Sunday 15 November 2020

Swan plant and tea tree

Our manuka (tea tree) is currently in full bloom, its snowy white flowers are adding colour to the forest.


 

I can guiltily remember, when I first arrived in New Zealand, decimating a couple of trees to use the branches as kindling to light the fire.  Blame my Kiwi relatives-in-law who told me tea tree was a bit of a pest.  As I'd never lit a fire in an open fireplace in my life until then, I really appreciated how reliable it was as a fire starter.  Thankfully, these days I am a little more enlightened and appreciate the tree as the source of manuka honey with its antiviral, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant benefits. 

I don't know how I've never noticed the pretty little flowers on swan plants.  I picked up a twig that had been knocked off by a passing car.  There are a dozen or so plants lining the drive to my house, self sewn according to my neighbour. 




It won't be long and the caterpillars will come along.

14 comments:

  1. I only buy Manuka honey if Aldi have it. It's silly money otherwise £13-£14 a little jar. If we ever leave the EU it should come down in price as will your lamb. Is your lamb Halal slaughtered or killed humanely?

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    1. Manuka honey sure is expensive stuff, Adrian. Luckily the beekeeper who keeps his hives on the farm beside the forest provides us with plenty of honey (and wine at Christmas) to say thank you. Lamb is very expensive here, too. I'm pretty sure abattoirs use the killing method that is requested by the customer.

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  2. I love the swan plant mainly for the fabulous displays of the Monarchs to which you alluded. If I'm truly honest I'm not sure that I've really been aware of the flowers before.

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    1. I'm looking forward to seeing plenty of Monarchs this year, Graham.

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  3. My father-in-law used to chew the manuka berries whenever he felt a cold or other illness coming on. He reckoned it worked, but I have never personally tried it. Your flowering bush is quite spectacular :)

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    1. Your f-in-law knew what was good for him then, Margaret, although I imagine the berries wouldn't taste very good. I think the tea tree is quite beautiful.

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  4. Pest or not, it's very pretty. We have pest trees, too, but they are not pretty or useful.

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    1. It would be easier if all pest trees looked ugly, wouldn't it. It would make identification so much easier!

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  5. And, bring on the bees. Ahhh! Honey...how sweet it is!

    I love honey! :)

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    1. I'm a honey lover, too, Lee. It's the wasps that I hate, they are such nasty, vindictive little beasts and they attacked the caterpillars.

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    1. I always look forward to the butterflies, Sharon. Unfortunately I found a wasp hive this morning so the horrid little blighters know the caterpillars are near.

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  7. Beautiful tree! So delicate and so interesting. Glad you didn’t completely decimate it ... We’ve all done unfriendly stuff to the environment before we knew better! It’s the people who know now and don’t care that we have to worry about (I try not to be one of them).

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