Sharing Knowledge

When the Taranaki Regional Council (TRC) took over management of Pukeiti in 2010, it came with a firm commitment from the Trust to remain closely involved with the garden and to provide ongoing practical advice and support to the garden and garden staff.

True to our word, we have done, and keep doing, all of that.

The Garden Forum was set up soon after the change in management. Three or four of the Trust’s most experienced and knowledgeable members, who between them have at least 150 cumulative years of experience with rhododendrons and with the garden, meet regularly with the TRC’s garden staff to share what’s been done before, what worked—and what didn’t—in the garden. Our plant experts  also work one on one with the gardeners, sharing all the tips and tricks needed to persuade rhododendrons, and all the other garden plants, to grow in Pukeiti’s unique rainforest environment.