Blooming Marvellous – Bulbs!

“Its time to put on makeup, its time to dress up bright” …… sound familiar?
If you are not a fan of the Muppets or don’t know who they are, then it maybe not, but if you are, that tune will be in your mind for sure.
The Muppets certainly know how to put on a good show, and so do bulbs.

Its bulb planting time, as the days begin to close in, it’s time to think about adding colour and vibrancy to your garden to enjoy later on in the year.
Bulbs are one of be easiest ways of adding ‘Bling’ to your garden with only a small amount of effort required.

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Jenny Gillies returns to Ellerslie with her wearable flowers

Internationally renowned costume and fabric artist Jenny Gillies returns to next month’s Ellerslie International Flower Show with A Wonderland of Wearable Flowers.

Jenny, who wowed the crowds at the 2009 Show with her Wearable Weeds floral artwear collection, says she is excited about being back at Ellerslie and to be exhibiting in Christchurch for the first time in two years.

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Water - the lifeline of a garden

Water is a vital part of a successful garden; it’s needed to produce vegetables, fruits and to maintain garden beds and lawns.Without water very few plants would have the ability to bloom.

With imposed water restrictions in many areas, all is not lost for gardeners. In fact it’s actually helping educate people about watering sustainably. A little water every day is one of the worse things you can do for your plants.

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Helen Jackson's Kitchen Garden

Mid-summer is a fabulous time in the kitchen garden diary. There is so much in season that is delicious and much of it easy to grow for the novice home gardener.

While my plum trees are the cause of some frustration and my plum sauce recipe will have to wait for yet another year... the courgettes on the other hand, are doing so well that if I miss a day of picking I will have marrows the next! Courgette, feta and mint fritters are of course a perennial favourite but they also sneak their way into much of my summer cooking including cakes (think swapping ½ carrot for courgette) and of course ratatouille – made primarily with eggplant, courgette, capsicum, tomato and basil.

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Garden Design - by Tony Murrell

Being a garden designer means that you are on the job so to speak, 24/7 and I love it. The ideas sometimes come thick and fast, sometimes in the middle of the night, and yet there are still moments where my own ability and confidence gets frustratingly challenged, I think it is just par for the course and I have to say its been my way for years.

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