Bewildered plants bemusing gardeners
HAVING yesterday launched our latest reader photograph contest — ‘‘Awesome Autumn’’ — it is entirely fitting that I should focus today on some seasonal matters of interest.
But first, a big thank you for the first batch of photo entries which arrived yesterday, one of which we are running today. I will include the rules and ‘‘how to enter’’ details later in this piece for other readers thinking of entering.
Back to the changing seasons and some unusual happenings.
As you can see in one of our photographs today, a Taieri Mouth Rd correspondent, Tony Reeder, is somewhat bemused by what he found on his apple tree this week. He writes:
‘‘Dear Dave. I took this photo today (Wednesday), in my garden at Kuri Bush of the Granny Smith apple tree which has just started to flower again at the same time as the fruit is about ready to pick!
‘‘Could this curious pheno menon be the result of the mild autumn that we have been experiencing? Has anyone else observed a similar event?’’
Well, I’m hoping someone out there in ‘‘readerland’’ can provide a scientific explanation for Tony, but from purely an observational view over the years, it seems to me the variations in weather and temperature can make plants do some strange things.
There is an example in my garden right now. Among the many rose bushes there is an oldfashioned climber (a rambler), name unknown, which I grew from a cutting. It is like a lot of heritage roses and only flowers once a year, usually in NovemberDecember and does not repeat, like the hybrid teas.
But, a few days ago, I noticed a bright splash of lavender among the greenery and, sure enough, the rose had produced a single bloom, some four months after it finished flowering. A botanic aberration, an ‘‘early’’ spring — or something more? You tell me.
Similarly, an ODT colleague tells me that among the debris she raked up in her garden recently was a fully formed but unopened bud from a magnolia tree that finishes flowering in AugustSeptember.
And, staying in gardening mode, John Noble, a Mosgiel reader, has sent us today’s photo showing some strange things he discovered recently. He writes:
‘‘Hi once again Dave. These unusual growths have appeared in one of our gardens. Unsure what they are called — looks as if they are made of pipe cleaners!’’
I have deliberately not looked up Google as I’m sure readers out there can provide a detailed explanation of John’s ‘‘pipe cleaners’’.
New Zealand remembered
We’ve had a call from Mrs Lee Mullen (81), of Mosgiel, who rang after reading Kerrie Waterworth’s report from Wanaka on Anzac Day headed ‘‘Grandfathers’ war stories live on’’, in which Ken Allan recalled his two grandfathers who fought in World War 1.
Mention was made in the feature about Private Mick Allan who, after being seriously wounded in France in 1915, was treated in Dublin first and then moved to the New Zealand Hospital at WaltononThames in Surrey.
Lee says she came from Hersham, near WaltononThames and wanted readers to know that although the hospital is no longer there, New Zealand’s historic connection to the town is not forgotten as there is a ‘‘New Zealand Avenue’’ near where the hospital was, named for all the Kiwi soldiers who died there.
There is also a pub named
‘‘The Wellington’’, a hall which was built in the 1970s80s, and a kowhai tree, under which is the memorial plaque dedicated to the World War 1 New Zealand armed forces.
Awesome autumn — how to enter
Photographs should be taken THIS year.
Entries (one per reader please) to be captioned with details of where and when the photo was taken, plus names of any people shown.
Please include your name, postal address and contact phone number.
Email entries to the wash@odt.co.nz, slugged ‘‘awesome autumn’’.
We will publish a selection of these photographs and reward the best with the customary chocolate bars. So, get out those cameras and start clicking and remember, we are looking for innovation and excellence in your pictures.