Since I posted last its become quite clear that we haven't been remiss in not doing things yesterday only because someone else hadn't been doing THEIR job way back in March meant we couldn't do ours. The job of course, is testing everyone entering the country for virus in quarantine.
I know with plants what you do before imported plants arrive is they must be sent to quarantine first before being let loose into the country. Everything must be screened from seeds to cuttings to full size trees. One little codling moth egg and wham...the entire apple industry could collapse. As it nearly did back in 1888.
My research horrified me to the extent that we'd blithely let all pest and diseases come in and wreck havoc. For sure New Zealand was a bit too green and needed more flowers, but did we really need gorse? Did we grow too much kiwifruit so for our greed was the PSA virus sent to humble us?
Are the Australians getting their own back with possums and fruit fly? Has feijoa overstayed its welcome and now must fight rust, while Kauri are dying back because we've introduced too much roads into the forest and our muddy footprints?
I don't know the answer to these questions really. But I'm not going to let Aotearoa, so long, and protected and cloudy, become like Australia...deserted, dry, and dangerous. Or heaven forbid, the USA. Not sure I could handle that, although we must thank the Americans for Macrocarpa.
But down to my own garden, and in my own community...Woodside braved Neighbours Day after so much postponement so I actually DID bring a neighbour. Shirley admits she's not much of a gardener but maybe I could convert her yet. She's from Birmingham where they have snow and brick lanes so she's not really used to all the greenery. She can't stand it when neighbours leave fruit trees go to waste and don't pick all their fruit. I tell her the ones at the Woodside get picked clean sometimes even before we can get to them.
Jacqui showed off two tamarillos that she'd cared for at home and transplanted at Woodside. They are doing really well. I've never seen them that tall (tree tomatoes to you) and hoping for a good crop this year. I've still got lemons in pots at home and not sure when to plant them in the ground just yet. I will need to Neem them before too long but otherwise my garden is ticking along.
Floral Circle met again and talk is our trip may be to Tauranga this year. I've never stayed there or seen much of the gardens so am expecting it to be quite an eye opener, seeing as its the retirement magnet city..I picture all the owners being like those I met on the cruise ship living the good life where money is no object to spend on their garden. Quarantine ought to be no hardship for them, just another excuse to stay home and enjoy the garden. We had a quiz night where I got 14/20 and won a pansy, which I've duly planted by the house behind the statice.
