Marlborough Express - Weekend Express
#onlymarlborough a patchwork of colour
It is late autumn now and winter is around the bend. Autumn is by far and away the most spectacular time in Marlborough. As the region reflects on harvest and we button up for the oncoming winter chill, the natural and artificial landscape enshrouds us in a spectacular display of foliage.
The colours are so intense, warm and welcoming – at odds with the cooler weather that causes them to change in the first place. The science behind the beauty can be explained relatively simply as a gradual loss of pigments as the leaves prepare to fall from the vines.
Throughout the growing season the leaves lose chlorophyll but this accelerates rapidly prior to actual leaf fall. The key pigments, carotenoid and anthocyanin pigments, are responsible for the yellowing and reddening of leaves respectively. Orange colours are produced when carotenoid and anthocyanin pigments combine. Some chlorophyll typically remains and this can add a green tinge to reds making brown.
As the vines start to turn at different times the Wairau valley becomes a patch work of dramatic colour that is framed by mountains on 3 sides and the sea on the other - the view from up high is truly spectacular.
This relationship between natural and artificial landscapes is the very essence of our modern world. We need to alter our natural landscape to prosper but we must protect it for the future. We need to take no more than we need.
The same goes for designing our own gardens and landscapes. The individual balance is on a different level entirely but the millions of gardens around the world combine to create a huge total of the world’s usable space.
Our own gardens need to be positive - where human endeavor meets nature. We can all play a small part in keeping the world beautiful by starting at home with a net positive balance in the garden and in the home.
The balance of your garden is so much more than just producing for your own needs. You must create an environment that beneficial insects and birds require too.
Plenty of sources of food, such as nectar, berries, pollen, fruit and compost are essential for a happy, healthy garden. Variety is essential in your garden as it is in the wider landscape in general.
Marlborough, although effectively a mono crop culture, has increased the number of photosynthesizing plants dramatically with the growth of the wine industry over the past 40 years.
This is a net positive structure for the environment. It is not the best by any means. It is what it is and it will not change any time soon so why not make the most of it and enjoy the landscape throughout the four seasons and perhaps even a glass of the good stuff once in awhile too! Marlborough - what a great place to live!