“We are excited to welcome back the Himalayan Garden of Tranquility, Nikau Grove, Over the Rainbow, Saxton Sanctuary and Oak Valley, all returning after a short break. It’s always exciting to see what new projects they have been working on,” Parker said.
“Our long-term festival gardeners are also dedicated to refreshing their gardens to make sure there’s something of interest for all visitors, especially those who come back year after year.”
New and repeat visitors, along with loyal locals, always comment on the wide variety of gardens on offer each year in Taranaki, historically known as the Garden of New Zealand. Because of the rich volcanic soil surrounding Taranaki Maunga and the consistent rainfall, plants of every type thrive in this region.
“Visitors enjoy the wide variety of gardens we present, because we have everything from sub-tropical to public parks, large country gardens to small urban properties, edible feasts to floral treats,” said Parker.
“It’s not just an ‘open your gates for 10 days each year’ event, it’s the build up until festival time – the gardeners live and breathe that and that’s humbling to be around.”
This year, visitors will discover the new Festival Hub at the Plymouth International Hotel, where they can buy tickets, find itinerary advice and learn all that Taranaki has to offer from the dedicated Hub team. There’s free parking too, and Devonshire teas and/or bubbles and canapes on offer during the Hub’s opening hours.
The popular festival, named the NZEA New Zealand’s Favourite Event for 2023, has a rich programme of 32 events running throughout the 10 days.
“Our events during the festival are to enhance the experience of our visitors, and they also showcase a number of other opportunities that people can experience when visiting Taranaki,” said Parker.
“Most events are also held in our gorgeous gardens, and some are on in the evening. We’ve made sure there is something for everyone.”
New or one-off events, involve a train, buses, foraging and celebrating the past.
This year, people can enjoy the Glenbrook Vintage Train Garden Excursion from New Plymouth to Hāwera, where passengers will be met by coach to explore four stunning South Taranaki gardens and lunch at the beautiful Tairoa Lodge. This tour will be accompanied by Taranaki garden guru and landscaper Chris Paul.
Certain to be popular are the Twighlight Tours with Nice Hotel owner Terry Parkes. This new tour begins with bubbles and blinis at the Nice Hotel before heading off to experience two gorgeous gardens in the evening light and finishes back at the hotel for wine and canapes.
Parker said another on-the-move offering, the Garden Festival Day Tripper, is being run as a trial in response to feedback from people not able to drive themselves and wanting to visit gardens with like-minded people.
On the Wednesday morning of the festival, people can catch a coach from the new Festival Hub at the Plymouth International Hotel to head south.
Their ticket to ride will take them to six festival gardens starting with the new Beechwoods garden in Tariki, a selection of South Taranaki beauties and including The Commune, a market garden in the Taranaki Sustainable Gardens Trail. The garden festival and sustainable trail have a partnership to support each other.
“We are trying it on for size – if it’s popular it will become a regular feature of the festival.”
NZ Gardener magazine editor Jo McCarroll will appear twice at the festival. Jo will share stories of her suburban Auckland garden that inspired her book, Vege Patch From Scratch, launched in 2023. The following evening, at the Plymouth International, she will offer a wildly engaging romp Through the Pages, celebrating the magazine turning 80.
There are also two separate foraging events. For the Forage Floristry Experience workshop at a beautiful cottage setting, people can find flowers and foliage to turn into a wearable artwork.
The other is a foray with A Forager’s Life author Helen Lehndorf, who can even make weeds sound enticing. Her two sessions are part of the Mitre 10 Speaker Series, which has a wide variety of events from growing bananas to propagating plants and making hanging baskets to creating a permaculture food forest.
Other festival events include an audio-described tour for people with low vision, twice-daily authentic Japanese tea ceremonies and a demonstration on how to make a wellness power bowl.
Parker said the festival makes a huge impact on the region’s economy, as well as providing a joyous event celebrating the beauty of nature.
“Most importantly, what makes our festival so special are our gardeners who open their gates and welcome our visitors and locals alike, sharing their knowledge, passion, and enthusiasm for gardening. Our festival is an award winner because of their hard work and dedication – they are truly the heart of the festival.”
