Gardenig in New Zealand. Tips & Guides

Carex Buchananii, love it or hate it, I think its here to stay in our Aberdeen garden.

Phormium Firebird from New Zealand

The main content of my posts is to hopefully give information on plants and shrubs which are fully hardy in the North East of Scotland. I have been gardening for many years in Aberdeen. Often I have been made aware of other amateur gardeners in the area concerned that plants which thrive south of the border may in fact struggle in Aberdeen. In my experience most of them will in fact grow, however they may be at least a full fortnight later in coming in to flower. Of course there are some which grow in the far south of England which simply will not survive here. What you can depend on is, I will give information on how each plant which I list has performed in our garden.

This New Zealand daisy Celmisia Spectabilis found at high altitude makes an excellent  garden plant.

We planted the Hebe Autumn Glory in our front garden four years ago.

Like tiny pieces of bright blue sky dropped into your garden, forget-me-nots are one of the few true-blue flowers available to gardeners.These plants are steeped in history and symbolism, and are eas

When Saffron + Poe shop owners and designers Fiona Bronte Burr and Johanna Vente Anderson saw the tiny 330-square-foot patio their new clients wanted to use for hot tubbing, entertaining, grilling, and more, they looked at it not as an impossibility, but as an opportunity.  

Finding flowers in your food isn’t as surprising as it used to be. Marigolds and pansies are a pretty common sight in salads, and candied rose petals and violets decorate all kinds of desserts.But I have yet to order a dish at a restaurant and find fuchsia flowers –

The bold flower clusters of Clivia in early to mid-spring and their arching, often symmetrical, strap-like foliage make them stunning additions to an indoor plant collection.This guide will discuss how to care for them as hous

The last time I saw this glorious tree was at Logan Botanic Garden where it flowers in August. Here it is just coming into flower and will be at its peak by Christmas. It’s Maori name is Phu

Botanically, New Zealand is an extraordinary country. Because it drifted off from the rest of the world so early on, its natural flora is very limited and with the exception of the red flowers of the Metrosideros (New Zealand Christmas Tree), flowers tend to be insignificant, with a natural wooded landscape that is predominantly a mixture of trees in many shades of green and tree ferns. It’s not really surprising

As someone who has always struggled to keep lupins alive, what with woolly aphids, rot – and plants that seem to lose the will to live beyond their first season – the vast drifts of naturalized Russell lupins on the South Island must count amongst my Top 10 encounters with plants – ever. In the va

Mount Cook We had been admiring the snow clad Southern Alps for some days as we travelled around and were greatly looking forward to the literal and metaphorical high point – our visit to Mount Cook. The evening before the sky was deep blue and cloudless, the morning after equally so, but on the day itself as we drove towards New Zealand’s highest mountain, it became apparent that Mount Cook’s famously variable weather was not going to cooperate.

Ancient Rome in California Enroute to New Zealand, we spent a couple of night in Los Angeles and managed to visit the Getty Villa in Malibu – an extraordinary confection filled with priceless treasures in a Hollywood setting. The gardens are planted with plants that would have been familiar to the Romans and although they have struggled with the ongoing drought they did work rather well and looked far more authentic than many of the ‘gardens by the square yard’ that a feature of LA.

On our way back from New Zealand we spent a couple of nights in Singapore – for the second time in three years. It was the hot and humid rainy season (34° and 90% humidity) but nonetheless it is a fascinating place to visit and having discovered how cheap the taxis were, we only walked (slowly) when we chose to. It is the greenest of cities, so although there is an ever-growing array of tall buildings, they are set amongst, or incorporate, an abundance of tropical foliage and flowers. Coincidentally, we

The star of the show was a magnificent Metrosideros umbellata – a tender New Zealand tree I had never heard of before – not only was it a fabulous sight, it was alive with bees who clearly loved it as much as I did.  Other plants that particularly caught my eye included a Polylepis australis with its extremely shaggy bark (and an opportunistic fern that had taken up residence) and a worth-copying-at-home planting of blue agapanthus with thalictrum delaveyi. Def

Lighting the Way The silver-leaved tree fern is New Zealand’s national plant. The undersides of the leaves really glow in low light and in the past they were used by Maoris to light pathways at night.

Grasses are not just only for meadows, lawns, and gardens. This is why here’re some of the Best Ornamental Grasses for Containers that you can grow easily in small spaces!

Native to Asia and Africa, Pittosporum is widely grown throughout Japan and New Zealand. It enjoys mild weather, well-drained soil, and full sun. Many hybrid types are available that can be used as hedges, small trees, and shrubs. Have a look at the Best Pittosporum Varieties!

After the end of summer, you should refresh and spruce up your balcony garden for autumn to keep enjoying your only outdoor spot of the urban home all season, until the winter arrives.

Often confused as the same growing material, but these both are not! Though they are two different parts of the same plant, their usages are vastly different. This article is going to guide you in-depth on Sphagnum Moss vs Peat Moss!

This apartment balcony in Paris, Belleville, is made into an urban jungle. Ideal for taking fresh breakfasts and lunches. Table and chairs are surrounded by lush vegetation of fast-growing, low care plant species: Fatsia japonica with the large glossy leaves (erroneously referred as castor oil plant), golden bamboo (Phyllostachys aurea) that is covering the space tightly and kōwhai (Sophora tetraptera) a plant coming from New Zealand. Also, the Eden rose is adding a charming touch of color. If you are concerned about the privacy in your balcony, you can grow similar plants.

There are many beautiful Flowers that Start with H, and we have included the beautiful blooms from all across the world in this list.

Gorgeous grasses add immense appeal to our outdoor gardens and yards – but did you know they make beautiful houseplants as well?We link to vendors to h

Some plants get all the attention, with their massive flowers or bold foliage colors. Then there are the humble workhorses doing their job without any fuss or muss, making our lives easier and our gardens prettier.Sedges are one such plant. For the most part, they’re nearl

Himalayan honeysuckle, Leycesteria formosa, is just as beautiful as all the other types of honeysuckle plants, yet offers its own unique appeal.L. formosa can be grown as a vine or a shrub, and it produces s

If you are looking for less common indoor plants that attain a good height, bring home these Tree Like Houseplants!

We all want beautiful but tough perennials in our gardens this year.

Ornamental grasses are known to add beauty and texture to any landscape! If you also want to include these versatile, low-maintenance plants in your garden or patio–Check out our compiled list of some of the best Red Ornamental Grasses.

What’s round, pear-shaped, or oblong, and often a rich purple color? If you live in the United States, English-speaking Canada, Australia, or New Zealand, you know it as eggplant (Solanum melongena).Or maybe “guinea squash,” if you

For those new to growing ferns indoors who want to start off on easy mode, then this is the species for you.Just like an actual kangaroo, the kangaroo fern is one tough cu

Contracting a disease called “black death” is almost certainly bad news.Fortunately, in this article

Like many people, my first experience with horehound was crunching down on a hard brown candy that my grandpa bought me from a jar at an old fashioned candy shop. I remember thinking it tasted a bit

If you’re hoping to score some deals on bedding and home goods this Memorial Day, you’ll want to check out Parachute’s sale. Through May 29, just about everything sitewide is 20 percent off. Be sure to score these discounts now, because Parachute rarely has sales and you don’t want to miss out.

I refuse to pull dandelions from my yard during the first bloom. I don’t even let my husband mow.Those cheerful drops of sunshine are not only pretty to me, but as a beekeeper, I k

Sporting delicate white frills perched on tall stems, and that cute purple center flower that’s so often a feature, Queen Anne’s lace was one of my favorite childhood wildflowers. They grew everywhere.One summer, my sister and I ambitiously harvested a f