Landscape Designer Blog New Zealand

Well Winter is here. The gardens are taking some heavy winds and the landscape looks a bit battered around here at the moment. Not so great for photos. Some Winter design tips include: Make sure all new Roses are firmly staked Ensure mulch is placed on any exposed soils Reduce watering indoor plants Increase composting temperature with lawn clippings Remove old veges from gardens to avoid disease Some of our landscapes in New Zealand really show off in Winter. Check out the Pukeiti Gardens in New Plymouth. NZ. Link to Pukeiti Gardens for a look at the amazing display of Rhododendrons.

Ellerslie International Flower Show 2010, Hagley Park, Christchurch, New Zealand. You have less than a week now to get your tickets for this world renowned flower show. (Photo above. Garden sculpture at the entrance of the Christchurch Rose Gardens) The Ellerslie flower show was once held in Auckland but is now located in the garden city of Christchurch. Set in the outstanding gardens of Hagley Park, centrally located in the city of Christchurch with it's many cafes and restaurants the scene is set for another memorable flower show. You can see the Ellerslie Flower Show website and book your tickets here: http://www.ellerslieflowershow.co.nz/

With the heat of summer one of the best New Zealand drought resistant NZ native plants is the Astelia nervosa 'Westland', favoured by landscapers and gardeners alike. Found to grow in most well drained soils and dry sites, we have found that they will grow in very poor soils or tight containers and show no real signs of stress. They do require a good water every couple of weeks and the occasional fertiliser, but seem to do well in harsh situation. Clump forming they will spread to approx 400mm high and 400mm wide or more, if left to go for it in the open ground they can cover a good amount of ground area quite quickly.

In New Zealand our summer gardens are often in high humidity attracting many Pest and Disease problems. Organic solutions often work well, with a little understanding of how the garden can fend for itself using plants from the garden itself for sprays the question is asked 'Why use commercial sprays'? Below is one of our favourite Organic sprays: For Pests like Aphid, Caterpillar, Thrip, (sucking or chewing insects) prepare a spray of: Ingredients- 1 Whole Garlic. (approx 10 cloves). 2 Good hand fulls of fresh Mint leaves. 1 Whole Onion, skins and all. 1/8 cup Vegetable oil. Preparation method: -Crush garlic cloves, roughly chop mint leaves, dice up Onion and throw all of this into a 10L bucket. -Half fill with bucket with hot water, add the vegetable oil and stir in well. Leave to soak for 4-5 hours. -Once cooled, pour the mixture into another bucket through a fine sieve or muslin to remove the leaf etc. There should be around 1/3 bucket of liquid. -Fill bucket to half way wit...

Auckland sculptor Grant Williams is one of our favourite Landscape Sculptor/Artists. This work at the Albany Westfield shopping mall civic area is impressive and somewhat mesmerizing. Impressive work and equally impressive landscape design and garden installation. Well worth a look in the early evening when it is all lit up. To view Grant's Website click here .

Chilli Varieties for New Zealand Summer Vege gardens. Vegetable gardening advice from local Landscaper and designer in Auckland NZ. Chilli- Hungarian Yellow. Shown above. - Producing tapered fruit that mature from green to yellow to red and have a mild sweet flavour. Chosen for the home gardener for it's consistent performance in the garden. - Great for salsa, salads, stir-frying and roasting. Chilli- Serrano. Colourful fruits that mature to purple - black. - Bullet shaped 5-6cm fruits, Said to be 5 times hotter than Jalapeno Chilli. - Good for salsa as they dont have tin walls that would normally require staming or peeiling. Chilli- Habanero Red. Another consistent home garden vege variety. Grows well in container or pot. - Producing HOT small twisted green to red fruits. - Plant when night time temps are above 13.c, may need a stake for support.

Landscaping ideas NZ. Before / After Design Photos Sketches. New Zealand Landscaping. Originally uploaded by nzlandscapes Landscaping ideas NZ. Photo enhancement / Design sketches included in the Concept plan will give you a clear understanding of how your garden will look after installation. To enquire about Landscape Concept plans Email NZLANDSCAPES designer HERE.

Landscaper plants for Coastal New Zealand gardens and landscapes. Meterosideros excelsa (Pohutukawa, sometimes spelt pohutakawa, is one of New Zealand's most visually recognisable plants when in flower. Standing sometimes up to 20m the coastal loving plant is seen as the county's native Christmas Tree. Flowering through our hot summer festive months, long lasting blooms continue to add visual delight to our coastal and residential landscapes. EMAIL NZLANDSCAPES

Landscape designer in Auckland NZ. Perspective sketchs to accompany the landscape concept plans. The landscaping and design followed the natural flow of the land, native New Zealand plants were incorporated into the design, and all varieties suggested are climate tolerant (Dry Shade loving plants), Phormium varieties mixed and Cyathea Tree Ferns.

Landscape Gardener plans, Auckland Garden Design NZ. Landscaping, gardeners, designers. Landscape and Garden Design in Auckland New Zealand. Landscaping ideas and garden plans by qualified landscape designers in Auckland New Zealand, NZ. Bear with us as we update our new look NZLANDSCAPES Landscape Designer website . The photo below is a recently planted fenceline raised garden, NZ Plants are mixed Green and Bronze Pseudopanax with Astelia 'Westland' planted at the base. Like our website this garden is still a work in progress at this stage.