Welcome to 2015. The Board face many challenges this year as we strive to provide value and excellence in horticulture for our members. There are many hard decisions to be made for the future growth of our Society and we ask for whole-hearted support from you all as we face some very exciting changes, beginning … 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
For this years A&P show the CHS invited members of the public to share a cuppa and a question with our best Garden Gurus. Dave Adams, Carole Anderton, Michael Coulter, Freda Hunter, Alan Jolliffe, Athol McCully, Alan Paterson and Rachel Vogan fielded a range of gnarly horticultural and gardening questions over the 3 days of … Read More
Late spring and lunch on the deck is just great. Gardens are colourful, birds are singing and the holiday seasons is almost upon us. Looking back it has been a good year but it seems they get shorter each year! Time to think about next year and what we can do to make Christchurch a … Read More
CHS Manager Tony Kunowski was invited to contribute the following article to the November issue of Metropol An old joke said “Keep New Zealand Green. Don’t tell the Kiwis anything!” More recently there has been vigorous debate nationwide, mainly inspired by our polluted waterways, on just how green NZ is and the validity of our … Read More
The most exciting release for 2014 is a world first and Oderings’ own exclusive black petunia named ‘Dark Heart’. It has very large, near-black flowers, which at times have undertones of a deep purple hue. In the trials, it had a mounding habit but did not really cascade. ‘Dark Heart’ is unique and will be … Read More
Test your geographical knowledge & name the pass! 1. Hanmer to St Arnaud 2. Springfield to Castle Hill 3. Omarama to Tarras 4. Engineers Corner to Springs Junction 5. Thorrington to Diamond Harbour