Kiwi Gardener

Blueberry banquet Savoury ways with summerʼs sweetie

From the editor

It’s he most wonderful time of the year – in the garden! This week i’ve been busy watering seedlings, planting dahlia tubers, inhaling the scent of sweet peas and untangling convolvulus from around my plants. as i attempted to locate the roots of yet...

Crazy about dahlias!

From the editor

Think you know everything there is to know about tomato growing? if you’re anything like me, you may still need a few pointers to guide you on your path. while some years are blazing successes, yielding endless handfuls of juicy toms, others limp to...

From the editor

Ihave just enjoyed the most fantastic salad of homegrown crisp lettuce, tasty tomatoes, crunchy celery, juicy cucumber, button-bright radishes... a feat achieved primarily because i am benefiting from a season of spring and summer growing. the veges...

From the editor

The promise of potatoes is like a herald of the spring to come. as soon as the mind turns to sprouting the humble potato, it’s time to start preparing to sow and grow all the amazing crops that will start to emerge in the next season if we nurture our...

Magical magnolias

10+ cultivars to fall in love with

From the editor

It’s june, so it must be winter! Here at Kiwi Gardener, june’s arrival also means it’s time for our annual Bird Photo Competition. we’ve been running this competition for a while now, and every year we are awed by your clever camerawork and the variety...

From the editor

Beautiful,” i thought as i glanced at this issue’s cover one last time. “Stunning,” i added to myself, when i thought about all the blush-hued camellias in this issue’s pages. Their petals are almost unreal in their perfection. Beauty has emerged as...

From the editor

Every season brings with it the notion of change. Autumn is no different, and as the season really hits its stride this month, an April reset is on my mind. Summer’s heat and extremes are behind us, so it’s time to tidy up after those excesses and...

From the editor

We are big on quizzes in my family. And before you think I’m suggesting anything intellectual, let me enlighten you. I’m talking about online quizzes – the kind you do when you’re meant to be working or reviewing your budget. My 15-year-old likes to...

From the editor

At midnight on New Year’s Eve, I found myself at the top of a castle – the Otago Peninsula’s Larnach Castle, to be exact. Festive fireworks had been on the agenda but the weather put a stop to that – it was, of course, delivering a determined, murky...

From the editor

The weeds are out of control. Every time I pull one up, another one appears to take its place. At this time of year, such a Sisyphean task seems a complete waste of time. And yet, when the weeds have been cleared and the garden has regained some...

From the editor

December has arrived – and with it, summer. Our gardens are full of ripening crops, and we are already enjoying the start of a bountiful harvest. The days are truly feeling longer now, and it is a season of possibility and – dare I say it – garden...

BEAUTIFUL & EDIBLE

A landscape designer’s permaculture paradise

From the editor

The back corner of my garden has recently yielded a lovely sheltered spot tucked behind the lemon tree. This has become available for planting because... well, let’s just say that a DIY project went awry, and now there is a gap where a small deck used...

BEE AWARE

Embrace a meadow mindset & feed pollinators

NEVER A DULL MOMENT

Bring your garden to life with variegated plants