Download From lotus bananas to scented starburst lilies, Waiuku gardener

Plantaholic
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temptation
From lotus bananas to scented starburst lilies,
Waiuku gardener David Brundell has amassed
a spectacular collection of subtropical plants
STORY: jane wrigglesworth PHOTOS: sean shadbolt
photo: Paroli Galperti/photolibrary
tropical
f subtropical plants are your passion,
and you’re planning a trip to the
2010 Heroic Gardens festival in
Auckland next month, we suggest
you pack more than a picnic if
Gardenza in Waiuku is on your itinerary.
Pack your cheque book too, for David
Brundell’s garden and nursery is home
to seriously hard-to-resist horticultural
eye-candy.
But many years ago, this Glenbrook
Beach garden, 50 minutes south of
Auckland, was nothing but a bare patch.
David, a scientist with a master’s degree
in horticulture, started the garden 25
years ago alongside his 4ha kiwifruit
orchard. His first choice was native flora.
In fact, he originally planned his garden
to be made up entirely of natives. Trees
and shrubs were planted to provide
shelter and shade, including rewarewa
(Knightia excelsa), tree ferns and
lancewoods (Pseudopanax crassifolius).
He also planted an impressive collection
of nikaus, including the Norfolk Island
nikau, Rhopalostylis baueri (its point of
difference being white flowers, as opposed
to coral-pink, pollinated by flies) and the
Chatham Islands nikau, Rhopalostylis
sapida, which is considered the best
variety for coastal gardens.
But David’s first love was subtropicals
and, as his increasing collection of exotic
plants sat languishing outside in pots, he
eventually relented and planted them too.
Today, mid-summer stands for total
exuberance at Gardenza, although this
avid collector’s treasures offer something
for every season. Take Encephalartos
horridus, the Eastern Cape blue cycad
from South Africa, or Ficus dammaropsis,
the dinner plate fig from the jungles of
Papua New Guinea.
Opposite: The South African fireball lily,
Scadoxus multiflorus ssp. katherinae.
Clockwise from above: David Brundell
admires a clump of blooming fireball lilies;
The orange paintbrush lily, Scadoxus
puniceus; Daruma clivias thrive in shade.
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Crinum x moorei
Musella lasiocarpa
Then there’s Musella lasiocarpa, the
golden lotus banana from the Yunnan
province of China. It’s deciduous and
grows to 1m tall, with the flower perched
on the end of the stem like a yellow
beacon. This unusual plant remains in
flower for four to six months. Just before
opening, the flower resembles a lotus bud,
which is where the plant gets its name.
“It’s still a rarity,” says David,
“something I acquired a number of years
ago. But the key is that it tolerates heavy
frosts and it has the ability to withstand
winds better than other bananas.”
A rarity even in its native land, the
lotus banana is considered by the Dai
and Bulang Buddhist ethnic minorities
Mutation of Colocasia esculenta
Lilium sulphureum
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“but when people see this scadoxus in
flower they’re blown away. It’s a really
good doer, flowering from late December
until early February, depending on
where you live in the country.”
An easy-care plant, the fireball lily is
an evergreen, or almost evergreen, plant
from South Africa that sprouts up from
large fleshy bulbs in part-sun or shade.
It clumps freely, tolerates frost and dry
conditions, and is excellent as a cut flower.
It can be grown in the garden or in tubs.
David also recommends another less
common scadoxus, Scadoxus puniceus,
the orange paintbrush lily. It has similar
likes to the fireball lily, growing happily
in part-sun and shade and tolerating
A rarity even in its native land, the lotus banana
is a sacred flower representing charm and kindness.
of the Yunnan province to be one of
their most sacred flowers. Representing
charm and kindness, it’s listed as one of
the “five kinds of trees and six kinds of
flowers to be planted in temples”.
David also has a collection of taro,
hippeastrums (amaryllis), haemanthus
and ornamental gingers, plus bananas,
an exquisite yellow gloriosa, and brash
and bold African scadoxus lilies. Many
of these choice plants are for sale too.
When we visited in January, we asked
David to name his favourite varieties.
Stopping beside a big swathe of Scadoxus
multiflorus ssp. katherinae, David pointed
to the fireball lily as one of his top picks.
“It’s still not that well known,” he says,
frosts and dry. But this easy-care bulbous
plant flowers in winter and produces big
fleshy, tongue-like leaves in summer.
Crinum asiaticum, also known as the
starburst lily, grand crinum or spider lily,
is another favourite, an evergreen plant
that grows up to 1.2m. Its arachnid-like
flowers, which emerge atop thick,
succulent stems, are large and fragrant
with narrow petals that recurve.
Its lush green foliage is a feature too.
Long, fleshy and strap-like, the lower
leaves form a pseudo-stem from which
the leaves emerge in a rosette. It adds
a dramatic sculptural dimension to any
garden, and one, says David, “that leaves
Agave attenuata for dead”.
Clivia miniata var. citrina
Clivias are one of David’s signature
plants, including the spectacular yellow
varieties. These plants are far from merely
decorative though; they tell a story from
David’s adventurous life.
More than 15 years ago, David was
given a rare yellow clivia from British
ambassador and eminent horticulturist
Sir Peter Smithers. ‘Smithers Yellow’, as it
was known, was classed as the best yellow
clivia in the world and was eventually
named ‘Vico Yellow’. David realised he
was sitting on a goldmine, and after
years of breeding and selection, he
produced the superior ‘Vico Yellow’
hybrids that he sells at his nursery. His
clivias have received much acclaim.
This year Gardenza Subtropical Garden
is included in Heroic Gardens (March 6-7,
see the official programme included in
this issue). It’s a must-see for those who
love subtropicals. Even if you don’t – yet
– we suspect you’ll be seduced by David’s
extraordinary collection. i
Crinum asiaticum
Gloriosa lutea is one of David’s signature
plants. With its crinkly petals and glossy
leaves, the yellow gloriosa is a spectular vine
for a sunny, frost-free position.
Visiting the garden
• Gardenza is open to groups and visitors by
appointment. Visit www.gardenza.co.nz for
more details or ph (09) 235 3834.
• Gardenza is one of four gardens south of
Auckland in the 2010 Heroic Gardens Festival.
Why not make a day of it? Visit Gardenza at
Glenbrook Beach, Fergus Innes and Grant
Iles’ 2-acre manicured garden at Pukekohe
East, John Tinkler and Lauchie McLean’s
farmlet in Waiuku, and Paul Spence’s grand
landscape and lotus pond, also in Waiuku.
See www.heroicgardens.org.nz for details.
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