Mauri tū! Mauri ora!

New Zealand Garden Trust gardens are the pinnacle of New Zealand horticultural expertise. The gardens pioneer designs and ideas which filter through to create trends in private gardens both within New Zealand and beyond. The species we showcase and the plant communities we create others aspire to. Our gardens are role-models. As we increasingly focus on climate resilience and environmental sustainability, we encompass Beth Chatto’s right plant, right place, reducing inputs of water and chemicals while improving plant health. On the surface this is positive; but herein lies a dichotomy: exotic species which thrive in Aotearoa without human intervention have a higher risk of invading wild ecosystems. Our good faith efforts to increase garden resilience may result in the obverse for the wider environment. This leads me to question whether the English phrase which has guided our gardening for over sixty years is still appropriate for New Zealand. I would like to suggest a more nuanced kaupapa; one which recognises the impact our garden plant choices can have on fragile endemic ecosystems.

The New Zealand Gardens Trust is delighted to announce Terrace Station at Hororata as the very first member of our new Collections category.

The British Library at Kings Cross, London recently held an unusual exhibition in its exhibit rooms, about the transformative power of gardening.

As the Trust announced in April at the annual conference in Auckland, we are now ready to launch the Earth Star initiative. You might recall that this came about as a way for members to engage in environmentally sustainable practices in your gardens. The award of an ‘Earth Star’ will be made if you meet the target points as set by the Trust.

But why do we conference?  It’s no small thing to step away from normal life for four days, leaving homes, work, family (and gardens ). It doesn’t matter where we are in our gardening journey, how old or young we are, or what we believe outside the garden – for those four days, we get to be absolutely unashamedly garden-loving-geeks. We are connected by a simple love of growing. 

We often say that it all started with just one flower, and that flower was planted, of all places, in the vegetable garden. At the time, we felt a bit cheeky about it. Steph even asked permission (a rare moment!) to sneak that single bloom into the raised veg beds. And so it began.

As I scroll through my Instagram feed, the Chelsea Flower Show takes over right now. Frothy, wild-style plantings spill across my screen, nestled in artfully placed boulders and bordered by natural stone crazy paving (yes, it’s back). At a glance, these gardens appear to be in harmony with nature. But the irony isn’t lost on me: these ephemeral creations, built at great environmental cost, are some of the least sustainable landscapes around.

An odd heading so please bear with me! One of the most essential elements if not THE principal element I consider when planning a new bed, a new garden, or the renovation of an existing one is the place.  The genius loci.

I thought it would be timely to write about two lesser-known plants which are most suited to hot dry situations. I have grown both in my gravel garden for about thirty years.

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