The Clive Lister Garden

[Lesley Cox]

Looking at Olga and Hannelotte's pictures in the Russian Gardens thread, I felt the need to have another look at the Clive Lister garden which is a small part of the Dunedin Botanic Gardens.

Clive Lister was an American scientist who worked for a time at Otago University. He came to love Dunedin so much that when he returned to the States, he made a will in which Dunedin was a beneficiary, the Botanic Gardens being given a large sum of money in order to do some worthwhile project. This was a new garden which has been named for their benefactor and is my favourite part of the Botanic Gardens.

There is a pond and the plantings are generally consistent with a damp environment. The hostas are outstanding as are many other foliage plants. This year some plants seem earlier than usual so that the Ligularia, below, has fully mature foliage now, while my own at home is still in its new, black stage.

The Arisaemas are in quite big colonies but most are finished already whereas at this time last year, they were still in full bloom. It's worthwhile going for another look every few weeks.

These first two pics are just inside the main entrance to the gardens, and the stone pillars with their curly topknots are based on Celtic designs, not the Maori "koru" for which most people mistake them.

Pieris `Forest Flame' is a fine foliage plant as well as having clusters of pearly white bells.

The magnificent ligularia is L.`Britt-Marie Crawford and the dahlia is D. `Bishop of Llandaff' while the seed pods are on Fritillaria imperialis.

I'm not sure what the huge leaved plant is but wondered about that ex Rogersia that is now Astilboides or something like that. Anyone ID please?

There are several rogersias and they stand out beautifully against the water.

[Lesley Cox]

A second batch.

The arisaemas in this garden are superb, some with "trunks" almost 10cms in diamater so they must have mighty tubers. Arisaema nepenthoides was growing to 80cms in height and A. tortuosum was at least 1.5 metres.





Hostas too were superb, their colours glowing and blending beautifully. The damp conditions make for very large plants





The blue meconopsis were over at the weekend but these monocarpics were gorgeous. I assume they are all Meconopsis paniculata in red and yellow forms. There were hundreds of buds to come and hundreds of plump seed pods already formed

[Lesley Cox]

And finally, there are varous shrubby native things on the side where the Clive Lister garden blends back into the main garden area. Snow grasses, astelias, cabbage trees, lacebarks etc, along with some South Americans, gunnera and pampas grass among others. These first 3 are the cabbage tree Cordyline australis and a lower shrubby species C. banksii. One either loves these things or hates them. Whatever, their large panicles of small white, waxy flowers have a wonderful perfume







Roger took a picture of me (censored) and I took one of him (gamma adjusted because the sun was in the wrong place and it turned out like a silhouette)



As we left the gardens, we saw these two very elderly people, both struggling along gallantly but obviously with painful joints. They were taking very tiny steps. Roger said they were him and me in a short time. Speak for yoursef Roger

[David Nicholson]

Lesley, but surely your Roger is but a mere slip of a lad

[Lesley Cox]

Yes David, a mere slip ("slip sliding away....") as you say. I have 3 years on him and he never lets me forget it.

[Gene Mirro]

The big-leafed plant looks like Rodgersia tabularis.

[Lesley Cox]

Yes Gene, I think you are right. Is that not now renamed as Astilboides tabularis?

[Gene Mirro]

I am resisting change. 

[Lesley Cox]

I'm pleased with this particular change as it's one less for Roger to think is named after him - he already thinks he's God's gift to all around him, especially me. Yeah, right!