The Community Nursery will be closed on Fridays for Volunteers during winter! We will reopen on Friday 3 September 2021. However, we do have some Pruning and Grafting workshops planned (date tba) so watch this space. We are also here for advice so send an email to [Enable JavaScript to view protected content] if you have any questions over that time. School activities continue over winter – contact Bronwyn [Enable JavaScript to view protected content] for anything education related.
It’s also Garden Bird Survey week – 26 June to 4 July so make sure you complete a survey in your garden - https://gardenbirdsurvey.landcareresearch.co.nz/
Chris
Posted: 28 June 2021
We had a magnificent late afternoon/evening for our 2021 Matariki Kite Making event – inspired by the book - Seven Kites of Matariki by Calico McClintock
Around 30 children with their families attended and there were a number of activities planned at the Community Nursery. But first, as the sun was going down fast, we all rushed outside with kites, made or brought to run around the paddock – kites flying behind! It was a frosty calm night – not as much wind as we might have liked but no rain either, so we were happy. Inside the education centre more kites were being made along with making “fauna from flora” an idea inspired by Anna Star from Maud Island. After dark we all gathered round the fire pit to toast marshmallows – say goodbye to the old season and welcome in the new. This event was a chance for KCC members to farewell Bronwyn as she has finished up with the Southland KCC (Kiwi Conservation Club) https://kcc.org.nz/. We farewelled her with a gift from Southland Forest and Bird and welcome Duncan who is going to take over KCC trips into the future. For more inspiring ideas about Matariki see https://kcc.org.nz/te-iwa-o-matariki-the-nine-stars-of-matariki-promotion/
Chris
Posted: 21 June 2021
26 May I visited Salford School meeting with the school council reps. What a great bunch of students. They talked me through their ideas and plans before taking me on a tour of the school showing me where all their ideas and plans are going to take place. What wonderful places and spaces you have… On 18 June I returned on a frosty morning to help their school council students with their planting efforts. Their NZ native plant garden got added to as we learnt about native plants and how to plant them.
Bronwyn
Posted: 21 June 2021
It was a great day hosting the whole school from New Entrants to Year 8 students, along with their enthusiastic teachers and parents. The school has been caring for many seedlings in their school nursery in readiness for planting out a native area in their school grounds. Today the students were learning more about native plants and how to identify them.
Out around the pond track Heddon Bush School were inspired, learning how a paddock can be transformed into a forest through restoration planting. The leaves of the plants growing were found and identified. Around the nursery (plant growing part of the Southland Community Nursery) the students went on a treasure hunt to match up a picture with the real plant, having to use their observation skills, and learning that most of the plants that are propagated and grown are colonising species. Learning about how a forest works and the process of succession extended on their new-found knowledge of plants. Planting colonising species to withstand the Southland climatic conditions was knowledge extended into initial planning for their upcoming term 3 planting. The importance of eco-sourcing of Southland natives and learning about the layers of a forest were also part of the day.
After lunch, a journey back in time to Gondwanaland and pre-human NZ and Southland highlighted the significance of our fauna and flora and why restoration is important. Listing all the Southland places with “bush” in the name was an interesting activity getting the students thinking about the stories of these places. With all this knowledge of plant and their identification the students were then able to easily name the previously unnamed NZ native plant species that they are growing and had bought to us for identification! Tumeke! We look forward to seeing their school restoration project thrive.
Bronwyn and Chris
Posted: 21 June 2021
Matariki is a time for reflection on the past season and looking forward to the next season. At the Nursery, June has been a time for finishing collecting and sowing seeds and starting to do cuttings. Propagation from cuttings is a skill that’s great to learn as you can apply it to lots of different plants – including fruit bushes, as well as natives. On Fridays until the end of June we will continue to do cuttings as well as lots of tidy up jobs before closing for July and August. Although closed on Fridays we are hoping to run some Apple Pruning and Grafting workshops – so keep a lookout for notices on the News and Events page. Education is continuing with Bronwyn leading our education team – see recent school events at https://www.southlandcommunitynursery.org.nz/news-and-events/. We would also like to acknowledge Otatara Schoolchildren who presented volunteers with yummy biscuits made at the school on a Friday morning in May - see photo below.
On 19 June 2021 we are having a Matariki Family kite making and flying event 4-6pm here at the nursery - we will also be toasting some marshmallows!! For more information contact Bronwyn 021 152 1857. So come along with your family and celebrate the occasion with us – see the poster below.
Chris
Posted: 14 June 2021
