FuturEcology & EmGuard ™ June 2025
By Jan Fryer
Well, we hope you have dusted off your woollies, because winter is well and truly here!
There was a rather stunning dump of snow on the ranges this week and we had a glimpse of perfect Nelson winter days, with a heavy frost in the morning and sparkling sunshine to follow. Mind you, we have also had some rather wet days too with localised flooding, so there is no just sitting back and relaxing. I have seen people still swimming at Tahunanui Beach, even with the snow on the ranges behind them. Much braver souls than me.
Thank you to everyone who responded to our survey last month. We had some great feedback and really helpful information. The general consensus was to keep producing a monthly newsletter with helpful tips, advice and case studies, so that is what we will do.
Our winner, for taking part in the survey was Rob, so a pack of 25 guards, canes and mats will be winging its way to you. Thank you again for taking the time to respond.
Our book offer went to Kellie in Wellington, so I’m sure she has learnt something of Captain Fitzroy and his adventures on the HMS Beagle and in early New Zealand. I picked up another book at the big Nelson Book fair last week called Mr Darwin’s Shooter, by Roger McDonald. A novel about Darwin’s manservant, Syms Covington, on the voyage of the HMS Beagle. It will be interesting to get another perspective, especially around their struggles to match their religious views with the formulation of the theory of natural selection. Covington was responsible for shooting and preparing many of the animals that Darwin studied on the voyage.
I have a very large pile of books to read now, so long winter evenings by the fire are definitely a happy time of the year. We hope you all take the chance to sit down, reflect and enjoy perhaps a little enforced down time at this time of year, when you can’t be out in the garden until 10pm 😊
We are well into our planting season, with many thousands of plants already in the ground. Everyone is working hard to keep the numbers up, but also to assure our customers that the flood that went through just after the planting wasn’t as devastating at it looked. The plants had knitted into the stream bank and the guards were able to be picked up and reused.
Don’t let the worry of a flood put you off planting. The right plant in the right place will cope!
The right plant for the right place
By Jan Fryer
One of the requests for information was about getting the right plant for the right place.
Many Regional Councils produce fantastic resources about the plants for their specific area and these can generally be found on their websites.
Here is an example of one produced by Marlborough District Council. We use this regularly as our go-to guide for that area. https://www.marlborough.govt.nz/repository/libraries/id:2ifzri1o01cxbymxkvwz/hierarchy/documents/environment/biodiversity/south-marlborough-native-planting-guide-list/A_Native
Check out your local Council website for similar resources.
The first in our series of the right plant in the right place is looking at the key species we use in a streamside planting. The heavy lifters we call them.
The Carex is planted as close to the water’s edge as you can get away with. That is where the magic happens, holding the stream edges, providing shade and habitat. During floods, it will bend and sway with the water and pop back up again once the stream returns to normal. Plant at about 1m spacings following the margin.
Above that you can plant your toe toe, cabbage trees, flax (Phormium tenax - higher up the bank), ribbonwood and lacebark. These plants all have good fibrous root systems which hold the stream bank together. They will also bend in the flood zone and then stand back up.
Above these, you can plant your more leafy trees, the Pittosporums, ake ake, kahikatea, totora, manuka and kanuka and various coprosmas and hebes. Spacings should be around the 1.2 - 1.5 m distance in a random pattern. Nature doesn’t do straight lines!
Mulching
One of the organisations we work closely with, Your Garden Guide, recently posted a good short guide to mulching round plants. https://www.facebook.com/share/p/16v8KRv5gF/
Mulching is certainly the gold standard for planting success if done well.
The problem is often getting mulch to a site, especially a stream edge for example. It is also the first thing that will wash off in a flood, if you use a bark mulch for example.
We totally endorse Haidi’s message of not using a mulch or weed suppressing mat that has any form of plastic in it.
Beware of the products that look natural, but in actual fact have a core of plastic netting that, of course, will result in microplastics in the environment and is an absolute curse to weedeat over. The fibres get tangled in the weedeater and it’s more than a little frustrating. We have one site that we work on, that was covered in a plastic netting weed mat (not by us) and it is always a bit of a nightmare to maintain. As Haidi mentions in her article, the weeds will definitely grow on top of the matting and it just makes them more difficult to deal with.
If you do want to use a weed mat, there are a number of good wool mat products on the market that can be purchased as either individual mats to go around each plant, or in long rolls for the large jobs. These do not have a plastic net core and will naturally bio-degrade over time.
We certainly favour a bark mulch if available and it should be laid at least 4 inches deep.
Planting season’s in full swing and EmGuards are flying out the door!
Good news though, we’ve still got plenty in stock, so if you need some, now’s the time to grab them. Got a project coming up? We’d love to help out.
We’ve also got a great supply of quality bamboo canes, so we’re all set to help you take your planting from good to great.
New Service Alert!
We’re super excited to announce our latest offering! Our tailored planting and maintenance plans are now available through our website! And for those in the Nelson/Tasman region, we’re even offering site visits.
Got a patch of land and not quite sure what to do with it? We’ve got you covered.
Our plans are simple, practical, and made just for your site. Purchase online, answer a few quick questions, and your custom two-page plan will land in your inbox within 7 days.
Easy as that!
Planting 101. Revisited as we are in the full swing of planting season
By Jan Fryer
Preparation of the planting site is the key starting point. For best results, remove as much of the covering vegetation as you can. This can be done by grazing, mowing, weedeating, mulching or the use of chemicals.
If you use chemicals, be very aware of what you are using to burn off grass and weeds. Glyphosate has a half-life of between 2-197 days depending on water conditions. Metsulfuron half-life ranges from 14-180 days. In our experience, it is safe to plant a site that has been sprayed with Glyphosate within a week, but one should wait at least 12 weeks if using Metsulfuron.
Once your site is ready for planting, on your planting day, ensure you have all the components you need ready on the site for an efficient planting. You do not want your plants to dry out while waiting to be planted.
Planting spades vary considerably but most importantly, you need a good strong handle and not too long a blade. We have redesigned a standard orange Atlas Trade spade as shown, by grinding down the edges of the blade and shortening the length of the blade.
Our favourite planting spades are produced by Levin Sawmakers, if you want to treat yourself to the best tool around. The perfect present for the planter of the household.
Setting out your planting.
Step 1. Place your bamboo canes out first to establish your plant spacings. Ideally this should be between 1.2-1.5m in a restoration planting. Make sure the pattern is random, not straight lines.
Step 2. Place your larger trees out first, beside the bamboo canes at about 5m spacings then infill with your smaller trees and shrubs. Make sure you have a plan to ensure you have the right plants in the right place. E.g. the Carex secta on the edge of the water, Phormium tenax above the flood flow line.
Step 3. Get stuck into your planting. The key with this is to fracture as much of the soil surrounding the plant as you can. This does not necessarily mean digging a hole, but instead using the spade as a lever to smash the soil and provide a slot to drop your plant into.
Module 9 – The "How To" of Restoration Planting - FuturEcology
We found that during the big floods in Nelson in August 2022, the plants that had been placed in a nice neat hole were ripped right out of the ground, along with the soil that had been put back round them. Those that had been slot planted stayed put. Finally, firm the soil round the plant with your foot, just firmly enough to prevent it being pulled out by a pukeko.
Step 4. Place out your plant guards and mats (if you are using them) and fit them snuggly round your plant. Ensure you have the stake very firmly in the ground and use a mallet or hammer if necessary.
Step 5. Make sure you leave the site clean and tidy, picking up any plastic pots or rootrainers and step back to admire a job well done😊
Weed of the Month
Paraserianthes lopantha
By Emma Petch
This fast-growing tree is a tricky customer — tough, resilient, and with seeds that can linger in the soil for years.
Also known as shrub wattle, and formerly Albizia lophantha, it was already naturalised in New Zealand before 1988. It loves disturbed or open areas like scrubland, riverbanks and coastal sites, but can also lurk in lower forest for years before taking over.
Native to Western Australia, this pesky plant can grow up to 10 metres tall. It earns the nickname Bottlebrush for its clusters of tiny, green-yellow flowers that bloom from May to August. These are followed by long, flat, green-to-brown seed pods (8–15 cm) containing foul-smelling seeds.
How to spot it:
Alternate, bipinnate frond-like leaves — these look similar to small tree ferns or mimosa, with multiple pairs of fine, narrow leaflets along each frond-like leaf. The foliage gives it a light, feathery appearance.
Densely hairy, ribbed twigs
Bronze, hairy young shoots
Bottlebrush-like flower heads in green-yellow clusters
Its soft, feathery leaves may seem harmless, but this fast-grower can quickly form dense thickets, shading out native seedlings and dominating open spaces.
It’s been causing enough trouble to land a spot on DOC’s list of 386 environmental weeds.
How to Control Paraserianthes lophantha
According to Weedbusters, it’s best to tackle this weed where it’s a new arrival, low in numbers, or posing a high ecological risk. Here’s how you can deal with it:
Hand Pull or Dig (all year round)
Remove small plants by hand or with a spade, taking care to disturb the soil as little as possible.
Cut and Squirt (all year round)
Make one cut every 100mm around the trunk and saturate each cut with 5ml of undiluted Triclopyr 600 EC.
Injection Method (all year round)
Drill downward-sloping holes into the sapwood at regular intervals around the trunk. As each hole is drilled, immediately fill it with one of the following:
Glyphosate (250ml/L)
Metsulfuron-methyl 600g/kg (3g per hole)
Triclopyr 600 EC (10ml undiluted)
Stump Swab (all year round)
After felling the tree, apply herbicide to the fresh stump:
Metsulfuron-methyl 600g/kg (5g/L) or
Triclopyr 600 EC (50ml/L)
Spray (spring–summer)
For larger areas:
Glyphosate (10ml/L water) or
Triclopyr 600 EC (30ml/10L water)
Delegat’s Stafford Creek project
By Evelyn Nashiro
Since 2022, Bridget has been planting and doing maintenance rounds in Delegat’s Stafford Creek project. Bridget has also been working very hard to keep willow, plum and tree lucerne under control.
Last year, FuturEcology’s team planted around 1000 native trees close to the vineyard and as you can see in the pictures below, they are thriving. I am pretty sure that in the next update for this project, we will be able to see some well established trees.
Marsden Valley project
By Evelyn Nashiro
It was in the middle of March this year when we put the first plants in the soil at Marsden Valley. After long days of planting and guarding, we have been feeling a little bit nostalgic this week as we plant the last of the native trees for this project. Around 6000 new native plants are now at Marsden Valley, complementing the beautiful native forests that are already making Marsden a beautiful valley.
Also, as you can see in the picture below, it was very exciting to plant some Pukatea in this project. Pukatea has been significantly impacted by habitat loss and is now rare in many areas across New Zealand. We are lucky to see some of them in the Marsden Valley Reserve. So hopefully, with our contribution this year, we will see more Pukatea expanded in this area.
Also this summer, we have been hand releasing around the trees that we planted last winter. The soil in this site is soft and very moist and as you can see in the pictures below, the plants are thriving after only a year. As always, regular maintenance is vital to success.
Emma Bendall’s time with FuturEcology
By Evelyn Nashiro
Last year, we established a great working relationship with Tech 5, a local recruitment agency. Tech 5 has provided us with very skilled team members, as they have a great understanding of FuturEcology’s needs and the skills required for conservation work.
We enjoyed working with Emma, a Trainee Ranger - Kaitiaki Whenua, who brought a lot of knowledge of New Zealand’s conservation and environmental monitoring techniques. Emma is a very knowledgeable, hard working team player and professional. It has been inspiring working with her, as she shows a real passion for conservation and works very hard to improve environmental outcomes for a better future.
We wish her the best of luck with her move back in Wellington, where we are sure she will be planting many native trees on Kapiti Coast.
Interesting Snippets
What we’ve been reading
by Emma Petch
The Hidden Girl by Harry Whittaker and Lucinda Riley
We are currently completing the satisfying but slightly mundane task of painting the interior of our house. A well needed refresh.
A wee while back, Bridget put me on to Libby and Borrow Box, the apps local libraries use for audiobooks. This has been an absolute game changer while painting, and I am currently working my way through as many Lucinda Riley novels I can find.
I just finished The Hidden Girl, by Lucinda Riley and her son, Harry Whittaker.
The story was a historical fiction romance that spanned two generations, cleverly weaving together multiple stories from the horrors of the Second World War, Treblinka extermination camp to the enclaves of New York’s Fifth Avenue and the fashion world of Milan.
I would highly recommend this gripping novel and if you spend a lot of time driving or even planting, Libby and Borrow Box have a brilliant range of audio books. All you need is a library card.
Recipe of the month
by Jan Fryer
I have discovered Nadia Lim’s Fresh Start Cookbook. I think I managed to pick it up at an Op shop and it has revolutionised our weeknight cooking.
I have even amazed myself by actually sitting down and picking out 7 recipes for the week, then making my shopping list to match, so I actually have the right ingredients.
All the recipes are relatively simple, are so tasty and have given me a new appreciation of cooking, so that is saying something.
Lamb Baharat with braised vegetables, barley, lemon and olives.
Here is a slightly different version.
Lamb with baharat, braised vegetables and herb yoghurt dressing - NZ Herald
Conclusion:
By Emma Petch
Picture from Jan and Robert’s scenic flight this morning.
Officially over halfway through the year now and what a full year it has been.
Stay warm and dry, we are only a week from the shortest day and Matariki weekend.
Matariki represents the Māori New Year and is a time of remembrance, celebration and reflection on the past, present and future.
However you decide to spend the weekend, we hope it brings you joy
All the best for your planting season ahead and if you need any help, we would love to hear from you.
If you have any projects in mind and would like to talk further, give us a call or pop in and see us.
We look forward to hearing from you!