Birds, Bees and the colour of Autumn
When deciduous trees are in full gorgeous colour and the temperatures start to drop, it’s worth considering the birds and the bees and what their needs might be. Planting winter flowering plants will bring them in to feast when food is short. Planting trees and shrubs like Kowhai, Bottlebrush, some Pittosporum s and Banksia species ensures your place will be the favourite take away joint for the local Tui and honey bee! You’ll need those bees to pollinate your fruit trees in a few months!
Good mulching is essential at this time to moderate the soil temperature, suppress weeds and nurture the ground, especially, for exotics like Rhododendrons and Camellias. Good proactive pruning too on early flowering trees like Magnolias ensures there is no lost energy in making buds that will then be removed with a late and hasty spring prune. Remember to reduce excessive weight on evergreen trees that may lead to splitting of limbs due to high winds and heavy rain over winter as well as removal of dead wood on your deciduous trees before they break away.
Stay warm and leave the heavy difficult work to us!