Yes! Spring has arrived at last.

After many cold nights, and days the last few days of September have been warmish. Time now to get into the garden and prepare it for the coming spring and summer. I have finished preparing a small paved area where we can place lots of pot plants. This area is in the shade for most of the day and is an area where we can sit out during the hot summer weather. The area is 10 metres (33.3 feet) by 6 metres (19.9 feet) and is covered by many square concrete-paving slabs. We plan to begin placing pots there almost immediately.

The first one to occupy a space is a Tricolour Canna. This is an outstanding dwarf canna that produces clusters of pink/peach flowers from November through to May. The bright many-coloured foliage adds a unique dimension of colour to the garden and thrives in sunny or semi-shaded position. It is useful if combined with a water feature, in part shaded gardens and is useful for courtyards and decorative containers.

This last weekend we also made an attempt to fill up the front of the garden which has about 5 metres (16.5 feet) by 5 metres (16.5 feet) of empty spaces that need filling. The first bush we planted was a Fiji Fire, Metrosideros vitiencensis spp. This shrub has magnificent foliage and possibly grows to the size of a small tree (3 metres (9.9 feet) by 2 metres (6.6 feet) in 20 years. It could also be ideal for the seaside as it is hardy and adaptable. The beauty of the year round foliage display makes up for the sparse flowering of showy tufts of orange red stamens in the summer. It needs plenty of mulch and during the weekend we got a load of tree mulch and spread this all around the front garden - this should help to conserve water usage during the summer. The plant thrives in full sun or part shade.

Another evergreen shrub with attractive foliage and blooms we planted in the front garden is a Viburnum suspensum. This plant is a tall spreading shrub with dark green glossy foliage and round heads of many tubular flowers make a showy spring display. The flowers are sweetly scented and have a long tubular shape. They are pink outside and white within. Clusters of small, bright red fruits appear in the late Autumn.

Viburnum suspensum is suited to a fertile moist soil in sun or in partial shade. I understand that for the best results the soil should be enriched with a thick mulch including a good compost. The surrounding soil must be kept moist in hot spells by a deep soaking. It is a good backdrop for a deep border and possibly suited to a formal or cottage style garden.

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