Vegetables Keeping the soil hoed at this time of year not only keeps down weed seedlings but also gives vegetables an effective mulch of broken soil that prevents loss of moisture lower down in the ground.
Otago's 2008 Gardener of the Year Midge Ruka was a late starter, she tells Gillian Vine.
Make it a green Christmas. Gillian Vine has some gift suggestions for garden-lovers.
Unique in New Zealand gardening history, The Star Garden Book has been produced in Dunedin for almost 100 years. Gillian Vine, writer-editor of the centennial edition, just published, looks at the life of the first writer, Harry Clarke.
An old beared iris, Graccus was bred in 1884.
A couple of decades ago, Otago and Southland were dotted with dozens of cottage-garden nurseries. Many have gone, but among the survivors is one in Clinton.
Fifteen years ago when small, garden-gate plant stalls were starting to disappear, Jenny Ritchie bucked the trend and opened a nursery in Clinton.
You don't have to be a Sam McGredy to breed your own roses, Gillian Vine learns.
You don't have to be scientific about crosses to start with, George and Dawn Agnew say.
Looking for inspiration, Gillian Vine examines the new crop of gardening books.
"People in Dunedin are only starting to realise native plants exist and can be used in the garden," Fiona Eadie says.
One of Dunedin's most attractive old villas, Magnolia House is complemented by its lovely garden, as Gillian Vine finds.
Even the steepest section has possibilities for a keen Dunedin gardener, as Gillian Vine finds.
Some plants just love being together. Gillian Vine finds out about some symbiotic relationships in the garden.
An arboretum is more likely to be found in a botanic garden than a private one. Gillian Vine talks to two gardeners who have spent 15 years planting a collection of trees and shrubs on Otago Peninsula.
A fund-raising event for a decade, the Milton Primary School's garden tour gives people the opportunity to see some of the best gardens in the area.
The garden at Matanaka, the Waikouaiti home of whaler and entrepreneur Johnny Jones, is open tomorrow.
Gillian Vine takes a look at some excellent new books on gardening.
Camellias have been grown in China for at least 2000 years and many varieties grow well in the South. Gillian Vine talks to Jim Jackson, chairman of the Otago-Southland branch of the New Zealand Camellia Society, on the eve of its annual show.
Gillian Vine gets the blues, but in a good way.
Finance is an issue for many garden clubs but Gillian Vine finds one group has come up with a brave way to raise money.
Sixty years ago, a group of keen gardeners got together in Clinton to form a club. Gillian Vine looks back on those good old days.
