Water, Water, Water

Well, for the second year in a row it looks like very little rain in November and December, which is bringing us into a potentially very dry Summer for Wellington.

We have been watering everything that we see wilting and it’s a bit of a concern! In my garden I have dumped a soaker hose on top, wound around everything, because I haven’t sorted out a reasonable system yet- it looks awful, and I’ve been dumping every shred of organic matter I can find to mulch and provide some nutrients to the completely dead soil. The end result is an attractive mess-

We’ve got grass clippings, shredded paper (chicken bedding), coffee grinds, then weeds pulled and dumped back on top.

The problem is, mostly, that the dirt used to fill these beds was old potting mix, so it doesn’t retain any moisture. I can leave a hose on, running low, all day, and the only wet part will be about 10cm diameter around the hose- it goes straight down about a metre, till it hits clay and I assume waters my neighbours down the hill. So aggravating.

What I'm obsessing over this week

It’s actually quite dull unfortunately, we have been tied up in this last minute landscaping job. But the client has purchased a cinnamon tree from Exotica NZ, which is quite exciting. Exotica NZ has (for good reason) kept some information concealed here, because it looks like this tree won’t survive in temperatures below 20 degrees C.. client lives on the South Coast. Mmmmmmm….

She has bought a heap of trees, actually- my last count was 19 fruit trees- which makes for a fun garden. Among others there are 3 Stella Cherries, which I haven’t seen fruit outside of Naenae in Wellington. Colour me surprised when she tells me she’s had 2 of the cherries for years and they both fruit! So I am going to plant all of these trees and we will hope for the best with all of them.

Among others I have bought this enormous feijoa from Blackbridge nurseries. I got a deal on it, but I know you will be curious- it is over 2.7m, cost $3200 + GST, and then we need a digger to dig a big enough hole (because most is rock, we can’t just hand dig), and a hi ab truck to lift the tree into the hole (because we have been advised we could do it on our own, but we would have to push it off the truck, and it would take most of the day, so given it is happening on the 23rd of December and we will be planting 45 trees that day… I have rented the hi ab. My estimate for this one tree is about $6000 + GST to get her in the ground.

My partner is able to drive anything with four wheels but is no good with anything that lifts or grabs except a forklift. We thought we might give him a go on a hi ab anyway but the company has politely said they will provide the driver (good move).

What happens if it all goes wrong, on the 23rd of December, when no sane person is taking work phone calls? *awkward, uncomfortable laugh*

What staff learnt about this week

Our weekly focus was getting through all of the jobs. It is getting to be tough going, as the growth has caught up on us on a few properties, so we have talked a lot about prioritising and when to know you should work past your booked time.

Highlights: Most clients have been extremely understanding.

Lowlights: It is quite hard to be extremely understanding, when some weeds are knee high, and they are in every garden bed, and you have about an hour to clear them all out…

Some garden tasks for this week

Water, water, water. A long slow soak is better than a quick burst and unless they are ferns, try to keep the water on the ground as opposed to on the leaves of the plants- especially on hedges, roses and fruit trees.

Got mulch? Can mulch? Put it down. The birds will be chilling out so you can put arborist mulch down and they will make less of a mess. I am a fan of hurricane mulch, and mulch and feed.

Your lawns should start to slow down now so start mowing on a higher cut so they have a chance of staying green.

And rest up when you get the chance, this time of year is brutal. Lie under your trees instead of doing anything with them (just avoid the chicken bedding, if you are at my house).

Have a great week everyone <3