Celebrating 100 years of the Poverty Bay Horticultural Society

NZ Gardener editor Jo McCarroll is to be the guest speaker at the Poverty Bay Horticultural Society centenary event at the Bushmere Arms this Saturday.

More than 120 tickets have been sold so far for this weekend’s Poverty Bay Horticultural Society centenary celebrations.

NZ Gardener editor Jo McCarroll is to be the guest speaker at the high tea event at the Bushmere Arms.

She has edited the gardening magazine since 2010 and is a frequent and popular speaker at garden festivals and clubs.

McCarroll won the 2023 Horticultural Communicator Award presented by the Royal New Zealand Institute of Horticulture, and that same year, her book Vege Patch from Scratch was published.

Talking to Stuff after the release of her book, McCarroll said “growing your own food nourishes more than just your body”.

“Sometimes, in the world that we are all operating in, you can feel a bit like there is stuff happening outside of your control. So it’s nice to feel like, ‘This is something I did - I was able to accomplish this’.”

McCarroll lives in Auckland, after growing up on a farm in Christchurch. She is a keen cook and describes herself as “an enthusiastic amateur” in the garden.

While the centenary subcommittee has been busy organising this weekend’s high tea, starting at 2pm, the society is also looking ahead to the next event on its calendar - the popular rose and iris show in the first weekend of November.

Tickets are still available for the high tea. Contact Katrine at 027 652 5149.