Ohhh… I’m Dry?!

Ohhh… I’m Dry?!

I was away recently soaking in some wonderful gardens and had a fabulous time.  During the weekend I was down in Blenheim at the NZ Gardens Trust Conference I had a major epiphany and to be honest I’m a little shocked I never realised it. 

While the weekend was decidedly soggy with more rain than they’d had in a year falling in the days we were there to visit gardens, there were talks and keynotes on dry gardening.  To be honest I thought dry gardening was all the wafty grasses and Verbena bonariensis and such like, which I can appreciate and enjoy in other people’s gardens but didn’t think it was for me.  With every garden I visit I find myself drawn to the more formal lines over the more freer cottage and natural styles.  Don’t get me wrong – its not that I don’t like them, because I do, but in my own garden it would seem that I am a bit of a control freak and enjoy a sense of order. 

In hindsight, this also makes huge sense.  You just need to take one look at my edible space.  Moving to this new coastal environment six years ago, I knew I wanted to continue my vegetable trajectory and by the time we moved I knew how much space I required to grow what I wanted to grow.  I had grand plans and thought this could be a fabulous opportunity create something beautiful… a potager with curls, corners, nooks, and crannies.  I cut up small pieces of paper to represent the space I needed for each of the things I wanted to grow.  It could have been wonderful.  But each time I shuffled things about I kept coming back to formal lines ending up with what I have now – long skinny beds laid out like soldiers standing to attention.  Practicality, order and control prevailed over informality and whimsy.  It was an opportunity missed, but it works well for me and there are no regrets.

The soil in the edible garden wasn’t really a concern.  Aware the sandy soil could be poor, I took matters into my own hands and brought six truckloads of organic rich swamp soil with me.  Don’t worry, I didn’t leave a gaping hole for the new owners, but sourced some from very nearby so I could control at least one variable to continue growing in conditions I understood.  In reflection it was probably cheating a little because it delayed the inevitable – really getting to know the soil and conditions I have.

Having the practical edible garden well under control and becoming a bit of a routine I’ve begun to seek out a little bit of excitement with The Palace Garden.  To be honest I think Room One and Room Two were a bit of a fluke in that the plants I chose were mostly happy to grow in their spots.  When I first moved here, I was told ‘the only thing you’ll be able to grow is rosemary’ to which I naively replied, ‘watch me.’  Having said that rosemary does grow really well and except for a small wind worn patch has made a fabulous hedge embracing my rock in Room One. 

Room Two was all about being low maintenance so I selected plants that I could pretty much plop them in and forget about them.  Their local origins were the driving decision making process.  I sought them out by researching their abilities to cope in coastal conditions while giving the look I was after.  The other thing both of these rooms have been accidently resilient to is neglect.  Good intentions have fallen by the wayside as dragging the hose up the stairs or even I’m ashamed to admit the bag of fertiliser was just too much effort in my busyness.  It is sheer luck that both of these gardens are continuing to flourish. 

And now I find myself on the edge of Room Three, clearing the soil of every last trace of Kikuyu grass so I have a clean and clear blank canvas.  We’re almost there, working our way methodically across the soft, tractor loosened sand, plucking out the stray rhizomes as they wave their green flags above the soil alerting us to their presence below the surface.  They aren’t all that great at hide and seek!

I have a vision for this room, I can see it completed in my head and it is wonderful.  The hard landscaping will require a degree of bravery, but you need to be bold in a garden if you want it stand out and I’m not afraid of hard work.  Not to give too much away, but I’m going to need a lot of bricks (supply suggestions are welcome.)  I look forward to the process of building the framework of this exciting new project.  The plants – while I can see the general outlook – the details were hazy.  I was floundering in my decision making and it would seem I was holding back for a reason.  I needed to learn I have a dry garden. 

Listening to the lovely Jo Wakelin and Jenny Cooper, a growing realisation came over me. I shouldn’t really expect to grow a ‘normal’ garden.  Where I live is not ‘normal’ – far from it.  There were certain plants and ways of growing things that I need to embrace.  I need to leave the luck behind and make informed and sensible choices in the new garden.  It doesn’t mean I’ll end up with one of those grassy wafty gardens, I don’t want to copy someone else, although imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, I want to take on the challenge of keeping the vision I currently have in my head, but figure out how to utilise the plants and techniques to get what I want. 

And now I’m full of excitement and I can’t wait to get started. Watch this space – my gardening journey has taken an unexpected twist but one I should have really anticipated a long time ago.

Come again soon – things are about to get creative.   

Sarah the Gardener : o)