This project arose because the new Waikato Expressway cut off a large piece of land which had been used for grazing. The Waipa District Council incorporated it into the adjoining Brian Mayo Reserve, and one of our members, Jane Moodie, came up with the idea of a maple arboretum similar to the older oak arboretum nearby. The Council's Parks Dept. approved, so areas were marked out, sprayed to clear, and mulched. Jane, with Jan Todd, then set about selecting plants for stage 1.
In the winter of 2015, we planted the first section. We put rabbit protection around the saplings and staked them. They're growing well.
There is a long stretch of parkland between the road and the houses which we have developed along the same lines. We will have to be careful here, as the trees are much closer to the houses. In stage 1, we have graded the trees, with the smaller ones closest to the houses, and we have left large spaces between plantings for ease of mowing with a tractor-mounted mower.
We have to acknowledge gifts of posts from Mitre 10 and stainless steel plates for labels from Cambridge Sheet Metals. Engraving was done by a company in Te Rapa at a very favourable price.
The Community Board approved a $1000 grant for this project which enabled us to launch the project with minimal cost to the Trust. We are very grateful for their support.
There is potential for this project to be extended as reserve land on the western edge of the expressway is further developed by the Waipa Council.
There could be a number of years future planting here for us. 2016 saw more maples planted here, and 2017 has been devoted to mulching the large areas the trees are growing in. They have been put into their permanent places, so there is a lot of space between them at this early stage.
Here are some photos of the early plantings.
11 January, 2022. Blitzkieg!
This summer, 2021/22, has been one from the pages of history- hot, sweltering and, with carbon dioxide at 400+ parts per million, ideal for growing plants. That includes weeds. Some of the little stands of maples in the Maple Arboretum have become overgrown with weeds, particularly the ones where the neighbours don't like spray. We've had to hand-weed two such stands, and here are some pictures of one of them, before and after a dozen of us descended on it and carted away 2 truckloads of weeds.
It was done at some cost to ourselves. None of us are under 70, and those of us with heart trouble had to take rests during the two-hour session. We survived though.
We took the weeds to Greenscapes and lost the concrete blocks off the back of the truck when the loader driver got a bit enthusiastic in pushing the load off the truck. Putting them back was heavy work, and we'll probably take them off and let the truck's traction take its chances. Otherwise there is a good chance that we will need an ambulance. We over-estimated out ability this time.
