They say when it comes to their plants, nothing goes to waste.
The Ensign caught up with Gore District Council head propagator Vicki McKinnel as she changed over the town centre’s spring beds for the summer season.
The striking white Gypsophila, or baby’s-breath, dark purple tulip and pansy combination that adorned the roundabouts and nature strips of Gore in spring was Mrs McKinnel’s design.
"That one was good, I’ll do it again somewhere," Mrs McKinnel said.
The striking beds were popular with locals, many asking on social media during the change: "Where do the discarded flowers go and how do we get our hands on them?"
The gardener said some went into the council compost while the bigger bulbs were dried out and kept for next season, and the rest were given to a local garden club to sell.
"There’s no waste."
Sometimes it seemed like the planting was being changed over early, with the blooms being pulled out before they were ready, but that was necessary, Mrs McKinnel said.
The next replanting did not happen until around next Easter, and some spring flowers would die before then and need to be removed.
The Gore parks and recreation department had received criticism in the past for being wasteful with flowers and ratepayers’ money, she said.
Council parks and recreation manager Keith McRobie was "creative", though after chopping down old trees in Bannerman Park he had earned the nickname "chainsaw Keith" with some, Mrs McKinnel said.
In hindsight, Mr McRobie being unafraid to get rid of old, unstable trees was a blessing during last month’s destructive winds, she said.
Mrs McKinnel has been working for the department for about 37 years and, for her public flower beds, knows what works.
She enjoys playing around with texture and "depth of edges" and has learned through trial and error what fares well.
"One lot of kale was great and one lot was a disaster," she said.
"I won’t grow that again. You live and learn."
The plants are grown in the council’s greenhouse, and for summer, the public can look forward to statice, marigolds, salvia, helichrysums, shasta daisies and petunias.
The colour schemes would change in different areas and "flow" through the town centre.
"Summer we get a bit more variance," she said.
