​This is my third post in a series which covers English gardening idioms and metaphors.  There are quite a few that I thought of so I have spread the material across a few separate posts.  In this post I cover garden creatures.  This is just what came to mind.  I didn’t do any research and I’m sure there are expressions I didn’t think of.   Worms To worm one’s way into something To open a can of worms Book worm The early bird catches the worm   Bees The land of milk and honey (that is the way the settlers viewed New Zealand, which I learnt in history at uni ..read more

​This is my second post in a series which covers English idioms and metaphors that contain gardening vocabulary.  There are quite a few that I thought of so I have spread the material across a few separate posts.  Please note again that some of them are not very nice things to say. That stands in stark contrast to the beauty I find in gardening and the enjoyment I get from it.  It is quite weird to me.    General The land of opportunity (the US) Green Card (US) Green thumb To have green fingers To lead someone down the garden path To pave the way for someone A potted ..read more

Gardening can be downright unpleasant. I don’t just mean that it’s hard work or you lose plants along the way. That’s nothing.  I couldn’t help but notice that there are some very un-PC (not politically correct) plant names.  Here are some examples. ​ Kaffir lime Indian maid (a daffodil variety) Kiwi Gossip (a daffodil variety) Wandering Jew ..read more

I have written a few blog posts about myself so my readers can get to know me.  I thought it might be nice to continue to share a bit about my passion for gardening and describe what it means to me.  I have been gardening for over a decade.  I divide my time between gardening (a practical act) and garden writing (in the form of my blog and free weekly gardening newsletters).  I also maintain an active Facebook and Instagram page which enables me to connect with people who would like to be a part of my world.  I enjoy sharing my gardening journey.  So many people h ..read more

Ranunculus It’s the first of March today and therefore officially autumn in New Zealand.  The mornings are crisper, the days lovely and warm and daylight hours are shorter.  The sun rises later than in summer and has started setting earlier.  Before we know it, daylight saving will be here and we will have to put the clocks an hour back. The season for ordering spring bulbs has started and I’m so excited about the new bulbs I will be planting this autumn for flowering in winter and spring.  We already have lots of jonquils, daffodils, dutch iris, gladioli nanus and frees ..read more

​Break Mum and I are currently at our bach (beach house) in the far north for a fortnight.  We are very upset that our cat has been missing (see below) and needed to escape from our home and garden which our beloved cat is very much a part of.   It has given me the opportunity to order more spring bulbs for the winter garden (see below), work on my free weekly gardening newsletters and write some blog posts.   Ginger is missing! Our beloved garden cat has been missing from Anita’s Garden. We miss her dearly.  If anyone has any information, please do not hesitate to con ..read more

​I’m pleased to share more photos of dahlia seedlings in my breeding programme.  This pink one is my favourite so far. ​Here are some photos of other dahlias in my trial which I feel are worth growing on for a further year to stablisise before deciding whether to keep them ..read more

One of the mixed bouquets I put together Two years ago, I planted a number of daffodils in our garden.  I thought it might be nice to share some photos of them.  I planted a naturalizing mix which contained different varieties.  The bulbs were different sizes.  I also planted some different named varieties.  I have never had much luck growing daffodils in the past and was really happy with the results.  I really enjoyed arranging the flowers too! ​ Mixed bouquets I really enjoyed making mixed bouquets.  I gave most of them away to friends and other people t ..read more

I have written a bit about the David Austin roses we have in our garden, which you can read about here and here. I wanted to share some photos and details regarding the rest of the roses we have in our garden.  I did lose a few roses over the past couple of months so I will try and find replacements in the new year. A Gardener's Dream I added this rose to our garden two years ago.  It has become one of my favourite roses. Absolutely Fabulous This is a stunning yellow rose which flowers profusely year round. Blackberry Nip I added this rose to the garden after I saw a picture of ..read more

I am excited to share that some of the dahlias in my breeding programme which I started in spring last year have already started flowering!  At the moment I am on holiday at our bach and expect to return home in the early new year. I can’t wait to see if more of the plants have started flowering and share more photos with you ..read more