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Hazel Orchard Garden Tour

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Take the Hazelnut Orchard Garden Tour

One of the latest major projects at Mooseys has been the creation of an orchard of Hazelnut trees. In the winter of 2003 over seven hundred small trees were planted in the large middle paddock over the water race.

Visitors from some northern hemisphere countries will immediately be thinking of seven hundred lucky feasting squirrels. In New Zealand we don't have any squirrels, or any animals to eat the nuts. So a hazelnut orchard is in theory a peaceful productive space.

Hazels are reportedly easy to grow, and their harvesting is a relatively relaxing process too. They don't need elaborate spraying or pruning regimes. To grow any crop in Canterbury you need irrigation, so each tree gets its own personal dripper. In the first summer there was a serious drought, so the watering system had to be used each week.

‘This is really Stephen's project, and he knows all the orchard details ...’

This is really Stephen's project, and he knows all the orchard details - varieties of trees, percentage of pollinators, trickle irrigation plans, etc. After a little pleading (and promising to help in the planting, which I did) he agreed to leave me an avenue of space, missing out a row of trees from his planting grid.

I'd always planned to create a rose avenue, which might eventually lead to a small rustic summerhouse, snug in the middle of the orchard. Already I have the connecting gate hidden in the shelter hedge, and a row of thirteen metal archways, planted with climbing fragrant roses. So far, so good...

Cat Memorial Trees... Sun 29th May 2011: The Hazelnut Orchard is the perfect place for dearly departed cats to have their final resting places, complete with memorial trees. Not that I want too many of these, you understand!
Roses, Roses, Roses...... Thu 18th Nov 2010: Finally, after some failures, new arrivals, and replacements, my thirteen archways in the Hazelnut Orchard are weeded, mulched - and the rose names fully organised. Enjoy!
Rural Farm Paddock... Sat 2nd Oct 2010: Cats, dogs, and gardeners often wander down the long drive to the haybarn for some gentle exercise. Dogs enjoy the smells and the possibility of rabbits to chase. Cats usually play chasing with each other, and the gardener checks out the Hazelnut trees.
Harrier Hawk... Fri 9th Apr 2010: For some days in autumn, 2010, the Hazelnut Orchard was the ground-hospital for a beautiful chocolate brown female harrier hawk. She was found dazed and confused - a phone-call to a bird expert told me she was likely starving. My job was to feed her back to health.
White Large-Flowered Clematis... Sat 24th Oct 2009: I've finally got a large-flowered Clematis growing. I must have gained semi-elite gardener status, acquiring a proper Clematis - after all these years of making do with the rampant, common Clematis Montana... A chance trip to a nursery that was closing down and voila!
Weeping Silver Pear Tree... Thu 24th Sep 2009: Good gardeners know that weeping Silver Pear trees are super-stylish and very ornamental. They should be planted in highly visible garden spots. For some unknown reason, in a moment of style rebellion, I planted mine out of sight in the Hazelnut Orchard.
Free Range Hens... Thu 24th Jan 2008: The Hazelnut Orchard is a huge poultry playground. Every day my hens (and their bossy rooster) scratch and forage for grubs in the orchard paddock, following the sun.
The Hay Barn... Thu 20th Dec 2007: The hay-barn in the Hazelnut Orchard paddock has an eclectic collection of Moosey junk, neighbour's junk, plus bales of hay - just in case the sheep need feeding out.
Summer Wine... Fri 23rd Nov 2007: My new climbing roses in the Hazelnut Orchard are still settling in. A few have passed on, or been shifted out, while other new ones have popped in to take their place. I'm still learning about climbers!
Hazel Orchard in Drought... Thu 11th Jan 2007: The Hazelnut Orchard isn't always a lush, pleasant, green place. There may be peaceful rural ambience, with horses quietly grazing in the next-door paddock, but often in summers there's a drought.
Orchard Dog... Sat 6th Jan 2007: If only Rusty the red Border Collie would spend more time in the Hazelnut Orchard chasing away the rabbits and less time chasing away the birds and planes!
Roses in the Orchard... Fri 5th Jan 2007: Finally I have a collection of climbing roses, many of them old-fashioned, on thirteen metal archways in the middle of the Hazelnut trees. Roses look so natural in orchards.
Hazelnut Trees Growing... Mon 7th Feb 2005: The Hazelnut trees in the new orchard are still growing - change is gradual, and sometimes it's hard to see any progress. It's important to take new photographs to show the growth - all of a sudden they'll be fully grown and producing hazelnuts!
The New Well... Tue 20th Jul 2004: A new garden was to be created in the corner of the Hazelnut Orchard, by the new well. Here is a classic photograph of the area, when the drilling rig was here.
Hazel Gate... Mon 5th Jan 2004: This is the garden gate in the Leyland shelter hedge which leads from the gardens into the orchard.
Hay Big Sifter... Sat 21st Dec 2002: I know that this photograph isn't strictly anything to do with the Hazelnut Orchard, but I couldn't resist letting this cat in. Sifter used to spend a lot of quality cat time in the hay-barn down the paddock. He is currently AWOL...