Do you need some garden inspiration?

From garden tours to sculpture exhibitions, take some time out and explore some of Canterbury's most beautiful gardens and gardening attractions.

Christchurch our Garden City is well named, we are lucky to have some of the country's best open gardens and most stunning parks. We wanted to highlight a couple of events coming up over the next month or so. There are local garden tours, sculpture exhibitions and we have also attached a great guide of 20 gardens and gardening attractions around our gorgeous city for you to explore.

 

Event		Dates
Art in a Garden, North Canterbury		October 26th - 29th, Thurs 11am-2pm, Fri 11am-3pm, Sat 11-3pm, Sun 11am-3pm
Sculptures on the Peninsula, Loudon Farm, Banks Peninsula		November 10th-12th, Fri 5-8:30pm, Sat 9:30am-5:30pm, Sun 9:30am-5pm
Charity Garden Tour, around Christchurch and Canterbury		November 25th-26th, 10am-4pm
Governors Bay House and Garden Tour, Governors Bay		November 26th, 10am-4pm

Art in a Garden has been held in Penny Zino's North Canterbury garden, Flaxmere for the past 13 years. Artists' and sculptors' work from around New Zealand is on display (and for sale). This year it runs from Thursday 26th to Sunday 29th October. You can visit this stunning garden by appointment at other times too: visit flaxmeregarden.co.nz for more info.

The Sculptures on the Peninsula Exhibition is a contemporary sculpture exhibition held every two years. It is the largest sculptural exhibition in the South Island and attracts both leading and emerging sculptors. It is running over three days 10th-12th November and being held in the grounds of historic Loudon Farm, Banks Peninsula. Tickets are available from Sculptures on the Peninsula and proceeds from the event will be donated to Cholmondeley Children’s Centre in Governors Bay.

On November 25 and 26th there is the Charity Garden Tour, sponsored by the Wigram Lions Club Christchurch. You can enjoy 11 gardens in a wide range of themes and sizes, open to view over the two days. Charities supported this year are the Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service and Child Cancer Foundation. For more information and to purchase tickets go to Charity Garden Tour. The Canterbury Horticulture Society are running a bus tour to view the gardens. For further information please visit Canterbury Horticultural Society.

Governors Bay School PTA invite you to join their self-guided House and Garden Tour of 13 properties in “The Bay” on Sunday 26th November, 10am-4pm. Included is Ohinetahi Gardens, a garden of international significance owned by Sir Miles Warren; Waitahuna, the original Dyer Homestead and many other private homes and gardens. They are supporting the enhancement of the Governors Bay School playground. To book a ticket head to Governors Bay House and Garden Tour.

Here is a link to a great article by Jo McCarroll at the New Zealand Gardener magazine highlighting her favourite places in Christchurch and its fringes. She has been impressed by some of the inspiring ways clever local people have employed their horticultural skills in the rebuild, after the earthquakes in 2010 and 2011.

It is the perfect time of year to see nature at its best, so enjoy the wonderful events that are on and we hope you'll find something that will inspire you to get creative in your landscaping.

Is the grass greener?

Great lawns are an investment, adding significant value and visual appeal to your property. 

In this blog we will cover the advantages and disadvantages of three options, hydro seeding, ready lawn and artificial turf. When deciding on what grass product to use, you'll need to consider a few factors; your budget, time frame, maintenance required, how this area will be used and consider questions, will that area get enough sun to prosper. With all these products, precise preparation is vital to get maximum results.

Hydro Seeding

 

Advantages		Disadvantages
-  Cost effective		-  Highest maintenance of three options
-  Quick application		-  Will need to be sprayed to control weed growth
-  Ideal on slopes and banks		-  Requires regular watering
-  Higher germination rates than seeding		-  Takes longer to get an established lawn
-  Dust control		-  Area can't be walked on for at least 3 weeks

Hydro seeding is the most cost effective but also the most high maintenance of the three options. It is a blend of wood-fibre mulch, fertiliser, seed and water mixed to a slurry in a purpose built tank and sprayed onto your prepared site. The mulch protects the seed, retains water and ensures even germination. The fibre is dyed green which also gives a grass-like effect immediately. This mulch mixture bonds the seed to the soil, preventing erosion from the windblown soil and light rain. The fertiliser and mulch mixture provides an ideal nurturing environment for seed germination to establish a healthy lawn. 

Germination time will depend on the weather and the consistency of watering after application. In optimum growing conditions, including sufficient watering and warm ground temperatures, germination can be achieved in just 5 days. You new lawn could be requiring a mow in approximately 3 weeks. Generally lawn germination will take approximately 10 -14 days depending upon watering and ground temperatures. Irrigation in the first 2-3 weeks is most important for getting your new lawn to germinate evenly and quickly. The mulch must be kept damp at all times so the emerging seedlings do not dry out. Under or over watering can both produce unfavorable results. Depending on the site preparation, if there are any areas where water pools it can cause the grass to die which can produce bald patches. 

The hydroseeding product is weed-free but weed seed is always present in the soil whether supplied to you or existing. When you start watering your new lawn, weeds will also start to appear. These can be controlled with a selective weed-spray when your lawn is established.

Ready lawn is grown on specialist farms. The farms that produce this grass may have many varieties of grass grown in one location to best suit your use and preference of appearance. It is usually harvested 10 to 18 months after planting, depending on the growing climate. On the farm, it undergoes fertilisation, frequent mowing, watering, and subsequent vacuuming to remove the clippings. It is harvested using specialised equipment, precision cut to standardised sizes. It is typically harvested in small square or rectangular slabs, or large 4-foot-wide (1.2 m) rolls.

It requires the same level of ground preparation as hydro seeding but when laid you will have an immediate green lawn that can be walked on straight away. It will need to be kept well watered for the first three weeks until the ready lawn is established, then water normally. If perennial weeds are a problem, spray with Roundup or Buster and then leave the area for about 3 weeks. 

There is a large range of specialist artificial landscaping grasses that suit different situations and personal tastes. Variations in blade thickness, length and texture ensures you get the look that suits your property or application. The turf options can now imitate the curled structure of natural grass and can vary in color. It is popular for areas where growing natural grass has proven to be problematic or difficult to access and maintain. Do you have an area in your garden where the sun doesn't reach but you would like to have grass there? Artificial turf could be the answer.

Bringing the inside out

Create another room to your property by bringing your interior design style out into your garden.

Garden design has evolved and become extremely popular. Gone are the days where the garden or terrace was an after thought. Houses are designed and renovated to take full advantage of the sun and utilise the section area, as is now the landscaping. People are thinking more creatively about how they use their exterior spaces, recognising the importance of kerb appeal and the value it can add to their property. Whether you own a lifestyle block or an apartment it doesn't matter the lines are being blurred between the interior design and the exterior spaces. People are expanding on the concept of indoor, outdoor flow creating outdoor spaces into extra living spaces, comfortable outdoor rooms with style and personality. 

Whether it is scandi-sleek or modern rustic the interior concepts, materials, colours and textures are being translated into exterior designs. It could be as simple as using a mixture of plants to create different visual textures and laying them cleverly to create a relatively low-maintenance but highly dramatic outdoor space. By adding areas of concrete, paving or decking to define an area, which adds contrast and enhancing the design trend you are going for. For example, a modern rustic influenced garden may use recycled unique slabs of timber where as teak and pine may work well in a retro-relaxed style garden. You might introduce pops of colour like teals and mustard yellows into a scandi-sleek design, or contrasting and contemporary colours into a retro-relaxed style which will create a sense of drama. No matter how big your exterior space is you are only limited by your imagination. A vertical or multi-level garden are clever space-saving ideas for smaller spaces.

To find out about the top five latest interior trends influencing garden designs in 2017 follow this link to NZ Gardener.