However, a Cromwell horticulturist is questioning whether it is time to reconsider what we grow and consider reducing the amount of water used to keep plants alive.
Horticulturist, plantswoman and designer Jo Wakelin will be speaking at a Keep Alexandra and Clyde Beautiful meeting in Alexandra on November 27.
For nearly 33 years Wakelin was botanical lead at Otago Polytechnic’s Central Campus before leaving in 2022. At the time she described her move as a "renaissance rather than retirement".
Wakelin will talk about the challenges, joys and reasons for establishing a dry garden in Central Otago.
Her internationally recognised garden has been featured internationally in numerous books including being just one of 40 worldwide in British authority Noel Kingsbury’s Wild: The Naturalistic Garden, and Claire Takacs’ Visionary — Gardens and Landscapes for Our Future.
Other publications she has featured in included the New York Times and UK’s Sunday Telegraph as well as books including Wild By Design and The Modern Professional Planting Designer — Creating Beautiful, Sustainable, Resilient Gardens for the Twenty-First Century. Wakelin’s garden has also featured on the cover of Gardens Illustrated magazine.
She believes the time has come to rethink the use of water in landscaping and passionate about low impact, environmentally conscious landscape design. She is researching and trialling plants, both native and exotic, that will stand up to the challenging and changing conditions of a summer dry climate where rainfall can be as low as 280mm per annum. Her robust and resilient dry garden flourishes without any water other than rain and attracts visitors from around the world.
- November 27 at St Enoch’s Church Lounge, Alexandra, 7pm. New members needed and most welcome to contribute to projects in our public open spaces. Cuppa and cake to finish. Email: KAlexClydeB@gmail.com
