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Herb of the Week
Hedges and Edges
By Lynn Kirkland
December 1st

 


By Lynn Kirkland

 

Hedges and Edges
By Lynn Kirkland
December 1st

Herb gardens can be given structure by using hedging of box, lavender, rosemary, roses or other herbal shrubs.
When considering hedging for a herb garden, take into consideration the amount of formality you want as well as the height and width of the hedge.
At this time of year our stand out hedging feature is the Corylus rugosa rose hedge which when in full bloom gives off a delicious spicy scent.
Later in autumn the foliage turns gorgeous reds and oranges and the blooms have transformed into clusters of orangey/red hips.
Even in winter when the hedge is bare, it still creates a feature with its spectacular thorns.
All our rugosa roses at the herb farm were purchased from the rose specialists at Trinity Farm.
Lloyd and Ann Chapman are experts and helped with making the right choices many years ago.
This is what they say about the rugosa family.
“Rugosas are the toughest and least-understood of all roses. Native to Japan and China, they are tolerant of adverse conditions, meaning they can be planted with confidence at the beach, where salt spray would inhibit other roses. Rugosas were 'discovered' by the British in the 18th century, and now can be found growing everywhere, even in arctic Canada. Rugosas have fierce prickles, deeply-veined crinkled leaves and vigorous shrubby growth. Most are continuous-flowering, many have wonderful edible hips. The best hips come from the single (5 petalled) rugosas. While tolerant of adverse conditions, Rugosas are equally at home in any garden setting. If you want to keep out the neighbor's dogs or children, a Rugosa hedge is the answer. Best of all, Rugosas are so tough they don’t need spraying.”
It is well worth a visit to Trinity Farm to look at the display of the Queen of Flowers and purchase some for your garden.
They are situated 2 kms off State Highway 1, just North of Otaki.
In the foreground of the photo of our rugosa hedge is the delightful herb lady’s mantle.
Alchemilla mollis is a favourite herb of mine. It is lovely as an edging plant and one of the loveliest features of this herb is the way dewdrops or raindrops are cupped in the pleated leaves and sparkle beautifully to delight the gardener.
At this time of the year the lime green flowers provide a pretty contrast to the leaves. They also provide a nice contrast to a rose or lavender hedge.

As we are now in December, a time where the stresses and rush to Christmas starts to build, it is the perfect time to remember to take a moment now and then to get out into the garden and smell the roses.

Grove Road, RD10
Ashhurst
Manawatu
New Zealand


  



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