Horowhenua StarLook, wonder, sniff, sigh, smell. Just don’t cut, dig, snap, pluck, swipe.
Horowhenua’s internationally coveted community gardens are a source of wonderment this time of year, but if everyone helped themselves there’d be no blooming flowers left.
Their beauty is to be admired, not possessed. While no specific bylaw relates to the removal of flowers from council parks and gardens, it is considered a naughty thing to do.
Horowhenua District Council says it regularly receives reports of flowers being removed from the Nola Simpson Garden. That’s confirmed by the good people tending the gardens who frequently see damaged flowers and cut stems – even missing plants.
The garden doesn’t wake up postcard picture perfect every morning – dedicated people work hard there every week removing dead or dying flower heads and petals.
Anna Bradbury is one of those people, boasting a lifetime of experience with roses after inheriting a love for gardening from her parents as a young girl.
As far as job satisfaction goes she says it’s “10 out of 10”, but it would be nice if everyone left the flowers alone. “Every day you see fresh snaps all over the place,” she says.
The region is fortunate to have someone of Anna’s experience on the pruners. A former president of the Horowhenua Rose Society, she helped plant many of the varieties still blooming at the Nola Simpson Rose Garden surrounding the Old Courthouse Eatery.
The gardens were renamed in 2008 in honour of Nola, a well-known rosarian who had grown up in the Horowhenua region, and an official opening in 2011 attracted busloads of enthusiasts.
Throughout the course of their day Anna and the team are showered with praise from passers-by on how the garden looks at this time of the year. Anna often directs visitors to another community garden directly across the road at Thompson House.
Meanwhile, Horowhenua Star has this week received calls from readers suggesting we do a story highlighting just how good the gardens look and what an asset they are to the district.
One reader even commented on the flowers at the roundabout of Queen Street and Cambridge Street that is currently a vision of pink blooms.
“The gardens a credit to whoever is doing the work,” he said.
The council says the rose collections, including those at Thompson House and Nola Simpson Gardens, are nationally recognised features of Levin.
“They are cared for by our dedicated contractors and enjoyed by visitors from across the district,” the council told the Star. “Repeated removal or damage affects the quality of these gardens and undermines what makes them special for the whole community.
“Damage or removal of plants also increases maintenance and replacement costs, which ultimately impacts the community. Keeping these spaces intact helps ensure council’s investment in our nationally recognised gardens continues to benefit everyone.”
Horowhenua is recognised internationally for its green spaces, with six Green Flag Awards – Driscoll Reserve, Holben Reserve, Jubilee Park,
Te Awahou Riverside Cultural Park, Thompson House Gardens and Te Maire Park – more than any other region.
New Zealand has 23 Green Flag Award parks, part of a network of more than 2600 award parks across 17 countries meeting criteria for management, sustainability, community need and best practice.
Horowhenua Mayor Bernie Wanden says the Green Flags are a reflection on the pride our communities have in these spaces and the collective effort that goes into caring for them.
“Our Parks & Property team, together with our dedicated contractors, work hard to maintain high-quality places for people to connect, play, and enjoy for generations to come,” he says.
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