Hey Neighbours, check out this grand garden in Greytown!
Craig Thorburn’s stock response to how he comes to be in Greytown is simple. “I got divorced, I fell in love with it, it’s cheaper”. Cheaper it may be, but his little oasis in Main Street looks a million dollars.
The Auckland landscape designer who previously owned a subtropical garden open to the public, now owns Grand Illusions, a botanically inspired decorative garden sculpture and homewares store.
His home, once owned by Sir Hart Udy, twice Mayor of Greytown shows his deft decorative touch, but it is the garden wrought from a former carpark which will delight visitors to the Wairarapa Garden Tour this weekend, raising funds for Pukaha Mount Bruce.
Though small, just 800 sq metres, this garden is grand in stature and Craig has designed a series of themed rooms ranging in style from colonial to contemporary and employing a different colour palette in each.
A three-time gold medal winner at the Ellerslie Flower Show, also collecting two silvers and a bronze, Craig is more than willing to share his expertise. On Saturday, November 10th at 5.30pm he will give a lecture at Longwood, Featherston on what makes good garden design. He plans to make the talk interactive, with ideas and practical advice for how to cope with the space that is relevant to participant’s own gardens.
Tickets are available at Eventfinda, The Grocer Martinborough, Grand Illusions Greytown, Esc Velocity Featherston.
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.
Step by step for a great cause!
Our amazing Hillary Hikers from Edmund Hillary Village showed their support for Bowel Cancer New Zealand's Move Your Butt campaign this month!
Sporting the bright purple and orange campaign shirts, these wonderful walkers hit the Auckland waterfront and marched from Mission Bay to Kohimarama, raising awareness for bowel cancer and the importance of early detection along the way.
Click read more to read the full story.
🧩😏 Riddle me this, Neighbours…
I am an odd number. Take away a letter and I become even. What number am I?
Do you think you know the answer?
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