A selection of some of of the 300 dahlias grown by Mark Penty in Fairfield - photo taken in second week of March.
Robyn and Alan Reid's garden in Abbotsford, as it looked last October.
This is Rosie Henderson's autumn garden on Bridge Hill, Alexandra.
Francie Stephens' garden in Woodland Ave, Mosgiel.
Tony Fitchett, of Pine Hill, says Rhododendron excellens flowered for him for the first time. Photo taken on January 17. ``It is apparently normal for this species to flower in January in the southern hemisphere, well after most rhododendrons have...
Tim Fruean's lupins in his Oamaru garden.
A springtime view of Ross Marshall-Seeley's garden in Kaikorai - ``tulips and rhododendrons, and everything else showing promise.''
Peter Manning's flower garden at Ravensbourne is a feast of colour.
Yvonne Pollock, of Fairfield, entered this photo of her courtyard garden with the Japanese maple in pride of place. In autumn its leaves turn a brilliant red.
Marilyn Muir, of Palmerston, has entered this little corner of a built-up area by the caravan where her much-loved 13-year-old golden retriever Liza, ``spent a part of her day keeping an eye on our comings and goings''.
Hydrangeas are a dominant feature of Lyn Carter's driveway on her Karitane property.
Patricia Pickford, of Fairfield, developed a taste for coriander when visiting one of her sons in Sydney in October last year. ``I thought how lovely it looked with the sun on it and the red pot behind it.''
Brian Tidmarsh, from ``Glenmorangie'', Glenleith, says these beautiful sloe-black cones on the conifer Abies forrestii appeared last spring for only the second time in 22 years.
Sophie Barker says her cottage-style garden in Andersons Bay starts the season as a ``well ordered vegetable garden with pops of floral colour and ends in a riot of sweet peas so riotous that we can't use the paths''.
Lovely showing in Lois Paterson's Broad Bay garden recently: ``Having loved gardening all my life and now to be able to spend so much more time in the garden since retiring a couple years ago is just so amazing. Best therapy possible.''
Jocelyn Parkes, of Maori Hill, inherited two ``Margaret Merril'' roses from her neighbour and thinks they are the most delicate and beautiful rose to have in the garden.
Barrie and Cheryl Mangan's succulent garden at Broad Bay, taken on March 10.
Midge Ruka's ``relatively new'' garden in Green Island features Heritage and David Austin roses, plus dahlias and perennials. The roses are ``Archiduc Joseph'', ``Francis Dubreil'', ``Munstead Wood'', ``Jacqueline du Pre'' and ``Gruss an Aachen''.
Louise Ind, of Green Island, says thanks to Pinterest (‘‘the world’s catalogue of ideas’’) she has just discovered ranunculus ‘‘and they are gorgeous — My dog Holly likes them too!’
Denise Robertson, of Oamaru, calls her garden a ``licorice allsort''.
The view from Stella Cullington's Company Bay home overlooking the harbour provided a wonderful contrast in colours and textures on February 7 this year with the red of the pohutukawa in the centre, a purple wattle to the left and the pikes of a...
Natalie Mahan's small but colourful garden in Oamaru, viewed from her deck.
Dahlias were a feature of Shirley Nisbet's garden in Belleknowes on March 9.
Natalie Mahan's small but colourful garden in Oamaru, viewed from her deck.
These tulips made a spectacular showing in Tracey Clare’s garden in Palmerston last October with ‘‘quite a few locals’’ stopping to have a look. Photos supplied.
Jude Dobbs took this photo last November during a shady stroll through her Oamaru garden, between the weeping Japanese maples.
Jenny Bryant, of Maori Hill, says: ‘‘This year I’ve grown many things in pots, mainly vegetables. But for a change in the flower department I thought I would try lupins. They have done beautifully.’
Isla Tenbeth, of Andersons Bay, says she gets lots of enjoyment doing this sloping garden and then being able to look over it from her lounge and bedrooms.
Margaret Manning combines flowers with vegetables in her Ravensbourne garden, which she calls her ``garden of dreams''.
Roses and gypsophila feature in Sharron Mayfield’s garden in Mosgiel. The pink rose is ‘‘Paddy Stephens’’ and the white one is the delightfully perfumed ‘‘Margaret Merril’’.
Kerrie Hodgson says this stunning climbing rose (she doesn’t know its name) has been putting on quite a show in her East Taieri garden.
Coral Beattie, of Milton, says after 57 years her garden always manages a superb display in the spring.
This bottlebrush tree was a colourful feature of Jenny Garth’s Musselburgh garden back in December.
Colleen Smillie’s vegetable garden, on her Waipiata/Kyeburn Rd property, was brimming with great produce back in November.
Part of Jan Robb’s small, compact garden in Alexandra with the rose ‘‘Burgundy Iceberg’’ in full bloom.
Margaret MacArthur, of Dunedin, says some years ago she scattered some Shirley Poppy seeds in her garden. ``The bees do a wonderful job of cross-pollinating them, so every year I have poppies coming up in all different variations. Reds, pinks, corals...
These Livingstone daisies planted in an old wheelbarrow provide a real splash of colour for Connie Masters, of Balclutha.
Jenny Campbell, of Grasmere, Invercargill, has the rose ‘‘Lavender Lassie’’ growing above her front fence through the greenery of a banksia rose that has finished flowering. ‘‘It has been a challenging growing season in Invercargill with a lot of wind...
These ‘‘Iceberg’’ roses have been ‘‘amazing’’ this season for Pam and Earl Harrex at Lauder, Central Otago. ‘‘Lauder has domestic water but no extra water for gardening, so roses have nature’s rain — very limited where we live although a lot of rain...
The vegetables were thriving last week in Wendy Miller’s Concord garden. ‘‘My husband built these raised gardens which are great. We have grown broccoli, cauliflower, corn, beans, spring onions and courgettes in them. As you can see, the vegetables...
Daphne Norman, of Alexandra, has entered this photo of her great-granddaughter, Isabelle Norman (3), of Wanaka, picking flowers from her bed of wild flowers to take home
Peggy Jamison, of Wakari, says this dahlia is 28cm across — ‘‘but they can grow larger"
Jenny Campbell, of Grasmere, Invercargill, has the rose ‘‘Lavender Lassie’’ growing above her front fence through the greenery of a banksia rose that has finished flowering. ‘‘It has been a challenging growing season in Invercargill with a lot of wind...
Treasures ‘‘harvested’’ last December from Leonie Campbell’s garden in Waiareka Junction, Oamaru include roses ‘‘City of London’’ (white/pink) and ‘‘Dublin Bay’’ (red) and some delphiniums.
Kaitrin McMullan’s Northeast Valley property includes this ‘‘hanging garden of Boobalon’’, a blooming bra garden and a whiteware installation — ‘‘ as part of a recycling ethos combined with Caledonian thrift’’.
Lynne Huggins, of Invercargill, says the lovely display of Filipendula rubra (‘‘Queen of the Prairie’’) gives the veranda at her Folster Gardens B and B a soft touch.
One of Lorraine Miller’s chooks (dubbed Lady Gaga) stepped into shot just as Lorraine was taking the photo of her little wildflower garden ‘‘down by the gate, grown from a packet of seeds’’ in the Catlins.
Irises were a feature of Anne Ramage’s garden in Musselburgh, back in November.
One of Nancy Lawson’s sunflowers, which have grown to almost 3m in height this year, in her Mosgiel garden.
A lily ‘‘more than 5 feet high’’ is complemented by nicotiana and dianthus in Gaylene Holland’s garden in Balfour, Southland. Photos supplied.
Roses are a feature of Glenda Butler’s garden in Dunedin, with ‘‘Just Joey’’ in the foreground (a gift after her husband’s brother died) and three Flower Carpets (white) behind.
The striking orange flowers of the Chinese Trumpet Creeper (Campsis grandiflora) provided spectacular summer colour in Jan Walker’s garden on the Frankton-Ladies Mile Highway, Queenstown.
Kay Clark’s photo shows part of her raised garden/rockery, with Hebe Hulkeana in flower, in St Clair.
Yvette Buttery, of Roslyn, calls this her ‘‘crater garden’’, with the grassy bank at right being part of the old cable car route, which ran from the top of Ross St to the junction of Falcon and Fraser Sts in Kaikorai Valley.
On a hill near Balclutha, Diane Bennett’s garden is exposed to the gales after shelter belt trees were removed. But these sweet peas survived, even if the first plantings did not, proving persistence pays off.
Marilyn Dunn's lilies in South Otago.
Donna Bryant's cottage on Highgate.
The sweet peas were thriving at Ann Wood’s Caversham garden in January.
Part of Suz Allison’s garden in Bannockburn this week.
Kathleen Dundass’ Cromwell garden at sunset — ‘‘So pleasant to sit on the deck and admire the colours’’.
Marie Cox says her Belleknowes garden was a pretty combination of colour last spring.
Sitting on their deck with a morning coffee made all the dead-heading worthwhile this week, Noeleen and Russell Lippert, of Concord, say.
Terry Hannan’s vegetable garden in Weston in December.
Nancy Graham has found a lovely way to decorate a V block retaining wall built by her husband, Doug, some 43 years ago at their Mosgiel home.
A combination of vegetables, roses and blue skies prove an eye-catcher at June Cross' Careys Bay garden.
The old favourite climbing rose ``Dublin Bay'' features in part of Shirley Gough's colourful garden at Tomahawk.
These poppies were a standout at Teresa Wasilewska's ``wild child'' garden at her North Otago crib at Christmas/New Year - ``when we sat on the deck, enjoying the garden and company of friends and family, and felt absolutely no guilt at not having...
Adair Simpkin, activities co-ordinator at Elmslie House, Wanaka, has entered this photo to show the ``wonderful garden that we all enjoy. Henri Sebelik works daily in this garden and says `working in the garden makes me feel rich'. Everybody, visitors...
Ralph Austin, of South Dunedin, says his vege plot is only 3.5m x 1.3m, but you can grow a lot in a small area - lemons, grapes, passionfruit, parsley, lettuce, beetroot, carrots, radish, chive, tomatoes, runner and butter beans, potatoes, garlic,...
Gavin and Cathy Dann are sharing their Chapman Rd, Alexandra, garden with about 80 wild Californian quail at the moment. Says Gavin: '' This number will double in the winter ... usually with the onset of quail shooting season. My wife and I enjoy a...
When John and Shirley Bradley moved a year ago from Balaclava to Mosgiel, they had to downsize their garden. Here are their raised gardens, flowers in one, vegetables in the other. Why the netting? John says the sparrows have given the lettuce and...
Daphne and Maurie Beuth have lived in this Oamaru property for only 18 months and have been ``extremely busy developing it since then. Maurie did the pond using a cylinder water feature from a previous garden, therefore a pond had to be constructed...
Claire Gray found this freesia flowering among the Chatham Island forget-me-not leaves in her Milton garden in March 6. ``Perhaps no winter this year and have gone straight to spring. I wish.''
Roses are a feature of Fin and Carol Torrance's back garden in Main South Rd, Green Island.
Betty (``the gardener'') and Syd (``the vegetable grower'') Broadley have had to fight off the attention of possums (10 eliminated since January) in their vegetable and wild flower garden in Naseby.
Ginny Ind, of Ocean View, says: ``We have lived in NZ for over 21 years and there are many things I miss about England. One of them is wandering through the bluebell woods in spring, so I decided to try to create my own little bluebell patch here.''
Lesley and Bill McIntosh's large flower garden at their Thames Highway, Oamaru, property, which also features a raised bed vegetable garden.
Warrington School pupils Arlo Bickerstaff and Roland Ozanne do some weeding in the school's vege garden.
Jan Smith's vegetable garden in Fairfield.
Jennie Atkinson says seven years ago her garden in Bradford was a paddock with a creek running through it. ''We have gardened on a budget... most things have been given to us! Things of interest are the willow igloo, a bank for skinks and a board-walk...
The Wanaka Retirement Village's Sue Anderson says ''What a colourful place Otago is - so many beautiful gardens.Here at Wanaka Retirement Village we thought you might like this colourful scene taken in January. Delphiniums and poppies."
The Waverley garden of Trudy Arkensteyn, who says she cultivated her flowers and vegetables for over 40 years. She has now moved to a brand new home on the flat in January and already boasting a garden of beautiful colour, just on a smaller scale!
Sue Ashford-Owen, of Maori Hill says: ''While recovering from cancer surgery, creating a Zen-inspired garden was therapeutic and a good way to use up some river stones that were lying around. Given the area is quite shaded, hostas and heucheras seemed...
Frances Grant's autumn garden in Milton.
Jenny Cook, of Caversham, says ''roses displayed their colourful blooms in our garden this summer".
Yvonne and Graeme Strang’s vege garden in Alexandra. They believe there is a resurgence of interest in growing your own vegetables and this seasons harvest has proved to be very bountiful.
A heavily-laden grapevine is one feature of Nicola Monteith's garden in St Clair.
One aspect of Sylvia Clarkson and Phil Murphy's garden in Careys Bay showing a variety of colours and textures and the bird house which is well used when they feed the birds.
Martin Taylor's back garden in Milton.
This section of Lorraine Hollands’ garden in Riverside Rd, Mosgiel, has been transformed from a calf paddock.
Faye Bretherton is happy with the first season flowering in her Wakari garden after conifers were removed and much compost added when she moved house last year.
The rose ‘‘Peter Frankenfeld’’ was looking good last month at the Ashworth Gardens B & B in Millers Flat, run by Allan and Isabel Ashworth.
A small selection of peonies in Jean Young and Bruce McDowell’s garden at East Taieri
Mike Stephens and his wife Heather have spent about 16 years creating these raised beds at their Wakari property. Mike says the gardens are ‘‘very easy to manage with a glass of beer or sav on these glorious early autumn evenings.’’
Part of a border of Noeline Rhodes’ garden in Lynwood Ave, Maori Hill. Photo taken on New Year’s Day.
Today, we present the final batch of entries in our photographic contest, which, by my count takes the total since we began publishing readers' photos on March 7 to 95.
That's up a handful on last year's excellent tally, so a huge "thank you'' to everyone who took the time to enter and commiserations to those who, sadly, left it until after the deadline.
In Monday's Wash column we will publish the eight winning photographs, which will earn the entrants a $50 garden voucher, kindly donated by Nichol's Garden Centre.
Entries are published on The Wash-ODT's Facebook page and are also linked to the Nichol's Facebook page - (www.facebook.com/NicholsGroup).
- by Dave Cannan, of The Wash.
