How to create an industrial-style bathroom

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Build your own worm farm

Years ago, I picked up a Wellington City Council flyer on worm farms. It proclaimed: “anyone can start a worm farm”. I spend a lot of time (a) gardening, (b) hanging out with worms and (c) building things (albeit in an amateur sort of fashion), but I confess I didn’t get around to building a worm farm until this year. My inspiration came from a friend who built her own small-space worm farm from three stacking plastic bins. I was very impressed by the simplicity of this system, and how easy it was to create, and how much the worms loved it!

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Top top topiary

The age-old art of topiary involves the clipping and training of the foliage and stems of shrubs and small trees to create simple geometric shapes or recognisable (often quirky) forms. In a way, these topiary specimens become like ‘living sculptures’, acting as strong focal points within a garden design – but a tightly clipped (or ‘topiaried’) hedge can also act as a physical barrier or low edging to contain other plants within a border.

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Organic gardening

There are many roads to Rome on our path to creating lush, fertile, humus-rich, bountiful vege gardens we have to experiment a little to find the things that get us there. In my quest to garden organically, I’ve tried many techniques. What gets me there this year could change next.

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Monarchs of the garden

How much do you know about those delightful pollinators, the monarch butterflies? We take a closer look at their life cycle, and what we can do in the garden to keep them coming back.

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Managing your vege garden paths

I wish somebody had told me how important a pathway in the vege patch was. I had no idea that our gardening sanity was linked to what was going on with the path. As a few weeds appeared, I pulled the odd one out.

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Hedge your bets

Hedges are living barriers with many uses. You can plant them to divide the garden, provide shelter or simply as a border around a flower or veggie bed. Whatever your hedge’s purpose or its height, the following tips apply.

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Companion planting

Many gardeners find with companion planting they can significantly reduce the need to spray and create a great mix of colour they wouldn’t otherwise have. It also encourages flowers to be mixed in with vegetables.

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Worth its weight in silver

The number of different names silver beet is known: Swiss chard, perpetual spinach, seakale beet, and mangold (among others), indicates its worldwide popularity. This, coupled with how easy it is to grow, means that silver beet is often taken for granted, relegated to the back of the garden, and given little care. As a decorative, highly productive plant, and one which is difficult to surpass for nutritional value, it deserves better.

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Saving water in the garden

Water is no longer the sustainable resource it has been in the past. In recent summers, some city councils around New Zealand imposed water restrictions on household gardens and elsewhere councils are installing household water meters.

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10 time saving tips for holiday garden care

If you're going away this holiday season or just want to spend more time relaxing and enjoying your garden, Mark Rayner gives you the low-down with these 10 time-saving tips and handy hints for a great looking summer space.

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Legionnaires' Disease: Are you being safe in the garden?

It’s important when working in the garden that you’re taking care of yourself and those who are working with you. Using equipment correctly, wearing safety equipment such as gloves, and making sure to read the instructions for use on all products are precautions every gardener needs to take.

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Garden to table

With the decreasing section size and modern pressures the role of the vegetable garden has changed.

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Tomorrow’s gardeners

Gardening is so much more than just providing food and flowers. It’s where children learn to appreciate and explore the natural world. Some of life’s best lessons are all there, patience, nurturing and curiosity, plus it’s a great way to spend quality time with your kids.

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Garden party

Entertaining outdoors is fun, easy and a quintessential part of Kiwi life. A little effort now will mean that when your friends and family arrive to enjoy the Christmas spirit in your garden this summer, all the hard work has been done.

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Eight must have tools for gardeners

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Edible garden gifts

Kristina Jensen provides instructions on making practical presents your friends and family will love at Christmas time and beyond.

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Gardeners love of lavenders

Lavender originated from the fields of the Mediterranean countries, growing in hot, dry and often poor stony soils. Early claims ranged from its ability to calm lions and tigers, to soothing the trembling and passions of the heart – and if you are ever short of clothesline space you could try spreading washing over your lavender bushes as early laundresses did!

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How to choose your indoor plant

There are two methods you can employ – the Impulse Method or the Informed Method. The Impulse Method needs no explanation and I shall advise you, in a stern schoolmarm voice, to eschew this method in favour of the Informed Method. This is the method we shall use to begin our plant collection.

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Fragrant gardens

Don’t you hate it when a bad smell really gets up your nose? Our sense of smell is one of our most used senses we use it to detect dangers (off milk and smoke), taste food and it’s even said to attract us to other people.

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