Doug Thomson

The woodland garden is a recognised genre in horticulture.

Over the past few weeks cameras have been clicking in the southwest corner of the Azalea Garden in the Rhododendron Dell at Dunedin Botanic Garden.

Bursts of colour in the midwinter garden are always a welcome boost to morale while spring still seems some way off.

The Himalayan region is home to more than 12,000 plant species, and many of our favourite woodland plants originate there.

The Rhododendron Dell in the Dunedin Botanic Garden has several large old ribbonwood trees scattered throughout.

One of the key projects in the Rhododendron Dell in spring last year was the renovation of the Peony Border at the south end of the Cherry Walk. Straggly old witch hazels were removed, the border widened, a new selection of herbaceous perennials planted and some of the peonies rearranged.

If your idea of a rhododendron is one of big showy flowers and broad oval leaves you may well walk past Rhododendron genestierianum without even noticing it.

When you think about it, midwinter flowering is a pretty big ask of any plant.

Gale-force winds cause havoc in Dunedin gardens and can topple trees, both large and small. In September and December 2010 several large trees were blown over at the Dunedin Botanic Garden, but I think I felt most disappointment when I turned up at work to find a recently planted Cercis canadensis "Forest Pansy" snapped by the wind 40cm from the ground.

In a few weeks time, it will be the 40th anniversary of the coming of the container ship age to Port Chalmers. Hamburg Sud's Columbus New Zealand introduced this concept of cargo handling to the port when it berthed on June 26, 1971, while on its maiden voyage.

Remember summer? That was the cool, windy season with what seemed like almost daily rain from December onwards.

There was a time when I used to climb up into Rhododendron protistum and R. macabeanum, by the bridge at the top of the gully at the Dunedin Botanic Garden, and nip off each withered flower truss with an extendable pole pruner.

Gardening can be full of surprises, both pleasant and unpleasant.

Although we are approaching the peak of the rhododendron flowering season, much of the vitality and colour in the woodland garden at the moment comes courtesy of the herbaceous perennial groundcovers.

I always relish the emergence of snowdrops, Galanthus nivalis, in late winter, because for me they signify a turning point in the season and inspire the optimism of spring.

Appearances in nature can often be deceptive and in the case of Danae racemosa this is certainly true.

As sometimes happens at this time of the year, some of the plants that normally flower in spring have taken their cue from a recent cold snap followed by warmth, to come into flower now.