New Zealand’s premier garden event is a springtime celebration of Marlborough’s stunning landscape, showcasing the very best gardens the region has to offer.

What: Rapaura Springs Garden Marlborough
When: 8-12 November 2023
Where: Blenheim

Celebrating its 30th year, Rapaura Springs Garden Marlborough is NZ’s premier garden event. Dreamt up by gardeners for gardeners, the event showcases the very best Marlborough has to offer with a range of garden tours, workshops and social events. This year’s event runs from 8-12 November.

Headlining this year’s event is the famed duo of Bridget Elworthy and Henrietta Courtauld, designers of wild, romantic and joyful gardens that are also productive and beautiful. This UK-based pair established their business to grow and sell cut flowers —organic, of course — and do so by the bucketful to select London florists and private clients. More recently, they’ve developed their business into creating high-quality, microbially rich compost on a large scale and educating and enabling other farmers to do the same. Healthy plants, healthy soil and biodiverse gardens is their goal.

Full and half-day garden tours of the region’s most stunning gardens encompass everything from compact designer gardens in the heart of town to breathtaking country estates.

Workshops provide the opportunity to brush up on skills and horticultural knowledge from the experts; including Dahila and seed raising expert, Susie Ripley, urban garden designer Mark Newdick and Flora Grows with her hands-on Garden Gatherings floral workshop to name a few.

THE GARDEN PARTY

This year’s Garden Party promises to go off with a bang in honour of its 30th year! For garden lovers and party lovers this is the chance to change out of your gumboots and into something more glamorous and to meet some of the event speakers, garden owners and Garden Marlborough friends.

Enjoy delicious Rapaura Springs wines matched with canapes, and music from talented local musicians. The garden party is also an opportunity to see one of our treasured private gardens transformed into a night-time wonder. We promise it will amaze and inspire you!

STIHL SHOP GARDEN FETE

One of Marlborough’s largest free community events, and a highlight in the event calendar, the STIHL Shop Garden Fete concludes the weekend and brings together a fabulous collection of plantspeople, artisan vendors and garden product stalls, offering a wide variety of high-quality items for the garden, gardener and home.

‘Eat Street’ will be packed with food stalls, offering something to suit every taste bud. Bring a picnic rug and find a quiet space alongside the stream or under a canopy of magnificent trees and take in the special atmosphere on the day, including entertainment from local musicians.

Located in Churchill Glade on Parker Street, inside the picturesque Pollard Park, the fete is an easy 10-15 minute walk from Blenheim CBD.

With the stunning Marlborough Sounds on its doorstep, rugged mountain ranges, fertile plains and world-class Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough has a lot to offer – so stay for the whole weekend, or longer!

This year’s event runs from 8-12 November. Tickets are on sale from 24th July. For more information and to view the full programme visit the website.