Wellington residents will be able to follow clues to discover gardens created by six of the city’s horticulture apprentices when Hidden Gardens returns on Monday 2 November.
The Wellington City Council project turns a visit to the city’s green spaces into a hunt, with riddles and hints revealing where the themed gardens are tucked away.
Six council apprentices are taking part this year, displaying gardens they have designed and tended. Visitors can explore their creations throughout November and vote for their favourites in the People’s Choice competition.
Clues will be available on the council’s Hidden Gardens webpage from 2 November. More information will appear on the council’s Facebook and Instagram channels during the month.
The Wellington Gardens event listing places the gardens at multiple locations across the city, with visits from dawn until dusk.
For the apprentices, the project provides a public showcase for the horticultural skills they are developing. In a 2024 introduction to the programme, the council described a three-year apprenticeship combining work in nature with a New Zealand Certificate in Horticulture, specialising in amenity horticulture.
Previous Hidden Gardens projects have given apprentices room to develop very different ideas. In 2023, themes included witches, ferns and fungi, the power of soil and an alpine adventure, with gardens developed over the course of that year.
This year’s public vote runs from 2 to 30 November. People who vote can enter a draw for a night’s stay for two at the historic Sextons Cottage near Bolton Street Cemetery.
The People’s Choice winner will be announced in December, but the gardens will remain in place throughout summer, giving residents more time to visit after voting closes.
Clues and voting information will be available at wellington.govt.nz/hidden-gardens.
