How to design a small garden with NZ native plants
A practical guide to planning & planting a small native garden, with planting combinations and tips
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Articles—
Guides
May Gardening Guide | Weeding, feeding & protecting
May is a last chance to give the garden a good tidy up before temperatures plummet – lots of weeding, feeding and protecting. It's also the last chance to get your spring bulbs in, and a great time to plant veggies for spring harvest in the veggie patch.
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Cecelia Fox | On floral design, Ikebana & breaking rules
Florist and author of Pretty Dirty, Melanie Cecilia Stapleton, shares her creative approach to floral design.
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Autumn seed sowing guide | Vegetables & flowers to sow in autumn
Seed sowing is one of the most important jobs in the autumn garden. It’s time to sow winter vegetables and hardy annual flowers. This autumn seed sowing guide outlines what to sow in your autumn garden and the methods you can use to guarantee successful germination.
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Thinking about beekeeping? | 5 things to consider before you begin
Cedar & Stuart Anderson, of Flow Hive, highlight the necessary steps to take before you start your journey into beekeeping.
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February Gardening Guide | Late summer gardening
February is still an exciting and rewarding time for harvesting your summer edibles. Now's the time to start clearing out some of the overgrown jungle that was your summer crop, giving your veggie garden some space to get growing its autumn and winter crops. You can even start thinking about planting your spring bulbs!
The ultimate guide to watering your houseplants
Tammy Huynh, a qualified horticulturist and passionate plant woman, shares this comprehensive guide to watering houseplants.
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Last minute gifts for gardeners: Gift guide for your favourite green thumb
We’ve curated a list of the best gifts for your green-thumbed friends and family members (or perhaps a wee treat for yourself!).
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December Gardening Guide | Summer Gardening
Your edible garden will be starting to overflow, with summer harvests readying. Watering will become essential for those with vegetable gardens, young plants, grass that you want to keep green and especially for your potted plants.
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Maximising your garden | Springtime succession sowing, companion plants & vertical gardening
How to maximise your vegetable garden in the final month of spring for abundant summer harvesting...
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November gardening guide | Feeding, sowing & planting summer crops
Feeding, sowing & planting. What to do & plant in your garden in November.
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How to raise a family on homegrown food
Abylene Chalmers became proficient in growing organic food and shares steps on planning a garden that can feed your family.
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Floral abundance | How Canterbury gardener Kate Williams creates her flower field each season
Canterbury gardener & floral workshop host shares with us how she prepares her large flower field and what she plants in it.
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How to feed your soil & plants in spring | Liquid fertilisers & amendments
Spring is a great time to feed up your soil and plants. Organic matter feeds the soil, while liquid fertilisers feed the plants. Learn how...
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Planting out your summer seedlings | Labour weekend gardening
Labour Weekend means it's finally time (for most regions) to plant out your summer vegetables and flower seedlings. Here's how...
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A guide for spring disease prevention & management | What to do about powdery mildew, rust & black spot
The combination of rain and moisture, mixed with warmth and high humidity in spring is the ultimate recipe for fungal diseases. Find out how to prevent and manage fungal diseases through spring.
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10 border plants to add to your garden this spring
A selection of reliable front-border plants to fill the gaps in your spring garden + what to pair them with.
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October gardening guide | Feeding, sowing & planting in your mid-spring garden
Feeding, sowing & planting in mid spring. What to do & plant in your garden in October.
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What is a food forest?
Angela Clifford and Nick Gill from The Food Farm in North Canterbury talk us through what a food farm is, and how they set up their food forest layers.
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5 blossoming trees to add to your garden for spring
If planting trees is on your garden to-do list and you’re looking for the best blossomers, here is a selection of trees that will provide early season interest with their blossoms, as well as year-round interest.
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Sowing summer annual flowers & edible succession sowing | Spring gardening
You may be tempted to jump ahead and begin planting your flower seedlings. But it's important to know which ornamentals can be planted in the garden now, and which need to be withheld…
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The spring overview | Spring gardening guide
Feeding, sowing & planting. What to do & plant in your garden in spring.
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Pruning hydrangeas | When & how to cut back different varieties
A guide for how and when to prune the different types of hydrangeas.
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Wintering well | Growing flowers, herbs & bulbs indoors during winter
As well as embracing a brisk morning wander to look for signs of life in the tulip bed, ‘wintering’ involves bringing the outside in, so we can pay attention and enjoy it up close.
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August Gardening Guide | Winter Gardening
Spring is on it’s way! Though we’re not there yet. Late winter storms still work hard for us in the garden - the heavy rains are cleaning up unwelcome insect life around the garden, the winds are removing dead debris and leaves from trees and tidying the garden. Nature is at work.
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A simple guide to soil mixes & amendments
A guide for understanding your options and discovering the most effective soil mixes and amendments for your garden.
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Planting & underplanting fruit trees and passionfruit care | Mid winter edible gardening
Quick tips for planting + underplanting your fruit trees & passionfruit care in winter.
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July Gardening Guide | Winter Gardening
Before the end of this month, get your fruit and deciduous trees and roses planted, get your strawberries in, and start preparing your soil for planting your spring vegetables.
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Winter strawberry guide | Growing & propagating your patch
The winter care guide for strawberries: How to grow, care for & propagate strawberries
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