Gardening

Gill Vergine and her partner Gary left Britain for New Zealand in 1997. They decided Nelson was where they wanted to settle partly because they "enjoyed coming to a climate where you can grow such a wide range of wonderful plants".

Following on from my last column which featured North Island gardens, it is now time to look at some of the gardens around the South Island.

During summer, head on down and check out some of these gardens today and see how the roses are doing. If you are in the market for some roses for your own garden, make a note of which ones are doing well for later on.

As our skin ages, it can be easily bruised or scratched by minor accidents around the home or while working outdoors.

Every three years, rosarians from around the world gather at the World Rose Convention to share ideas and knowledge on the rose.

Ever wondered what those long shoots that appear from the base of your roses are called and how they are relevant for growing great roses. Now is your chance to find out.

Whenever you pick up a book or catalogue on roses, you are presented with different classifications of roses. Have you ever wondered what a Hybrid Tea actually is or what is the difference between some of the categories?

'City of London' was bred in the UK but does well here in New Zealand. It is a climber but not one that will take over your garden so perfect for smaller spaces.

It is true in recent years that roses have not had a good reputation when it comes to disease resistance and it is probably fair to say that this is why the Queen of Flowers is not as popular as it once was.

With the Olympics in full swing as I write this, what better to write about then some excellent yellow and gold roses that you can plant in your own garden.