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NZ Garden Design Blogs

NZ Garden Design Blogs

DIY Designs have a range of informative blogs covering a wide range of NZ garden design topics.

Written by our Lead Designer: Kerry Speirs, you can expect original content and personal insights from her years as a professional garden designer in New Zealand.

What interests you today?

Kerry

Auckland Garden Designer Kerry Speirs

Drought Tolerant Gardens – Are You Watering Wisely?

December 4th 2024Drought-tolerant gardens have been a popular choice for many years and, if your isn't, summer is a good time to think about how you can reduce your water usage in garden. Heading for theRead more

Rosa 'White Carpet' (Carpet Rose) 🏡 DIY Designs

February 26th 2024The wonderful thing about groundcover roses is that they are highly disease-resistant, simple to grow, and they flower almost year round. They're easy to maintain AND there's no need for any fancyRead more

Lomandra 'White Sands' (Mat Rush) 🏡 DIY Designs

February 26th 2024A beautiful, easy-care plant for creating impact in your planting schemes. Not all grasses give year-round impact the same way Lomandra 'White Sands' does. Maybe because this Australian native is, Read more

Ohiopogon 'Nana' (Dwarf Mondo Grass) 🏡 DIY Designs

February 26th 2024Dwarf mondo grass is a tough little plant that pops up in many garden designs. It’s ideal for using between pavers instead of pebbles. The most commonly grown dwarf mondo in New Zealand is OphiopogRead more

Ophiopogon 'Nigrescens' (Black Mondo)

February 26th 2024Despite its small stature, 'black mondo grass' is a great plant for adding drama to a planting scheme. The narrow strap-like leaves give a grassy effect, and the unrivaled black colour makes a greatRead more

Nandina 'Lemon and Lime' (Heavenly Bamboo) 🏡 DIY Designs

February 26th 2024🙊Shh, don't tell everyone, but I think this might just be the perfect small garden plant 🎉for all you low-maintenance, time-poor and novice gardeners. Nandina 'Lemon and Lime' is the green forRead more

Best White Camellias for Hedges 🏡 DIY Designs

February 26th 2024Camellia Sasanqua 'Setugekka' (Sasanqua Camelia) Camellia Sasanqua 'Early Pearly' (Sasanqua Camelia) Camellia Sasanqua 'Silver Dollar (Sasanqua Camelia) Also beautiful as standalone shrubs , theseRead more

Acorus gramineus 'Ogon' (golden variegated sweet flag) 🏡 DIY Designs

February 26th 2024PLANTS FOR FREE!! Well, almost..... These small grass-like plants are super easy to grow and great value for money as the little tufts will spread naturally over time to form a dense groundRead more

Escallonia 'Apple Blossom' (redclaw) 🏡 DIY Designs

February 26th 2024🌱Talk about underrated! Here's a tough little hedge plant that should be giving poor old over-used Griselinia littoralis a run for its money 💫 I say a tough 'little' plant but there are a aRead more

Ajuga reptans 'Jungle Beauty' (bugle flower) 🏡 DIY Designs

February 26th 2024🌱This lovely little blue flowering feature plant is.... Ajuga reptans 'Jungle Beauty'. It's not the typical planting choice for between pavers, but sometimes it's good to mix it up 😁 'Ajuga'Read more

Lomandra 'Frosty Tops' (mat rush) 🏡 DIY Designs

February 26th 2024🌾I love using THIS lomandra in my garden designs JUST AS MUCH as all the other lomandras 😅. What's not to like! 'Frosty Tops' has that gorgeous grey-green foliage that everybody is lovingRead more

Farfugium japonicum 'Aureomaculatum' (leopard plant) 🏡 DIY Designs

February 25th 2024What do you plant yours with? I'm adding a few of these spotty farfugium to my own garden, popping them in my shady, under the 🌳🌴🌳trees garden, next to my tractor seat ligularia (LigulariaRead more

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