A number of the city’s most popular parks and lawns will be given a springtime tune-up over September – October, in preparation for the busy, hot and sweaty summer months when they’ll receive a pounding from Wellingtonians.
Some of the central city’s busiest lawns – Aro Park, Te Aro Park, Midland Park and Glover Park – will be fenced-off for up to 30 days to let nature do its work and allow the new grass to germinate and grow ready for the areas to be used again. Dog exercise areas, which are well utilised also, need this time to be renovated to recover from the heavy winter use. We want to ensure that these areas can still be used but with restrictions.
The Council’s Parks, Sport and Recreation Manager, Paul Andrews, says various procedures will be carried out. These include topdressing, weed control, drainage work, fertilising and oversowing with new grass seed.
Here’s the list of lawns getting a makeover:
- Aro Park (fenced off for up to 30 days) – weed control, core and dethatch, apply wetting agent, undersow with rye/fescue.
- Cog Park dog exercise area – weed control, drainage, oversowing with rye/fescue, fertilising.
- Glover Park (fenced off for up to 30 days) – core and dethatch, undersow with rye/fescue, treat for insects, fertilising.
- Railway Station lawns – core and dethatch, weed control, top dressing, oversowing with rye/fescue, fertilising.
- Waititi Lawn (outside Parliament, corner of Lambton Quay and Molesworth St) – weed control, fertilising.
- Kent Terrace – weed control, topdressing with screened topsoil, oversow with rye/fescue, fertilise.
- Cummings Park dog exercise area, Ngaio – weed control, topdressing with screened topsoil, oversow with rye/fescue, fertilise.
- Te Aro Park (fenced off for up to 30 days) – core and dethatch, undersow with tall fescue, topdress as needed, fertilise.
- Cobblestone Park – weed control, fertilise.
- Michael Fowler Centre – weed control, fertilise.
- Magyar Millennium Park (corner of Molesworth and Hawkestone streets) – weed control, undersow with rye/fescue, fertilise.
- Ian Galloway Park dog exercise area – topdress low-lying areas, fertilise.
- Shorland Park – weed control.
- Midland Park (fenced off for up to 30 days) – weed control, double core, topdressing, undersow with tall fescue, fertilise.
- Post Office Square – weed control, oversow with rye/fescue, apply wetting agent, fertilise.
- Bunny Street lawns – weed control, fertilise, treat for insects.
- Civic Centre, including Jack Ilott Green – weed control, core and dethatching, undersow with rye/fescue, fertilise.
- Katherine Mansfield Park (Hobson St) – weed control, core and dethatch, topdress with screened topsoil, undersow with rye/fescue, fertilise.
Waitangi Park will undergo an autumn renovation next April following the summer events programme.