In December its all go in the nursery and in nature – everything seems to be flowering profusely and nothing more so than cabbage trees! Love them or hate them (and I love them) there is no denying the beautiful scent that emanates from the flowers at this time of year. The main species in Southland is Cordyline australis the common cabbage tree but another species that makes it into Fiordland is Cordyline banksii and we have two in our garden flowering profusely and very strongly scented.
As well as their scented flowers their dramatic form looks great all year round and especially in the strong winds that we get in springtime. This photograph was taken in late November as the weather fluctuates between cold southwesterly gales and hot summer temperatures of twenty plus degrees. If you have a problem of cabbage tree leaves snagging the lawnmower the solution is simple – get rid of your lawn!
Another addition to the family in December was “fluffy” - named by Tesca Edwards. He had fallen out of the nest and was being rehabilitated.
Posted: 4 December 2011
Scented natives - Olearia fragrantissima and native jasmine are in full flower at the nursery in November. A nationally threatened tree, Olearia fragrantissima lives up to its name with peach/apricot scented yellow flowers - its a must for every Southland Garden.
Native climbers such as jasmine, clematis and lawyer all flower very early and need to get to the canopy to flower. That’s why regenerating areas are so good for native birds as flowers are more prolific at low levels - they dont have to reach up to the treetops to flower. Native wineberry is flowering more vigorously than I have ever seen before at Otatara and Sandy Point - is that a good or a bad sign? Often plants under stress flower massively, or maybe its just a sign of a mild winter or a good summer to come!
The exotic elderberry is also flowering - now is the time to collect the flowers to make elderflower cordial and champagne - its a good excuse to do weed control of this invasive species.
Posted: 10 November 2011
Spring is such an exciting time with so many plants flowering - just a few of the most spectacular are native clematis, tree fuchsia and kohuhu.
There are nine native clematis in New Zealand, the most common in Southland is the large flowered Clematis paniculata. In October you will see flowers climbing through to the canopy. Clematis have male and female flowers on separate plants - the female flower being much smaller than the male and only the female flower will produce seeds. Tree fuchsia (Fuchsia excorticata) is one of the best plants for nectar feeding birds. The tui and bellbird thrive on the delicate flowers which often form before new leaves are produced in very early spring. Fuchsia go on producing flowers for much of the summer and so provide a continuous source of nectar for native honeyeating birds. Kohuhu (Pittosporum tenuifolium) is a very common native plant used for shelter and restoration planting. In early spring it is covered in small dark pink flowers that are delightfully scented, especially on warm calm evenings. Other, much rarer native scented plants are Olearia polita and Olearia fragrantissima. Olearia poilta has tiny white flowers in October while Olearia fragrantissima has larger yellow flowers in November - both are highly scented, smelling of peach or apricot - a must for any native garden.
Posted: 17 October 2011
Spring in the nursery is the most exciting time! All of the seeds sowed before winter should be germinating and the time for pricking out and potting up is a busy one as we try to get as much out of the short Southland growing season as possible. Hopefully, over winter you have been planning what plants you would like to plant out and therefore have a plan of how many plants you need and which species you want to grow. If you havent, don’t worry - just come to the nursery on a Friday morning and we can talk it through. Or visit the Community Nursery website and get an idea of the plants that grow best in Southland.
On the afternoon of 26 November 2011 we will be having a Community Nursery Open Day where you can see the nursery, restoration area and created wetlands. It’s an opportunity to ask any plant questions -natives, fruit trees, weeds (bring along a plant (native or weed) for us to identify if you don’t know what it is). There will be some give-away native plants and lots of ideas.
Posted: 17 October 2011
Red tussock was once very widespread in Southland. It grows naturally in wet areas but is now more commonly seen as a landscaping plant. At the nursery we grow hundreds of plants from seed and they are available most of the year. Red tussock is a large grass-like plant that grows about 1 metre tall - its size makes it a very distinctive and dramatic plant to use for garden or wetland restoration.
Posted: 1 September 2011
