Hi all: I wrote this for the Garden Planning meeting that may still happen
this weekend, as we're away, along with some others who've been keenly
interested in what happens with this space.
Read as you wish - its exciting to 'walk this new space' and 'warm it up'
for our future living.
1. Understanding what we each want from the grounds/ gardens at Toiora
We have a good range of gardening experience amongst us. Quite a few of us
are what might be described as 'keen' gardeners, excited about planning,
creating and maintaining vege and other gardens.
Others are happy to help with 'maintenance', like lawns and/ or overhanging
greenery from the town belt - tidying up type gardening ( very valuable).
Or they have an interest in a specific part of the garden: the Memorial
Arch; a playground for children, etc but not much else (?).
And then still others are thrilled that the hard work of maintaining their
previous gardens are behind them and see Toiora as a way to let that
obligation largely go. If they can do something else to assist the
community, they'd be more than happy.
It's likely that interests will change over time and groups will likely
overlap.
Hopefully, we can find a way to meet the needs of all these groups!
2. Getting to know the site
Right now, we're starting to understand this site more in 'real terms' and
in real time. Eg Noticing the sun patterns; how the buildings shade things
and for how long; how different winds affect different parts of the site,
etc.
We're also learning more about what lies beneath the surface and that is
informing us more about what we might plant and where.
In starting to live on this land, we're also 'warming it up' as a community
space. The ground is shifting from a 'concept' as shown on the original
design, still fixed to the front of the fence on High Street, to a living
entity. Just as the insides of our houses have changed as we've altered them
to suit / painted them/ inhabited them, etc, so too will the grounds.
3. Some proposals: i) that if we can eliminate fences in common areas
by creative use of plants, that we do so. Some of these could screen
otherwise 'ugly' things like the container shed and soften other 'hard'
edges.
ii) That we develop a basic budget for plants and start planning out what to
plant where. That we accept that a good many plants might move around till
we find the best site for them. It might be that as for E - Chargers, some
of us are more willing to fund this project than others; my hope is that we
don't let that stop us moving forward with this.
iii) that as far as possible, we use plants with dual purpose: eg plants
that are also edible / culinary ( like bay leaves); that produce flowers for
bees; as well as those that are pleasing to look at, especially through the
winter months ( which usually also produce flowers for bees from spring on).
This will mean a mixture of natives and 'exotics', with some 'annuals' like
cornflowers/ sunflowers/ etc to bridge the seasons for birds and bees alike.
Of course, there's more, but these are a few ideas from me, as I'm away this
coming weekend when it seems the group might want to meet.
It's very exciting to be back in the soil again!
Regards,
Marianne
Marianne Quinn
Clinical Psychologist & Psychotherapist
Level 3, 115 Stuart Street, Dunedin
P.O. Box 20, Dunedin 9054
ph +6434773115 or 0211612050