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A Berlin Break
Florals the Berlin way. Kukkais-Berliiniä. Blommigt på Berlinvis. Going to Berlin had nothing to do with gardens, and that was a good thing because it really wasn’t the most flattering time of year in terms of garden experiences. Berlin has a lot of attractive sides, very stylish buildings and pretty parks, but the more interesting parts of Berlin are the rough and very urban parts with a bit of old east-Berlin architecture thrown in. En lähtenyt Berliiniin puutarha-ajatuksissa ja se oli kyllä hyvä, koska vuodenaika ei imarrellut kaupunkia ja hienoista puutarhakokemuksista oli vähän puutetta. Berliinissä on paljon kaunista, tyylikkäitä rakennuksia ja kauniita puistoja, mutta kiinnostavinta on se rähjäisempi erittäin kaupungistunut Berliini…
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Around the Cape
This wasn’t an unusual tree, but it wasn’t in the one book I bought at Kirstenbosch. Edit: It’s some type of Callistemon. South Africa is a society with a lot of fences and barbed wire. “Friendly” barbed wire. Nasturtiums are weeds. The old graveyard at Robben Island. Large Agaves Nelson Mandela had a garden at Robben Island. The Plumbago grew really vigourously. The calla lily, Zantedeschia aethiopica was thriving as well.
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Kirstenbosch
Leucospermum reflexum – most likely – todennäköisesti – antagligen Streliziae ’ Mandela’s Gold’, Plantworld actually stocks seeds for it. More pincushion flowers, there were all imaginable shades of yellow, orange and red. A mountain dahlia, Liparia splendens. Lots of Geraniums. I’ll add a few pictures from other places around the Cape tomorrow. Lisään muutaman kuvan lisää Kapkaupungin ympäristöstä huomenna. Jag lägger upp lite fler bilder från Kapstadens omgivningar imorgon.
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Comfort in the Cold (-9°C/16°F outside right now)
Like many gardening professionals my summers can be very work filled and taking time off has to be deterred. This summer I actually had some free time in July, but most of it had to be put for a later date. Some of that I spent in October when I took a trip with some friends to see another friend who was working in Cape Town. South Africa was one of those places that I wanted to visit some day, but unless my friend would have been working there I don’t think it would have happened so soon. Flying there was expensive and took 16 hours, but besides the flight…
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Hellebores
One of the first things that brighten up the new season is the Hellebores. Some years, they even brighten up the winter. A few years ago I managed to plant one in January and two years ago one actually flowered on January 25th. That’s not going to happen this year. Before the snow came I did see that some of the Helleborus nigers had a few buds, but then the snow came in spades and now I’m just hoping that they will survive for a few months. I’ve bought most of my Hellebores as plants, but I’ve also managed to raise one plant from seed. They are a bit…
