Gardening inspiration from three green-fingered Unitec staff members

Mary Johnston’s vertical shade garden

Lately, with increased time spent at home rather than out in the community or with friends, many people are turning their attention to the space around them for recreation – whether that’s a large undeveloped section, a ‘pocket handkerchief’ of land or a balcony. With a bit of time and love, these spaces can all be turned into pretty or useful gardens. Check out the column on the right for advice on how to get started on your gardening journey.

We have many keen gardeners at Unitec. We caught up with three of them to find out what they love about gardening and what they’ve been focusing on during lockdown.

Heather Stonyer – Director, Industry Partnerships

Heather’s Frangipani tree

What do you like best about gardening?
I love being able to curate an ever-changing outdoor environment as my plants grow. I enjoy providing food for the family and neighbours, and seeing bees, butterflies and birds arrive in the garden.

What’s your favourite aspect of your garden?
At present my frangipani, which will likely flower for another month or so – it’s quite special and I’ve grown it from cuttings. I really like the concept of garden rooms and have tried to create a few different spaces and themes in quite a small garden. I have a white ‘room’ filled with roses and hydrangeas which is my summer afternoon retreat space and a subtropical area with tall yuccas because I needed privacy in our outdoor sitting area.

What are your priorities in your garden at the moment?
In my vege garden I’m keeping the white butterfly off my caulis! I’m doing a lot of general tidying up and trimming of plants, cutting back flowering perennials in preparation for winter, and digging in more compost and fertiliser to feed trees and shrubs.

What are some things that inexperienced gardeners could be doing in their gardens while they’re spending more time at home?
I’m really big on replenishing soil and watering the garden, which is a bit tricky during our water shortage. So think about building a compost bin solution if you have lots of leaf litter available from your garden – there’s heaps of good advice online.

One of the easiest ways to ‘grow your own food’ is to have a space just outside the back door or close to the kitchen where you can grow herbs (even in pots), so you can just grab them without much effort.

Heather’s impressive vege garden

Helen Polley – Sustainability Coordinator

What do you like best about gardening?
Gardening gives me the opportunity to go out and pick fresh produce for dinner; what is growing usually provides inspiration for meal preparation. Eating what you have grown is super satisfying.

The ‘mound’ that Helen and her husband are planting to block their house from the road

What’s your favourite aspect of your garden?
My husband and I landscaped this “mound” last year and have been slowly planting it up; it’s designed to visually block our house from the road. It’s good fun watching it grow and adding plants as finances allow. I have built a habitat for native skinks and in the photo I’m sitting in front of the habitat which consists of pavers stacked on top of each other, with blocks in between – a bit like a multi-storeyed carpark, a water supply and groundcover that they like.

What are your priorities in your garden at the moment?
I try really hard to use as few chemicals as possible and I am experimenting with what will keep white butterflies away. Not loads of success yet. Apparently white eggs shells make the butterflies think they have too much competition but my hens only lay brown eggs which is a problem!

Helen’s vege planters

I’m also pruning our stone fruit trees (peaches, nectarines) and spraying for leaf curl as autumn proceeds.

What advice can you give inexperienced gardeners who’d like to work on their gardens while they’re spending more time at home?
Making compost or digging scraps into the garden, that way when this isolation process is finished they will have healthy, vital soil ready for planting. You don’t need sophisticated equipment (see advice on the right)
Planning what they want to grow and choosing where the best position is for the correct conditions, sunlight, shade etc.

Mary Johnston – Executive Director, People and Infrastructure

Mary in her garden

What do you like best about gardening?
There is nothing better than getting my hands in the soil; tilling, planting, pruning, weeding and shaping an environment. As I work in my garden I reflect, re-set and revive. I love creating a garden that wraps around me and is enjoyed by family and friends. I grew up with gardens being central to my family’s lives and worked in my grandparents’ and parents’ gardens throughout my childhood. My garden is the place I come back to – it grounds me and helps me regain perspective.

What’s your favourite aspect of your garden?
Nine years ago, this garden was a clay bank with two trees – Gwen the Guava and Dwayne the Rock Johnson (a towering phoenix palm). I love all aspects of my garden – the ficus (climbing fig) walls, the bonsai, the deliberate evergreen environment, my vertical shade wall, the diverse blasts of colours, the myriad of textures and the swathes of hanging air plants. My garden breaks all the rules and is my oasis in the city.

What are your priorities in your garden at the moment?
Pruning, clearing, weeding, tidying, tilling the soil and reorganising are my key activities right now. My plants and small shrubs are mobile and get moved around when I think they could be better placed. The whole garden is getting the ‘COVID-Cut’ – a severe pruning and reshape as I have time to be a little more thoughtful about every part of my 480sqm section and how I could improve a particular space.

What advice can you give inexperienced gardeners who’d like to work on their gardens while they’re spending more time at home?
Research other gardens via Mr Google, take a look at ideas on Pinterest, watch videos, take some virtual garden tours and become inspired. Select some small projects and experiment. It is important to try new things and not be afraid to fail.

Snaps of Mary’s beautiful garden

Simple tips for getting your garden started

Outlined below are a few tips and ideas to get you gardening now, or to get underway with planning your garden and exploring ideas, ready for post lockdown, when the necessary resources are more accessible.

Getting started – a beginners guide:

This article gives you advice if you want to dig up a small piece of ground and start a garden – soil preparation is important for successful gardening and is not difficult.

Composting:

You can simply dig food scraps into the earth or if you would like to set up a more sophisticated method of composting, take a look at www.compostcollective.org.nz.

This is a great site for three organic waste channels: composting, worm farming (vermiculture) and bokashi (fermenting technique).

Tips for getting underway now despite lockdown:

This article focuses on what you can achieve now, with what is available now either at home or by ordering online, while the physical plant shops are closed.

Purchase seeds online and start growing seedlings so you can pop them in the ground once your patch of soil is ready.

Some supermarkets stock seeds and there are many online seed suppliers – this supplier is based in New Zealand and still operational during lockdown, selling flower and vegetable plant seeds.

Monthly planting guide:

This site gives you details on what to do or plant month by month in New Zealand.

Small or no space? Planting in pots:

Don’t have much outdoor space? Try planting in pots! You can replant the potted herbs from the supermarket once you’ve used all the foliage.

Here are some other ideas about what and how to grow plants in small areas using pots.

Time to plant spring bulbs:

Now is the ideal time to plant spring bulbs such as freesia’s, daffodils and jonquils and they can easily be grown in a small area or a pot.

Bulbs Direct is an online New Zealand company and has a wide variety to choose from.

Heather’s harvest