Tropical tricks: The trick to having a subtropical-style garden south of the Bombay Hills is combining plants that are flamboyant, but hardy

摘要

I smile to myself when I meet people who say they can't stand the fashion for subtropical gardens, considering it "so Auckland, so unsuitable for most of the country". Because I live a little to the north of Wellington, they assume I'm immune to the subtropical gardening disease, protected by a climate that must dictate a much more traditional style of gardening. In fact, I have a garden which has become increasingly subtropical in recent times, spurred on by my quest for a planting style that reflects the fact that I belong here, in the South Pacific.