od life go
Cultivatin
e h gt
Hi there
TOUR GOERS In celebration of the beauty and joy in cultivating your own green haven, we’re distributing this special edition of BOTANICAL throughout the 2024 NZ House & Garden Tours, complete with a seed packet especially for you. We believe in bringing the essence of flourishing gardens to every corner, even the coziest patio garden. When you visit us at the tour hub, be inspired by the world of small space gardening. Our display reflects the art of creating vibrant, verdant retreats in limited spaces - which we see every day across our Ryman villages. Whether you have a petite patio or a surburban sized balcony, we’re here to inspire you to transform it into a blooming sanctuary! At Ryman, we share a passion for gardens and the joy they bring to our lives. The articles you can find throughout this issue of BOTANICAL resonate with our ethos encouraging you to plant the seeds, cultivating the good life in your unique space. So, stroll through the tour, immerse yourself in the wonders of stylish interiors and gardening, and carry home not just a magazine but the inspiration to create your own green oasis. Here’s to embracing the beauty of small spaces and cultivating a life filled with flourishing moments.
Ryman
Contents BEAUTY OF 4 THE SMALL GARDENS Smaller spaces offer wonderful gardening opportunities.
PATIO TO PLATE 6 FROM Discover Georgina’s patio garden and her not-so-secret Rhubarb, Apple and Berry Crumble recipe.
LUSCIOUS 8 GROW POTTED PLANTS Top tips to help your temperamental pot plants thrive.
GARNISHES 9 GROWING The down low on garnish growing... and eating!
CULTIVATING
the good life ELEVATE YOUR SMALL SPACE THANKS TO RYMAN HEALTHCARE
LIKE SUMMER 10 TASTES Our seasonal menu is bursting with the colour and flavour of fresh, homegrown produce.
Transform your small space into a lush retreat with a chance to win a $500 Mitre 10 gift card. Cultivate the good life in retirement and let your green oasis thrive.
12 RETIREMENT GARDENING, YOUR WAY JUNGLES 14 INDOOR Your indoor plants are keeping
W BE IN TO WIN Visit our website or scan the QR code to enter.
t card gif
Ryman village residents flex their green thumbs.
in a $500
a rather large secret.
Botanical | 3
The beauty of
SMALL GARDENS Smaller spaces offer wonderful gardening opportunities and with some thoughtful planning will add a touch of class to your home. Shane Fairbairn, Landscape Manager at Ryman Healthcare, shares some tips for creating a tranquil outdoor space on your patio or balcony.
4 | Botanical
Define your vision
INCREDIBLE EDIBLES
First, decide on a theme. Is it cosy and bohemian, sleek and minimalist, a lush urban jungle, or something else? Do you want to entertain friends, or is it your private indoor-outdoor retreat? Your vision will guide your plant and furniture choices.
Your patio or balcony offers a sheltered space to grow fresh herbs. Basil, rosemary, thyme, chives, coriander, and mint thrive in container gardens and are perfect for vertical planters. You can also grow strawberries, blueberries, cherry tomatoes, and miniature lemon or lime trees.
ADD COLOUR Colours such as white, soft blue, pale pink and lilac are calming, while bright blue, yellow, and red invigorate. Think about the overall feel you would like to create on your space and select colours that reflect this. Flowering plants flourish in a container garden include geraniums, cyclamen, pansies and lavender.
Plant for the climate
Does your outdoor space get morning, afternoon, or all day sun? Select plants that thrive in the sunlight conditions and consider a mix of potted plants and layers of greenery using vertical planters.
Maximise comfort
Think of your patio or balcony as an additional room to relax. Add decorative cushions, outdoor rugs, art, and comfortable outdoor furniture so it becomes an extension of your indoor space. Keep a couple of cosy blankets stored nearby for cooler temperatures. Then sit back with a glass of wine or a cuppa and enjoy the tranquility.
Hebes, buxus, and dwarf pittosporum are hardy evergreen shrubs suitable for pots. Hebes come in a variety of sizes and have beautiful white, pink, or purple flowers. Dwarf pittosporum is a compact shrub with glossy, dark green leaves. Slow-growing buxus has small leaves and can be clipped into interesting shapes.
TIPS FOR POTTED PLANTS To keep your plants happy, plant in well-drained soil and tend to them by watering, fertilising, and pruning as required. Select containers which provide proper drainage with a saucer underneath. Using a variety of sizes and heights adds visual interest to your container garden.
Turn to page 12 for some inspiration from Ryman residents who have transformed their outdoor spaces.
Botanical | 5
FROM PATIO
to plate
You don't spend 35 years in the classroom teaching home economics without having a passion for freshly picked produce and delicious home baking.
The scent of Georgina’s signature Rhubarb, Apple and Berry Crumble often wafts through Ryman’s Bert Sutcliffe Village, beckoning neighbours to drop by. Both sweet and tart, Brooklyn agrees that it pairs perfectly with gooey custard or melting vanilla ice cream. "We’ve discovered that you don’t need a quarter acre to have a good garden," says Georgina. Having farewelled a large section to move to the village, she and husband John weren’t sure what to expect. They've been delighted to find that the hard work and maintenance are taken care of, leaving more time and energy for them to indulge in what they love doing.
For Georgina, that’s gardening and making the most of seasonal produce in the kitchen. This is a passion that has followed her from the South Otago farm she was raised on to Auckland’s North Shore with John. The pair are award-winning gardeners, taking first place in the Large Urban Garden award at the 2013 Rolleston Garden Competition. “Wherever we’ve been, we’ve gardened,” says Georgina. With a laugh, Georgina and John refer to their new lifestyle as resort living – all the amenities they want, minus the maintenance worries. And they couldn’t be happier. Their patio of weeping maples, sweet peas, rhododendrons, and fruit plants enjoy a backdrop of native bush filled with tūī and kererū. And, of course, crumble-scented air.
“ Wherever , we've
we've been
gardened
6 | Botanical
“
Georgina's patio garden is brimming with blossoming fruits, fresh herbs, succulent veggies, and the star of her summer dessert, rhubarb. It’s also where Brooklyn, her 12-year-old granddaughter, selects the produce for her cooking adventures with Nana.
we e & ta t rt
SERVES
S
4-6
GEORGINA’S RHUBARB, APPLE AND BERRY CRUMBLE Fruit filling ingredients 4 rhubarb stalks, cut into chunks the length of your thumb 2 medium apples, peeled, cored and sliced to 1cm thick 2 tbsp caster sugar, plus extra to taste 1/2 cup water 1/2 cup fresh or frozen strawberries 1/2 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
Crumble topping ingredients 1 cup flour 1 cup rolled oats 1/2 cup brown sugar 1/2 tsp cinnamon 120g butter
Method • Preheat your oven to 180°C fan bake. • Add the sugar, water, rhubarb and apple chunks to a saucepan. Cover and simmer over medium heat for 15 minutes. Add more sugar to taste, as needed. • When the fruit is soft (still holding its shape) and sweet enough, mix in the strawberries and blueberries. Simmer for another 3 minutes, then set aside to cool. • In a bowl, mix the flour, oats, brown sugar and cinnamon. Rub in the butter with your fingers until the mixture is well combined and crumbly. • Pour the fruit mixture into a medium baking dish (approximately 25cm diameter) and evenly scatter the crumble topping over the fruit. • Bake in the oven for 20-30 minutes at 180°C fan bake until the crumble is golden and cooked through.
Georgina’s crumble pairs perfectly with gooey custard or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Botanical | 7
s e v o l g g n i n e d r a g
GRAB YOUR Let’s pot plants and grow garnishes
POTTING UP A STORM Big things come in small… pots. Find out what it takes to grow a thriving pot plant outdoors. We’ve all failed an outdoor pot plant or ten. Water may be the culprit – either too much or too little. Being root bound is another common plant killer. Here’s a list of easy tips to keep handy. Simply schedule a weekly checkin with your potted plants and run through the list.
8 | Botanical
The pot
The water
The plant
The food
If your pot lives in the shade, choose a shade-loving plant. If it enjoys full sun throughout the day, opt for a sun-loving plant. Most roses perform well in the sun while fuchsias like to keep cool under cover.
If your pot plants are looking a little lacklustre and you can’t figure out why, they might be overdue a feed. A nutritious organic fertiliser will have them looking luscious and healthy before you can say ‘nitrogen’!
Know your pot material. Terracotta is porous while glazed pots are less porous and hold more moisture. Wooden planters offer moisture with breathability and plastic pots keep plants moist longest. Whichever pot you choose, make sure it has drainage holes.
Potted plants are thirsty. They don’t have earth beneath their roots to help them retain moisture and keep cool. They’re up against the elements solo and need our help. When watering, make sure that you spray past the foliage and into the soil.
A SPRIG OF THIS,
a sprinkle of that
Could your risotto use a sprig of parsley? Are your homemade cocktails looking plain? There are plenty of benefits to growing garnishes at home.
TRY THESE POPULAR PAIRINGS: Spring Onions
Create flavour-filled fish
Basil
Great with roast tomatoes
Nothing completes a dish or drink quite like a garnish. Fruit, berries, herbs, take your pick. Every dish and cocktail has an ideal accompaniment in the plant world. Balconies, windowsills, and benchtops are tailor-made for growing garnishes. They’re generally sunny but sheltered, giving your little sprouts the best chance. And they’re often close to the kitchen. Which is right where we want them because garnishes easily become an afterthought when positioned out of sight.
Plant garnishes near the kitchen so they’re easy to pick while you’re entertaining. Not only do garnishes look and taste delicious, they also smell divine. Thyme offers a beautiful aroma when rubbed, and a lazy hand brushing through lavender as you pass will release a calming scented cloud. When planting your garnishes, note that most potted plants prefer soil that drains well to avoid root rot. This means that they dry out quickly, so be prepared to water your pot plants regularly. They also prefer a nutrient-rich potting mix. You pay for quality when it comes to potting mix, so research the ingredients before settling for a bargain.
Microgreens Mix in a salad
Rosemary
Add flavour to rum
Lemon
A staple for gin lovers
Strawberry
Fruity fun Champagne
Lime
Parsley
Perfect in pastas
For zesty margaritas
Mint
Thyme
Sprinkle over venison dishes
Magic in a mojito
Botanical | 9
summer
TASTES LIKE Chef Troy at Ryman’s Diana Isaac Village serves up a mouthwatering array of summer dishes inspired by patio gardens teeming with herbs.
CITRUS CHEESECAKE Ingredients 10 gingernut biscuits
200-300g caster sugar
100g butter, melted
20g gelatin
15g honey
300g lemon curd
700g mascarpone cheese
Butter, to grease
1 lemon zest and juice
Mint tips and edible flowers to garnish
1 lime zest
SERVES
6
1 tangerine zest
Base method • Brush the base of a springform tin with butter and line with baking paper. • Crush the biscuits into crumbs and mix with the butter and honey to create a sandy texture. • Press the crumb mixture into the bottom of the tin with a spoon to form the base. Chill in the fridge.
Cheesecake filling method • Add all the ingredients except the gelatin and lemon curd into a mixing bowl. Be careful not to overmix as that can cause the mixture to split. Adjust the sugar to your liking. • Bloom the gelatin in a little water and melt in the microwave for approximately 15 seconds. Carefully stir into the mixture. • Pour the mixture into the cake tin and let it set in the fridge overnight. • Once set, coat the top of the cake with lemon curd then release the cake from its tin and garnish with mint tips and edible flowers.
10 | Botanical
TABBOULEH SALAD Ingredients 150g bulgur wheat (fine)
1 garlic clove
3 bunches of Italian parsley
2 lemons, zest and juice
1 bunch of mint
50ml olive oil
250g fresh tomatoes
Salt and pepper to taste
1 bunch of spring onions
SERVES
4
Method • Place the bulgur wheat in a bowl and cover with water and leave to soak for around 20 minutes. • Finely chop the parsley, mint, tomatoes, spring onions and garlic.
CRISPY SKIN SALMON WITH HERB BUTTER
• Strain the bulgur wheat and squeeze out the excess water.
Ingredients
• Mix all the ingredients together and dress with lemon zest, juice and olive oil.
1 sprig of tarragon
1 lemon
1 sprig of thyme
100g butter, soft
• Season with salt and pepper, place in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to allow flavours to develop.
1 sprig of parsley
150g salmon
4 basil leaves
1 tbsp oil
1 garlic clove
Salt and pepper to taste
Method • Finely chop the herbs, garlic and zest of the lemon.
&
SERVES
1
• Mash the herb mixture and soft butter with a fork until thoroughly combined. • Scoop the butter onto a piece of baking paper and roll into a cylinder shape. Wrap tightly and refrigerate. • Score the skin of the salmon and blot with a paper towel to remove excess moisture. Season with salt. • In a hot pan, fry the salmon skin first by pressing down on the fish with a fish slice or spatula so that all the skin is in contact with the pan. This is important to avoid curling the fish. • Once the skin is crispy, turn the fish over to complete cooking. • Serve the fish skin-side up with the herb butter, and garnish with a wedge of lemon.
Botanical | 11
RETIREMENT GARDENING
your way
In any space, at any age, gardening can be fun and rewarding. But sometimes when you retire you find there are also a lot of other things you want to do - such as travel, spending time with family, and other hobbies. A way to enjoy the best of both worlds is to downsize to a smaller garden space, where you get all the benefits of gardening without the heavy lifting or hours of maintenance. If you're looking for a way to indulge your green thumb on a more manageable scale, moving to a village with a smaller garden and someone on site to help with the heavy jobs can be the perfect solution. Read on for some wonderful retirement garden inspiration.
A HIDDEN PATIO OASIS Ryman residents Rod and Adrie know just what it takes to create an inviting outdoor space for their beautiful three-bedroom apartment at Bert Sutcliffe Retirement Village. The patio and outlook full of lush greenery has a real wow factor. The couple have cleverly taken full advantage of the outlook that slopes up towards Verrans Corner. They've layered it with hanging baskets, ponga trees and bird of paradise plants, while the sizeable patio is adorned with bromeliads, ferns and begonias. Adrie and Rod love spending time in their lush garden oasis. The effect is stunning, and they can just ask their neighbours to pop over to water the plants if they go away.
“It's good here, it's
easy living
it's convenient and you
feel very safe. so private.
12 | Botanical
“
And where we are is
FAMILY, NEW FRIENDS AND GORGEOUS GARDENS It was a big surprise to their friends when Ryman residents Barbara and Pat moved from a 1700m2 section in Hamilton to a sunny two bedroom apartment at Murray Halberg Retirement Village in Auckland. “It’s quite a big thing for people in Hamilton to come to Auckland, especially to an apartment,” says Pat. But Barbara and Pat knew what they were doing. The move was a great lifestyle choice for the couple as they are closer to family, no longer have to maintain a large house and section, and their ground floor apartment flows out into a beautiful garden. “I get so much pleasure looking out here,” says Barbara gesturing towards the flowers and greenery outside the windows. Since moving in, they've made many new friends within the village and enjoy the extra time they spend with family and each other. Botanical | 13
GROW YOUR OWN
leafy friends
Indoor plants soak up all the love and attention you have to give. And in return, they’ll grow quietly as you kick off your shoes, grab a cool drink, and tell them about your day. The ultimate live-in friend, here are a few favourites to get you started.
Dragon tree
Spider plant Snake plant Philodendron Xanadu
Zanzibar gem 14 | Botanical
Monstera Deliciosa
Peace lily
Devil's ivy
OVERGROWN INDOOR PLANTS Your favourite ‘indoor’ plant may be a jungle giant in disguise.
Moth orchid
Many indoor plants hail from tropical regions where they grow outdoors. And some reach lofty heights. The ever-popular fiddle leaf fig tops out at three metres when grown indoors but can reach 15 metres outdoors in its natural habitat. Olive trees look stunning potted indoors and can tolerate small pots but reach 10 metres in the wild. Rubber trees are common ‘fill a corner’ plants at home. They grow slowly and their stunning large leaves give the plant a bold but soft presence. Outdoors they grow 10 metres high and three metres wide. However, with most indoor
plants, they don’t reach their full potential indoors. While plants are smaller when grown indoors, not everyone has three metre high ceilings. If you find your indoor plants are growing too big, it might be time to propagate. Propagation is the act of growing new plants from parts of an existing source plant. Propagation uses roots, new shoots, or established stems. Different methods suit different plants. Get started with this fiddle leaf fig propagation guide.
HOW TO PROPAGATE YOUR FIDDLE LEAF FIG
Cut
It’s possible to use a single leaf, but for a higher likelihood of success take a cutting at a node with three nodes above the cut line. A node is a slight thickening of the trunk between the leaves, often identified by crispy brown leaf casings or rings.
Grow
Check your cutting weekly for root growth. This can take six or more weeks. so don’t give up! Some plants simply grow roots faster than others.
Fiddle leaf fig
Kick-start
To boost your chances of success, dip the end of your cutting in a rooting hormone before placing it in a jar of fresh water in indirect bright light.
Pot
Once you have several long roots it’s time to pot your cutting. Choose a small pot to avoid overwhelming the new roots and a nutritious, free-draining potting mix.
Pot size is not the only factor when it comes to the growth potential of indoor plants. In their natural habitat, plants have unbound roots, their ideal quantity of bright sunlight, and live in free-draining soil. When we bring them indoors, their small pots are packed with soil, we provide a few drainage holes but keep them moist for longer, and the light is dimmer. Botanical | 15
WHAT IS THE MEASURE OF A FULL LIFE? At Ryman, we believe the measure of a full life is one that gets richer with age. A life where you can appreciate the little things. Rediscover lost passions and plunge headfirst into new ones. Surround yourself with new people, old friends and close family. Live with opportunities and experiences at your doorstep. That’s why we’re creating communities that challenge the expectations of ageing, while bringing joy and meaning to every moment.
KERRY
Ryman Resident