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 […]
Garden bedtime
As the horticulturalist’s saying goes, it’s time to put your vegetable garden to bed for winter. Essentially, this means to let your garden rest – which is a common practice in Christchurch due to our cooler climate. Doing so achieves stronger soil structure and rejuvenation through microbial activity, for better growing when warm […]
Time to thrive
Rich in nutrients and fully bio-degradable, wool is one of the most valuable organic materials in enhancing plant growth and soil. Wool acts as a slow-release fertiliser and alternative to mulch, provides natural pest control, mitigates frost, and is a renewable resource – need we say more? Packed with nitrogen, phosphorus, calcium, iron, […]
Autumnal glory
Having colour in your garden all year round involves both planning and planting. Ideally, trees and shrubs should be decided on when first landscaping, however flowers can be planted seasonally to add colour throughout the year. Autumn is thought of by many as a time when plants are shutting down for the winter, […]
