Secret Gardens of Aotearoa: Field notes & practical wisdom
By (Author) Sophie Bannan
By (author) Jane Mahoney
Allen & Unwin Aotearoa New Zealand
A&U New Zealand
24th October 2023
New Zealand
Hardback
320
Width 170mm, Height 240mm
956g
From a hidden suburban food forest to a flower farm to an organic vegetable patch to a large station garden, each is described in detail, along with their owners' challenges and delights.
The gardens have been selected for their diversity in gardening styles and for their humble, passionate home gardeners. These growers have developed a wealth of knowledge over their lifetimes and have generously contributed their practical advice and wisdom.
Though each garden is so different, they all embody the values of sustainable gardening practices, of tuning in and learning through observation, of kaitiaki and of knowledge sharing.
Jane Mahoney founded the Secret Gardens website to create a connected community of gardeners. It's a curated collection of gardens across New Zealand, each with a passionate, knowledgeable gardener, hosting guided visits and workshops in their specialist areas. Jane has been a slightly obsessive gardener for a long time and recently she and her partner have been taming and restoring their one acre hillside property on Banks Peninsula.
Sophie Bannan is Jane's daughter and the other half of Secret Gardens. Sophie is an artist, writer, teacher and a new mum wanting to contribute something productive to the world her daughter will grow up in. Sophie is an allotment holder at Sanctuary Mahi Whenua gardens in Auckland.