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About Us

Our History


Greenmachine began in 1999 as a small backyard growing operation in Central Christchurch.  Founder Justin Lewis has always been passionate about growing plants and slowly this hobby turned into a very small business selling specialist native plants direct to the public.  As the internet  became more mainstream and with the emergence and growth of Trademe, Justin began to ponder the possibilities of making his plants available to

everyone in the country through the internet.  


Greenmachine began selling through Trademe, and became focused on supplying plants via the internet, shipping direct to the customer.  The business grew to become first a Trademe topseller, then a Trademe store.  Being a pioneer in internet selling had its own challenges, especially as the product was perishable and reasonably difficult to ship.  In overcoming these challenges Greenmachine became very specialised and focused in what we do, internet selling.  

It soon became apparent there was strong demand for good quality, tough Southern grown natives supplied at an affordable price.   This meant the business very quickly outgrew (literally) it's backyard setting and expanded to a block in Methven, Mid Canterbury.

Methven is in the foothills of the Southern Alps.  At an altitude of 300m the Methven days brought an interesting era of development in the company where it was absolutely imperative that we grew and sourced only the toughest natives able to withstand the toughest alpine conditions.  This bought a new level of hardiness to the stock and a wealth of knowledge about what can survive these conditions.  

A lot of these lessons were learnt the hard way, but it now proves very valuable when supplying areas such as Mid Canterbury, Central Otago, and Central North Island.  

Cost of land and difficulty with water supply made it apparent the business would struggle to grow in Mid Canterbury, so after a great deal of research and contemplation the decision was made to relocate to Tuatapere, Western Southland.  

 Tuatapere was chosen for its high rainfall, and suitablity for growing natives.  It is a very good growing environment without pampering the plants too much.

This remains the current location of Greenmachine, and hopefully it will remain that way for many years to come. 

About our plants

We are passionate about New Zealand natives.  We are constantly in awe of the beautiful textures and unique forms.  We love the New Zealand landscape.  We love seeing modern landscapes filled with New Zealand natives.  We are proud of our unique greenery and we are proud to plant New Zealand natives.  We only grow New Zealand natives.  


Our range includes the tough 'standard' natives you would expect to be suitable for farm or lifestyle block shelter. In addition we have a huge range of fancy garden cultivars that have been bred specifically for smaller garden situations where premium colour and form are important. You will find we have a huge range of Grasses, Tussocks, Flaxes, Astelias, Hebes, Alpines, Shrubs (From Dwarf to Large), Trees, Hedges and Shelter Belts.   There are so many natives, cultivars, hybrids and selections available these days it can be a little overwhelming.

greenmachine about our plants

 

 

A great deal of our hardy stock lines have been continued on from the Canterbury days, and this has been expanded to include tough natives for Mid Canterbury & Central Otago, coastal locations, dry locations and stock sourced from all over the South Island.  Over the years we have built up a network of reliable, suppliers known for growing tough and hardy plants.  This has allowed us to expand our range beyond what is available in our immediate area.

So no matter what you are looking for, if it's native there is a good chance we can help.  

 

Our team 

And finally, no 'about us' would be complete without introducing the team, or at least some of them...

So thanks for stopping by and checking us out, hope you like what you see and we look forward to hearing from you soon.

 

Many thanks,

Justin Lewis.