Autumn Willows

Wellington, my city, is filled with native trees, the large majority of which are evergreen. But I grew up in the South Island, where years of colonisation and farming have ensured that rivers are lined with willows, poplars are used as windbreaks, and autumn colours are everywhere. But it has been 35 years since I moved to Wellington, so I had forgotten how gorgeous autumn can be in the south. I’d even forgotten when autumn occurred there, and had expected to miss the autumn colours on our trip south last month. But I didn’t.

Whilst I love the poplars, the willows were my favourite. They now adorn the header of this blog, as you can see. I was just so happy every time I saw them.

Whilst our natural lakes and fjords are mostly lined with native trees (future tree posts), this isn’t always the case in more arid areas, or with artificial lakes, where willows are often planted on the shore’s edge. At least, I think they are willows. Who cares? They’re beautiful.

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Another in the Thursday Tree Love series – find all the other bloggers doing it here.

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Waiting under a palm tree

We’re home from a three week trip around the South Island. It was fabulous, and I will write about it somewhere, and share some of the photos I was privileged to be able to take. This is one of my last shots of the trip, taken in Picton, where the interisland ferries leave for Wellington. We got there early, sat under these trees in the sun looking out at Queen Charlotte Sound, the boats coming to-and-fro, and the other people also waiting for the ferry.

I’ve always called the trees pineapple palms, but find that they are Phoenix canariensis, a native of the Canary Islands, and also sometimes called Canary Island palms. I’ve always loved them – they look exotic, and sometimes line beaches or the entrance to a town in a line. Equally, it’s not uncommon to see one planted in the front lawn of an everyday house.

Another in the Thursday Tree Love series.

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Seaside Norfolk Pines

Norfolk Pines or Araucaria_heterophylla come from Norfolk Island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean between Australia and New Zealand, and we often see them planted along coastlines here in New Zealand. In writing this, I was astounded to see that they are cultivated as houseplants overseas. I am not a huge fan of Norfolk pines as a seaside tree – they don’t provide enough shade for my liking, and they don’t have lush palm-like leaves.

But Oriental Parade, the home of the main beach in our city, is lined with them, so I feel I have to accept them! I will admit they look lovely and sculptural against the sky, and those in Oriental Bay are decorated with lights (which always make me think someone put them up for Christmas and New Year then forgot to take them down!) at night-time, which is always a pretty sight.

On our recent trip to the Wairarapa coast we saw them along the beach there too. Here are a few I’ve seen recently:

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  At the beach

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  A Norfolk Pine in Oriental Bay

Another in the Thursday Tree Love series – find all the other bloggers doing it here.

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