We moved into Alba in January 2021, clueless but enthusiastic about the garden.
First plantings in May were a blechnum penna-marina by the little green shed, which Sprocket likes to try and dig up. We also planted two feijoa trees: an Apollo on the lowest level and a Pounamu near the deck. The Pounamu isn’t looking great but the Apollo is showing promising signs of being an actual fruit tree one day.
I’ve been pulling up tradescantia wherever I find it and also a fair bit of barberry, cotoneaster and agapanthus. I discovered a long-forgotten rugby ball concealed in the undergrowth. The right side of the bank is bit bare after weeding so I’ve tried to plant some groundcovers: a couple of pratia angulata (panakenake) and some leptinella ‘Platts Black’. One of the panakenake is looking good and started crawling a little. Tempted to try some climbers planted at the bottom of the bank like muehlenbeckia complexa. Clumsily I knocked out out a little mamaku fern when I was climbing up there. I’ve bought a rope ladder for better access to the upper bank, and also fun.
The mamaku grow and drop fronds at an amazing rate. We found a Wellington tree wēta in one of the fallen ones, and Sprocket has enjoyed munching the branches when given half a chance.
Pup munching on mamaku 
Wellington tree wēta
I’ve cleared the very weedy strip at the front by the road (full of nightshade, blackberry and friends) ready for a few trees, leaving only a nice-looking lily which I valiantly protected. I later discovered it was an arum lily (aka death lily ☠️) and promptly dug it out!
kōwhai 