what grows well and what goes well.  

Thalia Narcissus with white accents (orchid narcissus) and Fritilaria contrasting with green and blue. 

Some of our native species stand out in spring:  

Pittosporum eugenioides (also known as Tarata) is here just in time for our bees and bumble bees to take advantage of the massive amounts of nectar and sweet dribblings that’s on offer.  

Native bees in particular will come and visit. 

Amalanchier canadensis (the white flowers) are lovely northern hemisphere trees that end up giving you berries for your sandwiches. They are also known as Canadian Shadbush.  

Their white flowers go very well with Chaenomeles (Japanese Quince). 

Mind you, the only trouble with Chaenomeles is the fact that their spikes are extremely sharp, making pruning a bit tricky. 

Combinations of various plant species allows different colours to be seen from different angles. 

Foliage of many plants interact with some flowers. This is what the exact same part of the garden looks like from different angles.   

The idea is to combine them to allow contrasts in sun and shade, which means looking in different directions will show new patterns.  

Hebe, Euphorbia, and bright yellow Spiraea japonica “Gold Flame”. 

When it comes to patterns, some plants create wonderful three-dimensional pieces of art. This Kowhai has dense foliage in random directions.  

It is a perfect spot for our birds to build a nest, after flowering has finished…  

Nectar feeders will visit regularly so check them out! 

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