Bush gardening

Covid-19, Day 13 , Tuesday, 7 April 2020

I am in my element! I have been so keen to cut another track in the bush, up through the gully. Bush gardening is my escape from office work, and will be my gymnasium for a long time!

Driest summer in over 50 years

Because we have experienced the driest summer in over 50 years, a lot of the undergrowth is dead, making it a bit easier to navigate a pathway through. Using my trusty STIHL toys makes the work much easier - the battery chainsaw and the arborists chainsaw.

So much of the dead foliage is from the ponga leaves, however there’s a lot of dead whiteywood in there too. The real curse in the bush is the bush lawyer, I can see why it’s called that – it likes to rule over everything, and in one part of the valley it’s killing large kanuka and mamaku tree ferns. Bush lawyer is an endemic plant to NZ, which does make you wonder how nature works sometimes.

Weed Removal

I have removed large amounts of ginger and I can see real potential in the valley. Wild ginger is a real problem in and around the northern regions of New Zealand. We have large drifts on the neighbouring properties, and until we are able to find the time to remove theirs as well, we will always be putting a band aid on the problem.

Bush gardening is very much about getting rid of a lot of the dead material. My overall plan in tidying up these areas of bush is to make big piles of the dead foliage, weed plants and dead pine branches, let them compost down and plant a native tree on them. It’s called recycling!

I love this time on my own, however there’s always company nearby, especially in the late afternoons. The fantails, (piwakawaka), love to flit in and check you out, from a very close range too! They’re just great!

covid wrap

The covid-19 numbers were the lowest in a while with 54 new cases and no new clusters – looking promising! We had some sad news learning of the death of my son’s best mate’s Dad suddenly passing away. Not a good time for anyone as the son cannot travel home from overseas to see his Dad, and there cannot be a funeral until after lock down.

This family has had more than its share of tragedy so I could not help but feel for them all day. And all those others who have lost loved ones during this time. It’s on the same day that the Health Minister was being chastised for taking his family to the beach and for mountain biking. When some have to sacrifice so much, it seems only too fair that the least all the rest of us can do, is go by the rules.

When times are sad, hugs are the best love language. Because we can’t hug one another outside our bubble, why not hug a tree! I am! Hugging lots of them in Pare-dise! Don’t worry Dave gets plenty!