I just planted a new kōwhai in my garden in the hopes of luring more in the future. Unfortunately they take a long time to get big enough, and whoever sold the land we live on last to my parents (our landlords) basically did a clean sweep of the garden and replaced whatever was there with a grass monoculture.
With parental permission we’ve been filling the empty grass with natives and food plants to make it more enjoyable.
Bonus: We even discovered yesterday some wild lilies (canna) growing behind our shed that survived the previous owner (because they weren’t visible from the deck) are edible. The stems when cooked taste like green beans.
