Ugly gardens need to go
Jim Baird is so sick of the ‘‘bloody ugly’’ gardens in Pa¯ tea, he’s taken matters into his own hands.
‘‘I’ve been planting seeds since 2015,’’ Baird said. ‘‘I won’t accept that they’re not going to put flowers in there. If they’re not going to, I’m going to.’’
Baird owns the Star Garagecome auto museum on the main street and stares at the Stafford St traffic island garden every day.
He has lived in Pa¯tea for 11 years and has always wanted to see the South Taranaki District Council put some colour into the town’s gardens.
‘‘The council haven’t altered the Waiouru-style planting since I’ve been here.’’
Pa¯ tea and Waverley are main entrances and exits for Taranaki this adds to Baird’s concern.
‘‘We’re right on State Highway 3 and it goes through the middle of both towns. We could have a bit of beauty in the place.’’
At a recent Pa¯ tea Community Board meeting Baird voiced his opinion in the open forum.
‘‘I want to know when the South Taranaki District Council is going to get rid of that rubbish that they’ve got over there,’’ Baird said, pointing toward a traffic island garden. ‘‘If I thought they’d catch on fire I’d gladly go down and pour petrol on them and burn the whole bloody lot down.’’
The Pa¯ tea Community Board chair Ruth Mackay said all gardens were on the agenda.
‘‘We’re doing the best we can,’’ Mackay said. ’’We’ve had endless discussions on our gardens and they’re an ongoing process so we’re just hoping for the best in the future.
‘‘Waverley is in the same position, and we’re fighting hard for Waverley and Pa¯ tea to get their fair share of gardens.’’
The gardens in front of the waka have recently been replanted and community board member Jacq Dwyer said there was a bit of colour in there.
‘‘They look small now but there’s some Poor Knights lilies which have beautiful big red flowers,’’ Dwyer said. ‘‘We just have to wait a couple of years, things do take time to actually look their best.’’
Dwyer advised against Baird’s self-appointed seed planting too.
‘‘That’s not a very sensible way to garden,’’ she said.
‘‘It’s one way to get something done, isn’t it,’’ Baird argued. ‘‘It’s just so bloody ugly, it’s just dark green and light green and that’s it.’’