Fun venture takes off
Fun venture takes off
A Mosgiel couple who began breeding roses for fun are soon to have their second commercial release, reports Gillian Vine.
Gillian Vine
Pleasantly surprised
Pleasantly surprised
What a pleasure it is when a writer who has gone off his or her game returns to form.
Celebrating 30 or so years
Celebrating 30 or so years
When members of the Outram Garden Club discussed celebrating the club's 30th anniversary, it was generally agreed it had been founded in 1981, so plans began to be made to mark it this year.
Brilliant sixth in Gamache series stand alone read
Brilliant sixth in Gamache series stand alone read
One of the strengths of Louise Penny's Bury your Dead is that it is not necessary to have read any of her earlier novels featuring Chief Inspector Armande Gamache to appreciate this one.
Do groundwork now for fabulous spring show
Do groundwork now for fabulous spring show
Spring may seem a long way off but planning - and buying - new plants and bulbs now guarantees the best show. Gillian Vine suggests some bulbs and perennials for southern gardens.
Dirty old town - and country
Dirty old town - and country
In recent months, readers from around Otago have written letters to the editor complaining about roadside rubbish.
Good time to get growing
Good time to get growing
My husband accuses me of being paranoid about rising food prices, but I've got the United Nations on my side.
Heritage apple varieties propagated
Heritage apple varieties propagated
The 2009-10 season was a bad one for apples, with gale-force winds and cold conditions resulting in few bees on the wing.
From barren patch to Barron's patch
From barren patch to Barron's patch
The Outram Flower Show is a popular annual event, with flowers, vegetables, children's artworks and an impressive sales table. Gillian Vine meets one of the workers who help make the show so successful.
Long voyage to a Mediterranean island
Long voyage to a Mediterranean island
The upper part of the Dunedin Botanic Garden has a lovely microclimate and great views up the Leith Valley, so - apart from the steep slope - it was the ideal spot for the Otago Acclimatisation...
REVIEW SPECIAL: Novels
REVIEW SPECIAL: Novels
Gillian Vine reviews the latest round of novels.
Naturally prizewinning
Naturally prizewinning
"We don't really consider ourselves gardeners," Joy Pringle told judges of the Let's Grow Native competition. "Could have fooled me," muttered judge Jim Mora. More...
Good things in small parcels
Good things in small parcels
The Taipei International Flora Expo has a raft of interesting displays, among them a stunning line-up of bonsai, as Gillian Vine reports.
The twelve garden gifts of Christmas
The twelve garden gifts of Christmas
Many garden gifts have lasting benefits, as Gillian Vine finds.
Flowering ambition
Flowering ambition
I made a complete fool of myself last week. I had taken a photo of a local woman at the Taipei International Flora Exposition, and I emailed it to her. Back came a reply in Chinese, so I...
A living family heirloom
A living family heirloom
George Scott's grandmother, Euphemia, never threw anything away, something for which George and his wife, Mary, are grateful. Family papers include not only a coloured concept plan drawn up...
Enjoy a Tasmanian delight
Enjoy a Tasmanian delight
We're told that Tasmania is just like home. It is and it isn't. It is because some natives, such as tree ferns, are similar to ours and many introduced plants do as well in Tasmania as in Otago and...
Enemies in the ranks
Enemies in the ranks
I always thought oka (yams) and artichokes were bomb-proof, resistant to every pest around, but this past season, I've learned otherwise. New Zealand's major lawn and pasture pests, native...
Trees of curious character
Trees of curious character
Ruth Ahern has knobbly knees - and she loves them. Her "knees" are at the base of a swamp cypress (Taxodium distichum var. distichum), one of many large trees in her 1ha Waikouaiti garden...
Awesome by nature
Awesome by nature
Startled by the click of my camera, a New Holland honeyeater flicks its tail and flies off a railing at Inverawe, then settles to some serious foraging in a patch of Correa reflexa a few metres...