Healing herbs
Herbs are used for general wellness and long-term health support. With their natural healing properties and wellbeing benefits, here are four medicinal plants and herbs you can grow in your own backyard. Chamomile Popular as an evening tea due to its relaxation and stress-relieving benefits, chamomile is also anti-inflammatory and antispasmodic, making it […]
Behind Christchurch’s best gardens – Green Giant
Owner-led, locally trusted: the craft behind thriving Christchurch gardens. Behind many of Christchurch’s most beautifully planted gardens is horticulturalist Nathan Neath (pictured), a craftsman with deep plant knowledge and over two decades of experience. As the owner of Green Giant Gardens, Nathan brings international expertise including training with the United Kingdom’s Royal Horticultural […]
Water you doing this summer?
As the sun’s heat reaches its summertime high, how will you keep your garden quenched? To satisfy your garden while saving water, try these four tricks. 1. Use mulch Putting mulch around the base of plants in your garden, or even in pots, helps to retain moisture. A variety of organic matter can […]
Blades of glory
As temperatures rise and the treadmill is traded for outdoor wanders, what will your neighbours feel as they stroll past your lawn? Admiration and envy? Pity? If you’re after the former, here’s your spring lawncare guide. Rake and weed: Removing thatch (dead grass, dry vegetation and plant matter) and lifting weeds from your […]
Christmas dinner countdown
Celebrating at home this year and want to showcase your home harvest on the dinner table? Here are four classic crops to plant now – that will prove their worth come the festive season. 1. Pumpkins & squash Tasty and versatile, pumpkins are easy to grow and can look the part in your […]
Plant now, pick later
September and October are key months in the Canterbury gardener’s planting calendar. If you’re after a garden of rainbow colour and a fresh, healthy harvest for summer meals and salads, it’s time to get planting. We’ve rounded up the most popular plants to pop in your garden or sow from seed this spring. […]
Green thumb
With spring comes a whole host of new gardening tasks to tackle. Upcoming workshops and expert speakers answer those thorny gardening questions. 2 SEP: GARDEN LIFE Peter Langlands is one of Aotearoa’s most respected foraging experts with a lifelong passion for the outdoors, and is the guest speaker for the evening rendition of […]
Be prepared! Terra Viva Home and Garden
The original motto of the scout movement started by Robert Baden-Powell applies to most situations in life. For gardeners, preparation is the starting point and key to success – and it’s all about the soil. “The better the soil, the better the results,” says Peter Worsp of the iconic home and garden destination […]
Plant for the planet
Grow and harvest your own garden, plant native, focus on organic gardening practices – from garden to plate, and back again, sustainable living starts in your own backyard. COMPOST A sustainable practice and age-old action in recycling nutrients back into gardens, compost keeps waste circular. Instead of food scraps going into landfill, where […]
Birds of our backyard
Birds act as backyard barometers, indicating the health of the environment surrounding us. How does Canterbury shape up? Thousands of garden birds were counted in last year’s longest running citizen science project, the New Zealand Garden Bird Survey. After months of number-crunching, Manaaki Whenua has released the findings. Across the region, a record […]
