NZ Gardens Trust member and creator of the Urban Jungle, Mark van Kaathoven, presented to the 11^th World Green Infrastructure Conference at the University of Auckland on 4 September.  He talked about his creative use of green waste to reduce landfill, restore healthy soil dynamics and to protect against drought and flood. 

It was nearly Spring, so why not …. 

There is plenty of advice around which tells us when and how to move a plant, which for whatever reason, is in the wrong place. For trees, the big ones – well, best left to experts. But as I’ve discovered, smaller trees/shrubs are fair game for a gardener like me, who struggles ‘placing’ a plant. In other words, for a gardener like me who prevaricates.   

Fortunately much has been written about Jo’s sustainable garden in Central Otago. Her vision has caught international attention, and the garden appears in the acclaimed book ‘Wild: The Naturalistic Garden’ by Noel Kingsbury, with photographs by Claire Takacs.

My name is Tracy Brown and I am the distance coordinator for the NZ Heritage Rose Society. I took this role on in October 2023 as I thought it was a good opportunity to get know other old fashioned rose lovers and learn from those who are much more knowledgeable than me!

Many of us working in the Horticultural and Agricultural sector may carry out our work like it is second nature and come to rely on instincts and experience to carry out our tasks. This can come after years of study, training, hours and hours of trial and error and practical ‘hands-on’ work in the garden and on the land.

Jenny did not install irrigation – doing so just freezes the garden in time and makes plants and gardener dependent on this scarce resource.

The Trust with the Institute has fostered a strong sense of belonging, has enriched our horticultural experiences, we are engaged in a positive and healthy culture and the Trust promotes special friendships and connections… not only that, but the business of gardening heals us, keeps dementia at bay (did you know that) it feeds our souls and raises our spirits so let us now stand, raise our glasses and toast the TRUST’S 20 SUCCESSFUL YEARS to date.

It is easy to think gardening is the most natural wholesome thing in the world as it predominantly involves plants, soil, water and sunshine. However, gardening has a dirty little secret – there is an insidious layer of the unnatural lurking in many gardens. Often times this comes as a legacy from a time when innovation and improvement was prolific and new ways were considered better than the old-fashioned techniques.

Our first rule is nothing leaves the property. We do add material from elsewhere at times but no organic matter leaves the garden.

Summer is showtime at the Lady Norward Rose Garden in Wellington’s Botanic Garden and despite the challenging wet winter and spring which, like many gardens, left this one with much higher than normal soil water levels, the show promises to be gorgeous.

How we deal with what we call our “carbon deposits” during the growing season and how these techniques might help you as gardeners deal with some of the more difficult gardening spots on your properties 5 Min Read

The Te Parapara Garden project is a joint project between Nga Mana Toopu and Hamilton City Council. It extends beyond a physical development to include records of traditional knowledge, interpretive material and ceremonies all focused on the heritage and tikanga associated with the local area.

Like so many things in our hyper connected world, the word “sustainability” is bandied around and applied to almost any human activity whether warranted or not, think greenwashing…….. I would like to outline my thinking on sustainable gardening by firstly asking the question; What does it mean in my context? 5 Min Read

Autumn is a favourite time of year not just for the visual feast of rich colour and those beautiful drawn-out sunsets, but for the prospect of all the organic matter that is about to become available. It is this time of year I start to plan where leaves will live out there second and third lives. 6 Min Read

The RNZIH has just announced that the owner of an NZGT 6star garden, Josie Martin, has been made a Fellow of Royal New Zealand Institute of Horticulture (FRIH). It’s a great honour to receive the FRIH, which is awarded to RNZIH members who have made a significant contribution to horticulture by their activities, interest in, or service to horticulture in New Zealand.