Back in 1999 I was asked by an international publisher to write a book about Hydrangeas. Pat Greenfield took the photo’s most of which were taken here at Woodleigh. That was the start of a new career. I enjoyed writing so much, I started on a series of three books on trees and shrubs, flowering shrubs, fragrant shrubs and trees and shrubs for foliage. The three books operate as one or can be used separately. Again the photo’s by Pat Greenfield are brilliant.
Since then Pat and I have been busy again creating a new book on the icon plants of New Zealand. It is possibly the first book on New Zealand plants to include a range of exotics like Gorse !!!.
Hydrangeas
Glyn gives practical down-to-earth advice on how to propagate, plant and cultivate hydrangeas with a comprehensive list of the most popular species and varieties including the increasingly sought after climbing hydrangeas
Trees and Shrubs for Flowers
A comprehensive directory of beautiful trees and shrubs with superb photographs, specifically chosen for the hundreds of startling, gorgeous or gloriously coloured flowers available for our gardens for every season. Details 104 plant genera, with 425 species and cultivars; over 250 colour photographs; full cultivation notes and zone information; lively text full of historical reference and anecdotes.
Trees and Shrubs for Foliage
A well-described directory of beautiful trees and shrubs specifically chosen for the extraordinary array of leaves in every shape, size and colour available for our gardens for every season. Details 112 plant genera, with 725 species and cultivars; over 250 colour photographs: full cultivation notes and zone information; lively text full of historical reference and anecdotes.
Trees and Shrubs for Fragrance
A comprehensive directory of beautiful trees and shrubs with superb photographs, specifically chosen for the multitude of haunting perfumes and heavenly scents available for our gardens for every season. Details 98 plant genera with 405 species and cultivars; over 220 colour photographs; full cultivation notes and zone information; lively text full of historical reference and anecdotes.
Plant Icons of New Zealand
What is a New Zealand plant icon? Is it a tree that dominates the forest through its sheer size and magnificence, such as the mighty kauri? Or a plant that dominates its landscape through sheer force of numbers, such as the vast beech forests of the South Island or the huge plantations of Pinus radiata in the North Island? Is it frequency and familiarity throughout the country; such as with the cabbage tree, flax and kowhai? Is it through the beauty or uniqueness of the plant, such as the Mt Cook lily and the strange-looking vegetable sheep?
It is, of course, all these things, and more. There are plants that, for whatever reason, evoke a certain ‘New Zealandness’; their presence helps to define this country and distinguishes New Zealand from any other country in the world. This book celebrates those plants and includes those you would expect — the pohutukawa, totara, tussock and toetoe — but there are also some surprises. In a book of this size decisions on what to leave out had to be made, but the author and photographer both feel that the plants in the book deserve their place, though often for very different reasons.
Church Gardens 