Auckland’s coastal environment is set to be further enhanced thanks to a proposed $10 million coastal upgrade programme included in Auckland City Council’s draft 10 year plan. Six coastal areas have been identified for upgrade work, including Judges Bay, the Blockhouse Bay to Onehunga Harbour Walkway, Herne Bay Reserve, Orakei Basin Walkway, Achilles Point and […]
Visitors to the Ellerslie International Flower Show have spoken and chosen Texture Plants’ Off the Wall garden as their favourite. The People’s Choice Award was last night given to a garden which is a secluded area in which to escape from the hustle and bustle of every-day life. It is a combination of seamless structures, […]
March 1st is officially the beginning of autumn and a signal to vege gardeners that we are moving onto the next season. No no no! I’m not ready to start thinking about soups and stews yet! Hopefully it will be a long summer like last year. Have you noticed little brown moths on your beans […]
Now is the time to re-invent native planting. The 1980s saw what I like to call the ‘early period’ of native planting design. It was based on the ‘DoC Visitor Centre’ idiom – a bushy thicket of mixed vigorous shrubs and trees with a scattering of sedges or grasses at the edges – oh, and […]
Some gardeners may have been lucky enough to receive a glasshouse for Christmas. If so, congratulations, you are in for a lot of fun. I have been asked several times in the past for basic information about growing in a glasshouse so now is a good time to look at the subject. If you do […]
New Zealanders talk about their love of native plants Politicians, artists, academics, farmers, business people – growing numbers of New Zealanders are committed to a passionate love affair with native plants. This collection of 44 personal narratives is sumptuously illustrated by photographs by John Maillard, who travelled from Invercargill to Auckland to bring to life […]
If you want to create a strong statement in your garden then succulents should take centre stage. Their bold architectural form and striking foliage provides year-round interest with the added bonus of vibrant flowers in winter. (Aloe polyphylla flowering) They come in a variety of dramatic shapes and sizes to suit any garden. Their tough, […]
