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The Jay Street community garden in Newlands celebrated its first anniversary in December and volunteers are already eating the fruits of their labours.

Thanks to the efforts of these local enthusiasts, a large grass field full of dock weed at the end of Jay Street, behind Newlands College, has been turned into a productive garden. There are now 30 raised beds full of vegetables, fruit trees, berries and a native plant nursery.

Jay Street is one of 31 community gardens and orchards in the city. Nine of these have leases or agreements with the Council, another 18 gardens are part of Council housing complexes, with other community gardens on private land. Apart from Jay Street, other gardens include the Island Bay and Berhampore community orchard.

The Jay Street community garden is on a 1,500 sq m site that had been destined for the Council's for-sale list until Charmaine Meyers and Peter Gilberd asked to establish a community garden and nursery. Charmaine says Council support has been critical - providing advice, materials and land.

The Jay Street gardeners also have a lot of support from other community groups, including the Glenside Streamcare group, which donated a shade house, and the Ngā Hau e Whā o Paparārangi Marae planting group, which is contributing plants to the nursery. Anyone is welcome to come along to the working bees at the garden.

Meanwhile, Innermost City Gardens in Mount Victoria has plans to expand. The group, which uses a large former bowling club site, has just received an $8,500 environmental grant from the Council to extend their edible garden. They are also running a local permaculture design course starting next month. Project coordinator Sarah Adams says they aim to get more local organisations active in the gardens.

City Housing community gardens are available for all our tenants who are interested in growing produce and plants. "Our Community Action programme aims to encourage tenants to get involved with the community gardens," says Senior Community Advisor Jo Burleigh.

"It's an active, creative and healthy activity and a great way to get to know your neighbours and connect with the wider Wellington garden community."

Jo says tenant gardeners are offered support and training throughout the year, including field trips and workshops. Gardeners have shared their knowledge by hosting free food foraging trips, planting and cooking demonstrations, and by helping City Housing draft guidelines for community garden use.

We're keen to support more community gardens in the city. For more information, phone Senior Park Ranger Steven Peters on (04) 499 4444 or visit:

Community Gardens

To find out about City Housing gardens, phone Senior Community Advisor Jo Burleigh on (04) 803 8790.

To contact the Jay Street community garden, email info@ncg.org.nz

To contact Innermost Garden, email expressionofinnermost@gmail.com

Crowd favourite Ben Hoyle has revealed details around his highly anticipated garden being showcased at this year’s Ellerslie International Flower Show.

Hoyle, who won last year’s Yate’s People’s Choice Award, has titled his latest garden A French Kiss in Akaroa.  The exhibition garden is inspired by the history and influence of the early French settlers during the 1800’s in the Banks Peninsula region.

He describes the garden as “delicately intricate”, with a spiralling rata vine motif on a massive black water canvas.

“While being technically challenging the floating parterre (a formal garden construction) should be breathtakingly beautiful.  The meandering vine symbolises the very nature of those early settlers journey and provides a unique walkway to the sunken ‘lounge pit’, where one can relax below the waterline.”

Hoyle says the biggest challenge is getting the two distinctly different gardening styles, from France and New Zealand, to work successfully together.  French gardens are typically revolved around a concept of controlling nature with formality and order, while the New Zealand planting style is more natural.

“This landscape won’t set out to be authentically French, but rather express a modern hybrid of these two very different cultural interactions.”

Hoyle’s garden, as in previous years, is typically theatrical but will also have some inspired ideas for home gardeners.  There will be an assortment of new release plants, mixed with traditional favourites.

He will be onsite during the show, being held in North Hagley Park from 6 – 10 March, to talk to fellow gardeners and catch up with visitors.

“I have been coming to Ellerslie since 1998 and love getting to chat to the gardening enthusiasts that come to the show every year.  It’s great to share experiences with them and be energised by their enthusiasm.”

Follow Ellerslie International Flower Show on Facebook

Discounted tickets at Early Bird prices are available until midnight on 14 February 2013 from the website www.ellerslieflowershow.co.nz, all open Christchurch City Council Service Centres, Mitre 10 Mega Stores in Christchurch, Ashburton and Timaru, Terra Viva and Nichols Garden Centres.

Christchurch's magnificent grand old trees have inspired a trio of multi-award winning British designers to design a second conceptual garden for the 2013 Ellerslie International Flower Show.

The Sometimes you need to see what’s above you garden by Britain’s Garden Designer of the Year Andrew Fisher Tomlin, emerging garden designer Tom Harfleet and his artist brother Paul, aims “to get people up close and personal with a tree”.

They say the garden complements their other conceptual garden, Sometimes you need to see what’s behind you, which asks the viewer to celebrate the beauty of a tree by taking the traditional outward focussed tree seat and turning it inwards.

Fisher Tomlin says their second garden will focus on a single tree. “We will hang nine two-metre long periscopes from the tree, allowing people of all heights to look into the tree and see what is growing above us.

“Conceptual gardens are about ideas and provoking thought; whether people love them or hate them is of almost no consequence. What is important is that there are places where people, not just garden designers, can use the medium of gardens to express and explore ideas.”

Fisher Tomlin, who will also be the Convenor of Judges at this year’s Ellerslie show, has won awards for his work throughout the United Kingdom and internationally, while Tom Harfleet, working with his brother, won Gold and Best Conceptual Garden at Hampton Court in 2010 for his first exhibition, the Pansy Project garden. Tom also won silver gilt in 2011 for his Philips-sponsored Bright Idea garden.

The trio say they intend to donate the periscopes to a local school, leaving a legacy of Ellerslie in Christchurch and they plan to re-create the garden at other shows throughout the world. “There has been a lot of interest in having a similar garden at a show in Sweden and we’re exploring other options within the United Kingdom.

“There is tremendous scope with conceptual gardens to re-create a simple idea in a multitude of settings and achieve a multitude of responses – that is the true beauty of conceptual gardens.”

The 2013 Ellerslie International Flower Show will be held in North Hagley Park from 6 to 10 March.

Two gold award-winning gardens from the 2012 Ellerslie International Flower Show have begun to grow in the Garden City.

During the last month, plants and key features from the joint Council/City Care garden Urban Active and Landcare Research’s Transitions garden have been planted in the Central City.

The Council/City Care’s garden, with its perennial borders, bright-coloured plants and textured foliage, has been used to landscape the entrance to the new high-technology Enterprise Precinct and Innovation Campus (EPIC) in Manchester Street, which was officially opened today (Thursday 22 November).

The Council has also provided the land rent-free for five years for the campus which creates a focal point for technology industry back in the Central City.

Landcare’s Transitions garden is starting to flourish outside the new Rebuild Central premises at 36 Lichfield Street. The garden showcases some of the possibilities for a greener Central City, as Christchurch residents asked for through Share an Idea.

“It is fitting that this garden is located outside Rebuild Central, the new dedicated service to help get property owners and businesses started with redeveloping or relocating to the Central City,” says the Council Urban Design and Regeneration Manager Carolyn Ingles.

“Both gardens have been funded as part of the Council’s Transitional City projects which bring life, people and business back to the heart of Christchurch.”

A trio of multi-award winning British designers will create the Ellerslie International Flower Show’s first conceptual garden at next year’s event.

Their Sometimes you need to see what’s behind you garden at Ellerslie is the first competition garden the designers, Britain’s Garden Designer of the Year Andrew Fisher Tomlin, emerging garden designer Tom Harfleet and his artist brother Paul have created outside Britain.

They say the garden will “really challenge” visitors to the 2013 Ellerslie International Flower Show, making them think about their landscape and how they respond to it.

Fisher Tomlin, who will also be the Convenor of Judges next year’s Show, has won awards for his work throughout the United Kingdom and internationally, while Tom Harfleet, working with his brother, won Gold and Best Conceptual Garden at Hampton Court in 2010 for his first exhibition, the Pansy Project garden. Tom also won Silver Gilt in 2011 for his Philips-sponsored Bright Idea garden.

“Visitors tend to have quite individual responses to my gardens; they either don’t get it and walk away angrily or they become quite emotional,” Tom says.

Fisher Tomlin says conceptual gardens allow a designer to use gardens to communicate a different message from the traditional idea of gardens purely for gardening. “They aim to provoke thought and deliver an alternative view through the medium of plants and gardens.

“A number of European shows dedicate a part of their exhibits to this unique form of expression already.”
Sometimes you need to see what’s behind you aims to provoke thought and consideration of what a garden might do. They say it is not a garden in the traditional sense and follows a recent European trend towards using gardens as expressions of ideas.

“In this conceptual garden, we aim to turn our relationship with trees on its head with a simple idea. Instead of looking at the wider view from the tree, the visitor is asked to celebrate the beauty of the individual tree itself.

“By taking the traditional outward focused tree seat and turning it inwards, the visitor is encouraged to see what is usually behind them,” they say.

The trio are excited about the garden and say it is a privilege to be exhibiting at Ellerslie.

The 2013 Ellerslie International Flower Show will be held in North Hagley Park from 6 to 10 March.

Back due to popular demand, the free Daltons School of Gardening workshop series are up and running. 

This month’s workshop is the second in the series and will be held at a new location at Bunnings Warehouse Manukau, 55 Lambie Drive Manukau - look-out for the new Daltons Truck.  Hosted by award winning landscape designer and TV personality Xanthe White, these hands-on practical workshops are perfect for gardeners at any level, and are packed full of helpful tips and techniques.

In this month’s workshop, Xanthe will be showing attendees techniques on pricking out and transplanting seedlings.  “Pricking out” or “thinning out” is selecting and removing new seedlings from their original containers and transplanting them to a new one for growth, and is an important step to give seedlings the best start.  The Daltons School of Gardening workshops are a wonderful opportunity to come together to learn the art of gardening, and share your experiences with other budding gardeners.

For more information on Daltons School of Gardening go to www.daltons.co.nz and sign up for the newsletter to get the latest news and events.

This summer the British Council is launching its Edible Garden Project in association with Auckland Council.  The idea is to create vegetable gardens in urban environments within the city, to both sustainably make use of organic waste and to showcase the possibilities for implementing urban closed loop permaculture systems in environments where there may not be access to grass or gardens.

Two gardens have already been set up in Central Auckland, one at Co-Space in K Road where waste from cafes and working spaces are being put to good horticultural use, with the aim to provide fresh greens for the community come summertime. The other showcase prototype is at The Kitchen in Ponsonby, where the workspace balcony has been put to good use, utilizing the existing water and waste system to add planter boxes to the balcony. The boxes have been planted with edible greens for office lunches and upcoming summer events.

Aucklanders can also get involved in the Edible Garden project. The British Council is running a competition to find garden ideas within the city urban areas that integrate closed loop or efficient resource-use systems. These gardens can be simple or complex:  the important elements are design, permaculture systems integration and potential for community activation or involvement – so get planting!

“We want to find urban gardens that demonstrate further thinking about food growing, innovative techniques in waste and resource management, and a desire to think outside the box!” says British Council project manager Gareth Farry.

Interested participants should register at news@britishcouncil.org.nz with “Edible Garden Competition” in the subject line.

Entries will close 31st January 2013, with the winner announced at a special event to be hosted by UK Edible Garden expert Fabio Santos. The winner gets a return trip to the UK with the opportunity to see first-hand some of great UK edible gardens and enjoy the festival fun.

http://piyn.net/news/phakama-edible-gardens/

Britain’s Garden Designer of the Year Andrew Fisher Tomlin returns to the Ellerslie International Flower Show in 2013 as the Convenor of Judges.

Fisher Tomlin, who judged at the first Show in Christchurch in 2009, says he is excited about returning to New Zealand and judging again at what he believes is “one of the best flower shows in the world”.

He says judging at the first Ellerslie International Flower Show in Christchurch was “like a breath of fresh air because there was a feeling that anything was possible, regardless of budget, experience or ingenuity”.

“In fact, I saw a lot of ingenuity proving that you don’t need big bucks to make a huge impression.”
Fisher Tomlin, who has just been named Garden Designer of the Year at Britain’s New Homes Gardens Awards, has impeccable credentials. He sits on the selection panel for the Royal Horticultural Society’s Chelsea Flower Show and other RHS shows, as well as being an assessor and judge for the events.

He is a director of the London College of Garden Design, which has launched the careers of many well-known designers and mentored the likes of Jo Thompson, who won Best in Show at Chelsea in 2010.

His company, Fisher Tomlin & Bowyer, works throughout the world. He is currently working on private residences and public parks in the United Kingdom, France, Sweden, the Caribbean and Russia, and consulted on the wetlands development for the London 2012 Olympic Athletes’ Village.

Fisher Tomlin is a firm believer in new designers leading the way and is hoping to see new ideas and new designers, and an unexpected take on what a garden should be at next year’s Ellerslie International Flower Show.

“What I want to see is the things where visitors say: ‘I never expected that, but I could do it at home’.

“Garden shows should be about inspiring visitors and the next generation of garden professionals,” he says.

“What I will be looking for in good design is the big idea. What is the exhibitor trying to tell me here?

Simplicity of message and an understanding of core design values, such as balance, continuity and focus is important, but so is quality of material finish and horticultural excellence.”

Fisher Tomlin says he is looking forward to returning to New Zealand, renewing friendships and sharing his passion for the international language of plants: “I have seriously never felt so welcome to a place as I did to Christchurch.

“I’m also hoping to claim from the Christchurch garden it’s sitting in the old electrical transformer I was given that was a feature on one of the gardens at the first show.”

The 2013 Ellerslie International Flower Show will be held in North Hagley Park from 6 to 10 March.

Hutt City Council is offering residents free advice on how to set up and maintain a vegetable garden and compost area.

The ‘green gardener’ service is a trial, and council will be assessing whether there is sufficient demand from residents to make it a permanent service.Environmental Sustainability Manager Jez Partridge says the green gardener will visit people in their homes, and talk them through how they can grow veges and compost kitchen and garden waste. A sketch plan of their garden will be created showing the best places to locate a vege garden and composting area.

“More and more people are wanting to give vege gardening a go, but not everyone knows where to start,” says Jez.

“The green gardener will provide the confidence and advice required to get started.

”If you’re interested in receiving a visit from the green gardener, contact council on 570 6666.

Labour Weekend is often a busy time for gardeners. Christchurch City Council is encouraging green-fingered residents to think about saving water when they’re buying and planting this long weekend.

Acting City Water and Waste Manager Tim Joyce says water restrictions appear unlikely this summer and sensible water use is one of the best ways to keep it this way.

“We’re asking residents to keep up the great effort made last summer and to water wisely. If you’re visiting a garden centre this weekend, think about water needs when you’re selecting plants and look at getting some mulch to keep plants cool and moist in the coming summer months.”

Tim Joyce says while the water supply situation has significantly improved since last year, the Council will continue to monitor this and the state of the network. The usual summer water restrictions will apply in Akaroa.

Earthquake damage to water-supply systems meant the Council had to impose city-wide water restrictions last summer. For four months, residents could only use hoses to water their gardens on three days of the week and could not use sprinklers or garden irrigation systems at all.

“Our infrastructure is in a much better state than it was this time last year. This is thanks to lots of hard work over the last 12 months replacing damaged reservoirs, pump stations, wells and pipes, but there’s still some way to go,”  says Tim Joyce.

Water saving tips for gardeners

•  Spreading a layer of organic mulch around plants keeps your garden cool and moist and saves water, time and money.
•  Water the garden at cooler times of the day, in the morning or evening, to minimise evaporation and water wastage.
•  Avoid watering in a nor'west wind as it quickly evaporates the water.
•  Do not hose down paths and driveways; use a broom.
•  Consult with your local nursery for information on plant selection and placement for optimum outdoor water savings.
•  Wash your car with a bucket of water on the lawn and you'll water your lawn at the same time.
•  Use water efficient, hand-held gun nozzles on your hoses.

More ideas, and a list of drought tolerant plants, are available at: http://www.ccc.govt.nz/homeliving/watersupply/ourwater/waterwise/watersavingtips.aspx

Waikato District Council is urging Tuakau residents to leave the pruning of council gardens to its contractors after repeat acts of incorrect pruning have left many rose plants dead.

General Manager water and facilities Richard Bax said roses in the gardens at the Tuakau Cemetery had been targeted by an unauthorised pruner every winter for at least the past four years.

Mr Bax said the pruning damage varied each time, but in one instance a climbing rose that was in full bloom was pruned back to ground level.

As a result of the repeat damage, the roses were replaced earlier this year at a cost of nearly $2000 but another poor pruning attack this month saw many of the roses pruned incorrectly and too late in the season.

Mr Bax said some of the plants were also suspected to have been poisoned by an unidentified substance, which wasn’t believed to be the general pesticide such as Roundup.

“There seems to have been some kind of poisoning which has resulted in all the foliage and stems to die off.”

Mr Bax said that although the phantom pruner might believe he or she is helping, the pruning needed to be left to the council’s professional contractors to ensure it was done correctly and in the best interest of the roses.

If you see someone pruning the roses that you believe shouldn’t be, please contact the council on 0800 492 452.