Gushing over gardens

Hundreds followed the Motueka Garden Trail last weekend to admire the 19 ornate oases from Redwood Valley to Riwaka.

The event bloomed over Saturday and Sunday and is the annual fundraiser for the Motueka Toy Library. Close to all the 650 tickets available from local outlets were picked up.

Trail committee member Becky Vowles said good feedback had stemmed from visitors to the traditional and country gardens.

“Some people are really invested in the gardens themselves and they’re wanting to know how to better their own gardens,” she says.

“It’s nice for people that are going around to look at the gardens to have that opportunity to speak to the owners and get hints and tips and find out how they've grown a certain plant.

“Part of [the raised funds] goes towards buying new toys, the day-to-day running costs of the toy library and maintaining the bigger toys to make sure that they're safe for the children to use.”