Garden Ideas in New Zealand
- Foxgloves, a New Zealand garden favoriteA flower, New Zealand image by Oren Sarid from Fotolia.com
New Zealanders love gardening. Mild winters (and often wet summers) ensure long and fruitful growing seasons. New Zealand's temperate climate features regional variations, from the subtropical "winterless" Northland to the bottom of the South Island, which gets some snow at sea level. New Zealanders usually have large yards, and most chose a traditional garden of lawn, trees, and flower beds. Some--but increasingly few in 2010--set aside an area for a vegetable garden. - Rocky and windswept--but a garden will grow on the coastIsland Tiritiri Matangi (New Zealand) image by Forests&Mountains from Fotolia.com
Few New Zealanders live far from the sea, but those right on the coast have their own gardening challenges. Shelter from prevailing wind is important as are sturdy plants and soil health. Coastal gardeners need compost and manure to enrich the clay soil. Hardy plants, such as daisies and geraniums, grow well, and low-growing shrubs will keep the wind at bay, according to The New Zealand Gardening Design website. The website recommends gardeners avoid planting in the heat of summer--advice that applies to all New Zealand regions. - A silver tree-fern or pongahuge fern tree silhouette image by kubais from Fotolia.com
New Zealand's flora is unique. It evolved without interference from fauna, apart from birds. The larger trees reach maturity slowly and majestically, but some, like the cabbage tree (which is actually a lily) shrubs, flax, and native grasses will show results quickly--and attract native birds, says the Garden Design website. Many gardeners use the tree fern, or ponga, fully grown as live retaining walls or from seed. Plant the black tree-fern in groups.The silver fern is smaller and silver on the underside. It is also New Zealand's national emblem. - A Maori meeting house, close to the garden.maison maorie image by Julien Leblay from Fotolia.com
New Zealand's native Maori had a strong gardening culture when European settlers arrived in the mid-1800s. Modern Maori keep their traditions alive and showcase them at such events as the Ellerslie International Garden Show. Maori gardens have a physical and spiritual presence, says Nuk Korako, who prepared the Te Waipounamu exhibition garden for the 2010 show. He says the garden includes healing and medicine plants that are still part of the Maori lifestyle. The garden also shows how the Maori used gardens to grow flax for clothing and decorating. - Fresh organic vegetablesfresh organic vegtables image by Effie White from Fotolia.com
New Zealanders take plenty of notice of the organic gardening movement. Author Christine Dann is a strong advocate of all aspects. She uses five triangular plots for her vegetable garden, which adds to the compost for the whole garden. She plants on a five-year rotation, which allows legumes to return nitrogen to the soil. Good mulch comes from nasturtiums, and fruit trees are "fairly self-sufficient," she says. She agrees that the standard gardener thinks an organic garden looks messy, but she is not looking at weeds, rather potential compost or herbal medicine.
