Among bright blooms Christina Hannam is chatting with a fuzzy pollinator at Bee Valley Flower Farm. The conversations are two-way. "Look how beautiful you are," she says to a bumblebee hover-landing on the flowers of an indigo delphinium. The fluffy forager replies with humble humming.
"Not much gardening happens sometimes," Christina says. "And I video them. A million videos of one bee."
From October 31, the Lepperton property will open for the Centuria Taranaki Garden Festival for the first time – and for 10 days the place will be buzzing with events. These include a country picnic and workshops, from candle and wreath-making to pick-your-own bouquet sessions.
For the latter, Christina leads the way. "I don't say I'm teaching. I just give them ideas. I want to give people the space and the time to not have to think about anything else." While the hands-on sessions have nearly sold out, visitors can still catch a bumblebee talk (from humans) as part of the Mitre 10 Garden Speaker Series, but they will need to book.
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