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...January newsletter 2006... |
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A new year. Like a new page!
January weather has been hot, very hot in the orchard. Thankfully we have also had short periods of rain. The combination means everything is growing, racing away. The macadamia trees love it. All our fertiliser applied in spring right up to Christmas is showing its effect now.
This year our Jacaranda trees have also been spectacular. They are not so common this side of the North Island. The ornamental black taro with its large dark green leaves and black stems, striped cannas Tropicana, and serrated leaved Philodendron bipinnatifidum and dahlias all add to the lush tropical look in the front garden of factory, The Nutcracker Suite.
On the banks each side of the entrance rows of Brugmansia ‘Frosty Pink’ grow. They are covered in apricot pink pendent trumpet flowers whose fragrance is most notable in the evenings. Behind them on a trellis Bougainvillea ‘Scarlett O’Hara’ blooms. Young Queen palms, cabbage trees and older Fan palms, magnolias all add height and majesty to the gardens around the factory.
Janet and Paul had to go back to work on the 9th, Claire back to Melbourne on 16th and Bill back to work on the 23rd so while we had woman-power and man- power lots of jobs have been done. The family team working together is great.
When we started the orchard in 1980 it was large cow paddocks, a row of old man Cupressus macrocarpa trees along the road and two power poles marching down the paddock. Thousands of shelter trees later, trials of over 25 varieties of macadamia trees, our own nursery, and a stint as commercial kiwifruit growers led to the final planting out of out macadamia orchard. As a family we could plant a rootstock macadamia tree a minute. We all had a part of the task. Bill dug the holes ahead of us, the children put out the trees, slit the bags, fertilised the holes, Christine planted the trees, they put in the stakes, max taped the tree to the stake and stapled the spray guard around the young tree. We were a well oiled machine!
Then of course there was hours of Bill’s time in field grafting the rootstocks and then looking after the grafts. Quiet dedication that still goes on today as we re-work trees not performing.
We are still planting! It must be a disease! Amenity plants, natives, garden plants. As I write the cicadas are so loud they are deafening if you stand outside. They seem to love the macrocarpa trees. California quails are zipping around a pile of bark mulch waiting to be put on the gardens. Young thrushes are hopping around awkwardly taking short flights and the giant kangaroo paw flowers are bending as bellbirds and wax eyes take turns to inspect each and every flower many times a day.
Like the trees we are all growing, in skills and knowledge as we meet each new challenge. We wish you all a happy and exciting New Year.
Archive If you would like to read previous newsletters, please click on one of the following links:
[ introduction ][ history ][ macadamias ][ factory ][ products ][ favours ][ orders ][ tours ][ contact ]
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January
enews 2006