Helen Dew’s Garden for Life
New to the garden tour is a tiny garden packed with edibles.
With only 400 square metres to play with, passionate and innovative gardener Helen Dew designed it for maximum and sustainable food production.
Helen is a bit famous in Carterton. Earlier this year, she received the Charles Rooking Carter award for her outstanding and innovative service to the community over many years. She’s well-known and celebrated for her energy and commitment to building community through a love of gardening.
Helen also features in a documentary, Living the Change which tells the stories of New Zealanders taking action to address climate change.
She draws inspiration from a passion to be responsible about growing her own food. She likes to know where it comes from, and enjoys sharing her excess with the community.
Carterton
Building this garden from scratch has been a challenge, beginning with the need to downsize and leave her family home and well-established quarter acre garden of 60 years.
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Ever stoic, Helen rose to the challenge, harnessing help from experts and friends in the community. Water collection was put in; a bore and a small rainwater tank, a tunnel house was installed to allow year-round propagating, and espaliered and miniaturised fruit trees and vines were planted.
Flowering plants, bulbs, orchids and a fountain sculpture provide bee food and beauty throughout the seasons.
Helen has used Evergrow root-training bags throughout her orchard to promote prolific fruiting and keep the trees small.
Evergrow bags, plants and seeds will be for sale.
Helen has a wealth of knowledge and loves to share it with gardeners of all ages.
GALLERY
