tree-lovers
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The Local Arboretum: An introduction
By definition an arboretum is a specific place where trees of the world or of a specific country are collected for public viewing. Adding local seems to complicate that understanding. There is good reason for it though: the premise here is that even a single tree, looked at in-situ, can open up the same interests…
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Pinus moribundus and the porcini
During Covid lockdown my elder daughter moved back into the family home to stay until things returned to something approaching normal. It was acceptable to go out for short walks during the lockdown, as long as you followed social distancing rules. When my daughter went for her walks, often in the close-by Wellington Botanic Gardens,…
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Off the Road in Manakau
Recently I spent two days in Manakau helping a friend with plum picking. This small country town is about halfway between Otaki and Levin, with the main highway going through its middle. The bulk of houses are placed to the east on a gentle slope towards some foothills, giving it a distinct microclimate. If you…
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In Pohutukawa Town
I’ve lived in Wellington for 30 years now, and when I moved up from Christchurch, fairly claimed to be a ‘garden city’, I was a bit startled by the relative lack of tree planting in the central city. An exception though is the number of pohutukawa you can find either as street trees or planted…
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Encircling Problems: Pohutukawas and Some Other Palms
I finished the last post noting that when pohutukawa grow close by, or within the fibrous parts of Phoenix palms, sooner or later a decision will have to be made about which of the two plants is to remain. If a Phoenix palm crown grows above the spread and height of an old pohutukawa, it…
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The Pohutukawa and the Phoenix Palm
Here’s a New Zealand seaside scene from one of the bays close to downtown Wellington showing two plants known to many: Centre frame is a Phoenix palm (Phoenix canariensis), that from its size looks to be about 30 years old. Above and to the right of the descending walkway are several Pohutukawa trees (Metrosideros excelsa),…
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Cemetery Gold
I wasn’t intending to do another post on macrocarpa so soon, but while visiting Whanganui I came across a cluster of 16 gold-foliaged macrocarpa. I knew a little about the garden history of Whanganui from compiling New Zealand Tree Register entries on the Phoenix palms at Virginia Lake and at Queen’s Park, and from writing…
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Under the Macrocarpa, Part 2
Part 2 of this blog starts with a departure from the previous style by using a colour photo. This is useful as it shows the contrast between the dark macrocarpa canopy and the sea beyond. This tree is found in Worser Bay, Seatoun. Straight out to sea – in the photo about the mid-left of…
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Under the macrocarpa, Part 1
As windbreaks, macrocarpa trees are part of our landscape, the gnarled border to many paddocks. Their outstretched limbs offer shelter to sheep. … Like most New Zealanders, I have always pronounced macrocarpa with an extra ‘a’ in place of the ‘o’. Elsewhere, it’s known as Monterey cypress. For whatever reason we’ve decided here to call…
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Plant Identification: hold fire on the app
Recently I travelled to the small rural town of Cheviot in North Canterbury because I’d learnt there were many significant trees there. Some were planted in the 1870s when it was a large rural estate owned by ‘Ready Money’ Robinson. The old estate was broken up before the 1900s, and the land is now called…
The Local Arboretum: Noticeable trees and their stories 