Smart planting for healthy bees Why Are Bees Important? Imagine a world without strawberries, kiwifruit, apples, nuts, coffee, chocolate or even denim jeans! And that’s only the beginning. One mouthful in three and nearly ¾ of the diversity of our daily food is directly attributed to Bee pollination. Billions of dollars in NZ export earnings depend … Read More
Michael Coulter’s Top Tasks February is one of the busy months of the gardeners’ year, during this time we are harvesting fruit and vegetables, weeding, watering, Summer pruning fruit trees, dead heading flowers and roses and getting the garden ready for the coming Winter. Tree ripened fruit is for me the real highlight at this … Read More
Where were you born and where did you spend most of your childhood? I was born in Dallington, Christchurch and have lived in that area all my life apart from 3 years living in the UK What aroused your interest in gardening or horticulture? My grandparents and parents have always gardened. At primary school I … Read More
Michael Coulter’s Top Tasks January is the month of many tasks in the garden. To keep plants healthy and in full production it is important to have a regular schedule of work that involves weeding, watering, harvesting and replanting for a continual supply or fruit, vegetables and flowers. It is better to try and have … Read More
A Quiz to get you in the Christmas Spirit! Of all the trees in the wood which one bears the crown? Which tree gives frankincense? What is known as the New Zealand Christmas tree? Which is the traditional Christmas tree? Which tree gives myrrh? Under what did Mummy kiss Santa Claus? On which plant material … Read More
Soon after landing on Norfolk Island we were met by the President and members of the local garden club who put on the friendliest of greetings and a most welcome afternoon tea at the home of Jane Evans (head gardener, Government House). This relaxing time set the tone for our experiences for the remainder of … Read More
US-based Garden Media has been producing garden trend reports for 14 years and the 2015 report makes interesting reading. Gardening was found to go hand in hand with a healthy lifestyle. “People see both outdoor and indoor spaces as extensions of themselves and are making conscious decisions to use plants and garden products as “tools” … Read More
To date we have received eight entries from the following schools: West Melton Primary, St Albans Catholic, Cathedral Grammar, Aidanfield Christian, Shirley Intermediate, Bishopdale, West Spreydon, and Bromley (1). Ideally we’d like a minimum of 10 schools so if any member can suggest another school even at this late stage we’ll follow it up with … Read More
Oderings Plant of the month New for 2014, the colourful foliage tints of Hebe ‘Rhubarb & Custard’ make a big impression in pots and borders, while the pretty pink flowers add extra impact in summer. The leaf colour of many hebes intensifies in winter, but these pink, cream and green leaves are vivid all year. … Read More
Michael Coulter’s Top Tasks Now is a very busy time in the garden. Plant growth is rapid and we need to keep on top of the many tasks that need to be done. The weather has been very changeable with a lot of wind. This means that we will have to keep up the watering … Read More