ARTICLE : Percy Scenic Reserve news - Sept. 2007

Percy Scenic Reserve news - Sept. 2007

Redevelopment news - State Highway 2 realignment

On 6 August 2007 the bulldozers moved in.

The propagation house has been removed from Percy SR, so the facilities at Summit Rd Depot are being used.   A shade house constructed for the interim period is being used to hold the overflow plants, and those awaiting planting in the new car park (2009).

The Druce and other threatened plant collections are 85% duplicated, with insurance plants residing at Otari-Wilton’s Bush, the Dench property at Newlands, and the Waireka Property at Omata, Taranaki.

The tender documents for the construction and landscaping plan do not include the nursery facilities.   Transit NZ will be responsible for constructing the new entrance, off Dowse Drive, and car parking area, relocating the caretaker’s house and erection of the plant standout.

Hutt City Council will be responsible for upgrading the nursery facilities.

DOC Restoration projects

Percy SR is still growing plants for DOC restoration projects.

Sebaea ovata

We have been growing this for several years for the Whitiau SR site south of Wanganui.   This year a site at Farewell Spit has been found, and the Kaipara Harbour site needs more plants to provide insurance plantings.

So Percy SR is growing c. 400 to be planted at these sites.

“Celmisia Mangaweka”

We have been growing this plant for several years too.   Seed received from the original Ruahine site has germinated.   We will trial root-trained plants in a papa / bark potting medium to try and reduce transplant shock, as last year’s PB5 planting failed.   The 2005 plantings were washed out when the Manawatu region was flooded.

Ranunculus recens

Forty plants were propagated this year for the Manaia area in South Taranaki.

Matiu / Somes Island

Seed of Aceana pallida and Tetragonia tetragonioides has been provided to Stan Butcher (Forest & Bird), and plants of Austrofestuca littoralis and other species will be provided for seasonal plantings.   Leptinella nana plugs will be planted in the rare plants garden.

Excell Corporation wins the Hutt City horticultural contract

Excell, my employer, was busy putting together methodologies for the Hutt City Parks & Reserves contract.

The horticultural contract, which includes Percy Scenic Reserve, called for tenders, and Excell has re-won the contract for the next three years + 3 years.

Threatened plants from Norfolk Island

The threatened plants from Norfolk Island grow in the Offshore Island Garden at Percy SR.   I confirmed the details with Peter de Lange who replied “…believe the two plants you have (male and female) are all there are in New Zealand”.

“The small-leaved taupata look-alike is Coprosma baueri and it is threatened with imminent extinction.   It survives only on Phillip Island where it is threatened by hybridism with C. repens.”

“The big hairy one is Coprosma pilosa - that’s more common on Norfolk but as far as I know you have the only plants of it in New Zealand.”

The original plants were becoming leggy and struggling in the clay soils in Korokoro, so cuttings have been taken.   Some of the young seedlings off one parent have flowered, and are showing female.   The other parent seedlings are yet to flower, so may have to wait until next year to confirm the sex.

Jill Broome, Plant Collections Supervisor, Percy Scenic Reserve.