Put on your walking shoes and boogie on to some serious bloom.
Some of my fondest childhood memories were field-trips orchestrated by my father. My brothers and I competed to find the greatest variety of wild flowers, scrubs, grasses or leaves. My father studied at Wageningen which is the Dutch ‘Massey’ for agriculture and bio science, before switching to law. With those observation-games he instilled in us an enthusiasm for looking at the detail in nature. Even now, getting out to smelling the roses always is an immediate remedy for the blues.
Let me start with few links to known and lesser known garden events.
TARANAKI
Taranaki’s rhododendrons festival now is called Powerco Taranaki Garden Spectacular and it runs from 30 October to 8 November. Simultaneously there is a fringe Festival alongside the official fest which goes to show just how ginormous gardens have become for the Taranaki landscape.
ROTORUA
Rotorua comes to mind more for the volcanic parks than for the gardens but their tulip fest is worth a visit and from 13-15 November the bi-annual garden festival opens the gates of 45 gardens.
AUCKLAND
The Garden Design Festival in Auckland takes place in the same weekend (13-15 Nov). For anyone involved in (community) gardening this is a must-do-activity because you get to meet some great landscape designers who willingly share their knowledge and at the same time help raise funds for the Newmarket Charitable Trust.
SOUTH ISLAND
The Blossom festival in Alexandra is a golden oldie over the weekend of 26th – 28th September. There is the Mardi Grass and the floral parade that has been the cornerstone since this annual spring Festival started in 1959.
Also down south, Timaru celebrates its Festival of Roses for a whole week in November (23-29) with guest appearances by cook, chanteuse & comedienne Peta Mathias, garden tours and a market on Sunday.
If you are anywhere near Blenheim from 5-8 November don’t miss the Nelmac Marlborough Garden Festival. Workshops, garden tours and a garden party culminate with the grand Garden Fête on Sunday, a country market with over 200 stalls and entertainment.
If these festivals and garden visits have only served to whet your appetite you may be ready to talk to your travel agent and go for that botanical trip of a lifetime.
In New Zealand APT Touring offers a range of garden tours and through the connection with Botanica travel you can join river cruises through the South of France and stay at Mediterranean mansions, on the lookout for wild flowers, hunt for tulips in Holland and cherry blossom in Japan or visit the English country gardens with specialist botanical guides.
By Monica Louis. Read more here.