Juilia McKenzie’s kitchen would drive most people mad – but only if they had to work in it. Just being in there, however, is a whole other experience. A highly qualified homeopath and colour therapist, Juilia has filled her kitchen with the energies that feed her soul, and the result is a mass of exotic plants and flowers that draw gasps from all who enter. And while it may not seem so at first glance, there is room for cooking.
Juilia acknowledges that bodies, as well as souls, need feeding, and in this opulent workplace she turns out excellent organic food with an emphasis on fresh fruits and vegetables, and juices. “I have always thought one should live to eat, not eat to live,” she says.
Certainly this kitchen garden does limit the available space, but Juilia is a recent import to New Zealand, having lived for many years in Hong Kong where her kitchen, she smiles, was the size of a postage stamp. Despite that, she did much the same there, filling every corner with orchids, cyclamen and anthurium and drawing energy from the shapes, scents and colours of the plants. Orchids have always been a favourite – “regal yet delicate” – and they come in many exotic colours to which she is attracted.
“As a colour therapist, colour is of great importance in my life and my work,” she explains. She uses imported orchid essence in some of the remedies she makes for her patients, who are all over the globe, but says that because of the plant’s high energy level, the essence can be too strong for some clients.
That this exotic garden thrives in Juilia’s kitchen is no accident. She’s very particular about creating an appropriate environment for the plants, so it is warm, calm and light. Orchids hate draughts, so despite the fact that there are sliding windows to a bench outside the kitchen, they’re not often opened. There’s really no need for access to the outdoor bench anyway. It, too, is covered in plants – somewhat hardier types than those indoors. In this atmosphere, the orchids flower three or four times a year and many are fragrant, adding yet another dimension to the room.
Juilia attributes her talent for nurturing this luxuriant collection to her grandmother and her mother. “My grandmother was a great gardener who could grow anything, and my mother was a floral artist who could arrange anything.”
She doesn’t buy by breed or type. She often chooses plants for their colour and shape, and picks them up from wherever she happens to be, whether it’s the supermarket or the local orchid society show. “You could say I’m spontaneous when it comes to choosing,” she says.
The gardens outside her new New Zealand home are at odds with what’s indoors. She’s inherited many spiky plants – cycads, aloes, agave – planted in rock gardens, and they’re not the shapes and textures she’s fond of.
“I like round things. If I can choose, it’ll always be something round and soft. I love the look of luxury and exotica. Living in the Orient, every day your eyes and soul are filled with smells and colours and gold. I miss that, but I have a little of it in here.”
**Orchids – growing tips
**Orchids can be addictive. Once you’ve had success with one, it’s hard not to become a collector. There are plenty to choose from – with over 20,000 catalogued species it is the largest family of flowering plants.
- **Growing medium
**Most orchids in cultivation are epiphytes (live on trees) or lithophytes (live on rocks) and need good drainage. They’re best grown in specially processed pine bark, available at most garden centres, so when you get your orchid home and see what a meagre environment it’s living in, don’t be tempted to replant it into potting mix.
- **Light
**Orchids usually require some shading from the midday sun. They’re used to growing under the canopy of larger trees, with those living higher up needing more light than those lower down. If a plant looks lush, with elongated leaves or stems, it’s not getting enough light. Yellowing leaves mean the opposite.
- Air
Plants that live up trees can tolerate a bit of fresh air, but the trick with indoor orchids is to provide good air circulation while eliminating draughts, especially in winter.
- Water
Water your plants regularly during spring, summer and autumn. Make sure all the bark is thoroughly wet and allow the water to flow out of the bottom of the pot. The movement of water through the bark displaces the stale air inside the pot and draws in fresh air. Some orchids require a dry resting period to initiate flowering.
- Temperature
Adaptable orchids are found on all continents except Antarctica. Cool-growers will thrive in frost-free areas (Auckland and north) without extra heating. Intermediategrowers will grow in the summer just like coolgrowing orchids, but need some heat in winter. Warm-growers require warm conditions all year and do best in a heated greenhouse or conservatory.
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