Let's be honest, we all judge a house by its cover.

Does bathing beneath a leafy canopy float your rubber ducky? We’ve devised a comprehensive list of things to bear in mind before install your outdoor shower or bath.

Your late summer gardening is a great time to plant seeds for the months ahead, as it's traditionally the hottest time of the year.

Get arty and turn your green space into an outdoor gallery with the use of fun garden sculptures We’re spending more and more time in our gardens, and it’s not necessarily gardening. Now, as an extension of our living spaces, gardens are increasingly becoming home to art. Embracing many forms, from the highbrow to DIY, […]

Take some cold comfort this month by doing a little ground work Garden work If the ground is not too wet and the soil free draining, early snap and sugar peas, both cool-weather crops, may be sown in all but frost-prone zones, in which case sowing should be delayed until spring. An arrangement of twigs […]

Is your garden a bleak vista inhabited by a few straggly citrus trees on the lawn, or do you live in a house where the outside areas feel disconnected from the inside? From creating a good first impression to planting for the future, our expert landscape designer has some sage advice Like anything worthwhile, the […]

No more mud, no more mowing. A total backyard redesign has given this family exactly what they wanted – a garden that almost takes care of itself.

A series of terraces, lush planting and enhanced outdoor bathing options have lifted this steep inner-city site to subtropical superstar status Dealing with an “incredibly challenging” steep site, a swimming pool in disrepair and major privacy issues is not an easy ask for any landscape professional. Fortunately, talented designer Kirsten Sach was more than up […]

A spacious living area beneath soaring white beams has been the runaway hit of this beautifully reimagined garden in Auckland’s Grey Lynn Under the pergola Most people start with the house first when doing up a property. Not Dianne Ensor and Geoff Cawthorn. Dianne, who is co-owner of The Makeup School and the Makeup Collective […]

Planning and planting a verdant home garden in Tauranga has been both healing and enriching for this hands-on couple This couple found healing in creating a bountiful urban garden For Isaac Weston and Lara Bui, 2008 and 2009 were extremely challenging years. With two unsuccessful rounds of IVF and the passing of their beloved cat, […]

The landscaping plan for this new site in Christchurch took advantage of established neighbouring gardens to create leafy sight lines and a sense of privacy How the landscaping of this Christchurch new-build helps it feel established When Craig Wilson of Form Garden Architecture admired some mature trees next to a bare section in the Christchurch […]

NZ Flower and Garden Show 2017 exhibitors share their expert tips on how to create the perfect outdoor kitchen for summer A beginner’s guide to creating your own outdoor kitchen Nothing says summertime quite like cooking outside and dining al fresco. Firing up the barbie on a warm summer night is somewhat of a Kiwi […]

This clifftop garden found its full potential thanks to some traditional Asian inspired landscaping that complements its wild native bush setting An Asian inspired design transforms a steep site in the Waitakere Ranges A steep site covered with invasive weeds and heavy clay soil is not an ideal place to make a garden. Fortunately Auckland landscape […]

Battling an awkward site and a tight budget, this fledgling landscape designer has achieved the ultimate urban retreat An overgrown East Auckland garden is now an oasis filled with birds and bees When Dee McQuillan first moved into her townhouse in Auckland’s eastern suburbs she was a solo mother with two young boys. At first, […]

A tiny front garden is landscaped to suit the house, not the street, in this lush makeover that uses natives and subtropical plants to full effect Renovations to her Grey Lynn bungalow left Nathalie Morris at a loss as to how to deal with a small but important patch in the front garden. The area […]

Behind the walls of this city-fringe garden, an Auckland family have created their own courtyard oasis  The secret garden The courtyard garden has been around for thousands of years, its basic enclosed form adapted through the centuries to suit the lifestyles of different generations. So it is with this contemporary courtyard garden that Claire and […]

Take a tour of landscape designer Debbie Hardy‘s stunning palm-filled garden, complete with pool, 90-year-old oak tree, flowering citrus and fragrant gardenia Words by: Karlya Smith. Photography by: Jon Day.

An immaculate lawn – the pride and joy of many a Kiwi home– requires a solid foundation, patience and regular upkeep How to maintain an immaculate lawn What could be simpler, you ask? Just scatter some seed and you’ve got grass, right? Not quite. Growing the perfect lawn is a little like painting your house […]

Creating an outdoor space you love is easier than you think! From starting your project to choosing material, here’s your guide to landscaping A beginner’s guide to landscaping your garden Us Kiwis love to spend time outside but the prospect of landscaping your garden can often seem a little daunting. Whether you have a quarter-acre […]

Why go on holiday when your garden – in busy old Auckland – is a Balinese retreat built to capture all-day sun? A lush Balinese-style garden hidden in an Auckland backyard Fiona Milde vividly recollects her first impressions of the property she bought four years ago in Kohimarama in Auckland’s Eastern Bays. “Ghastly. My father, […]

Garden designer Angela Arrowsmith shares some eco-friendly time-saving tips and explains why a good landscaper will save you money 1. Go professional Landscape design requires lateral thinking and years of experience so employing a talented designer will pay off in the end. It might mean paying more in the beginning but will end up saving […]

Check out these top tips to get your kids unplugged from indoor life and engaged with nature in your own backyard  10 tips for creating a child-friendly garden It’s every parent’s dilemma. How do you lure the kids outside into the fresh air away from their electronic gadgets without having to turn the entire garden […]

A bare Bayview section was a dream come true for a landscape designer with a passion for plants and a penchant for colour A landscape designer struck gold with this Bayview, Auckland garden Finding a garden that is a completely blank canvas is like striking gold for most landscape designers. Sandra Batley of Flourish Garden […]

This landscape designer struck gold with this empty Bayview garden, transforming the bare section into a lush, eye-catching oasis  Finding a garden that is a completely blank canvas is like striking gold for most landscape designers. Sandra Batley of Flourish Garden Design was smitten when she and partner John Eagleton discovered a 1970s clinker-brick two-bedroom […]

A completely blank canvas has been transformed into a private contemporary courtyard on the fringe of Auckland’s city centre The secret garden The courtyard garden has been around for thousands of years, its basic enclosed form adapted through the centuries to suit the lifestyles of different generations. So it is with this contemporary courtyard garden […]

This beautifully structured New Plymouth garden is a testament to the family who have been transforming it into their ultimate outdoor vision since the 1980s  Structure and beauty in a New Plymouth garden If walls could talk, her Taranaki house could tell a story or two, reckons Chris McCallum. Built over 90 years ago, the […]

Paths are often given little thought and added in an ad hoc manner – but in fact getting them right is crucial if you want a good-looking garden 9 things to consider when building garden paths When planning pathways we tend to prioritise practical considerations such as how to link outdoor spaces and create an […]

Rather than base the design of her tiny front garden around its view from the street, this Grey Lynn resident did the opposite Renovations to her Grey Lynn bungalow left Nathalie Morris at a loss as to how to deal with a small but important patch in the front garden. The area could be seen […]

Stuart Jobling and his partner Barry Danby have completed a delightful, densely planted subtropical garden makeover at their Waiheke Island property The site background With its canopy of palms, flowering trees and lush-leaved subtropicals below, the exotic garden is a far cry from the rather ordinary property the couple bought back in 2011. “There was virtually […]

Strategic use of screening plants and clever design create a private oasis in the midst of a subdivision After living north of Auckland for about 10 years, Henry Lin and his wife, Coco Liang, decided to move to Millwater, a new housing development a little further north, near Orewa. As well as the glorious beaches […]

Award-winning designer Kirsten Sach transforms a completely bare garden at housing development Millwater in Orewa In a nutshell Who lives here? Henry Lin (director/head of consulting services for a dairy commodity consulting company), Coco Liang (retail banker), Chelsea, 5, and Bush, the Japanese Spitz. Henry, what attracted you to the Millwater area? Good local communities, […]

Planting in this Mission Bay, Auckland, garden has been slow and steady but it’s now in full bloom Who lives here? Robin Houlker (educational consultant) and Peter Houlker (accountant). Robin, what would you advise people to do when planning a garden? Try things out before buying in bulk. I have things in pots for a […]

Planting in this Mission Bay garden has been slow and steady but now it’s in full bloom and a far cry from it’s former bare, muddy-self An enviable courtyard garden in Auckland’s Mission Bay Moving from a large section to one less than a third of the size has got to be hard when you’re […]

These days, garden sheds are expected to multi-task – playhouse, office, spare room – and look good, too. Here are some ideas if you’re planning a ‘shed-over’ 1. Playtime Luring the kids away from screens and devices into the outdoors will be easier if you give them their own place to hang out. If converting […]

A small inner-city garden is redesigned for modern living with built-in seating and walls of fragrant greenery for privacy Finding a newly renovated house in inner-city Auckland six years ago couldn’t have come at a better time for Claire Foggo and husband Damon Green. Both were working full time with a baby on the way, […]

What was once a disaster zone is now a subtropical garden with a succession of show-stopping sculptures   For a landscape project to work, both client and designer must be on the same page. When Nigel Cameron was selected by Shelley Attwood to redesign her Auckland garden, it was a shared love of sculpture that […]

Landscape designer Debbie Hardy talks garden trends, from green living walls to garden art Debbie, what’s the latest buzz with gardens?Beautiful lawns and structure, a garden with formal bones (clipped hedges, single plants planted en masse) is still very popular. Green walls and green roofs are a hot garden trend, as is a productive garden […]