
Backyard Awards: Best Loved Lawn winner
Mark Elliott from Shirley in Christchurch has won the category of Best Loved Lawn for his lush green masterpiece. Congratulations, Mark!
We spoke with his about his process to keep his lawn beautiful and there may be some blades of advice for your own backyard.
Mark has a huge backyard so during Covid times, he decided to renovate the lawn and garden just for something to do. It’s turned into a passion.
His lawn is 100% rye grass - sourced from Prebble Seeds Turf World who supply many golf courses around New Zealand. In the summer he mows it every 2-3 days, sometimes daily, and waters the lawn with a deep soak of about an hour at a time, 2-3 times a week. He uses a granular slow release lawn fertiliser and other liquid fertilisers also.
Mark shares:
'I would say the secret to getting a good lawn is consistent mowing - at least twice a week. Maybe buy a bulk bag of slow release lawn fertiliser from a wholesaler. Keep the grass longer and just take the very top off the blade when you mow. It promotes growth, thickens it up and will really help with stopping weeds - oh, and water. Expect a water bill if you want a good lawn.'
The first photo below shows the 'Before' shot, 4 years ago. Give Mark a Like on this post if you think his lawn is pretty top notch!

Brainpower Needed 🧠 This One’s Too Tough for the Faint of Heart…
I am vital, though you won’t see me.
I can falter and bring calamity.
Signals electric guide what I do,
A short circuit may turn me askew.
What am I?
Do you think you know the answer? Simply 'Like' this post and we'll post the answer in the comments below at 2pm on the day!
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Poll: How confident are you feeling about our economy right now?
We’ve all seen the headlines lately — New Zealand’s economy shrank more than expected between April and June (down 0.9%).
(If not, you can read a summary of the June quarter's activity on this article published by the Post)
Now that the weekend’s over and things have calmed down a bit, the Neighbourly Team are keen to hear from you: how are you feeling about it all?
Summer’s coming, and holidays are on the horizon … should we be focusing on the future rather than the past quarter? Or is this dip in the road a real concern?
Share your thoughts in the comments!

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17.8% Confident – momentum is building
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10.7% Meh – feeling neutral about it
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29.7% Not confident – global pressures are biting
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41.8% Concerned – this feels serious
Men’s pants and long sleeves now half price!
Red Cross Ōrewa has slashed prices on Men’s pants and long sleeves sleeves, 50% off all week long!
