Gardening

Keen to learn how to prune roses like a pro? Now is the perfect time to get to work. With more than 100 species and counting, the rose is one of the most popular flowers across the globe and mid-winter is the best time to prune them, when the plants are fully dormant, […]

Barking up the right tree are Christchurch arborist experts Ben and Jake. While winter might seem like the quiet season for gardening, they say it’s the perfect window for maintenance. Is an overgrown garden making you want to reach for the pruning shears or chainsaw? Tree pruning or removal without the correct know-how […]

Horticultural expert Nathan Neath from Green Giant Gardens says winter is one of the most important seasons to get your garden in shape. Roses deserve a fresh start Winter is the ideal time to prune roses while they’re dormant. Removing old, damaged growth, treating pests and diseases, and mulching plants encourages strong new […]

Winter is here, which gives us a break from lawnmowing, but there are still plenty of other jobs to do in the garden. Prepare and protect June is a great time to tidy and protect your outdoor space before the coldest winter weather arrives. Clear away fallen leaves, trim dead growth from perennials, […]

Beyond the art, there’s a science to keeping bonsai alive – and beautiful. New Zealand bonsai artist Aaron Curtis sits down with Metropol about the craft behind each branch, and his New Brighton store and café, Shiro Bonsai. Aaron, tell us, how did your career in bonsai begin? I originally started from being […]

Gather your fellow floral enthusiasts for an evening of flowers and art. Join multi-award-winning songstress, Ali Harper, and celebrated florist, Yvette Edwards, alongside many other talented performers and flower growers for Bubbles & Blooms 2026. “There’s something magical about music and flowers together,” says entertainer Ali Harper. “They lift people’s spirits and bring […]

First an orchid species, now a whole new genus – University of Canterbury botanist Professor Pieter Pelser is honoured again as a daisy genus is named after him. Professor Pieter Pelser received the rare honour – one of the highest in taxonomy – in acknowledgement of his decades-long contribution to studying the family […]

A teenage entrepreneur from Christchurch is tackling one of the biggest hidden environmental challenges in New Zealand horticulture: the 350 million single-use plastic plant pots used each year. Elisa Harley is reimagining how we grow, without the plastic. At just 19, she founded Enivo Pots, a startup turning local waste into biodegradable plant […]

Beautiful spring blooms begin in autumn. Yes, it’s March, and it’s hard to get your head around spring daffodils – but the ‘buried treasure’ below the ground waiting to put on a colourful show in several months’ time starts now. Terra Viva’s Peter Worsp offers his spring bulb planting do’s and don’ts. It […]

What to do in your garden after an unseasonably rainy summer. A rain-soaked summer can leave gardens looking lush, leggy, diseased or just a bit confused. If this season felt nothing like a typical Christchurch summer, you’re not imagining it. As autumn approaches, your garden will benefit from a slightly different kind of […]