Friends of Hamilton Gardens NZ
FoHG was formed in 1988 to support the growth of the now-iconic Gardens and provide a focus for community involvement.
We are a New Zealand registered charity, playing a key role in raising awareness and promoting the use and enjoyment of Hamilton Gardens
A warm welcome to Ash, the latest to find us: come on down to the Gardens for the Medieval Faire!
A warm welcome to Cindie, Shirley, and Maree: great to have you with us 😊
A warm welcome to Lyn & Ruby, the latest to join our Gardens community: great to have you with us
Plant Sale! The monthly plant sale is on today 10-2. Come on down to the Gardens and score some gorgeous plants for your own home garden!
Had a very pleasant stroll through the Gardens yesterday, along with hordes of other people exploring Hamilton's crown jewel. Lower carparks were overflowing, and still people were streaming in to enjoy a nice day out, take pictures, sample the food at Hamilton Gardens Cafe, inhale the scents, and generally relax
Ah, the sixth day of official Spring: chilly enough to remind you that winter is still with us, sunny enough and filled with blossoms, reminding you that summer is just around the corner
A warm welcome to Claire, the latest to join our online community as Spring starts to push all manner of blossoms out, everywhere you look. Great to have you with us
31/07/2022
And not forgetting warm welcomes to Briar, Sherrie, and Lima: great to have you as part of our online community!
It has been a while, so here's a bit of useful information for August, the official last month of Winter:
FLOWER GARDEN
• Plant your seedlings of Viola, Polyanthus, Cineraria, Alyssum, Poppy, Cornflower, Gypsophila, Hollyhock and Carnations.
• Sow Alyssum, Californian Poppy, Chrysanthemum, Gypsophila, Marigold, Phlox, Sunflower, Zinnia and other summer flowering plants, directly into your garden as soon as the weather warms.
• Plant Gladioli, Dahlia, and Begonia tubers for summer flowering.
• Feed trees and shrubs with a long term controlled release fertiliser, sprinkle around the drip line and then water in well. Keep in mind that over fertilising encourages the roots to head for the surface where dry weather becomes an issue.
• W**d and dig in compost and general garden fertiliser to prepare for spring planting.
• Plant up containers with new seasons flowering annuals like Marigolds, Snapdragons, Lobelia and Dianthus.
• Plant Rhododendrons, Camellias, Hellebores, Azaleas and Daphne while conditions are cool.
• Trim and shape early blooming Camellias that have finished flowering.
ROSES
• Plant new roses in rich, well-drained soil with plenty of compost.
• Complete rose pruning in time for spring growth. Spray now with Super Shield to protect new growth from pests and diseases.
AROUND THE HOUSE
• Repot, tidy and feed indoor plants, hanging baskets and patio pots.
• Evenly apply lawn fertiliser for new growth.
• Moss can be a problem in poorly drained or shady areas of lawn. Improve drainage by raking thoroughly, then apply a solution of Sulphate of Iron to kill moss.
VEGETABLE GARDEN
• Prepare for spring planting by digging in generous helpings of compost, and add Lime to improve soil structure.
• Sow seeds of Tomatoes, Cabbage, Celery, Spring Onion, Onions, Silverbeet, Spinach, Melons, Cucumbers, Capsicum and Lettuce in trays for transplanting later.
• In warmer districts sow directly into the soil: Carrots, Parsnips, Beetroot, Peas and Radish. In cool climates sow Parsnips, Turnips, Swedes, Peas and Broad Beans.
• Purchase your Seed Potatoes and place them in a tray in a sunny position for at least a month before planting. Plant out when the sprouts are 2 to 4 cm long.
• Plant Asparagus crowns directly into the garden. For best results plant in well-drained soil rich in compost.
• Plant strawberries: add a clean layer of pea straw mulch to deter pests and keep the berries off the dirt.
• Plant new Rhubarb plants, lift and divide any established Rhubarb clumps.
• Protect winter crops of Cauliflower, Broccoli, Cabbage and Broad Beans with Copper Oxychloride. Spray every 14 days to prevent fungus diseases and bacterial blight.
• Plant seedlings of Cabbage, Cauliflower, Lettuce, Broccoli, Silverbeet and Spinach.
• If your fruit trees had brown rot or fungus last summer, spray with Copper Oxychloride which controls a wide range of fungal and bacterial diseases. Spray at leaf fall, bud burst and at the green tip stage for best results.
• Use a Bug Oil spray to control sooty mould, mites, aphids and white fly on fruit and citrus trees. The oil smoothers the pests and their eggs.
• Plant new citrus, blueberries, bramble berries and deciduous fruit trees.
• Fertilise all fruit trees. Spread evenly over root zone and water in well, taking care to keep fertiliser away from the trunk to prevent damage. Keep in mind that over fertilising encourages the roots to head for the surface where dry weather becomes an issue.
• Plant new seasons herb plants directly into your garden or in pots.
That should be enough to keep everyone occupied!
Not a bad start to the day, considering it's meant to be raining: time to nip down to Hamilton Gardens for a stroll and wait for the cafe to open at 0900. The early morning birdsong is lovely!
12/07/2022
Brilliant!
Kite Day 26 June - Matariki ki Waikato Festival 2022 Part of the Matariki ki Waikato Festival and held at Hamilton Gardens, this free fun event encourages whaanau to share lessons in kite making and flying Manu...
A warm welcome to Meg, the latest to join our online community
Good morning everyone, and a warm welcome to Sherrie and Briar, the latest to locate our burgeoning online community: great to have you with us!
27/06/2022
And what a day it was! Kids, kites, and kai, a perfect Waikato family day at the start of winter!! Looking forward to seeing you all next year 😊
Photos from Matariki Kite Day held at Hamilton Gardens, Sun 26 June!
Friends of Hamilton Gardens NZ
Thank you to everyone who came down to the Gardens today to make Kite Day a success, and a real celebration of Matariki and all that it means. Even better, we are marking an Indigenous Peoples' day as a national holiday, for the first time anywhere in the world, so something to be doubly proud of as kiwis. Well done to all the volunteers, you were working well, and it culminated in smiles all round.
And now to plan for the next one!
Today also sees the launch of the Hamilton Gardens Augmented Reality Kite Experience, a collaboration supported by Friends of Hamilton Gardens and Matariki ki Waikato. You will be able to access the kite on your cellphone until Sunday 17 July, so come down and give it a try!
Look for the red plinth on Turtle Lake lawn – between the car park and the main entrance. Instructions are on the plinth, but here is what you need to do:
1. You need to have a device (cell phone, ipad).
2. You need to have an Instagram account.
3. For IOS (Apple products) • Use the camera app to scan the QR code on the plinth. • Click on the link that appears to open in Instagram. • Point your phone forward.
4. For Android (Samsung/Google products) • Use a QR scan app (e.g. Google lens) to scan the QR code on the plinth. • Click on the link that appears to open in Instagram. • Point your phone forward.
And its Here!! Matariki Kite Day, 11-2 today.
Looking forward to Matariki Kite Day tomorrow, hoping for weather like we currently have, plus wind for kites!
23/06/2022
Another chilly day, but there's still plenty to do in the garden, and plenty to see at Hamilton Gardens. Long before the Egyptian Garden opened (make sure you get down to see it if you haven't already!), we had these guys at the Cloud Court (picture courtesy of Hamilton Gardens page):
Kites organised, volunteers lining up steadily, sausages and bacon imminent, gazebos, trestle tables, and barbecues prepped: all we need now is a good breeze and no rain for Matariki Kite Day! Sunday 26 June 11-2
Bit of a chilly start today as we delve deeper into winter. So what can we get out and do in the garden at home? Well, as always, there is a bit of a list, despite it being cold!
You'll know your own household micro-climate best so treat the following as a suggestion only:
• Sow seeds of Spinach, Silver beet, Peas, Onions, Lettuce, and in warmer areas (I know, it sounds daft this morning, but), Broad beans
• Plant seedlings: Cabbage, Cauliflower, Broccoli, winter Lettuce, Spinach, and Silver beet.
• Put frost cloth or other protection around delicate plants.
• Deadhead or pinch out old flowers from snapdragons, stocks, polys and pansies to encourage a new flush of flowers.
• Begin pruning in milder areas, but for the rest of us hold off pruning until July or August.
• Collect seeds from poppy, wild flowers and other flowering annuals to grow more next spring (which is only two months away, honest)
• Lift and divide perennials like dahlias, echinacea, delphinium and hostas.
Like I said, PLENTY to do. Also a great time to gather great mounds of leaves to add back into the soil as compost in spring/summer, or use as mulch in the dry weather
A warm welcome to Nelson and Ravena to our growing online community. Be sure to come down to the gardens to take part in Kite Day on Sunday: love to see you there!
Great start to the Matariki Festival yesterday morning, co-hosted by Friends and Te Ohu Whakaita Charitable Trust. As we arrived in the dark the tui were just starting up in the trees above Turtle Lake. Pictures are being posted by Te Ohu Whakaita.
The morning opened at the Te Parapara Garden, then we all returned to the Gardens Pavilion for a pre-dawn celebratory breakfast, complete with a fine array of speakers. Many thanks to everyone who put in the hard work to make it all flow smoothly. By the time we were leaving the fog had risen off Turtle Lake and the river, making the Gardens look very thematic
12/06/2022
So we've only been here for a week, and already our community has grown like Topsy. Warm welcomes to Margaret, Wendy, Monique, Keith, Cathy, Carrie, Andy, and Andy (two different people), and apologies to anyone I've missed in the rush!
Below is an image you'll find in the Hamilton Gardens FB pages, showing the Medici Court amphitheatre in its winter garb.
https://www.facebook.com/hamiltongardensNZ
Welcome aboard to Kevin & Barbara: make sure you come to the Gardens to sample some of the delights of the season: the new Egyptian Garden is looking stunning!
A warm welcome to Melissa, the latest to join our online community: pleasure to have you with us
A warm welcome to Catherine, the latest to join our online village
A warm welcome to Annette, the latest to join our online community, lovely to see you here.
A warm welcome to both Andrew and Andie, joining our Growing Community (pun intended): great to have you with us
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Hungerford Crescent
Hamilton
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