Oh goodness!

Botryzen, an all natural fungicide- it has a living organism which eats fungus in it. We are going to trial it on persistent rust- day lilies, broad beans and garlic.

I am still trying to find out what the 'living organism' is- I assume it is hard for me to find because it's a trade secret, but I'm excited to hassle some people till they tell me.

I couldn’t find it anywhere, so I called Molly from Roots, Shoots and Fruits- a fantastic online shop for organic gardeners and commercial scale operations alike (they sell to farms, orchards, vineyards etc as well as home-size packs). She has said-

“Fulzyme Plus contains one bacteria Bacillus subtilis  

TRI-D25 contains two strains of beneficial fungi - Trichoderma koningii and Trichoderma harzianum

Superzyme contains two beneficial bacteria - Bacillus subtilis ( as in Fulzyme ) Pseudomonas putida, and the two Trichoderma as in TRI-D25

Rootella also has efficacy against a number of pathogens but NOT rust. 

All these beneficial organisms work in different ways and most of them have as least three modes of action. They take up space around the root zone , displacing pathogens, they produce antibiotics which many pathogens don’t like or are harmful to them as well as a purely predatory role , much like lions v's zebra on the plains in Africa although they are unseen with the naked eye.”

She has also sent me a load of scientific papers on the above things so I’ll keep digesting, but it did occur to me that we could use any of the above things on treating buxus blight, which is fantastic news, as my home grown formulations are working but not knocking blight on it’s head.

In other news, this hydrangea is still putting out brand new blooms, which was a nice surprise (I turned up intending to prune it on Friday)

What staff learnt about this week

We have started working at Seatoun School, which is exciting for our new apprentice Catherine as she has been thrown in the deep end and is managing the site herself. As a result we have been talking about the 'things we notice' and what to do about them.

Highlights: I really am lucky to have such a great team. Most of the discussion was about how we can tell that something 'just looks wrong' and how to balance out a bed so that all of the shapes, sizes and colours balance well.

Lowlights: Turns out all of the flax which has been cut midway down the leaf at Seatoun school is because it's a trip hazard, so we have now committed to digging 20-odd flaxes out and moving them further back into the bed.

Koromiko Gardening (Brooklyn) are having a plant sale on Sunday!

An interview with a gardening legend

I’ve started interviewing one Famous To Me person a week, someone who either informs my gardening practice directly, or parasocially! If you know someone who you would like to see interviewed, get in touch by popping a comment in this post, or email wellington.gardener@gmail.com.

This week: Ana Henderson, who has a gorgeous home overlooking the south coast. Anyone who lives in the south coast just inwardly groaned- it is such a harsh environment to grow a lot of plants. She also makes soaps, so we are planting out her garden with natives and things-you-can-make-soap-from, which is so much fun.

What are you known for?

I run Oh Goodness, a small home business I started in 2018 when my youngest child was a baby. I hand make soaps and a small range of personal care and skincare with a strong eco focus. My latest soap offering, Soap with a small footprint, is a range of lovely creamy soaps which boasts 75% ingredients from Aotearoa and 25% from the Pacific in the base recipe. I’m starting to transition all my products to use as many locally grown ingredients as I can instead of contributing to carbon emissions by shipping things around the world.

What are you working on/moving towards?

Currently with Oh Goodness I’m working with a local videographer to put together a short promo video, which is quite exciting. I have made quite a few reels for instagram / social media etc of me making soaps, showing the process etc, but they are pretty low-fi offerings… so this is the first time I’ll be venturing into making a really professional vid which explains (in less than a minute!) what Oh Goodness is about and showcases some of the lovely scenery around here on the south coast on which some of my designs are based.

I’m also working on organising and decluttering items in our home..It’s always a work in progress when there are five people in residence. Going through perimenopause, things can sometimes feel like they are getting on top of me and it’s one proactive way I can help myself feel more stable. Because I work from home I need to keep things reasonably orderly so I don’t get distracted so easily. I suspect I have inattentive type ADHD but I'm tossing up whether or not it’s worth getting a formal diagnosis as I still have to live with myself and move forward regardless. I’m getting better at cutting myself some slack and doing things in ways that suit me, rather than trying and failing to do what might be the recommended way. Decluttering has helped tremendously in giving me back some focus.

What gardening thing is occupying your mind lately?

Planting! Planting more natives on our rambling seaside section is on my mind.. Trying to cut down some of the kikuyu grass that grows rampantly and aggressively and make use of the space for more aesthetically pleasing things. I’m very excited to be working with you Zoe, and the team at Very Green Gardener, as in the five years since we bought this house we have focused on renovating and revitalising the inside of the house while the outside has languished.

I’m a pretty keen indoor plant person, always busy propagating cuttings, but my zest for outdoor gardening isn’t as strong. Our steep, hostile section here in Lyall Bay doesn’t exactly help nor lend itself to an inexperienced gardener like myself and I’ll admit I find it all a bit daunting. I do notice as I get older I'm more drawn to growing and tending a garden though.. I’m probably a lot more patient than I was when I was younger! I dream one day of living somewhere with a little flat garden I can potter around in without being assaulted by southerly winds! ;) I’m keen to get some plants that not only look good but that I can use in my soaps and cook with. Kawakawa, aloe, fennel tops and flat leaf parsley grow wild around our section and the south coast in general and I use them all in different ways. I'd love to get a few more options (calendula and chamomile would be amazing) and also lots of herbs because I'm a keen cook and fresh herbs are always a win. I’ve kind of given up the dream of having lots of veggies because I don’t think I have the bandwidth for anything too complicated but some hardy herbs that can withstand the storms would be awesome to have on hand.

What are you waiting for?

My children to grow up and move out! Just kidding (kinda).

Mostly I’m waiting for the winter to roll through as my husband and youngest are off to Europe to visit Mama/Oma, and I have a few little activities and plans up my sleeve for while they are away. I’ll be heading down south to visit some friends in Wanaka and I’ll be throwing myself into an icy lake or two while I’m there. I started cold water plunging in Lyall Bay last year and managed to keep at it all through the winter last year, though Wanaka will be next level cold so I’m looking forward to that challenge. Last year I swam in Copenhagen in November which I am pretty proud of, so my mission is to leap into any cold water anywhere I go, at any time of year.

I’m also waiting on a few fun gigs I’m helping to organise at the end of June around Matariki weekend. my bands The Weather Machine and Balkany will be playing St Peter’s Hall in Paekakariki and then the WM will play another couple of gigs before and after in Levin and Whanganui. I love winter gigs, it’s a great time to snuggle up in a warm cosy venue.

Zoe note: in the paid blog this week we’re going to cover dealing with a cold/windy/sea facing site. I was going to put it here but it’s just such a long blog this week already!

Thanks everyone! Have a fantastic weekend :)