The botanic garden is very large and well labeled. Most of the plants are newer (planted in the last 20 years) but some are up to 40 years old. The Rose Garden: Rosa ‘Fellowship’ Rosa ‘Eye of the Tiger’ Rosa ‘Claire Jacquier’ Rosa banksiae ‘Lutea’ The Children’s Garden: The Spring Garden: Columbine (Aquilegia cv.) Deciduous…

Yesterday was a very busy day and I didn’t have time to post all the gardens we visited. So before we leave for the Auckland Botanic Gardens I will post a review of a very special garden out in the country South of Auckland. It is called Omaio which is a Māori word which means…

We visited 3 private gardens today – Totara Waters, Mincher Garden and Omaio. We also visited Morris & James Pottery. TOTARA WATERS SUBTROPICAL GARDEN This 3 acre property, purchased 23 years ago, is located along an inlet of a bay and as a result of the mild climate, the owner can grow and sell many…

On the way to visit the Kauri Forest and the Kauri Museum we passed through some beautiful country: The Kauri tree is a plant that I didn’t know much about until I came to New Zealand. Today was mostly spent viewing the Kauri tree, its environment and its history in New Zealand and its effects…

We will spend the entire day on the Bay of Islands with some of the most beautiful scenery in the world. There are 144 islands in the Bay of Islands and the government owns most of them. But a few are privately owned. Here are 4 of them: We visited the black rocks which are…

Today we saw the Monto Garden, the Kerikeri Mission Station and the Waitangi Treaty Grounds. MONTO GARDEN This is a 3 1/2 acre garden that has been maintained by the owner and his partner for 15 years. Unfortunately his partner is now in the hospital and is unable to help. So David, the owner, has…

We made 3 stops today: The Rock-Hoppers Garden, Whangarei Falls, and Whangarei Quarry Gardens. THE ROCK-HOPPERS GARDEN Gordon & Rosie Speedy are the owners of this garden and their name has some significance in how they built their garden – very speedy. They started 20 years ago with their 2 kids clearing the ground and…

Before we arrived at our first garden, our guide told us a few facts about New Zealand as we drove through the beautiful countryside New Zealand has 2 main islands – the North and the South. The population of the North is 4 million and of the South is 1 million. The largest city is…

The garden tour doesn’t actually start until tomorrow but I had a half day to walk around Auckland before our group dinner so I decided to post a short blog tonight. First of all, I discovered that the New Zealand currency is beautiful: I walked over to Victoria Park and discovered that New Zealand had…

Dawn Gardens is an 8 acre garden on a 12 acre piece of property in Grass Valley, CA which is composed of several different gardens with different themes and plants. It will be open on May 13, 2023 from 9-5. See website: Dawn-gardens.com FRONT ENTRY GATE: SPIRAL GARDEN: The path curves around 3 times and…