Mitre 10 Garden Speaker Series

Yahoo! Bamboo

with Carolyn Melling

Are you needing privacy from neighbours? Want a green screen in between? Your seclusion solution could be bamboo.

“Not all bamboo is a weed,” says Carolyn Melling, owner of Jungle Flora Bamboo in Auckland.

In her talk, Carolyn will show how easy it is to create a Pinterest-worthy garden using bamboo – and how selected varieties are ideal for urban screening. Attendees will learn the difference between runners and clumpers, why some bamboos become weedy, and find out how to pleach the plant.

Carolyn will also talk about controlling bamboo, the many varieties available and their uses, council regulations around planting and “how to look after bamboo to keep it looking amazing”.

Date/Time Sat 28 Oct, 10am & 2pm

Sun 29 Oct, 10am & 2pm

Mon 30 Oct, 10am

Venue Tropical Treasures, 816 Carrington Rd, New Plymouth.

Admission Free event.

Let's Grow Bananas

A workshop with Vance Hooper

Bananas have been growing in New Zealand for more than 100 years – now it’s time to learn how you can add a taste of the tropics to your own garden. Historically, growing bananas has been dependent on limited microclimates, but with careful variety selections and a few key cultural factors, the fruit –botanically a berry – can be grown more widely. Vance will share tips on banana propagation, establishment and ongoing garden culture to get the best out of these fresh-and-fruity jungle beauties.

Date/Time Sunday 29 Oct, 2pm Sat 4 Nov, 2pm

Venue Magnolia Grove, 6 Mahoetahi Road, Waitara.

Admission Free event, usual garden fee applies (one ticket).

Farmlands Klondike Gold Tours

with

Laurence Frost

Like the old miners in the Klondike, where knowledge enabled them to find the gold, we have Laurence Frost from Farmlands who relates to these great men.

Laurence, a qualified horticulturist with 40 years of specialising in propagation, will share his knowledge and huge enthusiasm on a tour of plant identification, potential problems and remedies.

Date/Time Daily 1pm

Venue Marcella Point, 280 Mountain Rd, Lepperton.

Admission Free event, usual garden fee applies (one ticket).

A Walk Through the PĀst

with Ken Horner

Puketarata Garden lies inside an outer rampart of the historic Puketarata pā site, one of a number in the nearby valley. Around the 16th or 17th centuries, the age of pā building began, and for four or five hundred years Puketarata was home to Māori who lived and gardened at the pā site or its adjacent kāinga (village) Keteonetea. Historic events had a destructive effect on Taranaki and on Puketerata/Keteonetea. In the 1820s the musket wars began, followed by the arrival of Pākehā in increasing numbers from 1840. By the 1860s the land wars had commenced. The area was confiscated in 1865 by the government along with most other Māori land in the area. Although there is very little specific history known of this time, Ken Horner, amateur historian and owner of Puketarata Garden, has pieced together some of the history of the land that has been his family home since 1983. Take part in a walk along the earthen structure that is the remains of the historic pā site and join in the conversation with Ken about Puketarata’s place in history.

Date/Time Sat 28 Oct, 11am Wed 1 Nov, 11am Sat 4 Nov, 11am

Venue Puketarata Garden, 14 Ngawhini Rd, Hāwera.

Admission Free event, usual garden entry fee applies (two tickets).

Cheryl's Tour

with Cheryl Burt

Meander around Marcella Point with Cheryl the self-named “non-gardener”. Her enlightening tour will explain her logic to the changes from last year to this year: From the new irrigation system (naturally a “look no hands” approach”) to the latest garden projects, how she made them and why. Included in this is the story behind the ANZAC inspired garden – truly moving.

Date/Time Daily 10.30am

Venue Marcella Point, 280 Mountain Rd, Lepperton.

Admission Free event, usual garden fee applies (one ticket).

Permaculture Food Forest

with Dee Turner

Take a walk around a permaculture urban food forest with gardener and teacher Dee Turner. Learn how you can combine fruit trees, fruiting crops, perennials, root crops, bulbs and climbers into an enhanced foodscape that feeds itself. Dee has done away with the conventional orchard and mowing. Instead, she grows plants in guilds around her fruit trees to feed them, keep bugs away and obtain a yield at the same time. Herb and edible groundcovers grow where grass once was, as well as alpine strawberries in profusion. Productive self-seeders sow themselves every season and perennial root crops don’t need planting every year. There’s always food to harvest all year round with minimal weeding and pruning – a great solution for a busy lifestyle.

Date/Time Daily 11am

Venue Korito, 28A Trafalgar St, New Plymouth.

Admission Free event, usual garden fee applies (one ticket).

Hanging Baskets Demonstration

with Jenny Oakley

Hanging baskets are fun and simple to do if you follow a few basic rules. You can create a spectacular combination of plants that you will enjoy for many months. Come along and learn about the tips and tricks Jenny uses when creating her spectacular baskets.

Propagating Plants

with Jenny Oakley

Jenny will share gardening tips on how propagation is inexpensive and easy. This is a great way to get new plants from shrubs you already own. Hear from Jenny as she shares her horticultural knowledge gained from years of commercial garden design and maintenance.

Hanging Baskets Demonstration

Date/Time Fri 28 Oct, 11am

Thurs 32 Nov, 11am

Sat 4 Nov, 11am

Propagating Plants

Date/Time Fri 28 Oct, 1pm

Thurs 32 Nov, 1pm

Sat 4 Nov, 1pm

Venue Oakley Garden, 79 Normanby Rd, Manaia.

Admission Free event, usual garden entry fee applies (one ticket).