309 days ago

Backyard Awards: Best Loved Lawn winner

The Team from Neighbourly.co.nz

Mark Elliott from Shirley in Christchurch has won the category of Best Loved Lawn for his lush green masterpiece. Congratulations, Mark!

We spoke with his about his process to keep his lawn beautiful and there may be some blades of advice for your own backyard.

Mark has a huge backyard so during Covid times, he decided to renovate the lawn and garden just for something to do. It’s turned into a passion.

His lawn is 100% rye grass - sourced from Prebble Seeds Turf World who supply many golf courses around New Zealand. In the summer he mows it every 2-3 days, sometimes daily, and waters the lawn with a deep soak of about an hour at a time, 2-3 times a week. He uses a granular slow release lawn fertiliser and other liquid fertilisers also.

Mark shares:
'I would say the secret to getting a good lawn is consistent mowing - at least twice a week. Maybe buy a bulk bag of slow release lawn fertiliser from a wholesaler. Keep the grass longer and just take the very top off the blade when you mow. It promotes growth, thickens it up and will really help with stopping weeds - oh, and water. Expect a water bill if you want a good lawn.'

The first photo below shows the 'Before' shot, 4 years ago. Give Mark a Like on this post if you think his lawn is pretty top notch!

More messages from your neighbours
15 days ago

Some Choice News!

Kia pai from Sharing the Good Stuff

Many New Zealand gardens aren’t seeing as many monarch butterflies fluttering around their swan plants and flower beds these days — the hungry Asian paper wasp has been taking its toll.

Thanks to people like Alan Baldick, who’s made it his mission to protect the monarch, his neighbours still get to enjoy these beautiful butterflies in their own backyards.

Thinking about planting something to invite more butterflies, bees, and birds into your garden?

Thanks for your mahi, Alan! We hope this brings a smile!

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2 hours ago

Tourism manufacturer pulls plug in Oz, powers up in Hamilton

Libby Totton Reporter from Waikato Times

A major global tourism operator is ditching production in Australia and jumping across the Tasman to Hamilton.

Tourism Holdings Limited have announced they are closing its manufacturing factory in Brisbane effective December 19 and are transitioning all production to Action Manufacturing in Hamilton, New Zealand.

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3 hours ago

Learning to Draw

Arts for Health from Arts for Health Community Trust

If you’ve always wanted to learn to draw but never knew where to start, this beginners drawing workshops is the perfect place to begin. Using pencil, charcoal, graphite and oil pastels, you’ll learn beginner-friendly techniques that make drawing feel simple, relaxing and achievable.

Discover how to see like an artist, create depth with shading, and express mood through line and texture. These supportive beginners drawing classes helps you to build real creative confidence while exploring different materials and styles.

Book now at - www.artsforhealth.co.nz...

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