Gillian Vine

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.

Hedges have plenty of appeal, Gillian Vine says.

August is Bee Aware Month. Gillian Vine raises her awareness.

Lovers of the romantic will be hooked on the folly in a Southland garden, says Gillian Vine.

A multi-layered teen fantasy novel by award-winning New Zealand writer Elizabeth Knox, Mortal Fire is a fascinating blend of conventional plot and magical mystique.

Winter-flowering shrubs may have fantastic perfume, Gillian Vine says.

How a couple turned a coal pit into a park impresses Gillian Vine.

Dianthus are making a welcome comeback, says Gillian Vine.

An Invercargill garden catches the attention of Gillian Vine.

Looking forward to spring, Gillian Vine opts for pulsatillas.

A South Australian garden, Al-Ru, is a surprising oasis of green, as Gillian Vine finds.

Lynette Robinson's memoir, Where the Rainbow Fell Down, records her view of her dysfunctional family, poverty and her relationship with the Catholic Church.