December 2016
A happy picture of Rod and Val Bieleski. Our sympathy goes to Val and
their daughters Karen and Lisa on their loss (see pages 4 and 8) (Photo
Karen Bieleski).
Kniphofia ‘Winter Cheer’ (Photo Jack Hobbs).
Contents
Inside front cover illustrations
Contents
Manager’s summer report. Jack Hobbs
President’s summer report. Dianne Glenn
In memoriam: Rod Bieleski. Ross Ferguson
Gardens by the Bay visitor. Wayne Dymond
Visitor Services reports. Julia Watson
A year of garden engagement. Julia Watson
Volunteer report. Julia Watson
Seasonal activities. Mere Brewer
Which magnolia is which? Emma Bodley
New Patron of New Zealand Camellia Society. Ross Ferguson
New Faces. Jack Hobbs
Hosting public gardens. Bec Stanley
Gondwana collection. Mere Brewer
Search our library catalogue online. Emma Bodley
Jack’s tour
Kniphofia trial. Emma Bodley, Jeffery Jones and Jack Hobbs
Friends of the Gardens Painting Group exhibition. Liz Powell
Discounts at Café Miko
Committee
Drury delights, Bombay Beauties. Liz Powell
Rear cover illustrations
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© Material in this Newsletter is copyright. Please refer to the Friends’ website www.
friendsabg.co.nz for the full Copyright Statement. Individual items may be reproduced provided that the source is acknowledged and the author’s permission is obtained. Material for the
March 2017 issue should be submitted to the Acting Editor by 3.00 p.m., Friday 24 February,
2017. Contributions are welcome. Send contributions to Dr A. R. Ferguson, 7 Ferner Avenue,
Mt Albert, Auckland 1025 or by email to [email protected]. Botanic Gardens
staff should give their contributions to Jack Hobbs.
Cover: Canna x generalis ‘Eden’. (Photo by Jack Hobbs).
Back cover: Perennial Garden showcasing Dahlia Mystic Illusion, Achillea ‘Moonshine’
and Canna x generalis ‘Eden’ at Auckland Botanic Gardens. (Photo Jack Hobbs).
3
Manager’s report, November 2016
News of the passing of Rod Bieleski was a sad occasion at the Gardens.
Rod has been a stalwart of the Gardens since I can remember, and he was
one of the first people I turned to for advice when I became Manager 20 years
ago.
Even when Rod’s health was declining he retained his keen intellect
and great interest in all things to do with the Gardens. When I visited he
would tell me what he thought our future priorities should be, his mind as
sharp as ever even as his body declined. This would have been the twentieth
year and eightieth issue of the The Auckland Garden edited by a Bieleski, a
milestone Rod was keen to achieve but sadly was unable to make.
The first issue of the Newsletter as a joint newsletter between the Gardens and the Friends was published in 1996. Val Bieleski was the inaugural
editor in the autumn of 1996, with Rod taking over from Val two years later
so she could spend more time in her garden.
Articles by Rod have become a greatly anticipated feature of each issue,
with many commenting to me that these are always the first items they read.
It is a rare talent for someone to communicate often complex science in such
an accessible manner that can be enjoyed and understood by everyone. Of
course Rod’s excellent photographs were a wonderful enhancement of each
newsletter.
Speaking of photographs Rod has diligently scanned the Gardens entire collection of slides, so we now have ready access to digital images that
are such an important reminder of our brief but important history. This task
took several years and often included time-consuming enhancements of image quality. The total time spent by Rod is incalculable but it was undertaken
without complaint and is greatly appreciated.
The Gardens major event this summer is our Dinosaur in the Gardens.
This will run for three months over summer from 19 November 2016 to 5
February 2017. Although dinosaurs are the drawcard the main objective is
to attract visitors to experience and learn about the Botanic Gardens Gondwana Arboretum. This arboretum contains ancient trees descended from
4
species that occurred more than 100 million years ago in the great Gondwana continent when dinosaurs were the dominant fauna.
The exhibition will enable visitors to discover this amazing lost world
through encounters with dinosaurs under the magnificent trees in our Gondwana forest. Visitors will be encouraged to explore our Gondwana Arboretum, visit the display in the Visitor Centre to learn about the dinosaurs that
lived here in New Zealand, and to see reproduction dinosaurs, fossils and
plants. We will also be holding ‘Dinosaur Encounters’ where children can
meet a dinosaur and learn more about New Zealand’s prehistoric plants.The
exhibition has been primarily funded by an external supporter.
We are very proud of our highly talented apprentice Jeanette Barker
who was runner up in the national final of the Young Horticulturist of the
Year competition. Jeanette qualified for the grand final competition held over
two days on 9 and 10 November by winning the national Amenity Sector
competition earlier this year. For placing second in the finals she took home
a $5,500 Massey University study scholarship, $750 worth of ICL Specialty
Fertiliser products and $100 NZ Horticultural magazine subscription for one
year.
Jeanette completed an outstanding achievement by winning the Agricultural and Marketing Research and Development Trust (AGMARDT)
Market Innovation Project prize for her App that assists people with selecting the right plant for the right place. Her reward was a $5,000 cash prize.
Jeanette’s achievement was remarkable given that during the finals she was
also planning her wedding that took place just a week later. The winner of
New Zealand’s overall ‘Young Horticulturist of the Year’ 2016 was Andrew
Hutchinson, who is based in Pukekohe where he works for Wilcox growers.
Well done also to everyone at the Gardens who helped Jeanette prepare for the finals. Thanks also to everyone who helped with the finals competition held at the Gardens that ran so smoothly. During the finals Nicola
Rochester commented to me that she always loves coming to the Gardens
because our staff are always smiling.
5
Clivias have come a long way since I began my horticultural career
more than 40 years ago. The clivia most commonly seen was a relatively innocuous form of C. miniata with apricot flowers and pointed leaves. I recall
it was known erroneously as C. nobilis.
In the eighties Dr Max Goodey gave me some seed of C. miniata that
produced large vigorous clumps with bright reddish-orange flowers. Max
told me he obtained the seed from a German seed merchant. These were the
first really impressive clivias I encountered. Large clumps can still be found
growing in the Auckland Border where they make an impressive display every spring.
Our clivia collection has become one of our most significant plant
collections, and our most flamboyant October display. This is thanks largely
to the generosity of breeders and collectors such as Dr Keith Hammett, Terry
and Lindsay Hatch and Alick McLeman.
I wish to thank Ross Ferguson for stepping up to complete this edition of the newsletter. Ross worked with Rod for 54 years, and has penned
a tribute to Rod later in this Newsletter. I also thank Kim Stretton who is
responsible for the formatting and layout of this issue of the Newsletter.
Jack Hobbs
Report from the President of the Friends
of the Auckland Botanic Gardens Dianne Glenn ONZM JP
I thought this report would be full of wonderful news about the 2017
Sculpture in the Gardens (SitG) exhibition but we are still working our way
through the necessary steps to confirm that there will definitely be an exhibition. Thanks to the support from the Executive Committee and the Friends
Trust, both of which approved the contribution of $50,000 towards the SitG,
the Friends Executive and the SitG Organising Committee, have undertaken two positive steps. With the knowledge that we have also been granted
$50,000 from Foundation North towards the exhibition to add to some operating funds from previous exhibitions, we contracted “Advantage” direc6
tors Di Paton and Jenny Harper to research funding and sponsorship opportunities. The second step forward has been to contract an Event Manager,
Kim Stretton, to take us forward to prepare all the necessary plans and other
documents, to then approach potential sponsors, patrons and other funders
to contribute funds and “in kind” donations to enable the Friends to host a
highly successful sculpture exhibition in 2017. Many of you will remember
Kim, who worked in the Gardens as Information Officer 2000-2004, as Visitor Centre Co-ordinator 2004-2006 and then as Project Officer from 20072014, and actually was responsible, along with curator Richard Mathieson, to
stage the very first sculpture exhibition in the Botanic Gardens. Kim will now
manage the lead-up to, and during, the exhibition until the end in 2018.
Early in December, there will be a call for submissions from sculptors
for designs towards potential sculptures in the Auckland Botanic Gardens
– two of the previous curatorial panel, Rachel de Lambert and Linda Tyler,
will continue on the panel with the addition of Terry Urbahn, who has just
agreed to join. Richard Mathieson will curate the inside gallery exhibition of
small sculptures – always very popular for those wishing to purchase smaller
ones.
Of course, the Friends and friends of the Friends may also start contributing through sponsorship, patronage, funds, resources and volunteering. It is not too early to raise your hand and tell us that you will assist where
you can, to ensure that we can be successful once again in hosting one of the
most popular sculpture exhibitions in New Zealand. Kim or a member of the
Organising Committee of the SitG, will soon be approaching those who have
contributed before, but there may be others ready to contribute. Let us know
as soon as possible.
On another two notes ‒ Councillor Daniel Newman and Manurewa
Local Board Member Stella Cattle have both recently been appointed to the
Friends Trust Board – we welcome them to the Friends. Marsha Jobes has
been appointed as the new Administrator for the Friends and although she
has been working on Mondays in the Friends and Volunteers Building/Office
for a few weeks now, she is transferring her day to Tuesday. She will generally
be in the office or occasionally at the Visitor Centre from 10 a.m.‒2 p.m. We
wish to thank the previous Administrator Jill Wheeler for the enthusiasm she
brought to the position.
7
In memorium: Rod Bieleski
This was to have been the last issue of our newsletter, The Auckland
Garden, to be edited by Rod Bieleski. Sadly, Rod was unable to complete a
remarkable record of 20 years of editing by the Bieleski family.
By profession, Rod was a plant scientist, a very good scientist with an
international reputation. He studied botany and chemistry at University and
he was therefore able to use chemical and biochemical techniques to develop
an understanding of the physiological behaviour of plants in general and important horticultural crops in particular. In 1958 he was appointed to DSIR
(Department of Scientific and Industrial Research) to support its broad program of basic plant physiology of horticultural crops starting with New Zealand’s then most important fruit export, apples. The Appleby nutritional trials at Nelson had shown that the phosphorus nutritional status of apple trees
affected the subsequent storage of the fruit, with high phosphorus content
equating to small cell size and increased storage life: Rod was asked to study
phosphorus nutrition in plants. In his subsequent career of just on 40 years,
his work may have moved away from this starting point but it continued to
be centred around understanding the nutrition of plants, the allocation and
redistribution of nutrients (mineral and carbohydrate), and the responses of
plants to stress and senescence. He also took on teaching and administrative
responsibilities and was Director of DSIR’s Division of Fruit and Trees from
1980‒1988.
Rod’s scientific achievements were acknowledged by his being elected
a Fellow of the Royal Society of New Zealand and by his receiving the Society’s Hector Medal which is awarded annually for outstanding work by a researcher in New Zealand. He was also awarded the New Zealand Association
of Scientist’s Research Medal and the degree of Doctorate of Science from
Sydney University where he had studied for his Ph.D. He was an Associate
of Honour of the Royal New Zealand Institute of Horticulture and an Honorary Fellow of the New Zealand Institute of Agricultural and Horticultural
Science. He was appointed Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit in
2010.
8
When Rod was elected an Honorary Life Member of the Friends in
2004, the citation read in part: “The underlying theme … has been a passion
for plants – growing them, knowing about them, and teaching about them.”
This passion developed early, partly because of the times he spent as a youth
on his uncle’s farm at Hunua. His M.Sc. thesis in Botany was on the regeneration of kauri. He visited Little Barrier (Hauturu) several times and retained
a love for the island: it is fitting that at his funeral it was requested that in lieu
of flowers, donations be made to the Little Barrier Island (Hauturu) Supporters Trust*. He was a keen gardener, an enthusiastic grower of orchids and
of begonias. He was the registrar of New Zealand camellia cultivars and an
Honorary Life Member of the New Zealand Camellia Society. He and wife
Val were Foundation Members of the Friends and he took on roles as a member of the Executive, Vice President, President and then Trustee.
Rod’s greatest contribution to the Friends was as editor of the newsletter. As a scientist he had placed great emphasis on the communication
of scientific results to growers through a properly organized and supported
extension service and to fellow scientists through publication. He believed
that it is also important to write for popular journals considering that his scientific training and experience could allow him to help plant enthusiasts. He
could write well and this assisted greatly in his role as Editor of the Friends
Newsletter. He was not only an editor but also wrote numerous articles for
inclusion and many Friends have commented how much they enjoyed reading his own contributions. He will be a hard act to follow.
Ross Ferguson
*Little Barrier Island (Hauturu) Supporters Trust
PO Box 48232
Blockhouse Bay
Auckland
0644
9
Gardens by the Bay visitor
In October the Gardens hosted Janice Loh from Gardens By The Bay
in Singapore for a period of three weeks. Our Nurseryman Owen Newson
spent a month working and researching at Gardens By The Bay over a year
ago and to reciprocate they were keen to send one of their staff over here.
Janice is employed as a Conservatory Manager in the amazing Cloud Forest
and was keen to learn what plants we have here and what she could grow in
a similar environment in her huge conservatories back in Singapore.
Janice has a keen eye for detail and sets high standards for plants.
Gardens By The Bay is very much a display garden with particular emphasis
on every plant appearing at its very best.
During Janice’s stay we created a programme that covered everything
our four teams are involved in. She spent time in the Nursery, Amenity and
Curatorial Teams, delved into what the Visitor Teams are involved in, and
spent time with Emma looking at how we manage our records and mapping.
Janice also visited Eden Gardens and Arylies, and she attended the
BGANZ Seminars held here. Janice had a good insight as to how everything
works here at the Gardens, and her excellent slide presentation gave us useful
insight into Gardens By The Bay.
On a personal note, Janice proved to be a particularly fun character,
spending weekends participating in outdoor pursuits such as snowboarding,
rock climbing and diving to name just a few. We all wish her well in her career and she said she really enjoyed her time here.
I would personally like to thank both Pat and Julia for accommodating Janice. Staff exchanges with horticulturists from other parts of the world
are invaluable, exposing us to fresh perspectives and new ideas.
Wayne Dymond.
10
Visitor Services reports
Dinosaurs in the Gardens –
it’s going to be ROARsome!
Dinosaurs in the Gardens officially launched on the weekend of the 19
November, and what a weekend it was! We saw thousands of people enjoying
the Dinosaur Encounters and picnicking in the garden, a true family occasion.
We’ve partnered with Eventosaurus to bring this brand new event to
the Gardens. Eventosaurus is the brainchild of Laurence Taylor, a volunteer
and Friend of the Gardens. He has a passion for fossils and dinosaurs and
when walking through our Gondwana Arboretum he became excited about
visitors being able to wander through descendants of trees that existed on
the ancient Gondwana continent. He approached us with an idea to bring
the Gondwana Arboretum to life and introduce the amazing plants to our
visitors through highlighting the dinosaurs who would have roamed these
ancient forests.
Dinosaurs in the Gardens aims to convey an understanding of the
unique history and rich heritage of New Zealand’s plant life. We invite visitors to step back in time, explore our Gondwana Arboretum and appreciate
the ancient origins of our modern biota. We also hope to educate younger
visitors about New Zealand’s geological processes and natural history.
11
Dinosaurs in the Gardens consists of exhibitions of replica dinosaurs,
Gondwana plants and fossils in the visitor centre and a dinosaur trail (and
digital STQRY version) leading visitors through the gardens to the Gondwana Arboretum. Running most weekends until 5 February 2017 there are also
‘Dinosaur Encounters’ in the Gondwana Arboretum.
We have already received extremely positive feedback about the exhibition. Our marketing videos and photos have been very popular and can be
viewed via our Facebook page or on our You Tube channel. Come along to a
Dinosaur Encounter – perfect for the young (and the young at heart!). More
details are on our website: www.aucklandbotanicgardens.co.nz
Other gardens around New Zealand have also signalled their interest.
Following this summer, Dinosaurs in the Gardens will travel to Wellington,
bringing similar fun experiences to the visitors at Wellington Botanic Gardens.
A roaring thanks to Laurence Taylor and his team from Eventosaurus
for making this project happen.
12
A year of garden engagement
Our ‘Drop n Learn’ series of public gardening workshops is currently
in its second year. Each month one of our staff has presented a public education workshop on a seasonal gardening topic. For two years running these
workshops have been extremely well received, and it seems that our visitors
can’t get enough of learning about gardening – which is good news! Workshops have covered a range of topics including hedge trimming, dividing perennials, fruit tree pruning, rose pruning, hanging baskets, camellia pruning,
African plants and even a green-smoothie workshop.
Advertising mainly through our email list, website and free event listings in the Manukau Courier we’ve often had over 40 people at a workshop.
Three of the most popular workshops this year have been fruit tree pruning
with Jack, rose pruning with Paula and camellia pruning with Mark. This
year we created a survey to gather feedback from visitors about what they are
inspired to do, and future workshops they’d like us to run. We look forward
to running more workshops in 2017.
Volunteer report –
we couldn’t do it without you!
We’ve had a fantastic year at the Gardens thanks to the wonderful work
of our strong group of over 120 volunteers. Thank you to each one of you
for the hard work you do. The Wiri Rambler brings great joy (and access to
the gardens) to so many people each week. The Dinosaurs in the Gardens
event is providing queues of visitors keen to experience the Wiri Rambler
ride through the Gardens offering an insight to the site and seasonal wonders
of the various gardens.
The library, which has recently been revamped, is a valuable resource
that is enjoyed by both staff and visitors. Volunteers have supported Library
staff in their entry of data into the central cataloguing system which has also
meant label changes for all the books (no small task!).
The Growing Friends do a great job fund raising for the Friends and offering plants to our visitors. Their sale days just seem to get busier and busier.
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The roving team is well utilised by the staff for a range of garden tasks,
with a great variety of jobs completed this year. The garden volunteers provide invaluable help to curators on a regular basis ensuring we get so much
work done.
The nursery volunteer team provide great support for the propagation and potting up of the revegetation plants, helping us supply over 60,000
plants for key restoration projects throughout the Regional Park network. If
you haven’t been to all the regional parks look out for a planting day where
you can join other volunteers in restoring areas of the park.
If there is one thing we are not short of at the Gardens it is our little visitors. Our school holiday programme volunteers make each school holiday
fun and engaging. Adventure trails, gardening and craft activities provide
an array of fun for both the kids, carers, staff and volunteers. Sometimes we
don’t know who enjoys these sessions more.
With our roses blooming boldly at present we have also noticed the
Rose deadheaders in action. Without their help we would not see such a long
display of rose flowering.
Research volunteers, committee members and more – we couldn’t do it
without you.
Aside from our core volunteers we have also noticed an increase in the
number of corporate groups who choose to come to the Gardens for their
community volunteer day. Many office based staff are enjoying the opportunity to be outdoors in the wonderful environment that makes the Gardens so
special…the plants and people. We’ve already gained several hundred volunteer hours.
I would like to wish all of our volunteers a safe and happy festive season
– thank you for all that you do here at the Gardens!
Julia Watson
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Seasonal activities
It is that time of year again! Suddenly the roses, perennials and
spring-flowering shrubs have burst into life. Our small team of dedicated
rose deadheaders are back deadheading roses already, and they will continue
to deadhead roses until late March to prolong the flowering period.
Over in the camellias, Mark has started pruning the winter- and
spring-flowering camellias to help maintain their shape, control their growth
and thin out the plants to ensure good air circulation. The spring-flowering shrubs will be pruned once they have finished flowering. It is important
to remove old flowering stems or cut them back to a strong side shoot or
healthy bud, as spring-flowering shrubs such as Forsythia, Deutzia and Philadelphus produce most of their flowers on the new, young growths made the
previous summer or autumn. Other maintenance carried out on trees over
the summer is formative pruning of young trees, removing deadwood and
the removal of epicormic growths.
The main work carried over summer in the Perennial gardens is deadheading. Many perennials flowering now such as Achillea, Penstemon, Ageratum, Dahlia, Canna and Scabiosa will reward us with repeat flowering until
late autumn if we continue to deadhead them over the summer period. Some
early flowering perennials such as Geranium ‘Rozanne’, Salvia x sylvestris and
Hemerocallis benefit from a hard cut back after the first flush of flower to
encourage repeat flowering.
Danielle has been busy in both the Herb and Edible gardens. A lot of
edibles have been planted and to ensure continued harvest. We will undertake further sowing of some of the crops such as beans, lettuces, beetroots
and sunflowers. If you have been waiting for the weather to settle and have
not planted heat-loving crops such as tomatoes, eggplants, beans, and capsicums, plant them now.
Mere Brewer
15
Which magnolia is which?
We have recently completed GPS mapping the entire collection of
trees on the magnolia lawn at the northern end of the Gardens. There are
about 150 trees planted on the magnolia lawn, mainly magnolias but also
some unusual exotic trees. It can be challenging when asked to locate a particular species or cultivar because of the number of trees over a large area.
With a hand-held GPS device we were able to record their exact location
with relevant information. The trick to getting good GPS data is to go out
on a fine cloud-free day to get the most accurate GPS points with no interference from clouds. Also it helps that most trees in this part of the Garden
are deciduous at the time this was done because foliage can also reduce the
accuracy of the points. We were able to create a map with all the points, accession numbers and names. This is a helpful tool for labelling and checking
on plants but also directing visitors to trees they are specifically looking for.
We hope to increasingly use this technology on more trees at the Gardens.
Emma Bodley
New Patron of New Zealand Camellia Society
Mrs Val Bieleski has recently been elected as Patron of the New Zealand Camellia Society, a position previously filled by Neville Haydon. Val was
a keen grower of camellias when she had a larger garden on Redoubt Road
and was a frequent and often winning exhibitor of blooms at the National
Camellia Shows. For many years she was also the very successful editor of
the New Zealand Camellia Bulletin. She also has at least two camellia cultivars named for her. The better known is ‘Val Bieleski’, a Reticulata hybrid,
a sport of ‘Valentine Day’, first detected by Val at their garden in Redoubt
Road. Neville Haydon collected budwood and propagated it, naming it for
her. It has apparently done well on the show bench in the United States. It has
a very large flower, salmon pink fading to lighter pink and with good golden
stamens.
Val has also had a long association with the Friends being one of
the Foundation Members. She was the first editor of the Newsletter of the
Friends, Auckland Botanic Gardens, a role subsequently taken over by Rod.
She also served on the Library Management Committee.
Ross Ferguson
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New Faces
Several bright newcomers have joined the Gardens team in recent
months.
Danielle Cipperly is our new Collection Curator Edibles and Herbs.
Some will remember Danielle from her previous stints here as a summer
student in 2014, her role running a trial of edible plants, and then earlier this
year joining the Amenity Team. Her previous professional background was
in hospitality working as a chef for many years.
Danielle and her husband moved here from the USA six years ago,
loving the place so much they have become permanent residents and aiming
for citizenship.
Danielle’s aims this season are to keep it simple, with a focus on maintaining soil health and the existing plants. She has selected tomatoes, eggplants, basil and capsicums for evaluation of performance to help the public
pick the best vegetables for Auckland conditions.
Danielle welcomes any support and knowledge anyone
would like to share, and lovers
of edible gardens are welcome
to join her enthusiastic group
of volunteer helpers.
Danielle Cipperly
Collection Curator Edibles and Herbs.
17
Pippa Lucas joined us as Collection Curator Perennials and
Annuals in early spring this
year. She previously trained
as an amenity horticulture apprentice at Dunedin Botanic
Gardens (2011 -2014), a sound
grounding that has set her up
well to take on the challenge
of managing our highly visible
display gardens.
At the end of 2014 Pippa went to America to gain an International
Horticulture Internship at Longwood Gardens in Pennsylvania, an experience she rates as the “best of my life”!
Horticulture is in her blood, helping her mum in the garden when
growing up on a high country station in the isolated area of the Maniototo.
Many of her childhood years were spent just along the road at a private country garden, Clachanburn. While boarding at Columba College in Dunedin,
she had her own area on the school grounds where she grew vegetables. Pippa enjoys taking part in nature based outdoor physical activity, especially
walking outdoors and visiting new gardens. She also enjoys being creative
with hobbies such as painting and drawing, reading and cooking.
Pippa Lucas
(center) with
Janice Loh,
of Gardens
by the Bay,
Singapore
and Bev
McConnell.
Recently Scott Denham joined us an apprentice in the amenity crew.
Scott is new to horticulture but has had volunteering experience on local
conservation projects. He has a great passion for nature and the outdoors
and we are looking forward to harnessing some of that during the course of
his apprenticeship here.
Our two summer students have also arrived. Sarah Wood is new to
horticulture after deciding to make a career change from her previous vocation as a physiotherapist. Jonathan Parr has had previous experience in horticulture working for Recreation Services on a casual basis during the course
of his studies at University.
Scott, Sarah and Jonathan are all settling in well and enjoying learning more about the plants in our collections. Jack Hobbs
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Hosting Public Gardens
In November we hosted the New Zealand meeting of BGANZ (Botanic
Gardens Australia and New Zealand Inc). Twenty-eight people from gardens around the country attended, as well as several ABG staff. Our theme
“Sourcing plants for our gardens: pitfalls, sources and barriers” focussed on
a workshop led by lawyer Simon Mount on the legalities of plant acquisition
and the responsibilities of gardens staff with respect to the HSNO (Hazardous Substances and New Organisms) and Biosecurity Acts. We have received
great feedback on how helpful this will be to the public gardens throughout
NZ.
I presented our acquisition criteria, based on advice from Simon and
the Ministry of Primary Industry (MPI) using the example of the Aloe bequest in 2015. Emma presented on the records systems used in the United
States at gardens she visited on her Buchanan Award trip. Other presenters
covered databases used in New Zealand to record plants, animals (including by Jonathan Wilcken, director of Auckland Zoo), and Councils’ environmental data.
Ewen Cameron from Auckland Museum’s herbarium explained New
Zealand herbaria traditional focus on specimens of wild plants (native as
well as naturalised exotic plants) not garden plants. Ewen highlighted that
New Zealand herbaria are now starting to take an interest in cultivated plants
for various reasons including: biosecurity implications, including identification of possible future weeds but also use by government agencies such as
The Environment Protection Agency (EPA) and MPI; plant identification;
estimation of rates of naturalisation; and taxonomic revisions. In addition
herbarium data are increasingly available online including high resolution
photographs of the herbarium specimens themselves. This means New Zealand collections of cultivated plants could even be useful for overseas research
purposes. In most cases herbarium staff are not resourced to document the
cultivated flora and I think this shows a clear and useful role for Garden staff
to assist by collecting specimens for this purpose.
Bec Stanley
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Gondwana collection
Many of the trees in our Gondwana Arboretum have reached impressive stature, despite still being young by their standards. Our collection is
a representation of descendants from the ancient Gondwana continent arranged according to their current geographic spread. They include common
trees that you will recognise such as Norfolk Island pines to very rare plants
found only in cloud forests growing at high elevations 2000 m above sea level. Our diverse collection highlights the significance of these trees and their
conservation values.
Located adjacent to the Southern Motorway is the Australian collection. Many people are familiar with the bunya, Araucaria bidwillii, a tree
found naturally in south-eastern Queensland where it grows up to 45 m. You
may also remember the bunya trees for the very large cones they produce
that can weigh up to 10 kg. The Bunya festival was celebrated by Aboriginal tribes during the bunya harvest (December-March) when groups would
gather to sing songs, tell stories, dance, arrange marriages and settle disputes.
The bunya nuts were boiled or roasted, then eaten. Today the festival is still
celebrated but with a modern twist.
Another interesting young tree you will find in the Australian collection is the Wollemi pine, Wollemi nobilis. This prehistoric plant was found
in 1994 down a canyon in Wollemi National Park, and it has intrigued the
botanical world. Scientists at Kew Gardens have estimated that the wild population could be as old as 1000 years. There is still a lot to learn about the
Wollemi pine and it is exciting to learn and observe the ones growing in the
collection.
The New Caledonia collection is of great significance as such a high
proportion of Gondwana trees are found naturally growing there. They
occur in a range of habitats from coral reefs to cloud forests. In the New
Caledonia collection you will come across some crooked trees, bendy on the
lower trunk. These are Cook’s pine, Araucaria columnaris, named after Captain Cook whose botanist classified the tree. Cook’s pine is found naturally
growing along coral reefs, reaching up to 60 m tall. The reason why they are
so bendy is not clear, but it is an interesting feature of this tree.
Another interesting plant growing in the New Caledonia collection is Arau20
caria schmidii. This rare plant naturally occurs in the high-elevation cloud
forest of Mt Panie, where it receives an annual rainfall of 8000 mm. While
the juvenile forms are beautiful, the adult trees develop a fork-like (multistemmed) form with the leaves turning upwards giving a candelabra look.
Araucaria schmidii is threatened in its habitats owing to variable climatic
changes, disease and eco-tourism.
The Pacific collection is planted with the Pacific kauri, Agathis macrophylla. Seeds were sourced from Vanuatu, Solomon Islands and Fiji. You
will notice that the Pacific kauri leaves are much bigger and lusher than those
of the New Zealand kauri. There is some slight variation between the trees
sourced from the various islands, especially in the colour of the cones but
other than this it is hard to tell them apart. Like their New Zealand cousins
the Pacific kauris live a very long time and grow just as wide. Pacific kauri
is very much still being harvested in some of the islands, which makes our
collection important for future seed source if ever seeds are required.
The South American collection holds two threatened plants: the monkey puzzle, Araucaria araucana and the Parana pine, Araucaria angustifolia.
They are both threatened owing to habitat loss. Monkey puzzle nuts are an
important food source for the indigenous populations of Chile and Argentina. Parana pine nuts are also eaten extensively in Brazil and this together
with mass removal in favour of Eucalyptus and pine forests makes them vulnerable plants. Parana pine timber is favoured because of its straight trunk
growing up to 40 m; the timber has many uses from building materials, for
furniture and for making violins.
The South African collection displays various Podocarpus including
the yellowwood, Podocarpus latifolius (South Africa’s national tree) and the
South African Christmas tree, Widdringtonia nodiflora. Yellowwood timber
is a highly sought-after timber which is leading to their decline. The South
African Christmas tree got its name because it has pine-like features. It is
found mainly in very dry areas and having a resinous bark is prone to fires,
but it regenerates from the base after burning.
The South Eastern Asian collection and New Zealand collection are
gradually being added to, and we plan to increase these two collections in the
next few years.
Mere Brewer
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Search our library catalogue online
The library at the Gardens is about to become even more accessible to the public. Since mid-November two librarians from the Auckland
Libraries, Roshni and Wendy, have worked one day a week at the Gardens
library to add our books to the online public libraries catalogue. This means
that anyone searching for a subject that we hold will see it is at the Gardens.
Although we will remain a reference library, visitors interested in specialist
books will probably make the trip to use our wonderful resource. You can
also set the Auckland Libraries website to search for all books at the Gardens.
This project means that all our books are having new call numbers added
to the spine of the book so that users of our library will be familiar with it
having seen it in their own local public library. The collection will also be
searchable through the national library system called Te Puna. This is where
researchers and experts will hopefully find our collection valuable.
We are very excited that this project is finally underway as it has taken a long time to for the Auckland Libraries staff to have some time to dedicate to this project. We hope by the early New Year that the entire collection
of books will be searchable online. The next step of this project will be to add
our journals and nursery catalogues online as well.
Emma Bodley
Jack’s Tour
Jack’s next guided overseas tour is to Mongolia, Siberia and the Russian
outback from 8 July‒9 August 2017.
The tour commences in Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia, and includes cruising the great Lena River beyond the Arctic Circle. You will
encounter remarkable landscapes, rich flora and fauna and ancient traditional cultures.
If interested contact Jack on 021 585556, or visit the Pukekohe Travel
website www.pukekohetravel.co.nz
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Auckland Botanic Gardens Kniphofia trial
2014–2016
Introduction - The genus Kniphofia, commonly known as red hot
poker, originates from Africa where there are about 70 naturally occurring
species. They are fast growing perennials that prefer full sun and well-drained
soil. They have narrow, grass-like leaves and upright, brightly coloured flower
spikes. Their showy flowers attract birds and last for a long time which makes
them a popular garden plant for New Zealand gardens. Although Kniphofia
has been placed in the family Xanthorrhoeaceae, recent treatments place it in
the Asphodelaceae, along with genera including Aloe and Asphodelus.
Aim - The aim of the Auckland Botanic Gardens (ABG) trial was to
identify the top performing Kniphofia species or cultivars for Auckland conditions. After assessing them in our trial beds, they would also be added to
the African Garden collection at ABG. The key objective was to identify long
flowering Kniphofia with clean foliage that are relatively resistant to snail and
thrip damage and black ink-spot.
Methods - Kniphofia were planted in our trial beds on 26 November
2013. Several additions to this trial were planted in autumn 2014. Kniphofia
plants require plenty of space and were planted 40 cm apart. All 21 Kniphofia
cultivars were represented by three replicates, but only one plant of each of
the five Kniphofia species that we trialled was planted.
Plants were grown in full sun and mulched with bark, and no fertiliser was applied at time of planting. Management of plants during the trial
included one late winter cut back of two of the three replicates, leaving the
third plant as a comparison for their growth response following the cut back
(mid-August 2014). Deadheading was carried out only when seeds turned
brown.
Plants were assessed quarterly during flowering for pests and diseases, specifically snail and thrip damage and black ink-spot. Flowering was
recorded weekly for development of buds, flowers and seeds. Overall size
of the plant was measured across the widest part of the foliage of all three
plants (for each cultivar) and then averaged. We also measured foliage height
(cm) from the base of plant to the highest point of foliage, also averaging the
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three replicate plants. Evaluations by an independent panel were conducted
in December 2014 and March 2016 on the overall performance of the plants.
These independent experts have seen these plants growing in other parts of
Auckland and therefore added comments about their overall performance
in the region. This trial ran for three years and concluded at the end of July
2016.
Each cultivar and species was given an overall rating based on both
pest and disease observations at ABG. The overall rating (1 = poor performer and 10 = excellent performer) was used to determine the list of top performers. Cultivars that scored 8 or more were considered top performers and
would be recommended based on the results of these trials (Table 1).
Table 1 Kniphofia species and cultivars summary data. Clump height is the
distance from the base of the plant to the highest point of the foliage.
Kniphofia
Flowering & colour
Clump diameter by clump
height (cm)
Habit/use
Overall rating
K. ‘Border Ballet’
Oct‒May. Peak flowering mid-Dec. Mixed
flower colours.
15 × 26
Deciduous, compact,
clump forming.
6
K. ‘Butterscotch’
March‒June. Yellow
flowers.
34 × 67
Large, tall evergreen
perennial.
8-star performer
K. ‘Charles Reader’
Mid-March‒Dec. Peak
flowering June. Orange/
yellow flowers.
44 × 80
Suitable for a back
border, very vigorous.
Evergreen.
8-star performer
K. ‘Coral Comet’
March‒May. Peak flowering Dec. Deep orange
flowers.
35 × 47
Tidy, evergreen perennial.
9-star performer
K. ‘Ember Glow’
Jan‒March. Orange
flowers.
26 × 32
Deciduous, dwarf
perennial.
6
K. ‘Ernest Mitchell’
Mid-August‒Dec.
Yellow flowers.
33 × 58
Evergreen, robust
perennial.
7
K. ‘Fireglow’
Mid-Nov‒May. Orange
flowers.
20 × 30
Deciduous, dwarf
perennial.
7
K. ‘Green Jade’
Did not flower during
this trial.
13 × 25
Deciduous perennial.
4 poor performer
K. ‘John May’s
Form’
Very sporadic flowering
and few flower stems.
Orange/yellow flowers.
36 × 36
K. caulescens cultivar.
Evergreen.
5 poor performer
K. ‘Lemon Fizz’
Jan‒April and Aug‒Dec.
Peak flowering Dec.
Lemon yellow flowers.
37 × 52
Sparse foliage.
Semi-deciduous.
7
24
K. ‘Little Maid’
Dec‒early May. Peak
flowering March. Yellow flowers.
19 × 22
Very small, dwarf. Suitable for front border.
Deciduous.
4
K. ‘Orangeade’
Sept‒June. Peak
flowering late Dec. Pale
orange flowers.
32 × 40
Tidy foliage. Evergreen.
6
K. ‘Peachy Cheeks’
Nov‒Mar. Peak flowering late Dec. Peach to
yellow flowers.
15 × 25
Deciduous dwarf
perennial with fine
foliage.
5
K. ‘Percy’s Pride’
Mar‒May and mid-Oct‒
Dec. Yellow flower.
32 × 71
Evergreen.
8-star performer
K. ‘Pineapple
Popsicle’
Nov‒March. Peak
flowering Dec. Yellow
flowers.
27 × 47
Compact, upright
clump forming evergreen perennial.
7
K. ‘Shining Sceptre’
March‒May and
Sept‒Dec. Pale orange
flowers.
44 × 58
Compact, arching
foliage. Evergreen.
7
K. ‘Tangerine’
Sept‒May. Peak flowering Nov‒Dec. Vibrant
orange flowers.
27 × 59
Semi-deciduous.
8-star performer
K. ‘Tawny King’
Sept‒Dec. Orange
flowers.
44 × 60
Evergreen.
6
K. ‘Terracotta’
Oct‒Dec. Peak flowering Nov. Vibrant orange
flowers.
27 × 113
Deciduous.
7
K. ‘Tiddlywinks’
Jan‒May and Nov‒Dec.
Red flowers.
26 × 38
Small. Deciduous.
6
K. ‘Winter Cheer’
June. Red flowers.
45 × 60
Massive border plant.
Semi-deciduous.
7 important for
cultivar conservation
K. caulescens
No flowering data
(died). Red to yellow
flowers.
n/a (died)
Large, tall evergreen
species.
8 not commercially available
K. gracilis
Aug‒Dec. Gold flowers.
34 × 63
Semi-deciduous.
7
K. hirsuta
Nov‒Dec. Green and
orange flowers.
38 × 53
Very tall evergreen
species.
8 not commercially available
K. linearifolia
Mar‒April. Orange to
yellow flowers.
27 × 45
Evergreen.
8 not commercially available
K. rooperi
August. Yellow/orange
flowers.
73 × 79
Large, tall evergreen
species.
8 not commercially available
Results and conclusions - From this trial, five cultivars were assessed
as star performers by scoring 8 or higher on the ABG rating system which is
the threshold above which we recommend selections to Auckland gardeners
(Table 1). These cultivars had long flowering periods and were relatively pest
and disease free. Species were included in this trial as a comparison with
commercially available cultivars. Their performance was variable although
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some scored a high rating. They are excluded from our list of recommendations as they are generally not commercially available. Currently, all cultivars recommended are commercially available. Star performers and species
are now displayed in the ABG African Garden. Four cultivars in this trial
(K. ‘Ernest Mitchell’, K. ‘Pineapple Popsicle’, K. ‘Shining Sceptre’ and K. ‘Winter Cheer’) scored very highly in all categories but because they scored more
than 25% for black ink-spot infection their overall rating dropped.
The single K. caulescens plant died early on in this trial, therefore no
flowering records and plant size data are reported here. Our external panel of experts has scored it highly as they know of this species performing
well elsewhere in Auckland. K. ‘Peachy Cheeks’ as supplied might not have
been correctly named as the flowers were yellow rather than peach. Plants of
K. ‘Green Jade’ did not do well with two plants dying before the end of the
trial and not flowering.
Snail damage was noticed in mid-October on almost all cultivars but
all plants quickly recovered from damage. Kniphofia is relatively tolerant of
frost (in Auckland), and many selections are deciduous. All plants in this trial showed signs of black ink-spot at some stage, though mostly less than 25%
of a plant was affected by the disease. We attempted to get the black ink-spot
disease identified but failed to locate any published literature on this presumably fungal pathogen infecting Kniphofia.
Kniphofia is renowned for crossing and seeding in gardens, therefore
we recommend deadheading regularly after flowering but before seeds ripen. We pruned plants back in mid-winter and they grew back well. Pruning
in late winter results in reduced flowering, although this promotes healthy,
clean foliage. Plants can be divided in spring to increase drifts in gardens.
Emma Bodley, Jeffery Jones and Jack Hobbs
Acknowledgements
We would like to thank Lindsey Hatch, Tony Palmer and Fiona MacDonald for helping evaluate this trial.
References
Phillips, R. and Rix, M. (2002). The botanical garden, volume II perennials and annuals. Oxford, Macmillan
Publishers Ltd. 461 p.
Redgrove, H. (1991). A New Zealand handbook of bulbs and perennials. Auckland, Godwit Press. 299 p.
Websites
Kniphofia: www.plantzafrica.com/plantklm/kniphofias.htm
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Friends of the Gardens Painting Group Exhibition
The Friends Painting Group held an interesting and successful exhibition in the Visitor Centre Gallery over the last two weeks of October.
Exhibitions are an annual event and bring out the best of members’ work in
a range of media.
The theme this year was ‘Seasons’ and the works on show covered
plants and scenes from all four. Nine members sold works with the commission on sales going to the Friends.
Our thanks to Janice Simons, who is standing down as the Painting
Group Coordinator, for arranging another successful show and for her able
leadership of the Group over the last few years.
Liz Powell
Kniphofia ‘Charles Reader’ (Photo Emma Bodley)
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Discounts at Café Miko
Friends are entitled to a 10% discount at Café Miko. However, a current membership card must be shown to get this discount. Note that the
current cards carry an expiry date of November 2016, but, because of the
change, ratified at the last AGM, in date of our financial year, are now valid
until 30 June 2017.
So please, if you want a discount at Café Miko, present your Friends
membership card.
The Committee for 2016‒2017
President
Dianne Glenn
09 238 5352
Immediate Past President
Bill Burrill
533 5440
Vice President
Liz Powell
630 1259
Treasurer Judy Williams
266 8092
SecretaryJan Sutherland267 4082
Committee: Terry Becher 267 4327
Claire Cunneen 266 8671
Ross Ferguson 846 8961
Graeme Hauer 267 8219
Heather Hine 267 6375
Jenny Hunt 267 8688
Laure Lamason 298 8275
Kate Moodie 297 7234
Annette Toon 267 8312
Ex Officio: Jack Hobbs 267 1457 ext (46)8650
Administration: Marsha Jobes [email protected]
Acting Editor: Ross Ferguson 846 8961
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Drury Delights, Bombay Beauties
Friends of the Gardens Spring Bus Trip
12 November 2016
On a damp, cool Saturday in November an intrepid group of Friends
set out, undeterred by the weather, to enjoy four gardens in the Bombay and
Drury areas.
Our first stop was the garden at Addenbrooke in Razorback Rd. Addenbrooke had been the Bombay Coach House and was built around 1904.
It is an impressive and beautifully maintained building surrounded by extensive and varied gardens. Other buildings on the site include a chapel, popular
for weddings, and a pavilion, designed as a cricket pavilion and built on two
trailers ready to be split down the middle and towed from place to place.
The gardens include a rose garden, rhododendrons, azaleas and hydrangeas,
magnolias, wildflowers, cherry trees, a pond and a formal garden adjacent
to the pavilion. Planting is loosely based on Jekyll colour schemes and is enhanced by sculpture.
From Addenbrooke we moved on to the garden of Friends member,
Wendy Rodewald. Wendy gardens on a fairly challenging site with a wonderful natural arrangement of rocks and slopes down to a pond – which was
being cleaned out by a young man while we were there – quite a task! This
garden is in a rural setting, surrounded by green paddocks and lush bush.
Wendy manages all this with very little help ‒ an inspiration to the group. We
had lunch at Wendy’s and as it was raining (again!!) we were invited into the
shelter of her comfortable living room out of the weather.
Next was the garden newly established by Karen Jackson, whose
company Garden Care develops and maintains gardens throughout Auckland. Karen is developing a large area, again in a rural setting and around a
new house, into a show garden and wedding venue. It was interesting to see a
garden in the early stages of development, rather than in its maturity, where
the first steps of design and planning were still evident. A very pleasant surprise was the offer of a glass of wine and a cheesey puff when we arrived – a
glass of wine in hand is the perfect accompaniment to a garden wander! For
the dog lovers among us, the kennels with a bouncy, friendly family of pugs
was an added bonus.
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Finally, we set off to the Drury garden of Gary and Agnes de Beer.
The de Beer garden was described in House and Garden as “... a horticultural
extrovert. It oozes joie de vivre, flaunting kaleidoscopic colours, theatrical
textures and bold forms. It is a natural show-off, celebrating exuberance with
a year-round performance”. Exactly! Gary is a landscape designer. He and
Agnes acquired a bare piece of land around twelve years ago and built the
distinctive Cape Dutch house. The development over that time has been extraordinary with the garden having a feeling of maturity well beyond twelve
years with large trees, winding walks, dry and swampy areas, and as noted
earlier, lots of colour. There were also frogs ‒ lots of them judging by the
noise they made ‒ enjoying the swamp and stream.
In spite of the weather we had a great day with four very different
gardens.
Thanks to all our garden hosts for their warm welcomes and the obvious pride and pleasure they take in their unique properties. Thanks, too, to
Graham Wheeler for navigational assistance around the local back roads and
to our garden-loving driver, Maggie.
Liz Powell
Above: The Cape Dutch house of Gary and Agnes de Beer, Drury.
Opposite top left: Pond plantings.
Opposite top right: The Monga waratah (Telopea mongaensis) at the garden of Karen Jackson, Bombay.
Opposite bottom: Bus trippers admiring plantings at the de Beers.
(Photos by Heather Hine).
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