Robyn and Robert Guyton work on the Open Orchard Project, which involves documenting, grafting and growing heritage apples, pears and plums from around Southland.
Heritage potatoes. The Guytons need help keeping track of the 37 different heritage potato varieties they grow. Japanese WWOOFers did a great job sorting the tutae kuri from the La Ratte, the Pink Fir from the Bluff Whalers.
Root crops favour the soil and climate. Swedes in particular grow to great size and carrots do well also. A close-growing forest-garden though, and a philosophy that calls for minimum cultivation makes growing carrots like this one a challenge.
This scene is typical of the Guyton's forest/garden: being dense and varied, with fruit trees, native shrubs and an understorey of biennial herbs.
Garden view
The Guytons haven't surrounded their house with lawn, instead they've taken the garden up as close as they can get it, with herbs and vegetables growing close enough to pick from the doorsteps. The garden is very quiet - no lawn mowers, weed-whackers and certainly no chainsaws!
Black parsley
Star Tree
This tiny delight was found growing in an old farm orchard and proved to be a treasure. It seems to be a Yellow Ingestre apple and may be the only remaining example in the world. It has attracted interest from British pomologists, who would dearly love to have scion wood from this tree. The Guytons grafted several to help ensure its continuation.
Borage is a very popular flower for nectar collecters, as is alkanet, comfrey, phacaelia, echium and a host of other Southland-suitable flowering plants that fill the Guytons' garden.
