Exploring Design, Home, Art and Gardening since 2008. By Julia Atkinson-Dunn
Gardening fever brings so many benefits, but connecting with others must be one of the best. Aside from the endless knowledge and encouragement I have gleaned by engaging gardeners, there have been many tangible benefits as well. Those that grow also love to share, particularly if they see a grateful face and a patchy plot.
Read on to find the delight in trading dahlia tubers and tips to look out for.
I take a deep dive into the weird and wonderful symbolism that plants offer within many cultures. A system of silent communication, folklore and perceived benefits.
Read MoreThe story of my Mum’s mission to create a large, off the grid family house for us all to gather in the weekends and holidays. Built on a portion of our old family farm in Hanmer Springs, Mum and I share the details, cost saving ideas and helpful hints on an ambitious but exciting project.
Read MoreI am finally graduating to the “design” phase of my gardening adventure, where I am on the hunt for curated atmosphere that pleases my eye. Here I introduce naturalistic style planting, a wide and pleasing concept of design that has a foot in ecology, site specific plants AND an appreciation of texture and form from spring to winter.
Read MoreAfter MUCH trial and era have come to realise there is truth in the concept of “buy once, buy well” when it comes to my gardening toolkit. Click through for my recommendations on when to spend and when to save on your most useful garden equipment.
Read MoreSweet peas offer a brilliant gateway into growing flowers with their rewarding eager flowering enjoyed as much in the garden as in the vase.
Read on for my basics to get your going…including planting a crop in autumn!
Unsure about what to do with your messy, melty perennial and annual plants as we approach the end of autumn?
Here is the downlow in simple terms…
All in all, roses are both enticing and mysterious to me as I still stand near the beginning of my gardening adventure. Determined to learn more, I greedily took up the invitation to visit family-owned Gilroy Nurseries on the fertile flats of Clarkville, just north of Christchurch.
Read on for a glorious view of roses grown en masse and helpful tips on growing your own….
For first-time gardeners, it’s easy to miss the gold to be found at this time of year when you lament that your lovely outside space isn’t actually static. This is our “lesson” time, after the glory of the blooms and a reminder that you are working within a moving medium that waits for no-one.
Read on for tips in collecting your own …
The spring display in my garden needs a lot of work.
Compared to my peak colour explosion of February, there are slim pickings and even slimmer atmosphere to be found in my wee patch in October and the months either side.
So I set about righting this wrong and interviewed some local, expert bulb growers to find out their favourites and some tips!
While I am hugely inspired by the world of commercial floristry, there are certain creative benefits that arrive with being a home arranger. Being forced to look at all that is growing in your garden as potential pickings, as opposed to only the pristine with long straight stems and perfectly-timed blooms…..
Read More
I’m Julia Atkinson-Dunn
THANK YOU FOR JOINING ME!
Here, you’ll find my ongoing adventures of creating art - oil pastel and painted landscapes, mixed media botanicals, plus some writing and information about me!
Studio Home began as NZ’s first design blog, launching in 2018 as a champion of NZ/AUS creative talent.
Since then I have used this space to continue exploring design and art as well as deeply investigating gardening through the publishing of three books and the launch of Unearthed in 2023.
Julia xo
Powered by Squarespace.
