The fruits of their labour
My favourite room
An old apple pickers’ cottage is a bolt-hole for one couple’s annual migration from Germany to the sun.
At the end of Hoddy Road, near Mapua, a little 1960s apple pickers’ cottage stands as close as regulation will allow to the shoreline, a black wooden box with a pale green roof, sheltered by half a dozen mature pines.
The renovated and restored cottage was a collaboration between four creative people, two local, two based in Germany. Ceramacist Christine Boswijk and her partner Patrick Maisey, who own the land and whose home and studio is a couple of hundred metres away, got the ball rolling several years ago when they learned that a local orchardist was subdivided and wanted to get rid of the old cottage.
‘‘I’d always liked the look of it,’’ says Patrick. ‘‘We were told, ‘If you want it, you’ve got three weeks’, so we moved it with great haste onto our land.’’
Cue the arrival some years later of John Burland and his German wife Ali. After retirement, he and Ali hatched a plan to spend their summers in New Zealand.
The couple became friendly with Christine and Patrick and when Patrick suggested the answer to the Burland’s accommodation problem might solve their own ‘‘What do we do about the cottage?’’ conundrum, the two parties quickly agreed.
Some years later and the cottage has been extended significantly at both ends, which incorporates a light-filled openplan living space.
There’s more glazing, including French doors onto the deck, plus high ceilings and a comfortable new kitchen with all the mod cons. Physically little remains of the original, other than the pine floor (which came up nicely after Patrick gave it a sanding) and the colour scheme.
What was your vision for this space?
When we were talking about the design we finished each other’s sentences. We all knew exactly what we wanted: high ceilings, whitewashed boards, solid rafters, polished wooden floors… It would be simple but elegant. We tried to keep the place’s authenticity intact, how it sat on the land. It still has that pickers’ cottage feel – modest and functional.
What are the key features of this space?
The way the areas between the kitchen, dining and sitting room work seamlessly. The open shelves with collected hand-made ceramics and books became the props along with the furniture. French doors and generous windows opening onto the deck extend the sense of space to the panoramic views surrounding the cottage.
How have you decorated this space?
The Persian rugs were bought at a distressed sale at Frankfurt airport in the 1970s. The recycled chestnut plank dining room table is from Edito in Nelson. Artworks include ceramics by Christine and her daughter, also a ceramacist, Kirsten Boswijk, paintings by JS Parker and Barbara Franklet, and a print by Colin McCahon.
What do you like best?
Everything works without the room feeling cluttered. It is light, airy and comfortable. It is a space that demands little yet gives much and feeds the human condition!
What was the best thing about the project?
Using local materials (much of it recycled), building with people we know, like and trust, and furnishing the cottage with items from local businesses and artists.
Winter homes for garden wildlife
Cold weather is a tough time for the birds, lizards and insects that pollinate our crops, eat pests and bring interest and movement to our gardens. Some insects avoid the issue by hibernating or passing the winter as an egg or a pupa. Others require a cosy place to hunker down and also need food and water. Keep bird baths clean and refill them if the rain doesn’t do it for you. As you’d expect, gardens with bird feeders report more species during the annual Garden Bird Survey. This year’s survey is running from now until July 2. Visit Landcare Research for information about what’s been learned since the first survey in 2007 and to take part this year.
Lure birds to your garden with sugar water for nectar feeders, plus fruit, suet and seeds that provide better nutrition than bread.
Lizards are cold-blooded so need a cosy winter home and a place to bask in the sun. You can build a special lizard lounge or just leave a stack of firewood in a sunny corner. Bumblebee queens look for a cosy spot under leaf litter, in old mouse holes, or a compost bin to spend the winter sheltered from frosts.
With the first hint of spring, the queen goes on the lookout for a more permanent position for her nest, so get a bumblebee hotel ready. And don’t forget weta. They are gobbled up by rats and hedgehogs and need safe retreats. For weta motels, lizard lounges and bumblebee hotels, visit stuff.co.nz.
Give annuals the chop for more blooms
Harden your heart and nip off the first blooms of annuals, pinching back leggy stems to a sprouting node further down. It’s hard to do this, especially when the flowers are the only the colour showing in a mass of weed seedlings. But it’s worth it in the long run as two new stems will grow from the node you cut back to and you will end up with a sturdier, compact plant with more flowers.
Tidy up around winter annuals too. Little annual weed seedlings and self-sown cleome and cosmos seedlings don’t need to be completely removed. Just pretend that they’re a green crop. Uproot with a hoe or wire weeder and leave them where they fall. They will soon disappear. If the garden club is visiting or appearances matter, just cover with a sprinkling of mulch. Hoeing around the flower bed and the vegetable patch not only keeps the weeds down, it also provides aeration and helps saturated soil dry out.
Just be careful not to damage any delicate feeder roots near the surface. Treat your winter bloomers to regular doses of slightly-warmed, diluted seaweed fertiliser or worm tea. It’s not too late to plant more annuals for winter and spring flowers. Choose seedlings rather than seeds for a faster result. Have a look at the potted colour and seedling displays at your garden centre as they should be selling plants suitable for the season in your area.
Try Iceland poppies, cineraria, snapdragons, stocks, sweet peas, sweet william, pansies, violas, Primula malacoides, primroses, polyanthus, alyssum and nemesia. Protect from snails and slugs and provide frost protection if needed.
Stop algae dead in its tracks
Warm weather and lots of rain has led to a moss and algae population explosion. Keeping outdoor furniture clean helps keeps the paint in good condition and prevents the wood from deteriorating. Plus you won’t get green smears on your clothes when you take a seat. Scrub with soapy water and rinse with the hose.
Spray or wipe down with a diluted solution of bleach to slow down the return of this creeping green invasion. Remember to clean underneath as well! This chair didn’t look too bad on the top, but there was a snail colony encamped in the mossy fernery flourishing below. Put furniture that won’t be used during winter under cover.
Give scruffy bromeliads a tidy up
Spruce up outdoor plants shrouded in spider webs or clogged up with autumn leaves. A blast with the hose will usually do the trick. Remove any dead or tatty leaves and wear long sleeves and gloves – those leaves are sharp!
It’s also the perfect time to separate any offshoots (pups) for replanting. Cut off pups about a third the height of the main plant, remove a couple of outer leaves to expose the stem and replant. Wedge in place with stones until roots form. If you have bromeliads growing under deciduous trees consider copying this idea from Auckland potter and gardener, Kevin Kilsby. Each autumn he stretches bird netting hammocks above his extensive bromeliad beds to catch all the falling leaves. – Barbara Smith