Duke of Edinburgh Award
It's early summer and we're busy clearing the vegetable garden and planting kumara. The orchardist has been and shown us how to prune and care for apple trees. We have seedling flowers to plant and hedges to trim. It's a great time to learn new skills.
The Heritage Gardeners are an accredited award provider for the Duke of Edinburgh awards for Skills and Service.
Location of the garden
The heritage garden is at the historic Halfway House on Glenside Reserve, 246 Middleton Road, Glenside (next to Twigland Gardeners World).
Halfway House is an old name for a former travellers inn at this site, located halfway between Wellington and Porirua. These days the c1880 house is leased by Wellington City Council. Although the house is leased, the gardens are in a reserve and can be visited for free at any time.
Here's how the we can help you achieve your Bronze, Silver or Gold Skills Award.
Skills
Skills you may learn throughout the year. How to…
- Care for garden tools.
- Deliver a health and safety briefing.
- Fertilise and mulch.
- Identify garden wildlife such as insects, birds and butterflies.
- Identify plants grown in New Zealand gardens before 1900.
- Identify weeds and pest plants.
- Keep a gardening diary.
- Make compost.
- Research a plant grown in New Zealand before 1900.
- Take quality digital photographs of plants for publication.
Seasonal skills. How to....
- Grow flowers and vegetables.
- Harvest, dry and label seeds.
- Plant a tree.
- Prune a rose.
- Sow and raise seeds.
- Transplant seedlings.
- Trim a hedge.
- Manage a garden bed.
- Manage a butterfly garden.
Service
Service activities you may do at the garden.
- Contribute to the purpose and goals of the Heritage Gardeners
- Give back to the community by contributing my service to a public heritage garden
- Meet the City Council Park Ranger and others who care for the garden and understand their role in providing a paid or voluntary public service
- Discover what is involved in growing and looking after a Victorian rural farm garden on a public reserve
- Work on assigned tasks in the flower garden, orchard and vegetable garden
- Answer visitor questions about the garden
- Give a short talk to a visitor about a heritage plant in the garden
- Give my talent and time to a community project in the garden
- Explore my personal interest, where I can best contribute my talent and skills as a volunteer in a public garden (e.g. ferns, flowers, vegetables, native plants, roses, trees, fruit).
Contact
Claire Bibby on 022 186 5714 or email info @ glenside.org.nz