Trees for Canterbury

Located down a quiet suburban street in Christchurch’s Ferrymead you will find a hidden gem called Trees for Canterbury, a native plant nursery, garden centre and social enterprise. Founded in 1990 by Tim Jenkins, the goal was simple - to plant more native trees throughout the city and wider region. From small beginnings in backyard nurseries to a more extensive operation today where everything they do is motivated by employment, education and regeneration.

The public-facing nursery is open seven days a week, with the exception of public holidays as they strongly believe that’s time to spend with family. Visiting the nursery you will immediately be wowed by the range of native plants and the knowledge and advice the Trees of Canterbury team can provide. Whether you are a novice dabbling in your first foray into planting or a green thumb who is quite at home in a nursery, you’ll feel welcome here. Best of all, the proceeds from the nursery go into funding Trees of Canterbury’s wider goals.

The heart and soul of Trees of Canterbury are the people who work and volunteer there, as well as the trustees of The Green Effect Trust who run the organisation. They are all passionately led by Manager Steve Bush, who began working at the nursery in 1992 on a six-month contract and never left. Every day he is motivated by the mission of Trees of Canterbury; from providing employment and opportunities to the most disadvantaged in our community and giving them respect and placing value on the work they do. The nursery has workers with special needs, or as Steve proudly puts it “specialities” and every day they teach him and others important lessons and demonstrate the impact Trees of Canterbury is having on the community.

Educating and learning is a big part of Trees of Canterbury both in the nursery when people come in to buy plants and also getting out into schools, garden clubs and other organisations to help spread knowledge about our environment and the best ways to help bio-diversity prosper. Rounding out the Trees of Canterbury's mission is their focus on regeneration; this includes cultivating native plants for community planting days each year and doing everything they can to reach their goal of planting over 2 million trees in the region. They work closely with the council and ranger service to achieve this, as well as private businesses in the city that are championing their efforts.

Trees for Canterbury is so much more than simply growing trees, they are growing communities and having an impact on the future of generations to come. So next time you’re looking at giving more life and love to your garden or you’re thinking about what impact you can have on the environment, pay a visit to Trees of Canterbury.