Gillian Vine

The Ellerslie International Flower Show has been a resounding success for two Otago exhibitors, Gillian Vine reports.

Following her success in winning a silver medal, first-time Ellerslie International Flower Show exhibitor Sally Brown, of Blueskin Nurseries, Waitati, has added a second, more significant, award to her tally.

Two Otago women, both entering exhibition gardens for the first time, have scored at the Ellerslie International Flower Show in Christchurch.

Seeing how a Spanish sparkling wine is made was a Barcelona highlight for Gillian Vine.

A popular garden talks feature resumes early next month, reports Gillian Vine.

When it comes to cruising, small is beautiful, says Gillian Vine.

There's nothing like television or movie exposure to pull visitors to a stately home and so it is with England's Highclere Castle, where the ITV drama Downton Abbey is filmed. 

The garden of first-time Ellerslie exhibitor Emily McEwan is no conventional affair, writes Gillian Vine.

The time, work and expense involved makes a show garden at the Ellerslie International Flower Show a challenge. Gillian Vine meets an Otago garden designer who thinks it's well worth the effort.

Rose judge Val Clarke gives Gillian Vine some timely tips on showing.

Always one for the easy way, Gillian Vine opts for celery grown over a compost trench.

This week's tips for your garden.

Going green at all levels is the aim of Otago Polytechnic's Living Campus. Gillian Vine reports.

The huge commitment of two Dunedin families has turned an eyesore into an eye-catcher, Gillian Vine writes.

This year, Dunedin Botanic Garden is celebrating its 150th anniversary. Gillian Vine talks to a former gardener who began work in the garden 65 years ago.

The vegetable-sowing season is upon us, says Gillian Vine.

Fancy a free visit to Olveston? It costs nothing to stroll in the garden, Gillian Vine finds.

The flower-show season is getting under way. Gillian Vine visits a gardener who exhibits in Outram and helps behind the flower vases.

Girls can have adventures, too, as The Apprentices by Maile Meloy demonstrates. Although this is a sequel to Meloy's prizewinning tale, The Apothecary, The Apprentices stands alone with enough from the earlier story to put the reader in the picture.

Time travel has always held a fascination for writers and in Julius and the Watchmaker, Tim Hehir takes a Victorian lad, Julius Caesar Higgins, and plonks him into the company of a couple of villains.