Century old trees for summer shade

 Summer getting too hot for you yet? Come on out to Dursley to bask in the shade of some of the magnificent 100+ year old trees. Many Oaks, a stunning Strawberry Tree (Arbutus), Cedars, Fir and many many more. Laid out by early NZ landscape architect Alfred Buxton, these trees are stunning in size. Pathways meander between them, with seats and farm vistas to enjoy from their shade. 

Summer is relatively quite under the trees, but winter, spring and autumn feature thousands of bulbs - Martagon lilies, hellebores, and cyclamen in particular. 

Arbutus unedo - Strawberry Tree. One of the largest in the Wairarapa

Pathways meander through the shade of the magnificent trees

Colour in Mid-Summer at Dursley

Mid-summer means COLOUR at Dursley. The perennial borders are looking spectacular, the roses are in full flight, and every colour is represented! Come on out and have a wander around. Lots of quiet places to sit in either sun or shade. A particularly good month to visit if you are into roses and/or lilies, as they are a major feature throughout the garden. 

Unusual Plants in Mid-Summer

Judith likes to grow slightly unusual plants in her garden. Many of these special plants are in flower at the moment, including these gorgeous tree poppies - Romneya. They thrive in Dursley's free draining soil. 

Below: Commonly known as 'Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow' (Brunsfelsia) because of the three phases of colour each flower goes through over successive days, Judith has these feature plants in one of the perennial borders. The colours are violet, liliac and white, and are all seen on the bush at the same time. Quite unusual, but looks lovely surrounded by a mixture of perennials, intermingling with lilies, dahlias, catmint and roses. 

Below: Red Hot Pokers in various shades, which flower for months

Below: Chinese Lanterns (Abutalon) need the light behind for them to glow. This yellow is eye-catching as it appears to be lit up, even in mid-winter. Seen here surrounded by Fox-gloves (Digitalis).