Springtime in the Garden City

Press, 29 September 1988, Page 21

Springtime in the Garden City

FRESH balmy days are undeniable evidence that spring has arrived. New green leaves bursting forth on trees are clothing the formerly gaunt branches while abundant flowers and blossom are adding life and colour . to the new season. Christchurch enjoys its reputation as the Garden City and nowhere is spring’s arrival more evident than in the thousands of gardens, both public and private. “At Home” is focusing on spring gardens this month. Spring garden competitions are a much-awaited fixture on the horticultural calendar for gardening enthusiasts and armchair gardeners who like looking at beautiful gardens as a regular “rite of spring.”

We looked behind the scenes to find out how the Christchurch Horticultural Society and the Christchurch Beautifying Society go about the exacting and Sometimes unenviable task of deciding who have the most attractive gardens.

We talked to Mr Ron Proctor, a longtime member bf both groups and a judge of: many years standing. He explained the two different approaches each has; the Beautifying Association judges gardens on their street appear and the Horticultural Society evaluates the whole garden. The system of points for each part of the garden reflects changing lifestyle needs of today’s garden owners. Bright transient; displays of . annuals have given way to gardens that look good all year round. Indoor/outdoor

living with its greater blend of home and garden has become a major requirement. Spring gardens are not created in spring; they are the result ,of much hard on-going work all through the

seasons. , But spring is indubitably the time for planting the vegetable garden, especially if you want; fresh home-grown peas and potatoes jon the table for Christmas dinner. Those who are not convinced that all the back-breaking work is worth the fresh delicious taste on their dinnerplates can read the evidence that home gardens are possibly more economical than the local supermarket’s: produce. Rural gardens are in a special ; category of their own. We eagerly took

the chance to visit a lovely example of a rural garden called “Rosewood” on the outskirts of Geraldine. Set in two acres of picturesque garden, it typifies the best illustration of a rural garden. Its magnificent huge trees shelter the

farm and form an attractive green backdrop to the garden. House and garden are blended perfectly together, designed for indoor/ outdoor living. Paths invite you to wander through the garden and draw • you out towards the farm land beyond, forming the ideal transition from garden to farm. Timelessness is the feature of a newer home, built on a section in a well-established locality the owners were fortunate enough to discover. We

profile their home by courtesy of both owners and architect. We talked to the supplier of a brand of food processor that arrived relatively recently on the New Zealand market. Built to withstand the rigours nnrr 4-airily e-ily . 14- 44- «<■« r-»

of any task asked of it, it is a superiorpiece of kitchen gadgetry. A finance consultant gives advice on what to do with redundancy payments, should you find yourself in that position. Investment is the best course of action and this is graphically illustrated by a chart showing the effects of inflation on currency since 1950. Our building columnist takes a iook at tools for do-it-yourselfers —- how to choose a gift that will not gather dust on the shelf — and he looks at safety for those using the tools.