Teamwork makes your gardening dreams work at Palmers

If you’re looking for expert advice on what to grow in East Auckland, Palmers Pakuranga is the place to go.

Heather Wilkinson was a stay-at-home-mum looking for work she could fit in during school hours when she saw an ad in the local paper for a part-time checkout operator at the Palmers garden centre in Pakuranga. She applied for the job – and 12 years later she’s managing the store. Like all the staff, she’s an avid gardener, and passionate about helping people grow great gardens. “I love working with such a great team, helping customers with their gardens and, of course, working with plants every day,” she says. But even with 12 years of on-the-job experience, by the standards of some of her colleagues she’s a newbie. One of her teammates has been with the garden centre for 20 years, while another has worked there for 14 years. “We’ve got many knowledgeable team members with loads of experience, as well as some enthusiastic new team members,” says Heather. “All of us live locally and have been in the community for a long time. We all have different gardens, ranging from tropical to cottage to rambling.”

Heather says the East Auckland climate is suitable for growing most trees and plants, so people developing a garden in the area can choose a look to suit their home and their tastes. As well as a vast variety of plants, trees and flowers, Palmers stocks everything you need to transform your home and garden – from barbecues and outdoor furniture to kitchenware and gorgeous gifts. “We’ve got such a wide range, it just depends what the customer is looking for,” says Heather. “At the moment we’re seeing a lot of people wanting to plant fruit trees and berries.” But she says the biggest trend at the moment is stress-free, maintenance-free gardening – which is achievable if you plant the right things in the right places. “To get the best result, come and talk to our team before planting anything. We can help you to do it once and do it right.” Once you’ve got your low-maintenance backyard sorted, you’ll have weekend mornings free to enjoy a relaxing brunch at Palmers Pakuranga’s in-store Café Botannix. With its idyllic garden setting and fresh home-baked treats, the kid-friendly café is a popular meeting place for locals. The garden centre team enjoys giving back to the local community, and their latest community project is making over the gardens at the Pakuranga Rugby Club. “We’re completely replanting their existing garden for them because they’ve got a big event on and they want it to look good,” says Heather. “We also often host local brownies, preschool and school groups. We show them how to pot a plant, then we give them each a plant to take home.” But Heather says the thing that earned the Palmers team the most goodwill in the community was when the garden centre operated out of its car park during Level 3 lockdown last year. “They could drive in and choose what they wanted and we’d put it in the boot of their car for them,” she says. “The community really appreciated that and we loved being able to help out.” Here’s where you’ll find this friendly local garden centre: Corner Pakuranga and Pigeon Mountain Roads, Pakuranga, Auckland. Open 7 days from 8am to 5pm Phone 09 534 6847 Email pakuranga@palmers.net.nz