Wellington Gardens. Successful gardening for Wellington, Kapiti coast and Wairarapa, by Jon Muller .

How to use the book

The first part looks at how soils and climate affect your garden, and how you can improve the soil and reduce the impact of climatic factors that limit plant growth.

The main section shows examples of gardens in the Wellington area. These gardens have been chosen for the successful way in which they have been developed in the prevailing conditions. The region has been divided into the ecological zones used by the Wellington Regional Council. This maintains consistency, and groups areas according to their climatic and soil conditions. If you live in say, Upper Hutt, go to the section on Upper Hutt. There are two gardens featured- one in Silverstream and one in Heretaunga. Each has different climatic and soil conditions and the owners have applied different solutions to improve these conditions and develop the garden. Plants are listed accordingly. If, for example, you have a dry, shady area like the one in the Heretaunga garden, you can use the plants listed as a guide.

Similarly, the Plant List at the back of the book helps you to decide what plants to use in specific areas in your garden. For example, if you live in Lyall Bay on Wellington south coast and you need a shelter tree, look under Group 1 (very exposed coastal areas) and use the code to find the most appropriate plants.

Excerpts

A successful Maungaraki Garden analysed

21 gardens
Photos and comments

Wellington's
Ecological zones
Map & Suitable plants

Praise for Wellington Gardens

Introduction
Contents
How to use this book

Buy books

General garden information
· Wind - Temperature - Sunlight · Rainfall · Topography · Compost · Weeds · Lawns
· Using professionals

Acknowledgements