Recently our Ramblers walk took us along River Road and Banks Avenue. We were all shocked by the devastation that is so obvious there. In the City all is a grey wasteland; here this area is still green and although so many houses are gone, many of the gardens, trees and shrubs remain. Dianna Madgin’s isolated house still stands, with a notice telling you there is a Heritage Garden here among the weeds. What struck me most was the happy relationship of mixed natives and exotics growing side by side. This is what our Council needs to retain in our new city; a blend of both to maintain a balance, bringing back birds and bees while keeping Christchurch as The Garden City.
Happy gardening….Elizabeth