Welcome to our March newsletter!

Hurunui Garden Festival

Thursday 30th October - Sunday 2nd November 2025
9am - 5pm daily

Welcome to Woodland Springs Garden

Do you recognise this beautiful garden? It's back in the Hurunui Garden Festival with it's new owners Biddy and Billy Lott.

With the addition of this stunning property, our Culverden/Rotherham/Waiau cluster has grown rather large! The committee have decided to split them this year into more manageable areas. The Culverden cluster is home to Coldstream and Top Cottage, while Lyndon Homestead, Woodland Springs Garden, Terrace View, Loch Leven and Waihui now form our Rotherham/Waiau cluster.

Historic Homestead Tipapa Estate - Greta Valley

Blooming Beauty in Autumn

As the crisp autumn air settles in, April is a fantastic month for gardeners to embrace the cooler weather and prepare for the upcoming winter months. This time of year brings vibrant, late-season flowers and a wonderful opportunity to rejuvenate your shrubs. Whether you’re a seasoned gardener or just getting started, here’s your guide to ensuring your flowers and shrubs thrive this month.

Autumn Flowers for a Lasting Impression

Even as the temperatures drop, there are plenty of flowers that continue to shine in your garden throughout April. Now is the perfect time to add some late-blooming gems that will extend the season's colour.

Chrysanthemums – Often considered the quintessential autumn flower, chrysanthemums come in a wide range of colours, from bright yellows and reds to soft purples and whites. They thrive in sunny spots and are great for adding a burst of colour to your garden in late autumn.

Dahlias – These show-stoppers bloom until the first frosts of winter. With their stunning range of colours and unique petal formations, dahlias make a statement in any garden. If you haven’t already, it’s time to lift your dahlia tubers to store them for the winter to prevent them from rotting in the colder months.

Fuchsias – Known for their delicate, pendulous flowers in pink, red, purple, and white, fuchsias continue to bloom into the cooler months, especially when placed in a sheltered position. Consider pruning them back a little now to encourage fresh growth through winter.

Primroses – While these are often considered a spring flower, many varieties will start flowering in late autumn. They love shady areas and will add subtle, pastel hues to brighten up your garden as the colder weather sets in.

Shrubs to Plant or Maintain

Autumn is an ideal time to plant or care for shrubs, as the cooler soil allows them to establish strong root systems before winter sets in. Here are some shrubs to focus on this month:

Camellias – If you’re looking for an evergreen shrub with a splash of winter colour, camellias are the way to go. These elegant plants flower in shades of pink, white, and red, often through winter and early spring. Now is the time to plant them, ensuring they get established before the colder months.

Azaleas – Another favourite for autumn planting, azaleas offer bright, striking flowers in a variety of colours. If you’re looking to plant new azaleas, choose varieties that are known for their hardiness in New Zealand's cooler regions.

Gardenias – Known for their fragrant, creamy-white flowers, gardenias bloom throughout spring and summer but continue to add a lovely evergreen presence in the autumn months. If your gardenias are starting to look a little sparse, now is the time to prune them lightly, removing dead or weak growth to encourage new buds for the following year.

Leptospermum (Manuka) – Famous for its role in honey production, the Leptospermum is a hardy New Zealand native that can be planted in late autumn. Known for its striking white or pink flowers, it will add a splash of colour and attract native birds to your garden.

Pruning and Maintenance Tips

As the growing season winds down, now is the perfect time to give your flowers and shrubs a little TLC. Here are some important tasks for April:

Deadheading: Remove spent flowers from your perennials, including roses, to encourage new blooms and tidy up your garden beds.
Pruning: Trim back any overgrown shrubs or trees, but avoid cutting back flowering shrubs too much—unless they're finished blooming. This ensures that you don’t remove buds that might produce flowers next spring.
Mulching: Add a layer of mulch around your shrubs and flower beds to help retain moisture, suppress weeds, and provide protection to roots as temperatures drop.

Autumn is also a time to prepare for winter. Many tender plants will need some extra care before the first frosts arrive. Consider protecting delicate shrubs and flowers with frost cloth or moving pots and containers to a more sheltered location. Now is the time to plant winter-flowering plants like primroses and pansies, which will brighten up your garden throughout the colder months.

April is a time of transition in gardens, but it’s also an opportunity to enjoy a second wave of blooms and prepare your space for the cooler months. With careful attention to your flowers and shrubs, you can ensure that your garden remains a beautiful, thriving space, even as winter approaches.

Happy gardening, and may your garden continue to bloom with beauty this autumn!

Our Sponsors

Introducing the 2024 line up of sponsors! We would really appreciate any support you are able to give the wonderful businesses who sponsor us.

GOLD LEVEL SPONSORS

SILVER LEVEL SPONSORS

BRONZE LEVEL SPONSORS

If you want to contact the committee, or require any information contact us via our email address info@hurunuigardenfestival.com

If you haven’t ‘liked’ our Facebook or Instagram page yet, we recommend you do as we are often posting snippets of information and updates – more regularly than newsletters.

Check out our website www.hurunuigardenfestival.com which holds information about the gardens, places to go, see and do. This will be updated regularly as we lead up to the festival in October.

April 2025