10 May 2006

Plant advice now online

You can now get online advice about what plants will grow best where you live in the Wellington region.

Greater Wellington, in association with Wellington botanist Barbara Mitcalfe, has revised the popular Wellington Regional Native Plant Guide. The updated website version replaces the 1999 print edition.

“We have sold fifteen thousand copies of the guide across the region since it was first published,” says. John Holmes, Greater Wellington Senior Policy Advisor. “You could almost say it was a best seller.”

The guide has been fully revised and published on Greater Wellington’s Be the Difference website. Be the Difference promotes sustainable behaviours to households in the region.

“Using native plants helps our special native ecosystems survive and flourish, while improving and beautifying your garden. Autumn’s a great time of year to plant and the guide will help you choose the right plant for the right place,” says Be the Difference community co-ordinator Frances Forsyth.

Greater Wellington Environment Committee chairman Chris Turver says, “The Wellington region has a particular climate, terrain and soil types that together make our forests, wetlands, dunes and streamside areas different from other parts of New Zealand. We want to encourage people to help us preserve and protect the diversity of living things in the region.”

The new version of the plant guide has expanded sections about growing native plants, where to find out more - and some fascinating ecological points. There are 15 ecological zones described, each based on topographic situation and soil and climatic conditions. All sections of the book have been revised, the text expanded and there are links to other relevant publications.

An interactive map allows you to go directly to the page that describes the part of the region where you live. You can see the revised edition at www.bethedifference.gw.govt.nz.

ENDS

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