Sustainability in action at The Springs
An ambitious large-scale planting project in the Wairau Valley aims to return farmland to indigenous forest and create a biodiversity hotspot that doubles as a carbon pool.
The Selmes Garden Centre Nurseryman owned his own native nursery in Lyttleton for 30 years, and also worked as a learning assistant at Marlborough Boys' College, which he loved. Now he gets to grow native seedlings for organisations, including Whitehaven Wines, while teaching Selmes' staff and local college students the tricks of propagation, from seed collection and storage to planting out for the best success.
For the past two years Malcolm and his apprentice Caleb Redshaw have been collecting seed for Whitehaven's wetland project The Springs, targeting hardy trees that naturally thrive in the Wairau Valley landscape. "Things that are strong and tough and can survive being planted out in the open." They bring them back to the nursery, where the project becomes a learning tool for staff and students, with Malcolm teaching them tricks of propagation and stratification, in which they emulate nature by chilling some seeds then planting them out in warm conditions, echoing a seasonal shift, or clip the tips of kōwhai seeds to break their dormancy.
The garden centre is run by Selmes Charitable Trust, a not-for-profit organisation which aims to provide work and work experience opportunities for people with disabilities, while also growing horticulture skills for college students in the region. "It's really exciting that we are able to see the project going forward, now we are collecting the second lot of seed," Malcolm says. This summer he will take most of the Selmes' crew out to see the progress of trees planted out from their efforts.
Josh Barclay, Whitehaven Wines Sustainability Manager, says travelling up to the site with Malcolm and Caleb, and knowing that so many other people are involved in the nursery project, is part of what makes The Springs so special. "The more people is involved, and the more good we can do with it, the better."
Malcolm says Josh knows nature doesn't always stick to schedule, with the likes of totara trees seeding well every few years, making seed collection hit or miss. But the nurseryman expects natural reseeding at The Springs within three or four years, as wind and birds become part of the project's success.
