Terrific Tulips

Now we come to our main reason for going on our Spring Expedition, The Tulips!!!!!!!

Absolutely Gorgeous!!!!!

It was such a beautiful day and the tulips looked stunning in the sun light.  I think half of Wellington City came along to look at the tulips today.  Mum and Dad's out with the kids, students with their cameras, tourists, couples, Nana and Grandad with the grandkids, all walks of life..... all enjoying the same thing.

Lots of people having picnics on the Sound Shell lawn.  We had our lunch there too.
Salem and I had a lovely time looking at all the tulips.  The Spring Festival doesn't start until the 30th September with Tulip Sunday on the opening day.

I am glad we didn't wait until then as the tulips had opened a couple of weeks early and I think they won't be looking as good for this weekend.  It must be hard getting the timing right for these events as all the spring flowers seem to be blooming earlier and earlier each year.  The seasons are really out of sync.

So this Sunday is Tulip Sunday and there will be lots of entertainment to welcome Spring to the Wellington Botanic Gardens.  Thousands of people will be there to enjoy the music, dancing, food and of course the flowers.

The Mayor of Wellington Celia Wade-Brown will be there and so will the Dutch Ambassador Arie van der Wiel.  They will be doing some speeches for the opening day.

Also on offer are guided walks, talks, storytelling, workshops, a visit from zoo critters, children’s activities and exclusive tours of other attractions in the area as part of the festival.
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But Salem and I are quite content to just stroll around doing our own thing for now.  We will probably go to one or two activities over the school holidays which have just started today.

I found a nice place to sit down and have another cup of tea and I had a read of the newspaper.  It was lovely to just sit down and relax surrounded with such a beautiful sight.

It was also a good opportunity to let Salem go off to have a bit of an explore by himself in the surrounding trees and bushes.

He just loves to climb a good tree and he told me he made a bit of a fort up in the bushes.
Typical boy!!!!
I'm sure the gardeners wouldn't be too impressed but he only uses dead branches off the ground.

We will be going back there tomorrow hopefully as we have a few things to do in Wellington tomorrow, so it will be interesting to see if his fort is still intact.
He has been talking about it all week.

Here are some facts about the tulips at the Botanic Gardens:

They planted 25,000 tulips.

A warm, wet and mild winter has led to an early flourish for most of Wellington Botanic Garden's tulips.

Last year we had the big snow and the very cold temperatures meant the tulips were very late.  This year the warm wet winter has really got them growing.

The council's parks and reserves manager used to wander down to check out the tulips on a Monday and, after some studying, would duly pronounce: 'We will have Tulip Sunday this week'.
They can now no longer do this as it is now such a big event and needs a lot of planing.

This has been the second year that the tulips haven't bloomed on time.

We didn't get to see them last year unfortunately but this display absolutely made up for missing them last year.

Tulips originate from vast areas with mild climates and need a period of cold dormancy.

They do better in temperate climates with long cool spring and early summer, but they also are frequently produced as many spring flowering annual plantings in temperate areas.

It will be interesting to see how the beautiful tulips have fared since our visit last week. 

The weather this week has been quite mild, some rain but no big gusty windy days to blow all the petals off.

I just love Spring!!!!!

We will hopefully be checking out the gardens at the Hobson Street Park this weekend among other things but I still haven't finished with telling you about this expedition yet.  I think there are about three more installments.  We try to fit as much as we can in one day when we go into Wellington.

So more tomorrow.......

Spring has sprung....

Snail Boy

What a beautiful sunny spring time day it was today.  We have had such cold weather lately, lots of rain and even snow on the hills.

It is so nice to see the sun again.

This morning when I looked out of the kitchen window I saw Salem playing with snails.

He has a bit of a play with them then feeds them to the chickens.  And of course he has to wear them first.  Strange lad!!!!!

Pukekos trying to avoid us

We walked home from the gym today and it seemed like all the bird life was out enjoying the sun.
The Pukekos (swamp hens) were fighting with each other or else running away from us.  I just love their white feathers on their bottoms.

Another Pukeko

Our walk takes us through a swamp land which is just lovely.  With all the rain we have had, there is plenty of water for the pukekos, ducks, geese and many other birds to swim and wade in.

By the Swamp

It's a pity that a completely un-needed expressway is to be built through here.  We will have shifted into Wellington by then.  It would be too horrible to see a beautiful landscape ruined like that.

Ducks

It is such a joy to watch the ducks swimming about.  Often we stop and watch them, along with some wading birds.  Today we got to watch some swallows flitting around above us.  

Admiring the blossoms

Then it was back to suburbia and we were treated to lovely spring displays all the way home.  Here are some of the lovely spring delights for you to enjoy.

Gorgeous tiny purple flowers

There flowers were so little, I thought they were little black berries at first so I had to have a closer look and was pleasantly surprised to see that they were lovely little purple flowers.

Forget-Me-Nots

Ahhhh... forget-me-nots, just love them.  We have some growing in a pot at home.  We got them as tiny seedlings from the Colonial Cottage in Wellington.  We didn't know what they were until they produced their little blue blooms.

Along side the forget-me-nots were these blue beauties.  I can't remember what they are called.

Taking time to smell the Flowers

One of the best things about spring time is walking through clouds of perfume down the street.  The freesias are delicious but of course you have to beware of some not so nice smelling flowers.  There are a fair few yucky smelling blooms which we cross the road for as they are planted on mass.  I haven't taken any photos of those today.

Daisy, Daisy, give me your answer do......

Also at home we have flowering at the moment are our grape hyacinths, I just love them.  They remind me of when I used to live at my Nana and Grandad's.  There was always these little cheeky blue flowers peeking out of the long grass every spring.

Alyssum

Our borage is still producing lots of little blue stars.  My boys love eating these flowers so it is amazing that there are any left.  The flowers taste like cucumber and of course the bees just love them.

The daffidols have been and gone, they were early blooming ones but flowered in the middle of winter.
I think we might have some later blooming ones planted somewhere.  I can never remember.

One lot of our tulips has already bloomed and dissappeared but another variety has started to flower.
The tulips at the Wellington Botanic Gardens have bloomed very early so we will go and see them this weekend.  Can't wait!!!!!

My roses have started to have flowers on too.  I gave them a hard pruning back as they were getting too bushy with not enough space for air flow so hopefully they will be a bit healthier this year.  They are very hardy older varieties with deliciously scented blooms.

I think my next gardening job will be cutting back my geraniums, they are taking over the place.  
Ahhhhhh....... I love spring!!!!!!!!!

"Hark! the hours are softly calling

Bidding Spring arise

To listen to the rain-drops falling

From the cloudy skies

To listen to Earth's weary voices

Louder every day

Bidding her no longer linger

On her charm'd way

But hasten to her task of beauty

Scarcely yet begun."

~Adelaide Anne Procter 

A Botanical Break

On the 25th August, Salem and I had a well earned break between the ballet shows Salem was performing in.  It was early evening and after being around a theatre most of the day, it was really nice to "stop and smell the flowers".
We went to the Lady Norwood Gardens at the Wellington Botanical Gardens and then walked through the Bolton Street Memorial Park.  It was so nice and it definitely blew the cobwebs away.

There were no roses at this time of year but the plantings of beautiful bright poppies more than made up for that.  They were beautiful!!!!
Salem had fun buzzing from one flower to the next pretending to be a bee.  It was a great way for him to un-wind.
Then we slowly walked back into the city through the Boulton Street Park and the smell of the early spring flowers was just devine.  We had a little time to explore and look at some of the very old gravestone which were surrounded by the flowers.
It was a pity we didn't have a lot of time but we were well refreshed to face the rest of the evening.
Just Lovely......

Spring flowers growing on the graves

The Bolton Street Memorial Park

The Bolton Street Memorial Park in central Wellington, right next to the motorway.  It contains the city's original burial ground commonly known previously as Bolton Street Cemetery. It commemorates many early pioneers (1840 - 1892) and important historical figures from the 19th Century.
The Bolton Street Memorial Park, was newly named in 1978, is an excellent example of a colonial cemetery, using imported and local stone, iron and wood. Its iron memorials, wooden tablets, picket fences and wrought iron surrounds are particularly significant and comparatively rare in New Zealand.

It is a peaceful sanctuary of cultivated and forested open space. There are over 1,300 carved and worn monuments are distributed throughout the Park that straddles the motorway. A nationally important collection of heritage roses, some dating from the colonial era, inter-twine with other early plantings amongst picket fences and wrought iron surrounds. It's walkways offer a unique stroll between the city centre and the formal Rose Garden of the Botanic Gardens.

The old chapel there contains exhibits and has a full burial list of the 8,679 people interred in the cemetery. It is situated alongside is the Sexton's Cottage which is one of the oldest surviving buildings in Wellington.

Taking time to smell the flowers

The Wellington Botanic Gardens

At the Wellington Botanic Gardens there is over 26 hectares of unsurpassed views, unique landscape, exotic forests, native bush, colourful floral displays and gorgeous specialist gardens.

You can visit the Duck Pond, Begonia House, award-winning Lady Norwood Rose Garden,  the Treehouse Visitor Information Centre, Sundial of Human Involvement, Children’s Play Area and the historic Bolton Street Memorial Park which is where many of the city's pioneers are buried.

The gardens are open daily from sunrise to sunset. Entry is free and Garden tours are available by prior booking or prior request.

Pretty Poppies

Some history about the Gardens

The Wellington Botanic Gardens are classed as a Garden of National Significance by the Royal New Zealand Institute of Horticulture and is an Historic Places Trust Heritage Area.

In 1844, the New Zealand Company set aside a 5.26 hectare strip of land for a Botanic Garden reserve.  At that time the land was covered in dense podocarp forest including rimu, totara and matai.  The Garden was established in 1868 and managed by the New Zealand Institute. 

Trees growing today on Druid Hill and Magpie Spur grew from seedlings planted at this time, and are some of the oldest exotic trees in New Zealand.

In the 1870s the fledgling garden was boosted with a further 21.85 hectares of reserve.

Wellington City Council has managed the Botanic Garden since 1891.

At the Lady Norwood Rose Garden

Some more history of the Gardens

James Hector was the first director of the Garden, he also held many significant positions from his arrival in Wellington in 1865 including keeper of time, director of the Dominion Museum, founder of the NZ Geological Survey (forerunner of the DSIR)and NZ Institute (forerunner of the Royal Society of NZ).

Albert Kellog was the first to describe the giant Sequoya from America, a number of specimens which are found in the Garden.
He supplied most of the North West American plants imported by James Hector, that became such a feature of this garden, including the commercially important Pinus radiata.

George Vernon Hudson was a teenager when he first came to Wellington, he was the first to describe the life cycle of the native glow worn from specimens found in this Garden. His extensive insect collection eventually became the founding collecton of the Dominion Museum, subsequently Te Papa.
With an interest in astronomy, he wrote many articles on his star gazing in local papers, discovered a star, and was the first proponent of daylight saving. He used the observatory telescopes in the Garden in addition to his own.

Bright cheerful colour while the roses are dormant

The Lady Norwood Rose Garden

The Lady Norwood Rose Garden is one of the most popular features of the Wellington Botanic Garden. 
A rose garden has been a feature of the Garden for a long time. The original occupied the site now featuring the Sound Shell in the Main Garden. In the late 1940's the possibility of establishing a new area featuring roses was suggested, and with the assistance of the Norwood Family, work commenced in 1950, the garden named after Lady Norwood. The area opened in 1953.

The Garden contains some 3200 roses covering over 300 varieties. It includes all main types.
There is also a heritage rose collection of roses from Regency and Victorian times in the adjoining Bollton Street Memorial Park, containing some 300 heritage specimens covering over 80 varieties.

The surrounding pergola was added in 1961. Lady Norwood donated the original fountain in the centre, although the Norwood children gave a replacement in 1977. This is an antique bronze structure, imported from Australia, although originally came from outside a bank in London. It is over 100 years old.

The design of the garden has basically not changed since it was constructed. There are 106 beds, although recently the 4 central beds have been divided into two to allow easier access, so there are now 110 main beds. The Rose Garden Brochure, available in the Begonia House, gives the garden layout, and lists the individual roses in their appropriate beds. # to 4 rose beds are replaced each year, the new roses previously trialed in the test beds located at the rear right of the garden for several years before being selected. Few of the original roses remain; Buccaneer, located in the centre close to the fountain in the north east quadrant, is one of the remaining original specimens.

The main flowering season commences in November and continues until early autumn. The plants are continually 'deadheaded through the flowering season to promote new growth and flowering. Pruning starts in May, and a pruning demonstration in conjunction with the Rose Society is held each year.

A Sunny Winter's Day

On Tuesday before going off to Salem's costume fitting for Cinderella, we had a lovely afternoon at one of Salem's favourite parks which is at the top of Hobson Street in Wellington city.

There are lots of good climbing trees and Salem just goes from one tree to the next.

He had to make sure he didn't disturb the pigeons in this tree.  They were having an afternoon nap.

The park has two gardens, the first at the north entrance is the Lady MacKenzie Garden for the Blind which is a lovely scented garden.

It has a lovely little waterfall and pond area which makes a lovely sound.  Kids love climbing over the rocks and of course paddle about in it in the summer.

It's a lovely setting to come and have a picnic lunch or a takeaway coffee.

Along with the music of the waterfall is the gorgeous aromas of all the flowers.  There is the lovely sweet smell of some White Daphne.  There are patches of Lemon Balm, Rosemary and other fragrant herbs as well to enjoy.

Lots of bushes of the usual common pink coloured Daphne.  Yum.  Just love that smell.  I had to pick a little bit to take home with me.  Naughty, naughty!!

No fragrant garden is complete without lavender.  Can you spot the bee in the photo?

Spring flowers are already up and blooming and it is still the middle of winter.

It's hard to believe that this lovely park is right next to a motorway.

Right next to these gardens is the Katherine Mansfield Memorial Park.  Katherine Mansfield is a famous New Zealand writer.  Salem's favourite story written by her is "The Dolls House".

There are always plenty of pigeons here.  They are very well behaved too ;^)

More great trees for climbing.
We had a lovely relaxing time in the sun before going off to watch the politicians argue while sitting in the gallery while Parliment was in session.  We both love politics!!!

And of course we managed to fit in a cup of tea and filled our tums at Arthur's in Cuba Street.

And a quick read.