Native Gardener

Native Gardener Creating beautiful outdoor spaces that showcase New Zealand's natural beauty

White flowers are great at creating depth to your garden by brightening up darker areas. They also inject a sense of cal...
23/02/2024

White flowers are great at creating depth to your garden by brightening up darker areas. They also inject a sense of calm, and can help other colours to stand out.

This list offers some native options that are worth checking out.

And if you’re curious about the ‘white' kakabeak..?? 🤔

White kakabeak was last seen in the wild in the 1950’s - but brought back from the brink of extinction as a result of a chance finding of a bag of seeds in a garden shed! 🤯

Yes, quite a find! 🌟

And like many of our native plants which now struggle in the wild as a result of introduced plants and animals, your garden can offer an important haven to support these plants to thrive, and to ensure continued food and habitat for our native wildlife.

The kakabeak may be a little harder to source, but well worth the effort for a beautiful plant that comes with extra feel-good factor, and a wonderful story.

And of course do check your garden sheds for mysterious old tins. They could unlock something quite special...! 🤩

If you’re interested, here’s some more info on the kakabeak story, and the great work that enabled its recovery: https://www.scionresearch.com/about-us/about-scion/corporate-publications/scion-connections/past-issues-list/issue-18,-december-2015/precious-indigenous-plant-begins-new-future





These pest plants have been a common theme (headache!) during recent garden work on the Hibiscus Coast - so a quick post...
14/02/2024

These pest plants have been a common theme (headache!) during recent garden work on the Hibiscus Coast - so a quick post to encourage action.

They’re all in flower - or just about still in flower - so a good time to ID them.

Moth plant, agapanthus and wild ginger are prolific seeders, so as a first step, cutting off and bagging up the flower heads / seed pods will help stop the spread.

Japanese honeysuckle is a vigorous climber that smothers natives. It won’t hesitate to take over your garden as well as neighbouring properties (which is where the fun starts!). It’s a tricky plant to manage - so the more you can do to prevent its spread the better. Did I mention it’s also a friend of the moth plant - often helping it to reach new heights 😳

Yup!

So please do your bit - there’s a heap of info online about each of these pest plants (and many others…) so if you have any of them on your property please check out the advice on how to manage them.

And - if seeing agapanthus on here is a surprise to you, I encourage you to research its impact, especially in coastal areas, and to consider removing it from your garden.

More info:

Weedbusters: https://www.w**dbusters.org.nz

Restore Hibiscus and Bays: https://restorehb.org.nz

Auckland Council: https://www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/environment/plants-animals/pests-w**ds/Pages/default.aspx




Wild ginger and pampas growing side by side. The perfect motivation for this morning’s workout! 💪 Both these plants are...
19/01/2024

Wild ginger and pampas growing side by side. The perfect motivation for this morning’s workout! 💪

Both these plants are extremely hardy and invasive, muscling out our native plants. The pampas also provides habitat for pests like rats and possums 😝

If you’re unsure how to distinguish pampas from toetoe, this DOC article is particularly useful: https://blog.doc.govt.nz/2022/05/10/pesky-pampas-not-native-toetoe/

And If you haven’t made your New Year’s resolution yet…
perhaps this is the year to take action against pest plants, to start rat trapping 🐀 , and to introduce more native plants to your garden 🌱🤩





Do you know someone who would deserve a free gardening session?Native Gardener is gifting 3 hours of free gardening per ...
03/11/2023

Do you know someone who would deserve a free gardening session?

Native Gardener is gifting 3 hours of free gardening per month to someone on the Hibiscus Coast 🤩

🌟Nominating is quick and easy - check out: nztivegardener.co.nz/community

💚


Great to be supporting with rat trap deliveries this evening, after a flurry of sign-ups. If you haven’t signed up for...
01/11/2023

Great to be supporting with rat trap deliveries this evening, after a flurry of sign-ups.

If you haven’t signed up for your trap yet, please do get on board - it will take a community effort 🐀

Signing up is easy: https://www.forestandbird.org.nz/how-can-you-help-pfhc




From creeping buttercup, arum lily, and soil crammed with river stone, to a sanctuary for native birds and insects 💚I am...
26/10/2023

From creeping buttercup, arum lily, and soil crammed with river stone, to a sanctuary for native birds and insects 💚

I am so grateful when clients choose natives.

This was a lovely project to work on, in such a beautiful setting surrounded by mature trees and birdsong.

Around 3 cubic metres of river stone was removed from the soil (a lot of pre-work!) which made way for over 35 native plants, including ferns, ornamental grasses and flaxes.

All were selected to suit this site, and will mature to provide vital food and shelter for native fauna, as well as a stunning backdrop for the home office and garden.

So many beautiful plants were included in this project - and I especially look forward to seeing the kawakawa grow into its space in the dappled light, the chionocloa rubra (red tussock grass) putting on a showy display, and the tuis hopping from flax to flax.

A few of the other plants included were: broadleaf sedge (machaerina sinclairii), shining spleenwort fern (asplenium oblongifolium), crown fern (blechnum discolor), carex buchananii red, and carex secta.

Pics show before, during and after 🌱





If you’re not entirely sure what some of the plants or trees growing in your garden are, then you might want to have a g...
06/10/2023

If you’re not entirely sure what some of the plants or trees growing in your garden are, then you might want to have a go at doing a garden map 😃

Garden mapping involves identifying the different plants growing in each area of your garden and recording them on a simple map.

Why? It can be a great way to connect with your garden, build your plant knowledge, and it can also help you make conscious decisions about what’s in your garden, and what plants shouldn’t be in your garden.

And with so many resources available to help you identify your plants, it can be super easy, and quite enjoyable too...!

Here are a few free resources I recommend you take a look at to help you to identify your plants:

- iNaturalist
- PlantNet
- Google
- You could also check out Plant Identification New Zealand / Aotearoa on Facebook.

Once you've completed your map I recommend you check out the Auckland Council register of pest plants (or your local council equivalent) to see whether you have any of the listed plants growing. You might just be surprised at what you find!

https://www.tiakitamakimakaurau.nz/protect-and-restore-our-environment/pests-in-auckland/pest-search/

If you do find some of the listed w**ds in your garden, make a plan to replace them with some beautiful native options.

If you’re looking for support to map your garden and/or find some native replacements, feel free to reach out 🌱

Happy gardening! 😍






No garden is complete without a climber!We're fortunate to have such a beautiful and diverse selection of native climber...
13/09/2023

No garden is complete without a climber!

We're fortunate to have such a beautiful and diverse selection of native climbers in New Zealand.

And they’re an asset to gardens of all sizes - from their ability to transform plain fixtures such as fences, posts and sheds into charming features, to the sense of depth and scale they offer.

They can also be an elegant and size-friendly way of enhancing your privacy, or offering shelter from the wind.

And they look great! 😍

By choosing native you’re also offering valuable shelter and food to our native birds and insects.

Check out this list to get you started.







Agapanthus - friend or foe? You could be forgiven for thinking that an agapanthus is a good option for your garden, afte...
08/09/2023

Agapanthus - friend or foe?

You could be forgiven for thinking that an agapanthus is a good option for your garden, after all it’s EVERYWHERE!

But this plant is actually a w**d, and is a big problem here in Auckland - especially in coastal areas, where it thrives.

It's an extremely hardy plant and a prolific seeder, and if you’ve ever taken a spade to one, you’ll be familiar with it's dense root structure, which muscles out our native plants.

The good news is that as of 1st September 2023, heightened restrictions have been applied across Auckland meaning that agapanthus must not be sold, planted, bred or released within the Auckland region*

These restrictions don’t require the removal of agapanthus from your garden, but it will be a long and costly environmental battle if we don’t get on board.

So what can you do?

1. Get digging! Now’s a great time to dig them up - while the ground is soft.

If digging isn’t for you, check out the council’s guide on how to get rid of agapanthus.

https://www.tiakitamakimakaurau.nz/protect-and-restore-our-environment/pests-in-auckland/pest-search/agapra/

2. Replace - use it as an opportunity to introduce a fresh, and more modern style to your garden.

Some great native options to consider are:
- Flax (try cookianum / 'emerald gem’ / dark delight - all of which will bring in the tuis), or
- Astelia (A. chathamica or A. banksii) which have a silver sheen and a nice architectural look. Both these options (flax / astelia) will provide a similar form to agapanthus.

You could also check out some of our native ornamental grasses, which will give you a softer, modern look. (Take a look at: Poa cita, carex commans, carex buchananii, gossamer grass…)

There are so many other native options too - if you’re after some guidance or inspiration, feel free to get in touch 🌱

And if this prospect feels a little daunting, start with one. It all helps! 😃



**ds



*there are a few exceptions to these restrictions identified in Auckland Council’s Regional Pest Management Plan (see above link)

It doesn’t matter where in the world you are, you always bump in to someone you know…Flax, cabbage trees, astelia, hebe’...
21/08/2023

It doesn’t matter where in the world you are, you always bump in to someone you know…

Flax, cabbage trees, astelia, hebe’s, pittosporum, New Zealand broadleaf… 😉 And so many others.

The UK has a long history with New Zealand flora, dating back to Captain Cook’s voyage in 1769. A recent trip to the UK showed just how popular these beautiful plants are in British gardens and public spaces.

Interestingly though, I believe the New Zealand flax is considered invasive in the UK, yet it continues to be widely promoted by nurseries and retailers as a great choice of plant…

It just goes to show - it pays to know what you’re putting in your garden! 😃🌱

These plants are all great choices here in Auckland - and given the volume of rain we’ve had this year, the flax and cabbage tree in particular are worth looking at to aid drainage 💦




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