All-weather non-slip paths
Don't hesitate to have us look at your garden just because it's wet. We are getting a lot of good time outdoors between showers, and this is the best time to get any woody weeds or prunings arranged compactly so they start rotting as quickly as possible, reducing the mass of anything that might need to be disposed of before summer heat and drought.
We routinely place woody material on wet ground, avoid compacting the clay and making surfaces less slippery.
See more about this on our website at northshorewilds.co.nz...
The photo below shows one such path made from dried honeysuckle, covered by cut woody stems of Cape honey flower weed, then wood chips added the following year to even out the surface.
Much as we loved this little path across one of our restoration sites,, we knew it would become hidden as the native trees around it developed ... and that's exactly what's happened! But the path was a convenient place to put the cut woody weeds, suppressed kikuyu and other weeds, protected the restoration area from trampling, and was well-drained all year round.
Some Choice News!
DOC is rolling out a new tool to help figure out what to tackle first when it comes to protecting our threatened species and the things putting them at risk.
Why does this matter? As Nikki Macdonald from The Post points out, we’re a country with around 4,400 threatened species. With limited time and funding, conservation has always meant making tough calls about what gets attention first.
For the first time, DOC has put real numbers around what it would take to do everything needed to properly safeguard our unique natural environment. The new BioInvest tool shows the scale of the challenge: 310,177 actions across 28,007 sites.
Now that we can see the full picture, it brings the big question into focus: how much do we, as Kiwis, truly value protecting nature — and what are we prepared to invest to make it happen?
We hope this brings a smile!
Have you got New Zealand's best shed? Show us and win!
Once again, Resene and NZ Gardener are on the hunt for New Zealand’s best shed! Send in the photos and the stories behind your man caves, she sheds, clever upcycled spaces, potty potting sheds and colourful chicken coops. The Resene Shed of the Year 2026 winner receives $1000 Resene ColorShop voucher, a $908 large Vegepod Starter Pack and a one-year subscription to NZ Gardener. To enter, tell us in writing (no more than 500 words) why your garden shed is New Zealand’s best, and send up to five high-quality photos by email to mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz. Entries close February 23, 2026.
Share your favourite main crop potato recipe and win a copy of our mag!
Love potatoes? We will give away free copies of the May 2026 issue to readers whose potato recipes are used in our magazine. To be in the running, make sure you email your family's favourite way to enjoy potatoes: mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz, by March 1, 2026.
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