Good morning, Te Whanganui a Tara, Wellington!
The Harmony Gardens Mobile Service is on the road visiting customers, delivering orders, and introducing people to new products which cannot be posted, for example ginger biscuits, spacecakes, herby milk.
It has been a while, it’s almost 20 years since I visited the capital. I have always had a soft spot for Wellington, I think it is very pretty and has lots of character. It has been really good to catch up with new customers, visit existing customers, review progress, and talk about the benefits of medicinal cannabis. It is very heartening to see so many people interested in taking charge of their own health and wellbeing.
I always gravitate to water and gardens when I travel, especially when I am in a city or urban environment. It is a blessing to allow the roar of the city to become a dull background hum, replaced by birdsong, breezes, and the blowing of the leaves on the trees. Of course, a visit to the Wellington Botanical Gardens was a must, via the Wellington Cable Car.
I was super impressed with Wellington Botanical Gardens. I discovered that their kawakawa trees are full of holes, and there is also a sign denoting the presence of the native looper moth, which is responsible for the eating of holes in the leaves. This really made my day! Big Ups to Wellington City Council 🙌🏼🙌🏼
As always, I visited the rose gardens, and had great fun finding roses which were similar to or the same as the ones which are blooming in my garden, especially in this rain.
I love the names! This trip was indeed my Wish Come True, as I love travelling, and it is a real dream to be able to combine that with my work, which I also love.
And I believe that this is very good advice, in fact I did just that with my feet in the fountain.
I visited some of the sculptures, which were very inspirational…..
… and I allowed myself to be inspired!
Next I went to the Begonia Gardens. I absolutely love a good hothouse, and this was exceptional. It was beautifully laid out, with a tranquil pool overlooked by the mermaid of the sculpture Looking and Listening for the Sea (Paul Dibble), and a huge banana tree in the middle. I loved seeing kava trees, and all the tropical flowers which make me think of something from an alien planet!
I spotted a camphor laurel tree, whose information sign said that it had survived the atomic bombing of Nagasaki in 1945. It was gifted to Te Whanganui a Tara, Wellington, by the city council of Ōtautahi, Christchurch, which was where I recognised it from. I had seen it in the Christchurch Botanical Gardens. What an amazing tree, and described by Mayor Prendergast as ‘… a testament to the hope that peace can triumph over war’. Amen to that.
And did you know that you can even find garden-to-table-friendly plants there too! It’s true, apparently the stalk of the begonia is similar to rhubarb.
Back home in the garden, everything is blooming and blossoming very fruitfully. I even found some strawberries in a new patch that I am cultivating! Strawberries are totally delicious and they are very easy to grow, even if you don’t have much garden space, or if you live in an apartment. They grow well in pots, and containers, they like a sunny spot, and they also like to be planted in straw bales. Planting is best in the winter.
There are all kinds of uses for strawberries - eat them straight off the plant; cut them up and add to yoghurt, smoothies, and ice cream; turn them into lovely pots of homemade jam, or dehydrate and store them for winter. Strawberries are known for being high in Vitamin C, and anti oxidants.
I hope you are enjoying the rest of your summer, and your gardens as well. Please feel free to keep me posted with your garden recipes, pictures, and stories 🤓🌻
