Wintec horticulture students spread agricultural “awesomeness”
Free seedlings are helping Wintec students to cultivate a love of horticulture amongst Fieldays visitors.
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There is free plant life for all at the Fieldays this year, courtesy of Wintec’s horticulture department.
Wintec Horticulture students Amanda Parkinson and Christine Chambers are distributing free seedlings of the native carex Purei and the cabbage tree to any willing to grow them.
The two have taken to their task with admirable gusto. Their twofold aim is to help propagate these plants, and spread awareness of how “awesome” horticulture is.
“We’re giving these plants away, so they’ll hopefully end up getting planted, and just giving out information on horticulture study, and how awesome it is,” says Amanda, who is currently studying for a National Certificate in Horticulture.
“A lot of people think the cabbage plant is a weed, but it’s an important native plant. Giving it out will hopefully get people interested in planting something, watching it grow.”
Christine, who studied horticulture at Wintec last year, says that cabbage trees are currently in danger.
“Cabbage trees often get a fungal disease that causes them to suddenly die. For some reason, they grow really well in the bush, but on farms and gardens they’re a lot more prone to it,” Christine explains.
“Hopefully we can help them grow by getting them to people who will plant them.”
