I know that winter is over when I start thinking
wistfully about putting a swimming pool in the back
yard. That’s
definitely been the case this week. Here in Hawke’s
Bay, we’re starting to see some nice 22 and 23
degree days so the lawnmower is starting to get a
bit of use again. It’s just a shame we haven’t had
many spring showers because everything’s a bit dry.
All in good time, I suppose.
A lot’s been happening at landscapedesign.co.nz and
on the New Zealand landscaping scene. The Ellerslie
flower show is drawing nearer (14-19 November) and
I’m finalising my secret preparations for
landscapedesign.co.nz’s Exhibition Garden. It is
going to be an exciting garden that will challenge
your preconceived ideas about the medium. I can’t wait!
Thomas Rose Design
It’s one thing to make a good landscape, but to make
it truly satisfying, you need to pay attention to
the details and stamp your individuality on it.
Thomas Rose Design is a good place to start. They
stock innovative outdoor accessories like wonderful
deckchairs with vibrant prints on the fabric, stone
place mats to enhance your outdoor dining
experience, and amazing stone candles. The stuff is
beautifully designed and fashioned from high quality
materials, so there’s no hint of tackiness or mere
novelty value here.
Do you need an answer to a tricky gardening
question? Or maybe you want to publicise an event
that's happening in your region. The
LandscapeDesign.co.nz forums are the place to go.
Our online community of gardeners and landscape
designers is growing rapidly and there are some
interesting discussions taking place. It only takes
a minute to join and then you can start asking
questions or contributing to discussions that are
already there. But be careful ... forums can be
addictive!
I read with dismay this week that Carter Holt
Harvey, now owned by Graeme “Scrooge McDuck” Hart
has dumped its sponsorship of Project Crimson, a
charitable trust which aims to protect and
regenerate New Zealand’s pohutakawa trees. Project
Crimson was started in 1990 and has had considerable
success in reversing the destruction of this iconic
New Zealand tree.
Project Crimson is putting a brave face on the loss
of this six-figure sponsorship deal and is hoping to
find a new sponsor by the end of the year. What a
pity the small-minded Hart can’t follow the example
set by UK billionaire Richard Branson, who has shown
real
leadership by declaring that all future profits from his
companies will be spent on initiatives to reverse
global warming.
You can say what you like about Branson’s annoying
PR stunts and stupid beard, but at least he sees the
big picture and not just the bottom line.
Landscapedesign continues to grow
Tell your friends about landscapedesign.co.nz
because we’re getting bigger and better! We’ve been
going for ten months now and our growth shows no
signs of slowing down. This month we’ve had 10,000
unique visits to the site, which is the first time
we’ve hit the 10,000 mark. Also, we’ve been
overhauling the site and it now has a fresh new
look. Like it? Loathe it? Send
us your comments and
tell us what you think.
One of the things I like about gardening is that
it’s a lifelong hobby and you never stop learning,
and someone we can all learn a lot from is Wally
Richards. We’re proud to announce that Wally’s
weekly gardening column is now available on
landscapedesign.co.nz. Wally has been writing his
column for 10 years and it’s printed in 20
newspapers all around New Zealand. He is truly a
guru of the garden and his knowledge is both deep
and broad.
Tony Murrell is a good example of someone who is
benefiting from being listed on
landscapedesign.co.nz. Tony is a landscape designer
and the presenter of TVNZ’s House and Garden and
Mucking In programmes and he’s designing the
planting for the landscapedesign.co.nz exhibition
garden at the Ellerslie flower show (just a hint :
this garden is going to be special indeed). Tony has
a listing on the landscapedesign.co.nz site and he
is constantly amazed at the large number of requests
for work he receives
from the site, ranging from advice and
consultations to fully-fledged design projects. What
he likes most about it is the high quality of the
businesses that are listed on it and the fact that
everyone involved shares a passion for landscaping.
He also likes the fact that we’ve given him a web
presence without him needing to set up his own
website. When someone types his name into Google,
his listing appears on the front page. We’ve taken
care of his online marketing needs for him!
I read with dismay this week that Carter Holt
Harvey, now owned by Graeme “Scrooge McDuck” Hart
has dumped its sponsorship of Project Crimson, a
charitable trust which aims to protect and
regenerate New Zealand’s pohutakawa trees. Project
Crimson was started in 1990 and has had considerable
success in reversing the destruction of this iconic
New Zealand tree.
