Gardeners are generally a different kind of nice person, there is something grounded about them! Which is good news when from October you can expect all the local growers of garden plants; vegetable seedlings, trees and shrubs, perennials, bulbs and roses, succulents to make all that is great about a country market and Spring time right through into summer and beyond.

Big box outlets have practically devastated the many small independent growers of plants that once use to be the norm. But thanks to some dedicated hobbyist and business horticulturalists you can still find the rare, the special, the common and the specialized in seedling, bulb, root, plant and tree at the market.

Scotts seedlings are a unanimous favourite; superb range of veges, great quality, fantastic price and plenty of them. Be early for the freshest ready to plant. Scott has growing plants in his blood, once a grower of bedding plants in Kaiapoi now a well established nursery man from Ohoka with a large production area and a customer base that causes traffic jams at the market.

Marion is local lady with a flair for growing beautiful classy hydrangeas and other assorted garden plants for borders and great gardens. From October onwards.

The season for this popular blousy plant is any time from Show Day to Christmas, this is when you find it flowering its head off. Assorted shades of pinks, reds, whites make it a great flower for the vase. Several growers of Peony have sold their flowers at the market and currently it is Vicki and Hamish from Clarkville with large plants for planting and cut flowers.

Cust Nursery once the place for olde roses, now Tom Gilroy Roses with a massive range of beautiful hybrids and some older classics too for pot or planting. Tom brings his roses from Show Day and in full flower or close to it, they make for easy buying. Be quick, fantastic colours!

Brian and his wife offer a wide range of daffodil bulbs in mid summer and then dahlia tubers from early Spring all grown from the couples farm in North Canterbury.

Clare and Kevin are Waikukuites, their lavender farm first planted out in 1992 by Jim Curnow on the road to the beach is now a popular tourist destination for those who love lavender. Clare has also been a long time stallholder at the market supplying customers with her good value lavender plants of different varieties which she and Kevin in turn transforms into lavender cosmetics including essential oil, also available from her site over winter and then into summer. Wonderful work.

Located in the new burbs of Ohoka the folks behind the Sanctuary Nursery initiative grow a wide and interesting range of quality shrubs and general garden plants for all gardens. Summer season you can find them in the garden section of the market.

Jo has good taste when it comes to perennials, she offers customers a wide range of classic, olde world cottage, favourite and some good old staples from her nursery in Canterbury. What makes her plants special is the fact that she is passionate about what she grows and like a true gardener, it just comes naturally. But she is always happy to offer advice to new garden enthusiasts.