The Manic Botanic

Home
New Zealand
Rangiora
The Manic Botanic

Directions Website

Grow your knowledge, grow your skills, grow a thriving garden!

02/11/2026

I just did ten minutes of gardening without gloves because I was too lazy to walk to the shed to get them.

Never again. You people are unhinged.

I’m pretty sure the dirt has now penetrated to my soul.

02/11/2026

The aquilegias are looking very pretty at the moment.

30/10/2026

The first thing you need to do when you start a garden from a blank slate is work out how you want to use the space.

What do you want from your garden? A place to sit quietly and read a book? A place for your kids to play? A place to entertain around a BBQ? Maybe you want all garden and no lawn, or maybe the perfect lawn is your top priority.

We all have different wants and needs so that’s where you start.

Plan the structure first. Not the plants.

I’ve put everything I’ve learned about garden design into my guide - Create Your Dream Garden Volume 2, Design Principles. Click the Stan Store link in my bio to find out more about all my guides.

29/10/2026

Most of my garden is very much planned but I also have moments of impulsiveness. Sometimes I need to divide a plant and can’t bring myself to discard the excess divisions so I dumpy them somewhere else in the garden. Sometimes plants self seed wherever they like. At the end of the day, that all adds up to surprise moments where I look at a particular combo and think ‘well that didn’t work out too shabbily even if I did have nothing to do with it!’

Some of the best garden moments are the ones you don’t plan.

Address

In The Countryside
Rangiora
7472

Website

https://stan.store/themanicbotanic?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAabXjgusgOlwe2cAfAKt5Cx9aNBbb1oyxU7RsqhwjfSXnS1gom6gF5dnGhg_

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when The Manic Botanic posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.