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Kia ora
Lately, when people ask me what I’m doing in the garden, I’ve found myself replying “Nothing” It’s a quick and easy answer – and only partly true.
In the perennial borders, it may look like nothing is happening, but there’s a lot going on beneath the surface. These areas have been left largely untouched, not because I haven’t had time, but because it is an intentional part of our approach. The perennials aren’t just chosen for their beauty; they play an important ecological role year-round.
Throughout winter and early spring, they offer much more than just faded seedheads and dried stems. They provide vital habitat and food sources: seeds for birds, shelter for overwintering beneficial insects, and even nesting material for birds in spring. Some plants, like evening primrose (Oenothera biennis), are particularly valuable feeding finches well into the colder months. Their seedheads are striking in structure and still manage to leave enough behind to self-sow for next season.
Spring can bring a rapid rise in pest populations such as Aphids, while their natural predators – like ladybugs, and lacewings – take longer to rebound. By leaving winter habitat intact, we give those helpful predators a better chance at getting a head start.
Resisting the urge to “tidy up” in autumn can feel counterintuitive. It’s deeply ingrained in our gardening culture. But even leaving a small area wild can make a big difference. A tidy edge or a neatly mown strip can make these wilder patches look more intentional and designed – a kind of curated messiness.
Among the great variety of perennials available there are many that maintain attractive seed heads and silhouettes well into the winter months. Who knows? Browns and greys might just become the next must-have colours in the winter garden palette.
A lovely byproduct of the curated messiness is the wide range of fungi we are discovering. A great indicator of a healthy ecosystem and the occasional addition to the dinner plate.
Having just encouraged you all to appreciate the seedheads and subtle tones of autumn and winter, there is still a surprising amount of colour to be found in the cooler months. The late-flowering salvias are truly coming into their own right now. I’m especially enjoying the rich orange hues of Salvia confertiflora—with their tall, stems (taller than me!), they shine like beacons on even the dullest of days.
Salvia elegans (Pineapple Sage) is another vibrant standout, continuing to flower for months at Bee Haven—often well into spring. The grevilleas are just beginning to bloom, as are some of the camellias, and the gorgeous colourful lanterns of the abutilon continue with their showy blooms. All of these offer valuable nectar for birds, bees, and the occasional overwintering butterfly.
In the Nursery
Autumn has been a busy season of potting up new perennials sown over summer. A few, such as the gorgeous giant scabious (Cephalaria gigantea), are already available for sale. Many more will be ready by spring. Unfortunately, our summer cuttings didn’t thrive this year, so stock is limited for many of the shrubs we typically have available in winter and early spring. We’re hopeful the winter hardwood cuttings will prove more successful.
We have lots of planting planned in the gardens over the winter and early spring which I’m sure will unearth a few treasures surplus to requirements – expect to see these listed over the next three months.
We will have limited numbers of Rugosa roses and Rosa ‘Anais Segale’ available as well as Hazelnuts – both ‘Barcelona’ and ‘Whiteheart’ These will be listed from the end of June.
The Food Garden
“Abundant” is the word that comes to mind when reflecting on the food garden this autumn. It’s been a season of exciting firsts: our first harvests of hazelnuts, olives, and chestnuts. In addition to those, the apples, peaches, quinces, plums, and feijoas have been especially bountiful.
The only underperformer this season were the pears—but with so much other fruit, they weren’t missed. Our solar dehydrator worked overtime, and we’re now well-stocked with dried and frozen fruit. We even have enough peach chutney to last a couple of years!
The vegetable garden has seen a mix of successes and challenges. Beetroot has thrived and is holding well into winter, while tomatoes struggled this year—an early cold snap really set them back. Still, I managed to save some seed and freeze a few. I’ve just picked the last of the capsicums grown in the greenhouse, and they’ve been wonderfully sweet. Carrots and broccoli have provided us with regular harvests, and there are always some greens to find for a salad, soup or side.
A highlight has been our supply of my favourite dried beans: Cornfield Climbing. As the name suggests, this variety was traditionally grown up corn stalks—and we followed suit. The beans flourished—perhaps a little too much—overwhelming the corn and affecting its production. We’ll need to rethink our spacing and planting numbers next season to strike a better balance.
Happy gardening,
Louise
With 15 years running a gardening business plus a few years going back to my original career as a teacher, I decided to follow my heart and open a plant Nursery from home. I feel very privileged to be able to work from home doing what I love best: growing plants and creating gardens.