Roses and mushrooms

This blog is supposed to be about my day at Ellerslie but... oooh... I'm too excited about what I found on my deck when I got home. My grow-your-own oyster mushroom kit has spawned its first batch of baby mushrooms! I was given this DIY project when I was in Dunedin for the rhodo festival a couple of weeks ago (Air New Zealand was none too pleased when I boarded the plane clutching a bag of mushroom-inoculated pea straw, but to their credit I was still allowed on!) I think my first oyster mushrooms will be ready to pick in just a couple of days. Thanks to Shadow Gourmet for giving me the kit. It's quite fascinating - I've wedged the bag up my fig tree trunk to ensure it stays moist and warm, without being in direct sunlight.
Back to Ellerslie. I spent today with the rest of the team, helping out on the New Zealand Gardener Decadent Dessert Garden. (We won gold!) I thought you might like to know which plants in our garden prompted the most questions. The subtropical naranjilla from Incredible Edibles was most asked about. This groovy plant has amazing, purple-veined, furry leaves. I grew it a couple of years ago and it's definitely a talking point, with fabulous foliage and orange fruit that look like a cross between an oval orange tomato and a tamarillo.
Second in the popularity stakes? The roses. Our designer Trina Tully has included a range of wonderfully fragrant roses including Rosa multiflora platyphylla (pictured). This is also known as the 'Seven Sisters Rose' and has richly scented blooms in pretty pink that fade to pale pink and white. 'City of Timaru' is in the front of our garden. It's a pale, creamy apricot rose bred by David Austin. It's divine. 'Rembrandt' is an old damask rose that dates back to 1883. It's even more divine, with petals of pure pink linen and a gorgeous fragrance. We could have sent 'Gypsy Boy' home with any number of visitors today. It's an exquisite bourbon rose with deep crimson blooms. A thorny sod, but oh so beautiful. Mind you, I think 'Cardinal Hume' (pictured) is unrivalled if you're after a beautiful crimson rose. It's a repeat-flowering shrub rose and it's a stunner. Trina has planted the Cardinal on the corners of our berry bed in the centre of the garden. It looks to me like the new 'Burgundy Iceberg', but with more petals. Order it from Wairere Nursery. See you at the show!