Addington School Gardens December 2017

School Gardens Update

Summer is here and Te Kura Taumatua children are enjoying the raspberries in our orchard. It also looks very picturesque with blue phacelia and orange California poppies growing in between the trees. Unfortunately, this term we lost some of the orchard to the new pipeline installation, but the rest of the fruit trees are coming on and I can see other fruits -  apricots, apples and pears growing. If you have a small amount of free time over summer to come in and water the orchard please let me know as it will save me a trip or two.

During the year Green Thumbs received some native plants from 'Trees for Canterbury'. These were planted in our native area, on the east side of the school, mostly around the Matariki stars. Jan Blackburn and the Green Thumbs planted the lancewood trees 2 years ago – laying them out in the same position as the Matariki (Pleiades) cluster of stars. A little team of helpers from our recent Golden Time planted and staked some new hebes in the native garden along the pathway. We are very fortunate to have this native area attached to our school. Quite a number of years ago this strip was gifted to Addington and the decision was made to turn it into a native bush area. It is great to see many of our tamariki enjoying this peaceful place and taking care of both the established and new plants growing there.

Ti Kouka ‘adopted’ the garden outside Room 11 (Conductive Ed) for their ChangeMakers project and what a change they made! The area looks amazing. Thank you Whāea Katie and Ti Kouka for your well thought out landscaping and hard work. Another area that has undergone a recent makeover is the memorial rose garden. This garden was where the school’s flagpole once stood. No doubt a few assemblies were held around this area. A big thank you goes out to Zac Johnson for spending his school workday weeding and tidying it up. It has been a 100% improvement and I’m convinced that rose blooms are the best they have been in years - now that they are not competing with the weeds! Thank you also to the many other people who pop in and help out with the gardens from time to time, including Chris and Daniel who join us in Green Thumbs on Fridays when they are available. It is all much appreciated.

Lyn Petch

Green Thumbs co-ordinator