New Zealand Tree Crops Association
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Branch contact: centraldistricts@treecrops.org.nz
Branch news and notices are below.
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Tree Crops related
Date: Monday 17 November
Venue: Meeting space, ground floor, Public Library, George St
Time: 7-9pm
The New Zealand Ecological Society is delighted to be hosting this evening event as part of its annual conference, being held at Massey University, 16-20 November, 2014.
More details… Ken Thompson Talk – PDF poster
Date – Sunday 9 th November
Time – 10am start
Where – Morning – property of Fred & Judy
Currins Road
Linton, Palmerston North [vehicle parking on roadside verge]
Bring – Your lunch, a coat and suitable footwear.
This extensively planted 7 acre tree property has been over 50 years in the making by the same owners, who were closely involved with the Manawatu tree-nursery industry prior to retirement. A wide selection of specimen trees [some rare], extensive shelter planting, fruit trees, veggie gardens, green houses etc and abundant birdlife make this property rather special.
City suburban living is the next challenge facing Fred and Judy, so this is an opportunity to inspect their rural-lifestyle creation before it is sold.
Mike’s property
Millricks Line
Linton.
One man, one digger….. This 10 acre property offers inspiration to budding pond builders looking for design ideas and construction techniques. Along with the ponds, there is a mature olive grove, numercitrus and other fruit trees. Amenity plantings also grace this block. Mike’s enthusiasm could best be described as infectious!
Date – Monday 27th October – Labour Day
Time – 10am start
Where – Derek & Theresa
Highway 56 [between Puketotara and Himatangi Block Roads] Rangiotu
[the property is accessed via a long driveway, a sign will be out]
Bring – Your lunch, a coat and suitable footwear.
This is an expansive peony garden where the owners have amassed an impressive collection of over 300 different varieties; along with over 200 types of iris, combined with other interesting plants and fruit trees.
Derek is also well conversed with breeding and propagation techniques of peonies and iris’s.
Plant orders and sales available on the day.
Te Awe Awe Road
Highway 56
Rangiotu.
Around mid-day we then drive to the nearby property of Suzanne, have our lunch and then wander around her collection of hardy perennials and collectors plants.
We also get to inspect the array of seedling fruit trees and hear about the organic codlin moth pheromone ties that Suzanne uses and sells.
Plants will also be available for sale.
This event is scheduled over two days and features an apple tree pruning workshop at a Levin orchard, overnight accommodation at Nga Tawa Girls School at Marton – including dinner and two guest speakers.
Then on Sunday, visiting a commercial hazelnut orchard north-west of Hunterville.
Saturday 5th & Sunday 6th July 2014
Saturday – 10.00am – Apple Orchard – Hokio Beach Road Levin.
Here we join with the Wgtn/Horowhenua Treecrops branch for a hands-on pruning day.
We get professional tuition on pruning, experiencing both restorative pruning and annual maintenance techniques. You will get to physically prune apple trees. We lunch at the orchard.
Bring – your lunch, loppers, pruning saw and secateurs, a coat and suitable footwear.
A pruning ladder too if possible, although some ladders are available on site.
4.30pm – ‘Nga Tawa Girls School’, Calico Line Marton. 5.00pm – 6.00pm
pre-dinner socializing. 6.00pm dinner, followed by two speakers.
First presentation – Dr Mike Nichols [retired ex Massey] speaking on his horticultural adventures around the world. Mike is a horticultural consultant and has travelled the globe advising on food production for a number of years [hands-on stuff we can relate to]. He still regularly visits remote and amazing locations and is widely versed in horticulture… even commercial-hydroponic cannabis production [for medicinal use… of course]!
Second presentation – Murray Redpath, speaking on hazelnuts. Murray is chairperson of the NZ Hazelnut Growers Assn and is the leading authority on hazelnut production in the country. He is also an experienced nurseryman and commercial grower.
Sunday – 10.00am Hazelnut Orchard, Turakina Valley Road, Hunterville.
[21kms from Hunterville via Ongo Road]. This property is located in an isolated and idyllic spot, comprising 4000 established hazelnut trees. Here we get a guided tour of the operation plus a pruning demonstration [weather permitting] by Murray Redpath.
Bring your lunch, suitable footwear and a coat.
Both the Levin apple pruning workshop and Hunterville hazelnut orchard visit are free entry events.
Date – Sunday 25th May
Time – 10am start
Where – Paloma Gardens, Pohutukawa Lane, Fordell.
Bring – Your lunch, a coat and suitable footwear.
Clive and Nicki live the ultimate horticulture dream. Being avid plant and tree enthusiasts for many years they have amassed a highly respected private collection of varied material, sourced from several continents around the world.
Plant species range from foliage, bamboos, cycads, palms, succulents/cacti right through to extensive tree arboretum plantings on their surrounding farm property….with even the odd fruiting tree included. Various themed gardens with quirky garden structures, sculpture and ponds etc all have unique appeal….not to mention the included humour aspect!
It is hoped to have Clive join us for an informative wander.
We lunch at the garden.
Marc & Vanessa property – around 1pm-ish
Situated at Denlair Road.
In its development phase, but this property also includes some interesting plant and tree material. More especially, Marc’s evolving collection of varied citrus varieties. Rather interesting too, their work-in-progress garden, featuring mortar-rendered straw-bale walls, a wood-fired outdoor bath and other neat ideas.
With Marc being a qualified horticulturist/arborist and plant devotee, we’ll be ensured of an ‘inspirational’ visit.
Date – Sunday 6th April 2014
Time – 10.30am start
Where – Awahou Gardens and Nursery, No.1 Line Pohangina [off Pohangina Valley East Rd.]
Bring – Your lunch, a coat and suitable footwear.
John & Cynthia are passionate gardeners, keen on trees and plants, propagation and landscape design.
This is clearly reflected in their impressive property, which in more recent times has provided a platform for their long-planned plant nursery. They specialise in perennials, shrubs, trees and aquatic plants.
Here we get a conducted tour of the property and a chance to peruse the extensive nursery stock.
Plant sales will be available on the day.
We lunch in the garden.
Please note – a $5.00 p/p surcharge [payable to the host] applies to this property visit.
Konewa Cottage and Walnut Grove [1pm-ish]
Pohangina Valley East Road, Pohangina.
Another interesting property in an idyllic location, with an established walnut grove [300 trees] plus a selection of around 40 fruit, olive and hazelnut trees. We also get to inspect Sue & Frazer’s cottage/retreat that started life as a very modest one room hut but is now booked out most weekends.
CONFERENCE 2014 notice: NZTCA 40th National Conference
2014 April 11-12-13
Ashburton, South Island
WATER: The Elixir of Life: The field trips, north and south, allowed you to see up close the efforts being made in this part of Canterbury to ‘farm the water’, while at the same time visiting many excellent places of interest to Tree Crop members and giving a wider view of this area in autumn.
Details on page conference-2014 and in December 2013 TreeCropper.
| Date- | Saturday 1st March 2014 |
| Time- | 10am start |
| Where- | Rob’s property, Grammar Street, Kimbolton Village. |
| Bring- | your lunch, a coat and suitable footwear. |
We visit two contrasting, neighbouring properties for this event.
The first, originally a pastoral grazing block [in town] that has evolved over time into a sustainable woodlot/lifestyle holding.
And the second, a property, purposely planted over 50 years, establishing an exotic woodland garden environment.
| 10am- | Rob Green’s diverse and interesting property, including gardens, trees, timber plantations, saw milling and timber drying, dressing and finishing. Also a joinery shop, where home-grown timber is crafted into numerous creations, including casket manufacture. |
| 12pm- | Lunch in conjunction with a short and painless AGM. |
| 1pm- | John & Barbara, ‘Glencolyn’ woodland garden and B & B. Grammar Street Kimbolton. Established 50 years ago by Colin Spicer, horticultualist and nurseryman. This property boasts an extensive collection of exotic trees, shrubs, rare bulbs and perennials etc in a spectacular park-like setting. It is hoped to have Colin join us for a conducted tour of his former property. |
Central Districts Branch 2014 AGM and March field day will visit two contrasting, neighbouring properties
This has become a popular annual event and a highlight on the Central Districts field-day calendar. A two-day format, where we visit an array of diverse and interesting horticultural properties in the Taranaki region.
12.30pm – Natural Fare Hydroponics, 456 Corbett Road, NP (Russell Jordan). A well established producer growing salad greens, flowers and herbs. Supplying Nth Island outlets and eateries.
2.30pm – Jim & Alison’s property, Holly Oak Tce., NP (off Junction Road – State Hwy. 3). A bedding and vegetable seedling operation supplying Taranaki garden centres.
12pm – Brian & Sandra’s property, Mountain Road [State Hwy 3A] NP. A commercial tamarillo orchard with around 4500 trees in production. An insight into ‘psyllid’ damage/control. We lunch at this property.
| Date – | Sunday 26th January 2014 |
| Time – | 10am start |
| Bring – | Your lunch & water bottle in a light back-pack, a coat and suitable footwear. Our lunch venue is planned en-route within the grounds, some distance from the car park/initial assembly point. |
| Where – | Massey Turitea Campus, Tennent Drive, Palmerston Nth. Take the ‘Main Drive’ entrance into Massey (off Tennent Dr.), then the first turn right into the ‘Courtyard Complex/International office’ carpark. Park and assemble in the Pay & Display carpark (free on weekends). |
This is an opportunity to inspect the spectacular/diverse planted gardens and grounds of the Turitea Campus (106 hectares) – an amassed collection of over 11,500 trees, shrubs and plants, native and exotic, some quite rare and unusual.
Our host for the day is retired chief groundsman Dave Bull, who was instrumental in landscaping, planting and maintaining the site from the late 1960’s until 2006. His immense horticultural knowledge and experience will make this event especially interesting. Lots to see and a good walk too!
An indication of numbers attending would be appreciated, please email Ian or 06 3765707 evenings if you intend joining us.
