From Michael Coulter January has been a month of real challenges in the garden this Summer with winds, hot days followed by cool days and some rain. Despite this I have had plenty of good growth and fruit to harvest although some plants are running a little later than usual. Much of the work to … Read More
Swan plants are in hot demand this Summer, everyone wants the happiness of watching a caterpillar turning into a beautiful butterfly especially children, there’s something so fascinating about it and not to mention is very educational as well.
The reaction when people see the Gazania Wild series is WOW! We all know and love gazanias for a hot and dry area in gardens or pots, but the huge flower size, and bold clarity of colour in this series is a serious show stopper. This easy-to-grow, hybrid treasure is ideal for pots, borders or … Read More
Christmas Quiz Test your festive knowledge! How do you say Merry Christmas in the following languages? Maori Samoan Dutch Mandarin French
Where were you born and where did you spend most of your childhood? I was born and raised in Christchurch with 2 brothers on a 1/4 acre in Riccarton and a bach my father built at Woodend Beach. My primary school days were spent at Rangi Ruru and my secondary years at Christchurch Girls High. … Read More
From Michael Coulter December is the start of the Summer weather and plants are now well into their rapid growth with many of the Spring-planted crops ready for harvest. Many of the pest and diseases that attack our plants will also begin to appear so we will need to take action to mitigate the damage … Read More
Where were you born and where did you spend most of your childhood? I was born in Brescia, Northern Italy, and grew up there. From the age of about twenty I was studying part time, working and later travelling from Italy to England all the way to New Zealand. Where do you live now? I … Read More
From Michael Coulter Spring weather has at last given us some rain so the top soil now has some good moisture but the sub soil is still dry, this means that we will still have to water our gardens to keep the moisture up where the plants are growing. The warmer temperatures plus humidity from … Read More
Congratulations to all our gardeners whose gardens were a real pleasure to judge this year. Click here for all the award results. (Garden pictured belongs to Ian Foster who won gold in the small garden category)
Where were you born and where did you spend most of your childhood? Born and raised in Christchurch we had a large garden in South Brighton and then again in Hawkesbury Avenue, St Albans ( now called Merivale) which backed onto a nursery which was owned by Case Jorna. At age 11 our family shifted … Read More