Wednesday, November 4, 2015

Cabbage tree flowering season

It's mid Spring and right now the cabbage trees are in blossom. Not only do they look stunning, but the air is full of their sweet scent. I love to come outside especially in the evening when the wind has dropped and enjoy their perfume. It is truely a delight for the senses.





Close up view of cabbage tree flowers


It's hard to capture the scale of these lovely trees (actually they are giant lillies). They are quite tall now, approx 4-5m, hard to believe they have only been in the ground for about 12 years, so quick growing.

Also fast growing are these native 'Puka' trees. Just look at the size of the leaves! They are huge. Looking totally tropical and awesome.



5 comments:

BLD in MT said...

Wow--what beauty there is in this world! Those are some big lillies! Holy cow! Your pup does add some sense of scale. Enjoy the smells and sights of spring! There is a tree--the American linden--which is planted widely in our town. When they're in bloom its like the air is filled with honey. It makes riding my bicycle around town even better. Its so lovely. I am sure the scent it quite different from the cabbage tree, but I can totally appreciate your enjoyment of it!

Cabbage Tree Farm said...

Hi Beth
I love being outside at this time of year for this reason :-) and of course we love cabbage trees I think they can be underestimated here as they occur very commonly, and can grow 'like weeds'. Planted en mass they are just spectacular, especially when in flower. Way back before the settlers came and cleared acres and acres of land for farming, there would have been great forests of cabbage trees (wetlands). Wouldn't that have been just amazing to see?

BLD in MT said...

I can't even begin to imagine!

Unknown said...

The cabbage trees struck a chord - I have been planting up some of our wet areas and it's wonderful to start seeing results.

Cabbage Tree Farm said...

Hi Denis and Jenny
The cabbage trees you planted will do very nicely in wet ground. These ones of ours are also in a boggy area, which accounts for the rapid growth. We have them planted all over our farm but they are tallest and biggest in the wet areas, not surprising of course since that is where they naturally occur in the wild.
FYI I have amended the text of this post as it turns out I planted these only 12 years ago not 15 as I initially thought.
Enjoy seeing you trees grow!
Best wishes
Bridget