Our rose garden is bursting into life with the promise of a blanket of colour over the next few weeks. One of the first to bloom was The Land Of The Long White Cloud. So very fitting given it’s kiwi heritage. The old English roses are doing well and bring a... I heard on the radio that a long dry summer is predicted this year with above average temperatures and average or below rainfall. I haven’t stopped smiling since I heard this proclamation. I’ll take whatever good weather La Niña wants us to bear. ... Even after almost five years of living in New Zealand I am still disoriented when it comes to seasons. In England the biggest sign of summer is start of June, Wimbledon and strawberries. But here we are towards the end of November and I can’t shake off the... Broad beans aren’t something that you really see for sale in the supermarket. Or at least I don’t really notice them. But they are highly recommended in food growing books as something easy to grow and prolific in their crops. But my first attempts at... Growing your own is heralded as cheap and easy. I beg to differ. I have not fully costed all the seeds, compost and other paraphernalia but cheap is not a word I’d use. Neither is easy. You have to have your wits about you, pay close attention to detail... 