Rhododendron display a ‘disgrace’
New Plymouth’s reputation as a garden city is at risk because of the way the district council is looking after a public display of rhododendrons, an expert on the plant has warned.
Alistair Duncan, who was involved in the foundation of the region’s longest running garden festival, now known as Powerco Taranaki Garden Spectacular, said the Rhododendron Dell at Pukekura Park, managed by the New Plymouth District Council (NPDC), was a ‘‘disgrace’’.
He said the rhododendrons on display were riddled with thrip, a tiny insect that feeds on prized garden plants, causing devastation when found in large numbers.
NPDC says it is cutting back on the use of pesticides in favour of natural methods.
Duncan made the discovery earlier this month when he and Pukeiti Rhododendron Trust chair Gordon Bailey went for a wander through the park.
He said it was the worst state he had ever seen the plants in.
‘‘The health and the vitality of the plants were severely compromised,’’ he said. ‘‘It was, to be blunt, a disgrace.’’
Duncan, a descendant of James Duncan, who with Victor Davies began the Duncan and Davies nursery in the early 1900s, believed there was no spraying regime in place to keep the pest at bay.
In an emailed statement NPDC infrastructure manager David Langford said the park’s staff had been working to reduce the use of chemical spray, thereby using natural means to control insect pests.
‘‘This includes the use of neem oil and neem bands on the rhododendrons to naturally manage thrip,’’ he said.
‘‘The rhododendrons are fertilised twice a year to boost their health and vigour.’’
He said they had also increased planting under and around the rhododendrons to create a healthier natural environment and were introducing rhododendrons that have a natural resistance to thrip.
But Duncan said while neem oil was ‘‘fine’’, it wasn’t the best protectant against the pest and instead recommended the insecticide Mavrik.
He believed the council had dropped the ball on properly maintaining the plants and with the annual garden festival fast approaching in October the ‘‘long nurtured reputation as a garden city’’ was now at stake.
‘‘This is one of the finest parks in the country and we have a reputation for having great plantings of rhododendrons, azaleas and camellias.’’
While Duncan believed it was too late to return the plants to good health before the festival began, he hoped the council would adopt a better maintenance regime for the plants.