Cover Stories
September 9th - 22nd 2010
Yes, it’s tulip time
To celebrate spring, Esther Paddon shares her
unforgettable trip to the world’s top tulip display.
Connoisseur Keith
Susie Longdell gets tips from a Nelson man
who grows hundreds of different varieties.
Starting tomatoes
Susie Longdell and Rodney Dunn help you choose
seed and get tomatoes off to a good start.
Using nature’s art
Lesley Ingham visits a garden where a destructive
storm has lead to standout sculptures.
DIY: Mini propagator
Mark Rayner shows how to construct a small
unit for seed sowing and rooting tip cuttings.
Beauty in ‘Blue’
Jacqueline Sparrow delights in blue ginger even though she’s not so keen on its name.
Myrtle has merits
Herb specialist Marilyn Wightman gives tips on growing and cooking with the true myrtle.
Propagating Aids
Mark Rayner presents more DIY propagators made with recycled household items.
Savouring spring
Try this rocket and radicchio recipe from the just-released New Zealand Vegetable Cookbook.
Walls: What works
Mark Rayner picks some of his favourite plants for growing on retaining and crib walls.
Dig that garden
Andrew Maloy gives tips on digging in green crops and weeds in readiness for summer veggie planting.
In the edible garden
Our team from around the country gives tips and reports on top crops and tasks.NEXT ISSUE AVAILABLE FROM 23rd September 2010
Manawatu Garden Festival
April 20, 2010 by Susie · Leave a Comment
THE ninth anniversary Manawatu Garden Festival has attracted four landscape design gardens.
Kevin Gillespie, Leonard Wall, Margaret Macleod and Esmae Stroud will present designs for the festival at Manfeild Stadium, Feilding, on May 1 – 2.
The North Island’s biggest dedicated weekend garden show features the Weekend Gardener garden seminars which include Kathy Bills (Landscape design for less garden maintenance), Alan Fielding (How to compost correctly); gardening guru Wally Richards; and Weekend Gardener herbs columnist Marilyn Wightman.
Celebrity chef Astar from TVNZ’s Good Morning show presents How to be fabulous on the small of an oily rag.
Entertainment at the festival includes Feilding High School Wearable Art static display; photographic exhibition; interior design complemented with floral art, schools calico drawing competition, What’s at the bottom of the garden, and lawn mower racing.
The festival, which has a United Travel South Island tour prize draw, is open 9am-4pm each day. www.gardenfest.co.nz
PROGRAMME 2010
Saturday, 1 May
10am Celebrity chef – Astar – How to be fabulous on the smell of an oily rag.
11am Weekend Gardener seminar – Kathy Bills, BRP (Hon) MRP, demonstration on Landscape Design for less garden maintenance.
11am First lawnmower racing race.
11.30am Feilding Little Theatre Nunsense musical bracket from their upcoming production.
1pm Weekend Gardener seminar – Alan Fielding, international lecturer How to compost correctly.
2pm Celebrity chef – Astar – How to be fabulous on the smell of an oily rag.
3pm Weekend Gardener seminar – Wally Richards – Manawatu gardening guru / journalist.
Sunday, 2 May
10.00am Celebrity Chef – Astar – How to be fabulous on the smell of an oily rag.
11.00am Weekend Gardner seminar – Marilyn Whiteman, herbalist and Weekend Gardener columnist Growing Herbs – from a 25 years perspective.
11.00 am First lawnmower racing race.
11.30am Feilding Little Theatre Nunsense musical bracket from the upcoming production.
1pm Weekend Gardener seminar – Kathy Bills BRP (Hon) MRP, demonstration on Landscape design for less garden maintenance.
2pm Celebrity Chef – Astar – How to be fabulous on the smell of an oily rag.
3pm Weekend Gardener seminar – Alan Fielding international lecturer, How to compost correctly.
Gardening Flourishes in Tough Times
May 23, 2009 by Susie · Leave a Comment
In these hard economic times it’s great to see gardening is flourishing.
Gardening has always been a favourite New Zealand pastime but the present boom – born out of a desire for clean green food and the adverse financial times – is happening in schools, community allotments, small courtyard plots and big acre gardens alike.
It’s ‘cool’ today to grow your own veggies, fruit and herbs; they taste better and it certainly helps the budget. Gardening is also therapeutic and provides comradeship in the sharing of endeavours. This is all being rediscovered by a ‘lost generation’ of new gardeners. Children and their parents are learning peas and corn don’t have to come in a frozen pack but can be grown in the smallest garden.
And despite the gloomy economic times, people have flocked to two gardening shows this year – first Ellerslie International Flower Show in the south and now Manawatu Garden Festival in Feilding.
This month, Feilding, the proud town consistently voted New Zealand’s most beautiful (largely thanks to a caring community with a passion for beautiful civic gardens) delivered its seventh annual festival in Manfield Park’s new indoor stadium, taking the North Island’s premiere 100% garden show to another level. The decision to go to the new stadium was expensive but bold and positive. The show was a huge success – and much celebrated by gardeners.
To attract record visitor numbers and stage a high quality show in such times is a credit to the festival organisers. To produce the event in a small rural town and attract gardeners from far afield at the onset of winter is no mean feat.
And its all for charity.
Quarterly Magazines
Our new special edition “Growing Edibles” is out now.
Full of tips and know-how plus inspirational examples of sustainable vegetable, fruit and herb gardens.
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