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We went Native for Sustainable Garden Trail
—story and pix by Jan Power
The Eastern Bays Sustainable Garden Trail 2026 was held in superb weather across the weekend of March 21 and 22. Organised by Amanda and Tim Warren, whose multi-level garden, Wadhamville Garden for Wellbeing, in Vale Road, St Heliers, was a star attraction, the Trail featured eleven gardens from across the Orākei Local Board area.
As part of our outreach to kindred organisations, we’ve come to know many of the people and gardens involved, so Turfa Chowdhury and Jan Power represented Eastern Bays Songbird Project as stewards at Go Native! garden in Melanesia Road, St Heliers, on behalf of owners Tony and Julie Graham. Our table offered visitors a range of publications on native flora and fauna, as well as on how to eliminate pests and diseases that destroy them.
Pourewa Māra Kai, which has extensive food and rongoā gardens and a native tree and plant nursery beside Kepa Rd, Ōrākei, was as usual a pivotal drawcard along with other established favourites like St Johns Food Forest (Anson Place) and Tāmaki Urban Market Garden, which was recently re-located from Glen Innes to Point England Rd.
New this year was Belinda’s Bloomers, Belinda Hope’s Remuera garden comprising 600 Dahlia plants in graduated tones from Café au Lait to the deepest of burgundy hues, and featuring dahlia “clones” grown from tubers as well as new creations resulting from cross-pollination.
Anne Carpenter’s small personal garden at the Bupa retirement home in Gerard Way, St Johns, always has lots of birds, which she feeds. This year she had a special attraction, a show-off Tūī called Frank (think Frank Sinatra) who, Anne said, sang an individual song to every visitor.
Overall, there were 955 individual visitors totalled across all gardens. Child visitors (62) were twice as many as in the previous (2024) trail event — no doubt lured by face painting and candy floss, which were new this year. Adult visitors (893) were down, but there was stiff competition from a children’s triathlon in Glen Innes, a school fair in Glendowie and an Iron Man competition that closed the waterfront on Sunday morning, not to mention numerous road works with their squadrons of orange cones.
Here are some of the valiant souls who braved road cones and iron men to make it to Go Native!
Turfa and Jan represent The Eastern Bays Songbird Project as stewards of the Go Native garden.
Turfa and Jan represent The Eastern Bays Songbird Project as stewards of the Go Native garden.
From left: Emma Ryburn-Phengsavath, Paula Gillon, Elizabeth Reid and Teresa Kavanagh from Kaipātiki Project, our kindred organisation on the North Shore.
Roger Lacey, founder of Bikes Eastern Suburbs, cruised in with Sam Becker (left) and Hilary Rayner.
Aways supportive of environmental projects, Orākei Local Board Chairperson Sarah Powrie was one of our first visitors on Sunday. She is seen here with Turfa.
Kerry Gillbanks, who teaches at Yendarra School, Otara, was interested in our moth plant competition for schools. She sees a lot of moth plants in adjacent yards and hopes Yendarra will participate in the competition next year. Kerry had a chat with Turfa, who organises the competition.
Eastern Bays Songbird Project Chair Nigel Ironside visited Go Native! with his wife Hilary, a teacher at Stonefields School.
Eastern Bays Songbird Project Chair Nigel Ironside visited Go Native! with his wife Hilary, a teacher at Stonefields School.
OLB member Margaret Voyce, a great EBSP supporter who attends our monthly meetings, didn’t visit Go Native! because she was enlisted as a steward at Wadhamville and the Noob garden. Somehow, she ended up with a bee sticker on her face.
Ōrākei Local Board Member Margaret Voyce showing her love for the trees and the bees.
Ōrākei Local Board Member Margaret Voyce showing her love for the trees and the bees.
From the Go Native garden, A delicate baby Rata vine on a Ponga fern trunk.
From the Go Native garden, A delicate baby Rata vine on a Ponga fern trunk.
From the Go Native garden, Rocks with Nikau and ferns.
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