We're talking greenhouse, potting sheds, tea houses, fences, pergolas and more in today's episode! These permanent structures can really make or break your garden so it's super important to get them right. We're sharing all the tips and tricks to ensure that you nail these structures so they enhance your space.

As always, we share what we've been up to in the garden, what we're going to get up to, as well as the plants we're eyeing up to buy.

Adding height to your garden is not only an effective tool to get more growing if you're short on space, it can also add structure and depth to your garden. Listen in for all the tips and tricks on how and what to grow vertically. 

This week we are talking about our trip down south to Central Otago and the beautiful gardens we saw while there! We visited three gardens, that were all so different from each other and all uniquely stunning. 

As always we talk about what we've been up to in the garden and what we're going to get up to at this busy time of year for gardeners!

For more info on any of the gardens we visited:

https://geraldine.nz/business/mulvihill-country-garden/ 

https://secretgardens.co.nz/garden/crosshill-garden/ 

https://www.instagram.com/jo.wakelin/

This week we are talking to Paula who is a gardener at Pegasus Bay Winery and she's hear to share some of her wealth of knowledge with us and tell us all about the gardens at Pegasus Bay. 

You can follow Paula at https://www.instagram.com/thepegasusbaygardener/ 

This week we are diving into the wonderful world of microforests! More achievable than you might think and they have amazing benefits for the environment! As always, we are talking about what we've been up to, what we're going to get up to and what plants we are going to buy.

Miyawaki paper from 1999

https://www.facebook.com/MicroforestNelson 

Canterbury native guide and price list - Trees for Canterbury

Dunedin native guide - Dunedin City Council 

West Coast native guide 

Nelson native guide - Nelson City Council

Wellington native guide - Wellington Regional Council

Manawatu native guide

Central North Island podocarp forests - DOC

Auckland region native guide - Forest and Bird

This week we are diving into planting that can help flood prone areas on both suburban and rural sections. Top tips include planting a rain garden, riparian planting and grading lawns and hard surfaces away from your structures.

Resources used today are:

Rain Gardens – Naturally Resilient Communities (nrcsolutions.org)

Trees for erosion control - Northland Regional Council (nrc.govt.nz)

Greater Wellington Regional Council Annual Report 2018/2019 (gwrc.govt.nz)

This week we are giving a general overview of what resilient gardening is, as well as some practices to take into your own gardening in a changing climate. 

This episode we are talking to Cassie from Flourish Events. 

Cassie has a flower farm in North Canterbury and she is a big advocate for using humates in her beds. Humate is an organic material rich in carbon, humic acid and fulvic acid and will absolutely super charge your soil!

We also talk to Cassie about her farm, how she preps her beds, what she's growing and how she's growing it.

It's about to ramp up into the busy period for al us gardeners and sometimes it can be hard to keep straight what to do and when so this episode is all about it! 

We would love to hear from you about your garden plans for the coming season so get in touch @weliketogarden on Instagram! 

This week we sit down with Ruth, a fellow Christchurch gardener, to talk about how to successfully succession plant, how to compost and prep your garden for the coming season, as well as tips and tricks like getting your leeks to grow better and how to have a harmonious "organic-ish" garden.

Ruth is on Instagram @grow.nuture.nourish and is on Secret Gardens (www.secretgardens.co.nz), although is taking a short break from having people come and visit the garden for the rest of 2023. But watch this space and book through Secret Gardens from 2024!

It's that time! This week we take you through what to prune, when and how. Pruning is one of those super satisfying garden jobs and we hope you enjoy! 

We both have a long list of jobs for the garden for this weekend and share what we're going to get up to.

This week's episode is all about our very unique holiday, Matariki! We have learned that it can be a special time in the garden, marking the transition to the new gardening year down here in New Zealand and we hope you enjoy celebrating Matariki on your plot of land. 

For a good video on how to spot the Matariki star cluster, there is a good video here: https://www.tepapa.govt.nz/discover-collections/read-watch-play/matariki-maori-new-year/what-and-who-matariki/watch-how-find 

This episode we are discussing our biggest gardening mistakes (or learning opportunities) so you don't have to make them! 

As always we also share what we've been up to in the garden, what we're going to get up to and what we've got our eyes on to buy.

This week we are talking about the differences you might need to account for when gardening in different sized gardens. It can be tricksy to adapt if you've gone from small to large or vice versa! 

As always we talk about what we've been up to in the garden and what our gardening plans are. 

This week we are talking about wildlife in the garden and how best to make your space accommodating to all the helpful little garden creatures! Some of them are cute and some of them are not so cute... but all of them are worthy of our attention because they all support a healthy garden!

This week we talk about all the fun plans you can make over winter, as well as big jobs you can tackle over the colder months, plus a list of workshops that will be worth your while!

This week Libby has some great info on what you can be doing in the garden right now as we come into the tail end of autumn and Greer's done some research on different types of mulch and what they do for your garden.

New Victorian is a garden style that's making all the 2023 trend lists and we are here for it! We breakdown the elements of this style so you (and us) can get the lewk. 

As always we are also talking about what we're getting up to in the garden. 

Hello gardening friends! This week we are talking to Tania about her garden Fantail and Flax in the Bay of Plenty. 

Tania shares all about the different parts of her 7 acre garden (huge!) which include an arboretum, cottage garden, native area, and Japanese inspired garden. She is an absolute powerhouse when it comes to gardening knowledge and we are very fortunate to be able to talk to her.

To visit Fantail and Flax you can book here: https://secretgardens.co.nz/garden/fantail-and-flax/ 

And to follow Tania online you can do so here: https://www.instagram.com/fantail_and_flax/ 

Hello lovely garden friends! This week we are talking about Meadowscaping and to say we are excited about this trend is an understatement! 

Meadowscaping is the act of converting urban areas (like your lawn) into meadows for maximum environmental benefits and also is just so aesthetically pleasing. 

Resources:

West Multnomah meadowscaping handbook

 www.americanmeadows.com

https://meadowmaking.org/

Stuff article on making a meadow in NZ

Meadow gardening at the Jury garden in NZ 

Welcome back! This week we are delving into some of the predicted 2023 garden trends (spoiler alert: we are obsessed with them). Trends we are discussing are meadowscaping, new Victorian, dark planting schemes, new Scandinavian, herb gardens and Greek style.

We're back babyyyy! After having a few weeks off we are back, but not promising to be better than ever.

This episode we catch up with what's been happening in our garden and answer some listener questions.

This week for our last episode for 2023 we are joined by Merve from Hakea Retreat near Raglan to talk all things  permaculture! Merve's passion got us so excited about permaculture and all the possibilities it can offer. 

https://www.hakearetreat.com/

https://secretgardens.co.nz/garden/hakea/

https://www.facebook.com/HakeaRetreat/

https://www.instagram.com/hakeapermaculture

Moon gardens are designed to be enjoyed in the evenings - think big, white, glowing blooms, high scent and silvery foliage. This week we are talking you through some design choices best suited for moon gardens as well as a list of our top plant picks.

As always, we share what we've been up to in the garden, what we're going to get up to and what's on our "to buy" list.

We love to garden and we love to shop - and we looooove combining the two! If you have a loved one who loves gardening or want to give your loved one some inspo on what to get you, then look know further friends! All the gifts we talk about can be found on the links below and as always, we talk about what we've been up to in the garden, what we are going to get up to and what plants are on our "to buy" list.


 

NZ Gardener 2023 diary 

gardening by the moon clock 

Burgon & Ball at Smith & Caugheys

Burgon & Ball at Gubba 

Burgon & Ball at Ballantynes 

https://www.floragrow.co.nz/shop/grow-with-the-flow-t-shirts 

Iko Iko - Cavallini vintage flower puzzle

Outdo Cavallini bees and honey puzzle 

New Zealand Gardens to visit - Book 

https://puririlane.co.nz/collections/gardenwares-and-gifts/products/herb-flower-dryer 

https://exquisitewooltraders.co.nz/collections/pots/wool-pots

Power planter

This week we are talking to Ali from Crosshill Garden near Lake Hawea in Central Otago. 

Central Otago is an incredibly beautiful part of the world, but not without it's gardening challenges. We talk to Ali about the different areas of her garden, which includes an arboretum, woodland walk, 160m2 vegetable garden, food forest, sunset garden and Ali is currently developing a dry garden and a tea garden. Whew! She's a busy woman! 

You can book a visit to see Crosshill through Secret Gardens: https://secretgardens.co.nz/garden/crosshill-garden/ 

https://www.instagram.com/crosshill_garden/

The garden diary Ali uses: https://mags4gifts.co.nz/collections/special-editions/products/pre-sale-nz-gardener-2023-garden-diary

Last week we visited three gardens that were open as part of the Hurunui Garden Festival (definitely go to this next year if you are in the area!) and in this episode we talk about what design or planting aspects of the gardens we thought would translate well to our own gardens - or yours! 

As always, we also talk about what we've been up to in the garden and what jobs are on our to do lists. 

This week we are talking to Jenny from Cornwall Pocket Farm in Auckland. Jenny and her husband have created a truly amazing space on their 300m2 section, which includes a chicken coop, kitchen garden and wild life area. Jenny is creative in her use of space and shares with us her motivations in creating the garden and all the tips and tricks she's learned along the way. She is truly inspiring and is a lesson in what can be achieved in a small space! 

To book a visit: https://secretgardens.co.nz/garden/cornwall-pocket-farm/ 

To follow Jenny's Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbSzSpPOL3rMiVXXSX_H85g/about

We've certainly made our share of mistakes at this time of year when it comes to all things in the garden. In this episode we share what we've learned over the last couple of years in our own gardens in the hopes that you can avoid the same pitfalls! 

Not only are pots and containers essential if you have a courtyard or balcony, but they really do have the power to take any garden space to the next level! In this episode we talk about different materials, what important things to keep in mind and how to best care for your plants when gardening in pots. We also share our favourite plants for container gardening. As always, we share what we've been up to in the garden, what we are going to get up to and what plant we are going to be buying.

In honour of Te Wiki O Te Reo Māori we are talking all about NZ natives in this week's episode. Historically this hasn't been a topic we are super familiar with, but we are learning a lot about our native plants and this episode is chock full of information to get you started on your native garden. As always we are also talking about what we've bee up to in our gardens, what our plans are and what plants we will be buying. 




https://www.weedbusters.org.nz/resources/plant-me-instead-booklets/ 

https://www.doc.govt.nz/get-involved/run-a-project/restoration-advice/native-plant-restoration/local-planting-guides/ 

https://www.treesthatcount.co.nz/resources/regional-guides-for-planting-natives/ 

https://www.doc.govt.nz/documents/conservation/native-plants/motukarara-nursery/restoration-guide-complete.pdf 

https://www.nzpcn.org.nz/conservation/restoration/gardening/garden-plants/ 

https://www.treesforcanterbury.org.nz/planting-trees-and-shrubs/creating-a-lawn-alternative-with-native-plants/ 

www.tawapou.co.nz

This week follows on from our last episode, as often wind and drought go together and a lot of the same plants can be used in either situation! 

As always, we share what we've been up to in the garden, what we're going to get up to and what plants we are coveting.

http://www.perennialresource.com/photo_essay.php?ID=311

https://www.gardenersworld.com/plants/drought-tolerant-plants-to-grow/

This week we are talking to all our garden gals and guys who might be fighting mother nature and her pesky wind! As Libby has found out at her new house, this type of weather can wreak havoc on a garden. But we got you boo! There are so many things you can do to protect your piece of paradise and so many plants that will thrive in the wind. This is part 1 of 2 in this series as next week we will be talking about planting for drought, which often goes hand in hand with wind.


https://windy.app/

This episode is all about winter fruit tree pruning - seems daunting but is actually really not! We were fortunate enough to attend a workshop hosted by Secret Gardens and run by Greg Quinn from Home Orchard Care and we learned SO MUCH! 

As always we also share what we've been up to in the garden, what we're going to get up to and plants we want to buy.


https://www.ccc.govt.nz/assets/Documents/Environment/Sustainability/AppleTreesSuitableforCanterbury2015.pdf

https://www.southlandcommunitynursery.org.nz/restoring-your-patch/get-growing/cuttings/

https://www.instagram.com/homeorchardcare/

We love trees and are firm believers that the size of your section shouldn't stop you from enjoying all that leafy greenness. In this episode we are talking about what you need to think about when planning your tree selection, as well as a list of trees recommended for smaller gardens. 

As always we share what we've been up to in the garden and what's on our to do lists. 

https://citygreen.com/urban-tree-planting/ 

https://ccc.govt.nz/the-council/community-consultation-archive/show/572

In this week's episode we are talking all things prairie planting/naturalistic style. Not sure what this is? We are here to help! We have become OBSESSED with it  since we started researching and we want you to be too! 

In a nutshell, it's a style of planting that incorporates swathes of colourful perennials, mixed in with grasses that invokes a sense of space. Listen to this episode to find out more.

After attending a workshop around winter work at Frensham we were inspired to get on with some winter jobs in our own gardens and hope that we can inspire you too! 

Listen to this episode to get the low down on what all those winter jobs are.

This week we are talking all things cottage gardens - the history, gardens to follow, key elements and our top plants to achieve the lewk.

We also share what's been going on in our own gardens and our coveted plants to buy.

This week is a bit of a mish mash/chit chat as we've both got a lot to catch you up on in our gardens! Greer went down a deep Youtube rabbit hole of garden design videos and shares her learnings and Libby tells us why this autumn has been such a good one.



www.bunnings.co.nz/diy-advice/garden/planting-and-growing/how-to-build-a-garden-obelisk

youtube.com/watch?v=HtsqXEMeocM (the Middle Sized Garden video on design)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRGzNzLiSjk (Y Garden video on design)

This week we are talking to Nicky from Birch Hill Flower Farm in North Canterbury.

Greer attended one of Nicky's bouquet making workshops a few weeks ago and was blown away with the flower farm and how warm and welcoming Nicky is. She started her flower farm two seasons ago and is a living lesson in taking your passion and making it happen.


www.instagram.com/birchhillflowerfarm

www.secretgardens.co.nz 

Hi and welcome! This week we are talking all things bulb lawns! What to plant, where to plant and how to plant.  We are also catching up on what we've been up to in the garden, what we have planned for our gardens and what plants we are coveting right now.  Lastly we discuss how to choose the healthiest plants when shopping.

Links:

https://www.drkeithhammett.co.nz/dr-keith-hammet-cultivars-online/ 

https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/how-to-plant-bulbs-in-grass 

This week we are catching up on what we've been up to in the garden, what we're looking to buy and what our plans are in the next couple of weeks. We are also talking all things no dig gardening, how to set up the beds, how to maintain them and what the benefits are.

Links for things we talk about in this episode

https://charlesdowding.co.uk/start-here/

https://www.kingsseeds.co.nz/shop/Flowers/Verbascum+Southern+Charm-1720.html

https://www.yates.co.nz/plants/flowers-and-ornamentals/nigella/how-to-grow-nigella/

https://www.instagram.com/clarenolanuk/?hl=en 

https://emerden.com/

https://oldworldgardenfarms.com/raised-row-gardening/

https://www.instagram.com/oldworldgarden/?hl=en

To celebrate international women's' week this week we are talking about the women in gardening who are the biggest inspiration to us. From our OGs to some new finds, we hope this list gives you some inspiration of your own! 

Welcome! And this week we are talking about all the things you can be dividing in your late summer garden (it's more than you think). We are also talking all the ways you can preserve your herbs to take your pantry through the colder months. Our cold call is an old family friend of Libby's who has a new garden on a tricky site.

This week Greer and Libby talk about the things they've been up to in the garden (as well as things they should have been doing but haven't got round to).

Because Greer is a planning psycho she's already thinking about what prep needs doing for the autumn garden and shares her tips and tricks and Libby takes us through her learnings from laying ready lawn.

This episode is full of tips and tricks to ensure your winter garden is super productive and gives you a bounty of delicious veg! 

As always, we share what we've been up to in the garden and what our plans are for the next couple of weeks.

This week we are talking about what we've been up to in the garden before getting stuck into a discussion about climbers. How to plant? What do they like? What are you planting it for? And lots of different varieties to try! We are also talking to our friend Lily about her new garden.

Welcome to the first show of 2022! This week we are catching up on what's been happening in our gardens and talking about our visit to a listener's garden, how to plant up big shady beds and at what point we give up on plants.

It's the festive season and for lots of us that means summer holidays! In today's episode we give tips and tricks on how to ensure you don't return from your holiday to a crispy, barren wasteland. Jack also joins us for bonsai chat (but maybe don't take his word for gospel because he hasn't had the best success with his plants...).

Happy holidays everyone! 

This week we are talking gift guides for the gardeners in your life! Basically a list of things we covet so if you like anything in here for yourself, definitely forward this on to your loved ones as a hint!

For everything mentioned in the episode:

www.whitcoulls.co.nz/product/in-the-company-of-gardeners-6679570

www.frensham.co.nz/the-gardeners-journal

www.notsocks.co.nz/diy-terrarium-kit-17884

www.floragrow.co.nz/shop/the-my-first-garden-kit

www.secretgardens.co.nz/shop/

www.bunnings.co.nz/yates-50ml-purple-clonex-rooting-hormone-gel_p0313140

www.bunnings.co.nz/murphy-s-50g-rooting-hormone_p0339969

www.thewarehouse.co.nz/p/egmont-ibadex-powdered-rooting-hormone-25g/R1438076.html

www.onceit.co.nz/brand/lola-george

www.ikoiko.co.nz/collections/cavallini

www.thefabricofsociety.co.nz/product-category/workshops/