It's a busy week, but I need to record my progress as many things are happening.
Yates Vege challenge. Well I finally put some edibles in my own patch, was given runner beans on Sunday (thanks Louise) and I've cleared some space by the back fence for them, adding compost, potting mix and shredded paper mulch, plus a trellis for them to climb. Perhaps not the sunniest spot but hopefully they will grow there as it is warm. I have cleared some space for sunflowers in the raised bed, cutting back the lemon balm. Apparently according to Kiwi Gardener moon calendar, I am not meant to sow any seeds today...but when looking at moon calendar in NZ Gardener its was different so I don't know which one to follow?!
APW had a swap table and managed to snag some cherry tomatoes, so three went in near the silverbeet and I've mulched with lavender clippings. That was all I had. Not sure where I am going to plant sweetcorn as now have no room but will need to create a new bed at some point.
Went to water Woodside this evening as couldn't make it on Friday, watered the potatoes we planted on Thursday, as well as tomatoes, eggplant and capsicums. The fence is now up and it's much easier to water now the tank is moved closer.
I had flowers at church on Sunday, so put in gerberas in pots and bunches of sweet peas. My sweet peas are booming and most of them prefer the neighbours side of the fence. But I have spread them out a bit this year so some are in the vege bed and some are out the front.
Tomorrow have Floral Circle, did some more permaculture design after work today, but I can see why designers go off to office studios to work in because doing it at home is so distracting. You need to bring in washing, prepare dinner, answer emails, water your garden, get changed, check on chickens, lock up garage and a million and one other things that take time.
I also find myself wishing that asphalt and concrete had never been invented because of all this time wasted blowing paths and roads clear of leaf litter that makes perfectly good mulch. I feel like Mr Plow of the leaf clearing brigade armed with blower and making roads and paths sterile and devoid of life. All I'm doing is making it easier for a car to roll on in to a hospital. And I suppose easier to roll on out. I never had to use a mower, blower or weedeater when I did real gardening. Now I just feel like am a tidier upper who goes to the dump all the time and I am going deaf from all the machinery noise. Whats a bit of leaf and twigs anyway. Don't you want to create healthy soil, not get rid of it?
I have been shouted a free pass to NZ Garden and Flower show hooray. I'm going to help with the pack down/set up of the community garden stall. If you are going, be prepared to be amazed because Flower shows are not the easiest thing to create an entire garden for. You need to install an entire garden have it up for five days and then pack it down again? And keep all the plants alive and happy, looking perfect - no easy feat.
Karyn tells me she watches a show called 'Allotment Challenge' which from her description sounds like 'Garden Idol' or 'Survivor' or 'The Block' reality game show whereby only the best gardener wins. I don't know what they win, fortune and fame I guess. I'm not sure I would garden for fortune or fame but I suppose many people do these days, create a garden and sell it off. I'm not sure what the point of that would be because isn't labour and what you harvest it's own reward. You couldn't really buy homegrown veges with the money you win, cos that would defeat the whole purpose. Maybe it's just the fame then and the humiliation of being on TV. Is it fun watching other people trying to grow things and failing? You could always just read my blog.
Monday, 20 November 2017
Saturday, 18 November 2017
Living locally in the Auckland Bioregion
Was the name of the final permaculture workshop we had yesterday.
I am exhausted and my brain is about to explode. I have all these ideas for my patch. I am reading about Transition Towns and eco-sourcing and permaculture design books and garden style books and wondering just what will happen when we run out of oil. Perhaps we will have electric cars powered by water and Auckland will still be a rat race with millions of rats running round it trying to find their cheese twisties up 20 storey skyscrapers.
My small and slow solution might be if you going to build these really tall buildings at least grow some vines over them. Mulenbeckia likes a blank wall of concrete.
So my vision for the future is this..
We will have bicycles and electric bikes as well as pedal cars just like the Flintstones did. The speed limit will be lowered to 30kph if you want to go any faster you need to take the train or move to Hamilton. Imports, of both people and stuff will be banned for a year. We need to see if we can be self sufficient for a year or so, I'm sure Auckland can survive without any more new second hand Japanese cars or gourmet cat food from Australia.
In that year everyone will start their own backyard, front yard or side yard balcony garden. Every household will have two raised beds planters, a compost heap, a lemon tree and worms. Every household will also be given a chicken and a lamb, to graze their patch, because lawnmowers will be banned (it will be really hard to get petrol).
Our parks will become owned by the people that live within walking distance so every neighbour will have the opportunity to become stewards of their park and can make it their own garden. Instead of traffic lights we will install garden roundabouts with flowers.
Our Auckland sewerage system, now that its discovered that the overflow from rain water pushes sewage directly into our harbour causing our beaches to become polluted and the fish to die, will be fixed so that, rainwater from roof run off goes into the garden not the wastewater. So everyone will need to install diverter taps from their roof to a tank or watering can, or create a pond where they can stock with fish which will feed their hydroponic lettuce growing system.
All restaurants in the Auckland area will have designated kitchen gardens and suppliers will need to be local. Supplies of grain will not be a problem as we will convert all the disused muddy rugby fields to growing rice and wheat if they don't like to live on potatoes. (I don't mind..I would eat potatoes everyday if I could). Unfortunately that means some people will have to give up playing rugby but surely thats a small sacrifice, rugby players will need to start training for 'Round the Spaghetti Junction' bicycle race instead.
Since berms are not going to be mown we can now make these into flower gardens to bring beneficial insects, bees and other pollinators into our neighbourhoods and to pollinate our fruit trees. Each neighbourhood will have a special harvesting road side stall with an honesty box so on the way home from work or school everyone can have a snack or food for dinner.
The Warehouse, Mitre 10, Bunnings, Countdown and all retailing shopping malls, since there will no longer be imports for a year will be empty and people that couldn't afford a house in Auckland can live in them, they can become refugee camps for the homeless until the other towns in NZ decide they would like some JAFAs after all and invite them to set up in their town.
Every church will have its own garden with flowers too so that I don't need to go to the Warehouse and buy flowers. Actually I won't need money at all because rates will not be charged for a whole year. With food I grow in the garden and a roof over my head I and everyone in Auckland will be content, and on weekends we can all go fishing and catch fish and dig for pippis and cockles in our unpolluted harbour.
How this all will come about I don't know but anything is possible!
I am exhausted and my brain is about to explode. I have all these ideas for my patch. I am reading about Transition Towns and eco-sourcing and permaculture design books and garden style books and wondering just what will happen when we run out of oil. Perhaps we will have electric cars powered by water and Auckland will still be a rat race with millions of rats running round it trying to find their cheese twisties up 20 storey skyscrapers.
My small and slow solution might be if you going to build these really tall buildings at least grow some vines over them. Mulenbeckia likes a blank wall of concrete.
So my vision for the future is this..
We will have bicycles and electric bikes as well as pedal cars just like the Flintstones did. The speed limit will be lowered to 30kph if you want to go any faster you need to take the train or move to Hamilton. Imports, of both people and stuff will be banned for a year. We need to see if we can be self sufficient for a year or so, I'm sure Auckland can survive without any more new second hand Japanese cars or gourmet cat food from Australia.
In that year everyone will start their own backyard, front yard or side yard balcony garden. Every household will have two raised beds planters, a compost heap, a lemon tree and worms. Every household will also be given a chicken and a lamb, to graze their patch, because lawnmowers will be banned (it will be really hard to get petrol).
Our parks will become owned by the people that live within walking distance so every neighbour will have the opportunity to become stewards of their park and can make it their own garden. Instead of traffic lights we will install garden roundabouts with flowers.
Our Auckland sewerage system, now that its discovered that the overflow from rain water pushes sewage directly into our harbour causing our beaches to become polluted and the fish to die, will be fixed so that, rainwater from roof run off goes into the garden not the wastewater. So everyone will need to install diverter taps from their roof to a tank or watering can, or create a pond where they can stock with fish which will feed their hydroponic lettuce growing system.
All restaurants in the Auckland area will have designated kitchen gardens and suppliers will need to be local. Supplies of grain will not be a problem as we will convert all the disused muddy rugby fields to growing rice and wheat if they don't like to live on potatoes. (I don't mind..I would eat potatoes everyday if I could). Unfortunately that means some people will have to give up playing rugby but surely thats a small sacrifice, rugby players will need to start training for 'Round the Spaghetti Junction' bicycle race instead.
Since berms are not going to be mown we can now make these into flower gardens to bring beneficial insects, bees and other pollinators into our neighbourhoods and to pollinate our fruit trees. Each neighbourhood will have a special harvesting road side stall with an honesty box so on the way home from work or school everyone can have a snack or food for dinner.
The Warehouse, Mitre 10, Bunnings, Countdown and all retailing shopping malls, since there will no longer be imports for a year will be empty and people that couldn't afford a house in Auckland can live in them, they can become refugee camps for the homeless until the other towns in NZ decide they would like some JAFAs after all and invite them to set up in their town.
Every church will have its own garden with flowers too so that I don't need to go to the Warehouse and buy flowers. Actually I won't need money at all because rates will not be charged for a whole year. With food I grow in the garden and a roof over my head I and everyone in Auckland will be content, and on weekends we can all go fishing and catch fish and dig for pippis and cockles in our unpolluted harbour.
How this all will come about I don't know but anything is possible!
Thursday, 16 November 2017
Design flaws and other garden bloopers
It's design project day today, have taken the day off work to get it done. What have I learned so far...well people say you learn from your mistakes but I'm aiming for perfection so I'm just going to learn from other people's mistakes. My garden design is just going to have to be perfectomondo since nobody is paying me to do it, actually, I'm the one paying the Auckland Permaculture Workshop to do it. I expect the bill to come in any day now.
When I thought about this in the back of my mind wondered if it was really a gyp and will they even recruit me into their design studios when they see how awful my drawing is but hey at least I know my plants.
So...here is a quick tour of the garden designer's walk of shame.
Using jasmine as ground cover. When it grows in spring, you will have to clip it every week, and if you don't it will grow into a tangled mess. Use jasmine up a wall or give it something to climb.
When I thought about this in the back of my mind wondered if it was really a gyp and will they even recruit me into their design studios when they see how awful my drawing is but hey at least I know my plants.
So...here is a quick tour of the garden designer's walk of shame.
Using jasmine as ground cover. When it grows in spring, you will have to clip it every week, and if you don't it will grow into a tangled mess. Use jasmine up a wall or give it something to climb.
Eugenia or lily pilly. Every lilly pilly I've seen gets eaten by psyillid and you will have to spray and spray. Better to rip it out. If you want a lollipop topiary why not shape some chicken wire into balls and grow ivy over them.
A gardenia hedge. As well as masses of plants being prone to thrips. Was asked to clip back a gardenia hedge just as it was beginning to flower cos it was getting too big. We refused. Do you want a bunch of twigs as a hedge or do you want to brush past beautiful smelling gardenias? Plant gardenias as they are meant to be planted (with other plants) and leave them be.
Massed dietes, massed flax, massed bird of paradise, massed anything. Just no. One plant looks splendid in a pot, two make a pair, three a trio, but an undivided clump that squashes every available space...no.
Cabbage trees in a lawn, yuccas near a path. Flower carpet roses underfoot. Unless you like your lawnmower in a tangle and your feet pricked and skin stung.
Gardens with no seating areas. How are you supposed to sit and contemplate life if there's nowhere to sit?
A thin, winding uphill grass path that needs to be mown, but you can't get a lawnmower up. Or lawns on a steep slope when it would be perfect for a pumpkin patch.
No nearby drinking fountain. Gardeners get thirsty too you know. It's not really a good look to drink direct from the hose.
A totally shadeless garden. We have a hole in the ozone layer in New Zealand people. Do you want to fry? Plant some trees or create an arbour/pergola. If I want to see the endless horizon I would go live near the beach.
Conversely, vege gardens in the shade. Veges need at least 6 hours sun for production. Don't plant veges under trees or near thirsty tree roots.
Trees near the house. Their roots will seek out your plumbing and block your drains trying to find water. Unless you build a tree house and live in the tree. Why fight it when it wants you to live in it!
Carpark beds with plants that can't stand foot traffic and car doors.
Bark mulch that is on a slope that will blow over on to the path. Overusing bark mulch as a way to get out of weeding, but ends up as a way to get out of gardening altogether. An empty bed with just bark in it, does not really look like a garden. Pak n' Save I'm referrring to you.
Planting dry loving plants in a wet area, and water loving plants in the dry, and then wondering why all your plants are dead.
A field. A field is not a garden. If you going to have a field put some sheep in it to graze it and manure the soil.
Astroturf. Weeds can still grow on astroturf and they can be harder to pull out.
Trying to do everything at once. Gardens are not all planted in one day. Put some workers to work, and don't forget your animal workers - bees, butterflies, birds, worms, hedgehogs, chickens cats. Well maybe not cats but if cats are not visiting your garden something's wrong. Look at it from their point of view..is it comfortable? Are there interesting areas to sunbathe in and play and hide? Is it safe? Could you walk round naked in it if one day you forgot to put on some clothes?
Ok maybe not the last one but the first garden on earth had all the animals in it as well and the humans were walking round naked and not ashamed, before clothes were invented.
Forbidden trees. We are banned from planting phoenix palms. It's a weed. Please don't plant them and think they look cute and tropical or 'architectural'. They have lethal barbs and all the pigeons will come and roost in it and poop all over your garden and your neighbours will hate you.
Well that's it for now I must get cracking with my colouring pencils and felts.
A thin, winding uphill grass path that needs to be mown, but you can't get a lawnmower up. Or lawns on a steep slope when it would be perfect for a pumpkin patch.
No nearby drinking fountain. Gardeners get thirsty too you know. It's not really a good look to drink direct from the hose.
A totally shadeless garden. We have a hole in the ozone layer in New Zealand people. Do you want to fry? Plant some trees or create an arbour/pergola. If I want to see the endless horizon I would go live near the beach.
Conversely, vege gardens in the shade. Veges need at least 6 hours sun for production. Don't plant veges under trees or near thirsty tree roots.
Trees near the house. Their roots will seek out your plumbing and block your drains trying to find water. Unless you build a tree house and live in the tree. Why fight it when it wants you to live in it!
Carpark beds with plants that can't stand foot traffic and car doors.
Bark mulch that is on a slope that will blow over on to the path. Overusing bark mulch as a way to get out of weeding, but ends up as a way to get out of gardening altogether. An empty bed with just bark in it, does not really look like a garden. Pak n' Save I'm referrring to you.
Planting dry loving plants in a wet area, and water loving plants in the dry, and then wondering why all your plants are dead.
A field. A field is not a garden. If you going to have a field put some sheep in it to graze it and manure the soil.
Astroturf. Weeds can still grow on astroturf and they can be harder to pull out.
Trying to do everything at once. Gardens are not all planted in one day. Put some workers to work, and don't forget your animal workers - bees, butterflies, birds, worms, hedgehogs, chickens cats. Well maybe not cats but if cats are not visiting your garden something's wrong. Look at it from their point of view..is it comfortable? Are there interesting areas to sunbathe in and play and hide? Is it safe? Could you walk round naked in it if one day you forgot to put on some clothes?
Ok maybe not the last one but the first garden on earth had all the animals in it as well and the humans were walking round naked and not ashamed, before clothes were invented.
Forbidden trees. We are banned from planting phoenix palms. It's a weed. Please don't plant them and think they look cute and tropical or 'architectural'. They have lethal barbs and all the pigeons will come and roost in it and poop all over your garden and your neighbours will hate you.
Well that's it for now I must get cracking with my colouring pencils and felts.
Saturday, 11 November 2017
Gardener's bootcamp
0700 Hours. Arrive at work, clean boots
0705 Sign in and get keys
0710 Unlock shed and get gear ready
0715 Water outdoor pots 30 minutes
0745 Water indoor pots 1 hour 15 minutes
0900 Organise Garden group, health and safety brief, weed
1000 Morning tea break/smoko
1030 Weed some more
1200 Clip and tidy areas
1300 Lunch
1330 Hoe rose beds
1400 Hoe roundabout and weed
1500 Odd jobs, lock away gear in shed
1530 Sign out, home time!
Then another day from 0900 hours its lawns, lawns lawns until 1400 and then weeding.
Sometimes I get growled at by commander Mr Perfect. "You call that sweeping?". "What are you doing on your hands and knees, use a hoe!" "Jesus woman, can't you start a lawnmower?!"
Reply "Yes boss". "I'm sorry boss" "Yes it looks terrible, I will do it again".
"Get it right the first time. If it's not perfect, you might as well have not done it at all"
"Yes boss".
I go off and quietly cry in the loo.
"What took you so long?"
"I was watering the indoor loos".
"Well I need to know. Tell me before you do that so I know that's what you are doing. We need to get going. The plants aren't going to clip themselves"
"Yes boss".
"And where are your safety boots? You should be wearing them at all times"
"I didn't want to get their carpet dirty, besides, you haven't bought me any indoor ones".
"What, with all your ten suitcases in the ute? Ow!"
....
My boss gets pelted with roses.
0705 Sign in and get keys
0710 Unlock shed and get gear ready
0715 Water outdoor pots 30 minutes
0745 Water indoor pots 1 hour 15 minutes
0900 Organise Garden group, health and safety brief, weed
1000 Morning tea break/smoko
1030 Weed some more
1200 Clip and tidy areas
1300 Lunch
1330 Hoe rose beds
1400 Hoe roundabout and weed
1500 Odd jobs, lock away gear in shed
1530 Sign out, home time!
Then another day from 0900 hours its lawns, lawns lawns until 1400 and then weeding.
Sometimes I get growled at by commander Mr Perfect. "You call that sweeping?". "What are you doing on your hands and knees, use a hoe!" "Jesus woman, can't you start a lawnmower?!"
Reply "Yes boss". "I'm sorry boss" "Yes it looks terrible, I will do it again".
"Get it right the first time. If it's not perfect, you might as well have not done it at all"
"Yes boss".
I go off and quietly cry in the loo.
"What took you so long?"
"I was watering the indoor loos".
"Well I need to know. Tell me before you do that so I know that's what you are doing. We need to get going. The plants aren't going to clip themselves"
"Yes boss".
"And where are your safety boots? You should be wearing them at all times"
"I didn't want to get their carpet dirty, besides, you haven't bought me any indoor ones".
"What, with all your ten suitcases in the ute? Ow!"
....
My boss gets pelted with roses.
Thursday, 9 November 2017
The loony, crazy world of gardening
I need a moon calendar, not just monthly but all year round. Then I will know when to plant and sow and to cultivate and when to rest. According to the one in Kiwi Gardener magazine, the next week which is the last quarter of the moon 11-18 November is a week of rest. No digging or planting, only pruning, tidying, maintenance pest control and harvesting and deadheading flowers. Makes sense to me, did you know my name means 'moon'. No wonder I'm a bit loony about gardening.
I also need to design this church garden. So am taking a day off work to do so. I have to bring out the coloured pencils and felts and grid paper. So hard to do when all I want to do is just get stuck in and garden it. I've decided designing isn't really my cup of tea. It's not getting hands dirty and nobody ever really sees a garden from above unless you looking at it from a tower block 6 storeys high. In which case what would be the point of the garden. I think you have to be IN a garden to appreciate it, not just looking at it from above. Your feet should be in the soil and every plant must have a reason to be there, not just tufty plant here and tufty plant there - look how low maintenance it is...well low maintenance equals BORING CARPARK.
Anyway I maybe I am just cranky from mowing a dozen lawns today. On a brighter note we are having a sunflower competition. Not the tallest mind you but the biggest circumference flower. I would have thought the tallest would win but my boss has other ideas. He's giving out dwarf sunflower seeds to plant tomorrow at the oldies Arts and Craft market at the Waitakere Gardens.
There is also a sausage sizzle and garden trail, where you can see all the roses we have lovingly pruned. You can also see the battle field of onion weed. The garden club members are manning (or womaning) some stalls, mostly knitting. So pop along and buy those beanies/tea cosies you've been coveting all year. If someone is selling granny's bonnets, then they've found a loyal customer, and also if anyone is selling gardening by the moon calendars, I will definitely buy one.
I also think I need a manicurist because the dirt under fingernails look isn't that pretty. However I have now got three pairs of gardening shorts, hooray. Which probably means time to start shaving my legs. I also found a green pair of chinos and bought a new dress, with flowers on it, so now almost have a complete garden uniform. Safety shoes are still coming.
Now is the time to be in the garden. My climbing iceberg rose has bloomed and my tree dahlias are starting to leaf out. In a few weeks time they'll be as tall as a 6 storey building and can then look at my garden design from above. I did have this idea to do a rainbow garden.
red - salvias
orange - gerberas
yellow- calendula
green - oregano
blue- lobelia
purple - sage
violet - violets
I fear becoming a latter day hippie, instead of tripping on drugs I am tripping on psychedelic garden display beds. One resident said she wanted GAUDY plants. The gaudier the better. So pink fountain cabbage trees, yellow and pink striped impatiens and coleus? A bed of orange nasturtiums that trail all over her villa wall? No delicate tissue white Iceberg standard roses for this retiree. She had her grey hair dyed bright orange and pink and was living the high life, so she might as well go all the way in her garden. I'm going to suggest some gnomes or maybe a pink flamingo garden sculpture. It's a really a moa, just dyed pink. Another lady has decapitated buddha heads in her garden. It's mad. Money can buy a lot of things, but not always good taste.
I also need to design this church garden. So am taking a day off work to do so. I have to bring out the coloured pencils and felts and grid paper. So hard to do when all I want to do is just get stuck in and garden it. I've decided designing isn't really my cup of tea. It's not getting hands dirty and nobody ever really sees a garden from above unless you looking at it from a tower block 6 storeys high. In which case what would be the point of the garden. I think you have to be IN a garden to appreciate it, not just looking at it from above. Your feet should be in the soil and every plant must have a reason to be there, not just tufty plant here and tufty plant there - look how low maintenance it is...well low maintenance equals BORING CARPARK.
Anyway I maybe I am just cranky from mowing a dozen lawns today. On a brighter note we are having a sunflower competition. Not the tallest mind you but the biggest circumference flower. I would have thought the tallest would win but my boss has other ideas. He's giving out dwarf sunflower seeds to plant tomorrow at the oldies Arts and Craft market at the Waitakere Gardens.
There is also a sausage sizzle and garden trail, where you can see all the roses we have lovingly pruned. You can also see the battle field of onion weed. The garden club members are manning (or womaning) some stalls, mostly knitting. So pop along and buy those beanies/tea cosies you've been coveting all year. If someone is selling granny's bonnets, then they've found a loyal customer, and also if anyone is selling gardening by the moon calendars, I will definitely buy one.
I also think I need a manicurist because the dirt under fingernails look isn't that pretty. However I have now got three pairs of gardening shorts, hooray. Which probably means time to start shaving my legs. I also found a green pair of chinos and bought a new dress, with flowers on it, so now almost have a complete garden uniform. Safety shoes are still coming.
Now is the time to be in the garden. My climbing iceberg rose has bloomed and my tree dahlias are starting to leaf out. In a few weeks time they'll be as tall as a 6 storey building and can then look at my garden design from above. I did have this idea to do a rainbow garden.
red - salvias
orange - gerberas
yellow- calendula
green - oregano
blue- lobelia
purple - sage
violet - violets
I fear becoming a latter day hippie, instead of tripping on drugs I am tripping on psychedelic garden display beds. One resident said she wanted GAUDY plants. The gaudier the better. So pink fountain cabbage trees, yellow and pink striped impatiens and coleus? A bed of orange nasturtiums that trail all over her villa wall? No delicate tissue white Iceberg standard roses for this retiree. She had her grey hair dyed bright orange and pink and was living the high life, so she might as well go all the way in her garden. I'm going to suggest some gnomes or maybe a pink flamingo garden sculpture. It's a really a moa, just dyed pink. Another lady has decapitated buddha heads in her garden. It's mad. Money can buy a lot of things, but not always good taste.
Sunday, 5 November 2017
Mangawhai Garden Rambling Diary
Just back from a trip to Mangawhai with the Te Atatu Floral Circle, saw 12 different gardens on the weekend. Sorry I do not have twelve different photos of each but the official website is here it's on next week so, if you out that way, go and see for yourself! In total there are 18 gardens so plenty to choose from.
Some highlights of the trip - Garden #6 an organic garden on top of a north facing slope called Hilltop Organics with many different productive fruit trees, vege garden, greenhouse owned by a young couple who moved their eighteen months ago. Their toddler son asked his mum 'How come all these OLD people are here?' but we forgave him. He must not have been meaning me as I was the youngest member there. When we arrived her husband was busy mulching with post strips and weedmat. At the back of their house hundreds of daffodils were grown for Daffodil Day and given away to raise money. Head gardener plans to open a PYO (pick your own) harvest - fill a bucket for $20. Sounds good to me. Permaculturalists, take note.
Gardens #1, 2, 3 and 4 on the same road that was a former kiwifruit orchard. The shelterbelts are still there so within each shelter is a section. You could fit maybe three homes on each section if it was in Auckland! Each section has a view of the surrounding countryside and estuary, again north facing slope. Wonderful thick lush kikuyu lawns - the men were gasping over them. Need ride on mowers for these. The gardens in this lot were gardened by retired or semi-retired housewives, mostly escapees from Auckland. A lot of subtropical plants in this frost free zone, plenty of cannas, bottlebrush, two gardens had an orange theme - orange flowers and plants. #3 was particularly creative, the head gardener there knows how to make garden features out of glass bottles, nails, golf balls, fan grills and beer cans!
#8 and #9 were also holiday home/retired lifestylers gardens full of colour, #8 was 4 years old with a stunning cottage floral border, and #9 had a rock border also with coloured succulents and ground covers. Pink Valerian grows like a weed here and ice plant runs riot.
#13 for anyone who loves pink pom pom thrift, the edges are bursting with it. There are fruit trees, veges and passionfruit grows over a water tank, then step off the deck into another world, a self-sown fern gully that steps down into a creek, with pet eel 'Slippy', flax and a rocketing Kauri tree.
#18 The Poplars seems to be a boy toy playground judging from the number of vehicles parked in the drive with a very modern trendy black no roof home (it looks like a giant shoebox to be honest) with new swimming pool but apart from that it had an olive grove, fruit orchard, an impressive stand of Totara leading to a peaceful wetland area.
#7 called Break Free Gardens is perhaps the most established and the one that's been shown the most love by retired escapees from Te Atatu who love plants. 3 acres of parklike garden, not a weed to be seen, a wonderful specimen oak tree and others in all their glory and near the house, palms, and floral colour. Owners were saying they bought it for a song in 1992 when it was $44,000 bare land and now it is a wonderful all-season garden with a view to the estuary.
It was wonderful to meet the owners and chat with them and perhaps dream of escaping Auckland and making a garden - on forgiving soil no less - and not returning, because now Mangawhai is an up and coming town - it has a chocolate factory (with expensive to die for hand crafted chocolate). The other industry comes from the P labs that operate round the empty holiday homes when everyone else is back at work, the locals say. Well it's true that's what they said!
I came away with a baby Papyrus plant and a hunger to find an orange abutilon. Or maybe I ought to colour coordinate my plants with the house? Anyone like red plants?
Thank you Te Atatu Floral Circle especially Janette and Mary for organizing the trip. We had lovely sunny weather for the most part (only got drenched in one garden) got to ride in a Mercedes Benz coach and stayed in a very German motel. They had goulash on offer for dinner but some of us chose to go to the local bar in neighbouring Kaiwaka. I had steamed mussels instead. Which were nice, I wasn't about to tackle the giant Nela burger which was $29 and had a cash prize of $250 if you could eat it in less than 5 minutes. We weren't in that much of a hurry!
Some highlights of the trip - Garden #6 an organic garden on top of a north facing slope called Hilltop Organics with many different productive fruit trees, vege garden, greenhouse owned by a young couple who moved their eighteen months ago. Their toddler son asked his mum 'How come all these OLD people are here?' but we forgave him. He must not have been meaning me as I was the youngest member there. When we arrived her husband was busy mulching with post strips and weedmat. At the back of their house hundreds of daffodils were grown for Daffodil Day and given away to raise money. Head gardener plans to open a PYO (pick your own) harvest - fill a bucket for $20. Sounds good to me. Permaculturalists, take note.
Gardens #1, 2, 3 and 4 on the same road that was a former kiwifruit orchard. The shelterbelts are still there so within each shelter is a section. You could fit maybe three homes on each section if it was in Auckland! Each section has a view of the surrounding countryside and estuary, again north facing slope. Wonderful thick lush kikuyu lawns - the men were gasping over them. Need ride on mowers for these. The gardens in this lot were gardened by retired or semi-retired housewives, mostly escapees from Auckland. A lot of subtropical plants in this frost free zone, plenty of cannas, bottlebrush, two gardens had an orange theme - orange flowers and plants. #3 was particularly creative, the head gardener there knows how to make garden features out of glass bottles, nails, golf balls, fan grills and beer cans!
#8 and #9 were also holiday home/retired lifestylers gardens full of colour, #8 was 4 years old with a stunning cottage floral border, and #9 had a rock border also with coloured succulents and ground covers. Pink Valerian grows like a weed here and ice plant runs riot.
#13 for anyone who loves pink pom pom thrift, the edges are bursting with it. There are fruit trees, veges and passionfruit grows over a water tank, then step off the deck into another world, a self-sown fern gully that steps down into a creek, with pet eel 'Slippy', flax and a rocketing Kauri tree.
#18 The Poplars seems to be a boy toy playground judging from the number of vehicles parked in the drive with a very modern trendy black no roof home (it looks like a giant shoebox to be honest) with new swimming pool but apart from that it had an olive grove, fruit orchard, an impressive stand of Totara leading to a peaceful wetland area.
#7 called Break Free Gardens is perhaps the most established and the one that's been shown the most love by retired escapees from Te Atatu who love plants. 3 acres of parklike garden, not a weed to be seen, a wonderful specimen oak tree and others in all their glory and near the house, palms, and floral colour. Owners were saying they bought it for a song in 1992 when it was $44,000 bare land and now it is a wonderful all-season garden with a view to the estuary.
It was wonderful to meet the owners and chat with them and perhaps dream of escaping Auckland and making a garden - on forgiving soil no less - and not returning, because now Mangawhai is an up and coming town - it has a chocolate factory (with expensive to die for hand crafted chocolate). The other industry comes from the P labs that operate round the empty holiday homes when everyone else is back at work, the locals say. Well it's true that's what they said!
I came away with a baby Papyrus plant and a hunger to find an orange abutilon. Or maybe I ought to colour coordinate my plants with the house? Anyone like red plants?
Thank you Te Atatu Floral Circle especially Janette and Mary for organizing the trip. We had lovely sunny weather for the most part (only got drenched in one garden) got to ride in a Mercedes Benz coach and stayed in a very German motel. They had goulash on offer for dinner but some of us chose to go to the local bar in neighbouring Kaiwaka. I had steamed mussels instead. Which were nice, I wasn't about to tackle the giant Nela burger which was $29 and had a cash prize of $250 if you could eat it in less than 5 minutes. We weren't in that much of a hurry!
Monday, 30 October 2017
Go go goji
Mum gave me some cuttings of goji berry she filched from my brothers place at Epsom. I dug out more creeping buttercup and put them in. I tried to find information on how to grow it but it seems to have been left out of all the gardening books...and what's on the internet is rather scant, google growing goji in nz and come up with people complaining they just up and die. My brother must be doing something right then. However don't know about his gardening practices, because the place at Epsom was bought not built for us, so it came with a garden already.
Over there, the house is framed by a pohutakawa, which presides over many bromeliads, there's a buxus hedge, hydrangea, magnolia, daphne, a prunus of some sort underplanted with japanese anemones and ferns, round the driveway there are more buxus clipped bay trees, clivia, agapanthus, astomerias. At the back there's a jasmine and climbing roses against a fence, a wisteria over a pergola, cannas, and I thought I saw a kauri tucked in the back too. There is a lemon tree, so it's not totally devoid of produce. My brothers have planted some incongruous plants though..what is spiky holly doing by the washing line...and buddha finger, which I am not allowed to touch. And goji berry.
Otherwise it's all very solid middle class villa, with a lawn. My brother said it's like old folks home, but since I now work at old folks homes...that's not quite true. What do old folk like? Camellias are a hot favourite, and colour colour colour. No white flowers. No boring ferns. Plants that get too big they dislike saying they can't see out the window. Everything has to be manageable for them so no big trees as that only reminds them they can't climb them anymore. Natives are a no-no. Heaven forbid if you attempt to plant flax or a cabbage tree at an old folks home. Anything that is bushy is out. It will interfere with their walkers.
Old people like fluffy herbaceous flowering plants like poppies and pansies and roses by the tonne. Granny's bonnets and gazanias, lobelia and alyssum. Geraniums and lavender. Tulips and freesias. Petunias and carnations. Veges like beans, peas and onions. And herbs such as thyme, chives and parsley.
Anyway so goji...is a superfood apparently. According to Kings Plant Barn it is a trendy plant along with blueberries and kale. Mum says she uses the goji leaves and dried berries in soups. It's supposed to be very good for your eyes. Which may be what I need now along with failing a hearing test, without my glasses I would fail an eye test. So I need to be wearing spectacles and earmuffs, and I don't know what next will go in this gardening gig...my sense of smell? My tastebuds?
Found out today that my boss may have cheated on his hearing test, because I was talking to him and he couldn't hear a word I said, and kept saying speak up I can't hear you, whereas I can hear everything he says plus he plays loud rock music in the ute. I was very puzzled at this because the hearing assessor said look away at the wall while I'm doing these noises for you on the computer, and press the button when you hear it. Well it turns out he wasn't looking away so every time a noise was made he just saw the hearing assessor tap the computer and responded straight away. My boss says he didn't know for 30 years that he needed glasses, and whenever he did an eye test he would cheat the eye test by memorizing the letters. What?! Thankfully he now wears glasses but... I'm beginning to think something's up.
Is there a plant that is good for your ears and makes you hear better? I'm hoping there is.
Over there, the house is framed by a pohutakawa, which presides over many bromeliads, there's a buxus hedge, hydrangea, magnolia, daphne, a prunus of some sort underplanted with japanese anemones and ferns, round the driveway there are more buxus clipped bay trees, clivia, agapanthus, astomerias. At the back there's a jasmine and climbing roses against a fence, a wisteria over a pergola, cannas, and I thought I saw a kauri tucked in the back too. There is a lemon tree, so it's not totally devoid of produce. My brothers have planted some incongruous plants though..what is spiky holly doing by the washing line...and buddha finger, which I am not allowed to touch. And goji berry.
Otherwise it's all very solid middle class villa, with a lawn. My brother said it's like old folks home, but since I now work at old folks homes...that's not quite true. What do old folk like? Camellias are a hot favourite, and colour colour colour. No white flowers. No boring ferns. Plants that get too big they dislike saying they can't see out the window. Everything has to be manageable for them so no big trees as that only reminds them they can't climb them anymore. Natives are a no-no. Heaven forbid if you attempt to plant flax or a cabbage tree at an old folks home. Anything that is bushy is out. It will interfere with their walkers.
Old people like fluffy herbaceous flowering plants like poppies and pansies and roses by the tonne. Granny's bonnets and gazanias, lobelia and alyssum. Geraniums and lavender. Tulips and freesias. Petunias and carnations. Veges like beans, peas and onions. And herbs such as thyme, chives and parsley.
Anyway so goji...is a superfood apparently. According to Kings Plant Barn it is a trendy plant along with blueberries and kale. Mum says she uses the goji leaves and dried berries in soups. It's supposed to be very good for your eyes. Which may be what I need now along with failing a hearing test, without my glasses I would fail an eye test. So I need to be wearing spectacles and earmuffs, and I don't know what next will go in this gardening gig...my sense of smell? My tastebuds?
Found out today that my boss may have cheated on his hearing test, because I was talking to him and he couldn't hear a word I said, and kept saying speak up I can't hear you, whereas I can hear everything he says plus he plays loud rock music in the ute. I was very puzzled at this because the hearing assessor said look away at the wall while I'm doing these noises for you on the computer, and press the button when you hear it. Well it turns out he wasn't looking away so every time a noise was made he just saw the hearing assessor tap the computer and responded straight away. My boss says he didn't know for 30 years that he needed glasses, and whenever he did an eye test he would cheat the eye test by memorizing the letters. What?! Thankfully he now wears glasses but... I'm beginning to think something's up.
Is there a plant that is good for your ears and makes you hear better? I'm hoping there is.
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