Imagine having an entire island to plant as a garden.
I got my bucket list ticked yesterday as I got to go with Mum and Rita to Tiritiri Matangi Island to see the birds. We saw rifleman, robins, kokakao, tui, giant wetas, fantails, hihi, bellbirds, saddlebacks, blue penguins and more. They were all living in a forest garden planted by volunteers which covered the entire island. A total of 283, 000 trees were planted between 1984-1994, regenerating 60% of the islands forest.
Predators such as rats and cats and stoats and dogs and rabbits were not allowed on the island, so the birds flourished. The birds were flying around (quite low, some weren't very good fliers) and congregating around the water troughs. It's been a hot summer and the ponds had all but dried up. I resolved to keep refilling my own birdbaths so the birds visiting my garden would have some respite from the heat.
We noted lots of native plants like pohutakawa, whiteywood, silver fern ponga, cabbage trees, nikau, flax, kawakawa, karaka and puriri trees. The initial plantings, said the guide were a little too close together and in rows, as nobody had ever replanted an island before and they weren't sure if they would survive. Then the guide pointed out the wonders of the scrambling muehlenbeckia. Perfect hiding places for ground-dwelling birds and lizards.
"Mum, that's the plant you wanted me to get rid of!'" I said.
I just hope mum came away from the island with a greater appreciation of plants. When we got home I said, I know what's missing from the island - fruit trees! Mum concurred. The guide had said they needed to build feeding stations for the birds in winter because there weren't any nectar available. They filled these stations with sugar water thanks to the Chelsea Sugar factory, but it was like having McDonalds for birds.
I reckoned if they planted more flowering and fruiting trees the birds wouldn't have to fight so much over these fast food stations. They don't have to be native, the tuis would go for cherries (especially Taiwanese cherries) loquats, feijoas, figs, plums and nectarines..and aside from that where are all the manuka trees? For the bees. But I didn't want to sound unappreciative of all the volunteers hard work, and the Department of Conservations' pest management practices. But maybe they were a bit too cautious because aside from all the endangered birds they were intent on saving they also needed insects for the birds to eat as well. So now they are introducing more native insects onto the island, to complete the ecosystem.
It reminded me how I knew an old lady that swallowed a fly, and the whole story behind why she would swallow a fly, I don't know why, but then she had to swallow a spider, and a bird, then a rat, then a cat...
The rats had a hard time but I was thinking if the rats did survive being stowed away in a visitor's backpack, wouldn't they be eaten by moreporks? And if there are too many possums and rabbits and deer in the bush can't WE just eat them? We could bring Georgie Pie back for good permanently if they would make a good possum/rabbit/deer meat pie. And if we went back to eating these special edition Georgie Pies nobody would dare use 1080 poison anymore.
I don't know if Rita heard my grand idea. I'm always telling her some pie-in-the-sky idea that would save the planet, and she is a very encouraging friend who never knocks my ideas, which nobody seems to do anything about, but I figured she might have a direct line to someone important, if not God, who will then orchestrate things so that my grand ideas will be implemented and the earth will keep spinning on it's axis.
We don't really need to kill kikuyu with roundup, for example, because Takahe love eating it and our native skinks like to live in it. And all those weedy flowering plants? Perfect habitat for bees. Slug problem? We just need more ducks. Duck problem? Mum can eat the ducks. Its her favourite dish. By the way - Happy Chinese New Year. It's the year of the Rat. Besides if there get to be too many humans on this planet, well, all we need is more tigers and lions and bears to eat the humans.
Monday, 27 January 2020
Saturday, 11 January 2020
Bad news
I hate being bearer of bad news, but Woodside Garden is decimated. Somebody tipped roundup into the bathtub water, and all the plants that got watered after that died. Also our arch broke in two. We suspect evil monkeys.
Our garden is dead :-(
Except for the asparagus, that's still alive. And the ice plant. And the comfrey and maybe the sunflowers might have a chance. And my tamarillo. But everything else seemed to get the weedkiller treatment. Note to people, weedkillers do not just kill the weeds. If it gets on other plants, they will kill those plants as well.
I am fearful for our fruit trees.
I am between naps at the moment but have only been doing sporadic gardening. Karyn's place got a little makeover (roses pruned) and my purple kale got stripped because the bugs were eating the kale leaves. I didn't fancy eating already bug eaten kale leaves, so I figured if I can't eat them, the kale is not going to have them either.
Other than that I have a few jobs to do over summer-
Collect seaweed from the beach for mulch.
Plan Garden Planet for this year (I'm hoping to find a sponsor)
Read up on my huge pile of NZ Gardener magazines
I think one big major thing to do is to lobby the govt to ban weedkillers, especially Roundup. I have seen it used in schools, near creeks, beside playgrounds, because people are just too IRRESPONSIBLE to mulch and to garden properly. It is highly toxic and if you breathe it in or it gets on bare skin, sooner or later you will die from exposure or get cancer. I'm really mad and sad about it.
I am tired of having to live in a world where people just have absolutely no respect for the environment and where you can buy chemicals to kill plants. Sorry. I told you this was bad news.
Our garden is dead :-(
Except for the asparagus, that's still alive. And the ice plant. And the comfrey and maybe the sunflowers might have a chance. And my tamarillo. But everything else seemed to get the weedkiller treatment. Note to people, weedkillers do not just kill the weeds. If it gets on other plants, they will kill those plants as well.
I am fearful for our fruit trees.
I am between naps at the moment but have only been doing sporadic gardening. Karyn's place got a little makeover (roses pruned) and my purple kale got stripped because the bugs were eating the kale leaves. I didn't fancy eating already bug eaten kale leaves, so I figured if I can't eat them, the kale is not going to have them either.
Other than that I have a few jobs to do over summer-
Collect seaweed from the beach for mulch.
Plan Garden Planet for this year (I'm hoping to find a sponsor)
Read up on my huge pile of NZ Gardener magazines
I think one big major thing to do is to lobby the govt to ban weedkillers, especially Roundup. I have seen it used in schools, near creeks, beside playgrounds, because people are just too IRRESPONSIBLE to mulch and to garden properly. It is highly toxic and if you breathe it in or it gets on bare skin, sooner or later you will die from exposure or get cancer. I'm really mad and sad about it.
I am tired of having to live in a world where people just have absolutely no respect for the environment and where you can buy chemicals to kill plants. Sorry. I told you this was bad news.
Sunday, 29 December 2019
5 Minute Gardener
I've turned into a lazy five minute gardener. The heavens are now opening up and that drizzle like rain is coming down, just right for some wildflower seeds I have just sown in my newly mulched bed. Sometimes I open packets of seed and find there is hardly any in the packet. I feel a bit gypped King Seed. Will I be successful in growing field poppies? Watch this space.
A miracle has happened next door. The neighbours have planted a gardenia in the space where the camellia used to be. The gardenia doesn't look like anything much but, it's a start. Of course, it's really the wrong time to be planting anything like a shrub but I will watch and see how it goes. Sometimes you can't give advice if people haven't asked for it. That brings the total number of plants at their place to four. One bottlebrush, one feijoa and one lemon. Now one gardenia. Everything else is weeds and kikuyu.
I'm pleased with my butter bean crop so far, have had two meals out of it.
I'm planning to head to the beach one day and gather seaweed and sand for the garden. Just needs the right time. Otherwise I'm just chilling out at home.
Roll on summer!
Mum gave me my Christmas pay packet and I'm trying to resist the urge to spend it on plants. I'm going to save it for the ferry ticket to Tiritiri Matangi.
My tamarillo and watermelons down at Woodside are coming away. It looks like we may need to fix the arch as Jacqui found it pulled out and snapped in two. Monkeys! I wanted to grow beans on it but they didn't really have a chance, and the passionfruits decided they didn't want to grow there but in the beds somewhere else. I've decided we need to grow more parsley at Woodside. But it doesn't do any good to plant anything now cos then I get irate texts saying who planted this here? Now they need watering! It seems its ok for others to plant whatever they see fit without telling me or asking my permission but when I try to do it it goes down like a tonne of bricks.
Sometimes plants just want to grow - who am I to stop them? I sometimes wonder if the types of people that don't want too many plants and not fussed about using weedkiller are also pro-abortion and have no qualms about it. Family planning right?
As one unwanted extra child to another, I declare for my right to grow.
A miracle has happened next door. The neighbours have planted a gardenia in the space where the camellia used to be. The gardenia doesn't look like anything much but, it's a start. Of course, it's really the wrong time to be planting anything like a shrub but I will watch and see how it goes. Sometimes you can't give advice if people haven't asked for it. That brings the total number of plants at their place to four. One bottlebrush, one feijoa and one lemon. Now one gardenia. Everything else is weeds and kikuyu.
I'm pleased with my butter bean crop so far, have had two meals out of it.
I'm planning to head to the beach one day and gather seaweed and sand for the garden. Just needs the right time. Otherwise I'm just chilling out at home.
Roll on summer!
Mum gave me my Christmas pay packet and I'm trying to resist the urge to spend it on plants. I'm going to save it for the ferry ticket to Tiritiri Matangi.
My tamarillo and watermelons down at Woodside are coming away. It looks like we may need to fix the arch as Jacqui found it pulled out and snapped in two. Monkeys! I wanted to grow beans on it but they didn't really have a chance, and the passionfruits decided they didn't want to grow there but in the beds somewhere else. I've decided we need to grow more parsley at Woodside. But it doesn't do any good to plant anything now cos then I get irate texts saying who planted this here? Now they need watering! It seems its ok for others to plant whatever they see fit without telling me or asking my permission but when I try to do it it goes down like a tonne of bricks.
Sometimes plants just want to grow - who am I to stop them? I sometimes wonder if the types of people that don't want too many plants and not fussed about using weedkiller are also pro-abortion and have no qualms about it. Family planning right?
As one unwanted extra child to another, I declare for my right to grow.
Monday, 23 December 2019
Celebrating trees
It has been quite a week. I am absolutely exhausted.
Unfortunately, I have left behind the snake plant and hoya at school and wondering if I am able to sneak in and rescue them or would that be breaking and entering the school? I had zero energy after the big end of year party and plain forgot to go get them. Going back to school after coming home just seemed too hard.
I have harvested my beans and got a quite a bit of chamomile, lavender, yarrow and dusty miller for dried flower arrangements. Statice and lamb's ears too. Yesterday I decided Sock's bed was looking rather bare so I mulched with mint and planted some lavender and sage that were languishing in another spot. The thing is my lemon tree appears to be dying, not sure from what, transplant shock or drought, I don't now, but nothing seems to revive it. So I thought I would plant some other plants around it that will hide it while it's recovering. It looks pretty skeletal at the moment.
I still haven't got round to organising my own garden party yet but I promise I would have at least one barbecue this summer. Which will be announced on the day due to the famed fickle Auckland weather. So if you happen to be in town, come on over. Too bad if you are in London, New York Melbourne or Bali!
My other thing to do is to get to Tiritiri Matangi Island over the summer, to birdwatch and plantwatch. Now I know some rongoa, I can go pointing out this and that plant in the bush and say confidently, if you make a tincture of this, it will get rid of all your mucus and give you super powers!
Everyone needs a good mucus reducing plant, considering all the snot and slime I've had to deal with in school this year. On second to last day, one boy threw up in the rubbish bin, luckily I got him there in time, otherwise, the library would have smelled very bad.
Karyn has invited me to stay at Albemarle Manor with three chickens and two cats. So I will be moving up in the world, or rather, going up Don Buck Road to Massey, where I can look down on the Ranuians and Hendersonites. Who knows I may get used to living the high life and become feverish with the altitude and not want to come back down again. Life amongst the mangroves can sometimes be a drag. We're forever being inundated with supermarket trolleys, a problem I'm sure Karyn does not have up in Massey.
Tomorrow I'm not sure what is happening, all I know is there is going to be big feast, my contribution will be to make a potato salad out of our garden potatoes, as symbolic of faith being like potatoes, hidden until harvest and to pick the Christmas Lilies, that did not toil or spin, provided they open just right on time. And Garden Planet does appear to be broadcasting tomorrow, so we have a special message just for you. I will give you the link in case you are googly challenged: click on Garden Planet. You will then find out why you MUST have a second Christmas Tree.
Unfortunately, I have left behind the snake plant and hoya at school and wondering if I am able to sneak in and rescue them or would that be breaking and entering the school? I had zero energy after the big end of year party and plain forgot to go get them. Going back to school after coming home just seemed too hard.
I have harvested my beans and got a quite a bit of chamomile, lavender, yarrow and dusty miller for dried flower arrangements. Statice and lamb's ears too. Yesterday I decided Sock's bed was looking rather bare so I mulched with mint and planted some lavender and sage that were languishing in another spot. The thing is my lemon tree appears to be dying, not sure from what, transplant shock or drought, I don't now, but nothing seems to revive it. So I thought I would plant some other plants around it that will hide it while it's recovering. It looks pretty skeletal at the moment.
I still haven't got round to organising my own garden party yet but I promise I would have at least one barbecue this summer. Which will be announced on the day due to the famed fickle Auckland weather. So if you happen to be in town, come on over. Too bad if you are in London, New York Melbourne or Bali!
My other thing to do is to get to Tiritiri Matangi Island over the summer, to birdwatch and plantwatch. Now I know some rongoa, I can go pointing out this and that plant in the bush and say confidently, if you make a tincture of this, it will get rid of all your mucus and give you super powers!
Everyone needs a good mucus reducing plant, considering all the snot and slime I've had to deal with in school this year. On second to last day, one boy threw up in the rubbish bin, luckily I got him there in time, otherwise, the library would have smelled very bad.
Karyn has invited me to stay at Albemarle Manor with three chickens and two cats. So I will be moving up in the world, or rather, going up Don Buck Road to Massey, where I can look down on the Ranuians and Hendersonites. Who knows I may get used to living the high life and become feverish with the altitude and not want to come back down again. Life amongst the mangroves can sometimes be a drag. We're forever being inundated with supermarket trolleys, a problem I'm sure Karyn does not have up in Massey.
Tomorrow I'm not sure what is happening, all I know is there is going to be big feast, my contribution will be to make a potato salad out of our garden potatoes, as symbolic of faith being like potatoes, hidden until harvest and to pick the Christmas Lilies, that did not toil or spin, provided they open just right on time. And Garden Planet does appear to be broadcasting tomorrow, so we have a special message just for you. I will give you the link in case you are googly challenged: click on Garden Planet. You will then find out why you MUST have a second Christmas Tree.
Monday, 16 December 2019
Home?
I took my spider plants home from the school library for the holidays, and the parlour palm. Tomorrow I'm taking the snake plant and the hoya, even though they are succulents and would possibly survive the 6 weeks break, but I'm not taking any chances.
I know people want plant sitters and house sitters and pet sitters when they take THEIR holidays, but I'm not going to be paid a cent so I can't afford to be looking after their ones as well. Maybe if they leave out icecream and jelly and chocolate for me, but honestly that's not enough to live on.
And so ends my school year. I survived. I will graduate next year. I graduate every year, and I'm still stuck in Primary School. It is like an eternal childhood for me, when I even get children asking me how old I am, just to make sure I'm not the overgrown child who somehow got kept back every year, to work in the library as my punishment for reading too much. Some children think I even SLEEP in the library. They can be forgiven for thinking I stay overnight as I had set up pillows and blankets, just in case I somehow get kicked out of home and have nowhere to go. There's gardens at school, with veges, so, I probably won't starve.
Maybe I missed my calling to a boarding school. I can just imagine, living at school forever, writing my seven part series of school yarns featuring snarky children who talk back to you and swear in another language, thinking it's funny, children who's parents split them up between aunty, uncle, grandma, stepmum, step dad, cousin, and the women's refuge, children who's parents don't let them go to the library and stop them from reading books, children who are unvaccinated, children's who's daddies are burglars and mummies are drinkers, and children who don't even know where they are going to live next year. It's enough to make me want to play a mindless video game all day too.
Sometimes I walk home and the children see me and wonder why I don't have a car. But I just like to use my legs. One child asked me how much I got paid, was it $200? I said, I don't know, I will have to check my payslip. Why did she want to know? As of next week, I won't be earning anything so, it will be a grand total of zero, and not much help over Christmas.
I tell some of my Bible study ladies that I'm looking forward to the break, but don't quite know how I will survive over the summer. One suggested I do some gardening work, but I am not going to touch another lawnmower. (See previous entries over dramas with lawnmowers and paid gardening jobs) The others said why not be casual at the public library. But they don't know the Auckland Council cut staff already. The last thing they want is an out of work school librarian trying to take over their summer reading program.
I'm just going to stay home and eat as little as possible, and not go out because every time you go out, it costs $$. My plants though, will love all attention I am going to give them now, and I could possibly go dumpster diving if worse comes to worse. I can get creative with scraps. I'm a gardener, just give me fish heads, potato peelings, old newspaper, vaccum bag dust, lawn clippings and chicken poo.
I know people want plant sitters and house sitters and pet sitters when they take THEIR holidays, but I'm not going to be paid a cent so I can't afford to be looking after their ones as well. Maybe if they leave out icecream and jelly and chocolate for me, but honestly that's not enough to live on.
And so ends my school year. I survived. I will graduate next year. I graduate every year, and I'm still stuck in Primary School. It is like an eternal childhood for me, when I even get children asking me how old I am, just to make sure I'm not the overgrown child who somehow got kept back every year, to work in the library as my punishment for reading too much. Some children think I even SLEEP in the library. They can be forgiven for thinking I stay overnight as I had set up pillows and blankets, just in case I somehow get kicked out of home and have nowhere to go. There's gardens at school, with veges, so, I probably won't starve.
Maybe I missed my calling to a boarding school. I can just imagine, living at school forever, writing my seven part series of school yarns featuring snarky children who talk back to you and swear in another language, thinking it's funny, children who's parents split them up between aunty, uncle, grandma, stepmum, step dad, cousin, and the women's refuge, children who's parents don't let them go to the library and stop them from reading books, children who are unvaccinated, children's who's daddies are burglars and mummies are drinkers, and children who don't even know where they are going to live next year. It's enough to make me want to play a mindless video game all day too.
Sometimes I walk home and the children see me and wonder why I don't have a car. But I just like to use my legs. One child asked me how much I got paid, was it $200? I said, I don't know, I will have to check my payslip. Why did she want to know? As of next week, I won't be earning anything so, it will be a grand total of zero, and not much help over Christmas.
I tell some of my Bible study ladies that I'm looking forward to the break, but don't quite know how I will survive over the summer. One suggested I do some gardening work, but I am not going to touch another lawnmower. (See previous entries over dramas with lawnmowers and paid gardening jobs) The others said why not be casual at the public library. But they don't know the Auckland Council cut staff already. The last thing they want is an out of work school librarian trying to take over their summer reading program.
I'm just going to stay home and eat as little as possible, and not go out because every time you go out, it costs $$. My plants though, will love all attention I am going to give them now, and I could possibly go dumpster diving if worse comes to worse. I can get creative with scraps. I'm a gardener, just give me fish heads, potato peelings, old newspaper, vaccum bag dust, lawn clippings and chicken poo.
Monday, 9 December 2019
Season's greetings
I also have tomato and watermelon, which I have planted at Woodside and given some to school as there is not much room at home.
I bought some thyme and a lemongrass to maybe plant behind the strawberries by the frangipani but I'm not certain the soil is good enough to sustain life there, as I suspect there's still old plastic underneath all the mulch I've added, that's killing anything that might grow there.
The days are getting warmer and soon it will be time to have bbq or garden party, not to mention Christmas celebrations. Although I do remember one year mum banned me from Christmas as she thought I had gone overboard with decorating the house. Apparently you only meant to decorate INSIDE not outdoors and not put 'Merry Christmas' on the fence.
I'm on watering duty at Woodside on Fridays and have planted my tamarillo amongst the citrus too. Again there's no room at the inn..and no beds available at home so it's bedded down in a manger of car tyre and mulch.
I have just been admonished for not being on egg watch while I was trying to sort out library homework and now am not allowed to eat any of Martha's eggs which she kicks and pecks as soon as she lays them. I don't think it's a big loss though as she clearly doesn't like anybody else except for her own sweet self eating them. After mum's tirade of being the daughter who never does anything I just about ran away from home again. Tonight I may be lucky to have dinner on sufferance or I will just drive up to KFC or Nandos and get my revenge on Martha by tucking in to a finger-lickin good meal ALL BY MYSELF.
Ah the joys of living at home. Peace everyone.
Saturday, 23 November 2019
Beanie Babies
Dad took some photos of my beans, after helping me string them up. He painted the planter, which mum got from Leyton, so it's a family affair.
I'm hoping to have a good crop this year. They are climbing butter beans. The packet said they are
Gourmet Range' and 'Melt in your mouth taste'. So I have high hopes.
I found out in my companion book that beans don't like onions or garlic, and I've put shallots and chives in my planter. Oops. I hope they don't fight each other. The mint is also trying to come through. I put applemint in the bottom as a drainage layer. Of course its trying to take over the garden but I figured if its in planter it can't really go anywhere. However coriander might not be too happy with it close by.
Manuka is awash with flowers at the moment. I am loving this season so far. Only took about 5 years to get most of my home planted up but I think I can say I have a real garden now...!
I'm hoping to have a good crop this year. They are climbing butter beans. The packet said they are
Gourmet Range' and 'Melt in your mouth taste'. So I have high hopes.
I found out in my companion book that beans don't like onions or garlic, and I've put shallots and chives in my planter. Oops. I hope they don't fight each other. The mint is also trying to come through. I put applemint in the bottom as a drainage layer. Of course its trying to take over the garden but I figured if its in planter it can't really go anywhere. However coriander might not be too happy with it close by.
Manuka is awash with flowers at the moment. I am loving this season so far. Only took about 5 years to get most of my home planted up but I think I can say I have a real garden now...!
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