Family Silver
Honorary Member, Neiel Drain gives wonderful insight into the commitment and dedication of many past, and present members, and their contribution to the Society’s various flower shows and garden competitions over many decades.
From the Board
Saving a Life
I am not a horticulturalist, nor am I an avid gardener. I have, however, dabbled in gardening both indoors and outdoors with pot plants and the traditional veggie patch sticking to the easy stuff like potatoes, tomatoes, silver beet, carrots, cabbages, lettuces etc. I must admit there’s always been a great sense of satisfaction as … Read More
Beauty in the Wild
I was born and bred in Rochdale, an industrial town in Lancashire on the outskirts of Manchester nestled under the nearby Pennines. Like Christchurch it suffered from chronic air pollution as its natural tendency to winter inversion layers laden with dirty smoke from “those dark, satanic mills”. Despite this my curiosity to know what was … Read More
Providing Community Leadership
“Demonstration gardens” is one of four key CHS strategies. It will require committed and ongoing leadership from the Society and its members. Of necessity it will create an interface with community groups and local authorities and it potentially could become a rich source of new members. The strategy has parallels with the “Britain in Bloom” … Read More
From the President – June 2014
How lucky our members are with the number and quality of events our volunteers are giving their time and energy to organize. In the last month we have had the first of our new Speaker Series with Professor Dave Kelly giving a fascinating power point presentation on how our native birds and native plants rely … Read More
Our Changing Direction
In a recent newsletter I outlined the Society’s changing strategic direction. Articulating a strategic vision is relatively easy. Achieving it is, however, a tad more difficult.
From the Manager – May 2014
Sharing the enjoyment and knowledge of gardening with others is a major aim of the Society. This message was reinforced recently by Vice President Alan Jolliffe in his comments to the Edible Garden Awards functions for Lyttleton-Mt Herbert and Shirley-Papanui recipients. A common denominator in that enjoyment is appreciating the sheer beauty that Mother Nature … Read More
From the President – May 2014
Easter, Anzac Day and the Chrysanthemum Show will all be over by the time this goes to print. I hope you celebrated and enjoyed them in your own way. My husband, Denis and I joined the Misty Mountains Tour to Doubtful Sound with Gail Scrivener and 12 others. A magical trip with so many highlights, … Read More
From the President – April 2014
This year at Ellerslie has been our best effort yet, with Gold for the display and a gold lighting award for Grandad’s Shed. A huge thank you and congratulations from all of us to Annette Hill, Ray King and husbands Richard and Peter, and to Michael and Susan Coulter who were responsible for such a … Read More
Alhambra Gardens
With the help of Landscape Architect Robert Watson and the Life in Vacant Space Trust we have secured the use of a site on the corner of Armagh and New Regent Street for an unspecified period of time. We have received funding support from the City Council’s Central City Recovery Unit for a Spanish-themed garden … Read More