NEW BEGINNINGS

When clearing an overgrown garden it’s common to unearth old domestic artefacts and horticultural treasures. During lockdown we pulled down a derelict fence and found another kind of treasure - our new neighbour! Many conversations at a two metre distance and contactless sharing of garden surpluses were to follow as our lives were enriched in that simplest of ways.

Autumn 2020 will be etched on our minds in some very positive ways. For some people it was getting around to vegetable gardening for the first time, or learning to make better compost.

For others it was reconnecting with nature.

At our family bach the tui are in permanent residence but after the quiet of lockdown a kaka came to visit for the first time in our 27 years there. It was exciting to read about all the other wonderful bird encounters that were reported around the country. With winter a good time to be planting trees and shrubs, you might want to plant with birds in mind. We share some planting ideas on page 24.

For those keen to grow more food at home, permaculture gardener Anne Billing (page 12) provides inspiration. Read on for more ideas on how to maximise the productivity of your own backyard, however small it may be.

Whether it’s a fruit tree, a fragrant spring flowering shrub, a bulb, or a new rose bush, now’s the time to plant those treats that give us something to look forward to after winter, when everything starts sprouting new life and colour.

It’s going to take a lot more than gardening to get us through this next stage of COVID-19. But as long as optimism, creativity and taking good care of each other have anything to do with it, our gardens and our neighbourhoods are great places to start.