Gardening > New Zealand Gardening

One Magic Square shows how, with a ten-minute effort, you can start your own productive food garden on a single square metre. By following these plot designs you can keep your labour pleasurable as your self-sufficiency increases. Take control of your own fresh food supply! Food gardening is the most intelligent adult endeavour on earth - Lolo Houbein shows you how to do it, and why you should.

First published in Australia 2008; this New Zealand edition September 2010.

The Cook's Salad Garden Revisited shows how to achieve a delicious and varied, year-round supply of salad vegetables. Numerous tempting recipes will inspire cooks to experiment with interesting combinations of ingredients to create mouth-watering salads.

For far too long introduced plants have overshadowed our native plants. Going Native is packed with ideas and uses for New Zealand natives, from landscaping and cultivating native plants, to guidelines for growing rare and endangered species and restoring native plant habitats. Included is an extensive glossary and colour illustrations to help with plant selection along with contributions from gardening experts, this is a book by New Zealanders for New Zealand.

In this age of increasing hostility towards chemical control of the food we eat, this book is the ideal guide to working with nature. Every tip in this book has worked for somebody - why it worked may be a mystery, but the result of a healthy crop is the greatest reward for a gardener.

Get Growing gives people of all ages the gardening basics, as well as fun projects and activies to spark the imagination and cultivate green thumbs. Children don't need to know everything there is about edible gardening to get started. The book re-introduces the idea that food comes from nature - not the supermarket - and the acts of growing, preparing and sharing it can be immensely satisfying. This book is packed with information and ideas for making edible gardening a fun activity that all members of the family can enjoy. ... read more

Lumps on your lemons? Daffodils refusing to flower? Hebes turning yellow? If you have a gardening problem, look no further. In The New Zealand Plant Doctor Andrew Maloy has compiled answers to the most common problems gardeners face, which he has assembled from years of experience answering readers' questions in his popular 'Plant Doctor' column for Weekend Gardener magazine. He offers sound and practical advice on eradicating disease, pest and weed control, spraying, feeding and more. From organic remedies to approved chemicals, A... read more

Partly through a revival of interest in classic gardens, and partly out of a reaction to the severe, minimal look that dominates the style magazines, gardeners are increasingly turning to colour. In Colourful Gardens Dennis Greville takes us through the essential steps in creating a gloriously eye-catching garden. The introduction explains how to structure a garden along the basic principles of colour combinations. The following chapters are then given to the different colours or tones: Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue/Purple, Whit... read more

New Zealand's benign climate creates superb growing conditions for flowers, fruit and vegetables, so it's no wonder that Kiwis love to turn their garden into a slice of paradise. Now gardening enthusiasts will be able to pick up Dennis Greville's highly practical gardening book and find some instant improvement they can make to their garden. The text was previously published by Harper Collins in 1995 but has been fully updated, and now comes with the author's exquisite colour photography throughout. The book is structured around... read more

Vegetable gardening is big again. Here's a book that takes readers by the hand and shows them how to go from backyard bombsite to organic Garden of Eden in one year. Author Xanthe White, New Zealand landscape-design star, documents a year in the garden she built from scratch in a rundown inner-city backyard, inspiring readers to realise that they can do it too. With a chapter for each month of the year, Xanthe's monthly diary inspires and confides, and her guides to sowing, planting, pests and diseases, making compost, mulching and... read more

This title has been a stand out amongst Godwit's highly regarded gardening titles since its first publication in 2001. Author Fiona Eadie, horticulture tutor, writer and now head gardener at Larnach Castle, where she can take credit for the Castle's stunning plantings, has revised and updated this classic book to make it even more indispensable to the New Zealand gardener. Over 25 per cent of the plants have been changed, bringing it in line with the author's evolving views of the growing habits and climate tolerance of our native ... read more

As life becomes busier and gardeners look for more permanence in their landscaping, foliage plants have come into their own. In this authoritative overview of 114 of the best foliage plants for a range of climates and regions, renowned garden writer Julian Matthews uses stunning photographs to illustrate their inherent beauty and distinctive qualities. With full care and cultivation advice and handsome layout, this book is an indispensable gardeners' and landscapers' aid. First published September 2007.

The Native Garden draws inspiration from the incredible richness and diversity of New Zealand's natural environment-from lush subtropical forests to vast tussock lands, from coast to the mountains. Short listed for the 1999 Montana New Zealand Book Awards, lifestyle section. First published 1988; this edition 2007.

New Zealand native alpine plants, with their interesting variety of forms, their beautiful flowers and their remarkable adaptations to harsh conditions, have always been attractive to gardeners throughout the world, particularly for rock gardens. They are now readily available from specialist nurseries and this book offers comprehensive information on growing and propagating them. Lawrie Metcalf is one of the leading experts on NZ flora.

A companion volume to "The Small Edible Garden". Knowing what to do when is crucial for gardeners wanting healthy home produce. Whether it is sowing, planting, feeding, or pruning, harvesting or storing, the keys to successful vegetable and fruit growing are to carry out tasks correctly and at the wrong time. Creating an edible garden doesn't take a lot of money and effort. Once you have space for growing, you can get started with some basic tools and seedlings or seeds. You can grow edibles in an extensive raised garden, or simply... read more

An authoritative, comprehensive guide to vegetable, herb and spice plants that explores old favourites and many little-known yet exciting food-producing plants. As well as the A to Z guide to over 200 species, and lists of the most popular cultivars, a general introduction gives a basic background to various aspects of horticulture and plant nutrition. A table of plants for different garden situations at the back of the book is a useful ready-reference. This thorough and extensively researched book is a vital reference, with everyt... read more

This useful handbook provides information about a good range of easy-to-grow chili peppers in New Zealand. Each variety is photographed in colour with information about planting, harvesting and storing, as well as any curative properties found in the plant or the fruit. In addition, the book contains a list of recipes - ranging from drinks and appetisers to main meals and desserts. Detailed information is given about how to temper the heat of the chilies used in any recipe.

The only citrus gardening guide written specifically for New Zealand. Revised and updated it includes information on: ClimateSoilNutritionPropagationCitrus varietiesSelecting and plantingPruningGrowing in containersDisease and pest controlHarvestingSpray safetyMonthly planting calendar. First published 1992; this revised edition July 2008.

Hydrangeas are wonderfully versatile. These hardy all-rounders can be enjoyed as formal shrubs in a courtyard, as a splash of colour in a woodland garden, a container plant on a patio or as a source of exceptionally long-lasting cut flowers. Their popularity continues to increase and many exciting new varieties are now available. This book includes: over 180 colour photographs; more than 200 species and cultivars described, including the more unusual hydrangeas; a comprehensive gardening guide covering the history of hydrangeas, t... read more

"Prof" Walker" gives advice on how to improve and maintain good soil fertility and ensure the right balance of essential nutrients, water and light. The book covers a wide range of vegetables and advice is given on the choice of cultivar, the recognition of pests, diseases and nutritient deficiencies and what to do about them. First published 1992.

What do I need to make a garden? What plants can I eat from my garden? Is spaghetti squash a plate of flat pasta? If you want to know more about growing your own juicy tomatoes, crunchy carrots and tasty strawberries, then this is the book for you. Find out what tools you need and how to make seeds grow into fruit, flowers or vegetables. Learn how to grow a pumpkin with your name on it, how you can make a living tepee and how to grow a cucumber inside a bottle. Discover who your garden friends are and find out who's just waiting to... read more