by David Bayly Kaipara Coast Plant Centre – first published in the October 2021 Valley Voice Lifestyle Magazine
A feeling that another lockdown was lurking around the corner was a good excuse for me to do our six weekly big supermarket shop on the 14th of August 2021. The girl at the checkout even commented on our two laden trolleys, and if she had looked closer, she would have seen it was all our families’ staples that we don’t grow ourselves such as flour, sugar, yeast, cereals and milk powder that filled the bulk of our trolley.
As it turned out, 3 days later Auckland was plunged into a long Level 4 lockdown. When we heard the news, we knew that our pantry was full, and with a freezer full of homekill and frozen fruit combined with our vegetable garden, we didn’t have to worry about scurvy, starvation, or a trip to the supermarket for at least another 6 weeks.
Without customers, the ability to do some big gardening projects in the Sculpture Gardens was an opportunity not to be missed. Health authorities probably would have preferred I was tucked up in the house watching endless movies and 1pm broadcasts , however I know for my own mental health, getting projects done in the garden is a great way to keep sane.
Out came the spade, the loppers, the chainsaw and chipper, and over the period of a few weeks, the unusual quiet of the main road was surpassed by the humm of two stroke motors, and a number of long deferred projects were both able to be started and completed.
It turned out I wasn’t the only one making the most of being at home, when my machinery was off there was an echo of engine noise around the valley, with my neighbours also making the most of the opportunity to have a good tidy up.
The result of the 2020 lockdown was the creation of a 1.5km bush walk in our gardens. The 2021 lockdown was more of an excuse to get areas in the gardens back under control and set up for the future.
A new fern area was developed by one of our ponds, and I was thinking that one of the key plants in the back of this should be the native KieKie, which is a native climber/groundcover with dark green leaves. Not a plant you can get hold of readily, and I was debating about where I could get some big specimens from, when a rotten punga covered in KieKie vine fell over in the wind, blocking the gardens track. The chainsaw came out again, and three big wheelbarrows later the new fernery was complete.
I have known this for years, but a number of New Zealanders will have discovered for the first time the real benefit in having a garden in the last few months.
Gardening gets you outdoors, gives you exercise, keeps you fit, keeps you fed, and it has both short and long term rewards. As the months and years go by you get to enjoy the results of your labour as your garden grows. Then at least you have something to do and trim when the country unexpectedly locks you at home for an extended period.