Locus Pacis | The practice of peace
Charlotte and Jason, owners of landscape design and construction business Espaso Verde, have named their garden, Locus Pacis – meaning the practice of peace.
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Articles—
Aotearoa NZ
Stewarding the land | Wānaka’s regenerative market garden
A novice grower turned market gardener, Caitlin Ovenden’s Wild Things
Wānaka is a family-run farm that focuses on regenerative practices.
Her varied produce is sought after by locals through The Farm Shop, and
also features on restaurant plates across the region.
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A garden made for movement
When architect Aaron Paterson and his wife Kate renovated their Auckland villa, reworking the garden was always in the plan. Together with landscape designer Xanthe White, they shaped an abundant, accessible space – designed with wheelchair movement in mind – that prioritises colour, flow and connection to the house.
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Restoring a cottage garden on the edge of a Marlborough vineyard
A revived 1920's Blenheim garden, reworked into a productive space for growing flowers and vegetables and enjoying life in the outdoors.
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A New Zealand coastline, reimagined in Shenzhen
The award-winning garden Ocean's Edge was proudly featured among a small collection of internationally designed gardens at the 2026 Shenzhen Greater Bay Area Flower Show in China.
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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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The hidden kingdom that keeps our planet alive | The Secret Life of Fungi
Insight into Aotearoa’s remarkable fungi and their vital role in sustaining the planet, by author and fungi photographer Jay Lichter.
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Farnworth Farm | An English garden set in rural Hawke’s Bay
Just outside Havelock North, with views to Te Mata Peak, Farnworth Farm is a working property where organic garden and farmland are being shaped together. Under head gardener Carla Pick, the garden is a gradually evolving landscape.
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Maximising sunshine & space | The pocket garden in Point Chevalier
This Auckland garden embraces the home’s sunniest corner. Compact yet considered, it is a place to pause and unwind but also meets the homeowner's practical needs.
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Paradise Botanica | A garden that rebuilt a life
Victoria Chammanee’s 'Paradise Botanica' garden is now open to the public through Secret Gardens. Once a site dominated by kikuyu and concrete, it’s now a biodiverse sanctuary. Victoria tells us about her approach to gardening, the work required to reshape her site, and how it quite literally helped to rebuild her life.
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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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The anatomy of a kōwhai flower & how it unfolds for bird pollination
Kōwhai is regarded by many as New Zealand’s unofficial national flower, providing abundant nectar for some of our most-loved native birds.
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Waxgills Gliophorus | A hidden world of New Zealand fungi
Waxgills Gliophorus fungi – some of the breathtaking, often overlooked New Zealand fungi.
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Finding balance | Thirty years of change at Whistling Green
Located in Hillcrest, Auckland, this garden blends Aotearoa and Asian influences – evolving and transforming since Wayne and Rama first bought the property in the early 1990s.
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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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A timeless Christchurch garden designed for picking & pleasure
Henry Blakely Landscapes designed this Christchurch garden to reflects the homeowner’s love of plants and her wish to gather flowers for her home.
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A painter’s palette | A garden of gentle colour at The Blue House
Illustrator Jenny Cooper has shaped a soft, expressive garden around her home – The Blue House – in North Canterbury. A story told in partnership with Resene.
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A woodland-inspired coastal garden in Takapuna
This Takapuna property balances open lawn, coastal resilience and layered planting to create a calm, textural space for family life.
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The enduring garden at The Elms | Te Papa Tauranga
The fertile land at Te Papa Tauranga has been cultivated for centuries – not least, The Elms Heritage Garden.
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A quaint historic cottage garden in Ophir
Complete with cosy charm and gorgeous garden views, Ryan’s Cottage in Ophir, NZ is the perfect accommodation for your next getaway.
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A new crop | How a Marlborough farming family blends cut flower & traditional farming
Jo Ensor is blending family life, heritage and a love of horticulture as she transforms part of her Marlborough farm into a thriving cut flower garden — and builds her business, Tyntesfield Blooms.
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A mid-century garden in Ōtūmoetai with its own gin garden
A family garden designed to bring everyday joy, complete with a ‘Gin Garden’ filled with herbs and edible flowers, perfect for dressing up your summer drinks.
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Restoring Kaikōmako | The garden that sparked the Secret Gardens garden-share platform
Jane Mahoney shares the story behind Kaikōmako — her ten-year garden project in Corsair Bay, Canterbury, and the beginnings of Secret Gardens.
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A textural garden that connects work, life & landscape in rural Christchurch
A modern country garden just outside Christchurch, this low-maintenance landscape blends soft grasses, seasonal texture and functional outdoor spaces to create a relaxed, lived-in connection to its rural setting.
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Bringing order to chaos | A professional garden designer’s own garden
Garden designer Carolyn Campbell transformed a once-overgrown Tawa hillside into a layered, living artwork. A story told in partnership with Resene.
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A garden retreat on the Kāpiti Coast with a touch of European influence
This outdoor space is inspired by the homeowners past roots in Europe, and was designed and built for their return to New Zealand.
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The Remuera garden with coastal planting & floating ‘lily pad’ decks
Overlooking an estuary in Remuera, this garden design connects the home to its surroundings with floating circular ‘lily pad’ decks and coastal planting. Inspired by the tidal landscape, the design creates a peaceful retreat while supporting a thriving ecosystem.
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Pottering about the potager | A Waimate cottage garden
Nicola Blunt tends to both her 'zen' and potager gardens in Waimate, South Canterbury. A story told in partnership with Resene.
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‘Tussock’ | Landscape architect Louise Dunning Morrow’s Marlborough family garden
A conversation and home garden tour with landscape architect Louise Dunning Morrow on designing gardens that inspire — from Marlborough to the world.
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Designed for the elements | A resilient coastal garden on Raumati Beach
In Raumati Beach, this garden has transformed from a quaint bach into a stunning coastal space, showcasing landscape architecture by Mark Newdick.
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