A FEAST FOR BIRDS

In spring the kowhai trees drip with golden blossom. Inside each flower is the favourite energy food for tui and other native birds - sweet nectar! Once flowering is finished, long dangly seed pods decorate the branches. Look inside a pod and you will find the yellow seeds. But don’t put them in your mouth because they’re poisonous! You can grow your own little kowhai trees from these seeds. First, soak them in warm water overnight. Then fill a container with seed raising mix. Using the end of a paint brush or small stick, make holes in the mix, about 5mm deep and about 5cm apart. Drop a seed into each hole and cover over with seed raining mix. Water gently and place your seeds in a warm place. Keep the mix just damp (not soaking wet) while you wait for the seeds to sprout. This can take up to 20 days. When the seedlings are growing strongly (about 10cm tall) carefully plant them into bigger pots.