FORWARD THINKING

In the words of iconic sixties movie star Audrey Hepburn, “To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow”.

October is National Gardening Month for which this spring’s theme is ‘Planting for a Better Planet’. It’s a great time to be celebrating all the good things we humble home gardeners can do to help mitigate and adapt to climate change.

In this issue of Go Gardening we look at ways we can avoid wasting our precious water resource while our gardens still flourish. Drought isn’t new to many parts of the country but the dry spells are getting longer. Last summer’s water crisis in Auckland was a stark reminder of the kinds of weather extremes we now need to expect.

Even in such challenging times there is much to celebrate; we gardeners can grow our own food in ways that help reduce carbon emissions while taking the best possible care of our health. The benefits extend beyond immediate families to friends, neighbours and local communities. For those keen to plant summer vegetable crops, we have some pointers on page 33.

Our Real Gardener this issue is Alison Watts, a young woman with her goals firmly set on putting smiles on people's faces while doing her utmost to avoid the harmful effects of toxic sprays and plastic waste. As the bees buzz around Alison’s flower-packed garden, she hopes she is making a difference to the precious pollinators that are at risk in a changing world.

Whatever we plant - be it flowers, food, trees or shrubs - it’s heartening to think that indulging in the joy of spring gardening is good for us on so many levels.

Happy spring gardening