Where do you live?

I live in the Waimakariri district of North Canterbury, which is in the South Island of New Zealand.

What zone are you in?

In New Zealand we don’t generally refer to zones much, but going by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) plant hardiness zones, I live in an area that is roughly equivalent to USDA zone 9a, and border closely zone 9b. We have summer temperatures up to the mid to high 30’s (degrees C - approx 95 degrees F), down to minus 5 (degrees C - approx 23 degrees F). Many of the plants and trees in my garden will survive down to much lower temperatures than we get here.

What kind of soil does your garden have?

I garden on clay soil. It’s a huge challenge and one that, at first, caused me quite a lot of despair. But over the years I’ve learned how to manage it, appreciate its strengths and minimise its weaknesses. It’s not always easy, and I lose the odd plant and even tree at times. But I soldier on because the only other choice is moving, and I don’t want to do that because everything else about where we live is amazing!

How long have you been gardening for?

I’ve been gardening for around 25 years. In that time, I’ve had three gardens. Our first was a small, urban section and I knew very little about gardening. The second was one acre of established garden, where I learned a lot about working WITH my climate, choosing the right plant for the right place, and how frustrating it is when someone else designed things badly! In my current garden, we started with ten acres of bare paddock with not one tree in sight. Two acres of the land is garden and I’m learning that designing your own garden is equal parts fun and frustration. I wish I had some established trees, but overall, I’m enjoying the process of turning a bare patch of grass into my garden vision. It’s a long process and it’ll keep me going for twenty more years I’m sure, but it gives me something to dream about, something to do, something to keep me fit, and something to drain my bank account.

What gardening knowledge is critical for success?

There are three things a gardener needs to understand before they even set foot in a garden centre. The first is climate. Plants have different needs and tolerances. Some are tender, some are half-hardy and some are hardy. Your climate is going to dictate the plants you can choose for your garden. Don’t try to battle your climate. You’ll lose. I learned that the hard way many years ago. The second piece of knowledge gardeners need to understand is what type of soil they have. How you garden is heavily dependent on your soil type. You need to choose plants that suit your soil. Like climate, if you try to battle your soil and plant things that won’t tolerate your soil, you’re just wasting your money. And lastly, you need to understand your garden’s aspect. That is, where does the sun hit and shade fall? Some plants love and need full sun, some need shade. Some are happy in either. So, you need to select plants for the situation. Don’t plant a shade loving plant in full sun or vice versa. You’re destined for disappointment. Gardeners who understand these three things are well on the journey to becoming a successful gardener.

“I struggle with consistent colour through the seasons. What’s your secret?”

Consistent colour is the hardest thing to achieve for beginner gardeners. It’s partly skill and also a bit of an art. They key is understanding the flowering season of your plant choices. Don’t just choose what you love the look of the day you turn up to the garden centre. Research is the key. Learn what flowers, when, and then plan your planting scheme so you have staggered flowering through each season. Winter is hard, but there are options. I do just accept a bit of an overall brown theme in winter though!