There are many plants and shrubs here that can be found in our English gardens; often this is because those who have settled here brought things with them to remind them of home.
But there has also been traffic the other way, and you would recognise many native NZ plants. For example, the palm the Kiwis call the Cabbage Tree is the one we both have growing in our gardens. Your neighbour would be hard pressed to remove the seed heads of all I have seen here!
Hebe is another New Zealand shrub. There are more than 100 species and NZ is the only country in which most of them can be found growing in the wild.
Pittasporum is another one; 26 species of these.
A few weeks ago, when I didn't know any better, I said I'd seen some Pampas Grass. There is some of that here but it was imported. The native plant which can be found everywhere is called Toetoe. It is much more graceful than the stiff, upright Pampas; it's feathery heads are coloured from cream to pinky brown, and the stems are more flexible so that the heads bend over and sway in the breeze.
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| Toetoe |
But the Kiwis like domestic gardening too. There have been lovely gardens with floral displays in all the big towns. They seem to be able to grow anything and, if you were here, you'd be able to get some good cuttings.
And on the subject of gardens, Lawson's not looking forward to the mowing when we get back!
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