Blogs to get you through winter
Julia Atkinson-Dunn is endlessly inspired and informed by the generous sharing of growers from all corners of the world, especially as she’s missing her summer garden.
I’m not ashamed to admit that I lose hours scrolling through gardenfocused Instagram accounts. I am endlessly inspired by the generous sharing of growers from all corners of the world, and wholeheartedly encourage gardeners of all ages to explore the positive connections that float around at your fingertips on these sharing apps.
But social media can also be fickle and frustrating at times, and I do enjoy veering off the fast-moving, rotating feeds to explore lengthier content made by passionate amateurs and professionals spanning the gardening industry across the globe.
As a blogger of 14 years, I have a soft spot for independent publishing and voices online. I like that the blog format allows for unlimited word counts, lots of full-size images and interesting links to associated information to support and benefit the reader.
Like social media, blog platforms allow people with something to say the unbounded opportunity to share their experiences and interests in detail.
Whether it be the local gardener sharing their seasonal bounty or a top designer breaking down a project’s planting plan, the potential to find entertaining reading matching your own interests is infinite.
Yes, the writing and grammar can range wildly in quality, but it’s the ability to hear the writer’s voice that has always attracted me, unbridled by the restrictions of commercial media.
As the giants of social media are constantly tweaking the way they present posts, often making it difficult for users to maintain a connection with their audience, the concept of the email newsletter has seen a revival.
Newsletters are a great form of connection, offering easy online sign-ups, the content dropping directly to inboxes without the risk of being missed. I’ve also found great benefits from signing up to magazine and garden centre newsletters that are often packed with terrific local tips.
With this in mind, I thought I would do a roundup of some of my favourite garden-focused blogs and newsletters that I enjoy inhaling, particularly when missing the vibrancy of my summer garden.
Tikorangi – The Jury Garden
Over the many years of garden-focused Google searches seeking answers for my own plot, time and time again I found myself landing on terrific blog posts by Abbie Jury, of Tikorangi garden near Waitara. Her passion for experimentation rewards all readers through her generous sharing of discovery in planting and the backlog of seasonal articles will offer hours of reading. Look out for the box to sign up for the newsletter too; jury.co.nz.
Sage Journal
This is a beautiful online magazine, produced by