Q: If you’ve changed, refreshed or even added to your garden since last year – what have you done? Late autumn we converted a front paddock of our property into an Arboretum. We’ve planted deciduous trees to give seasonal colour and added drifts of daffodils. A winding path connects this area through a hole in the hedge to an existing garden and to an entrance from the road. Q: Why did you make this change? An additional easy care & natural garden adds contrast to the formal

Q. Is there a part of your garden you’ve changed, refreshed or even added, since the last time you were in the festival? While mostly keeping to original structure, I make small changes from year to year and where needed. For example, this year I lost two huge branches from protected oak during July storms causing damage to the Oak itself and surrounding garden. Q. If yes, where in the garden- and what have you done? a. Front area – Planted additional Buxus ‘Graham Blandy

Q: Is there a part of your garden you’ve changed, refreshed or even added, since the last time you were in the festival? Yes, we have made a change to the way visitors will enter the garden from the driveway, changing the shape of the gardens on either side. We have added to the liriope bed and, on the other side, reshaped and moved hostas, rounding this bed, to complement an entrance. Q: Where in the garden are these changes – and what have you done? Pruning and removing s

Q: What are your earliest memories relating to gardening? A: I remember Mum and Dad (Pauline and Denis) expanding the original garden to include the tennis court and swimming pool, and associated new plantings, which created the enjoyable family environment we have today. – Graeme Q: Who or what inspired you to get into gardening? A: Our mothers’ enthusiasm for gardening was an important influence. Their passion showed us the enjoyment that came from creating a garden. In man

Virginia Winder catches up with Dee Turner from Korito to discuss what changes she has for 2026.

Even in her final days, Shirley Greenhill was doggedly determined to have her “happy place” open for this year’s Centuria Taranaki Garden Festival. “She was still in the garden the day before we took her up to the hospital,” her son Stuart Greenhill said. “She was absolutely exhausted, but she'd still go out.”