Celebrating 40 Years of Roselands Pets, Plants & Hobbies: A Local Family Legacy

It’s time to celebrate at Roselands, Marlborough’s beloved family-run jungle of joy.

Adrienne Matthews

This much-loved local entity has been a drawcard to lovers of plants, pets and all manner of intriguing items for four decades thanks to the dedication and creativity of John and Raylene Gale and their offspring,

In 1985, the couple packed up their lives in Mosgiel, said goodbye to the cold and headed north, destination Blenheim, to two garden shops for sale in the town. What they ended up building was so much more.

What began as a humble garden centre and pet store is now a bustling mix of animal haven, plant paradise, hobby hotspot and a place of enjoyment and discovery for generations of locals.

“We came up to escape the weather,” John laughs. “But we ended up creating something that’s become part of the community. It’s not just a shop anymore, it’s a family legacy.”

Soon after arriving, John and Raylene purchased both the Redwoodtown Garden Centre and Roselands Garden Centre, drawing on their background in horticulture from their Mosgiel days. Plants were the focus early on, but things began to change once the pets took hold, especially when an electric red Eclectus parrot, Rosie, with a personality twice her size, entered the picture.

“John wasn’t even a bird person,” Raylene laughs, “but Rosie changed everything.” She wasn’t just a pet but the beginning of a deep affection for birds that led to the arrival of other personalities, including the brilliant African Grey parrot, Annabelle, and the talkative Alexandrine parrot Alan, still young at 31. These birds aren’t for sale. They are family and a huge part of what gives the shop its unique character. “They greet customers like old friends,” laughs John.

Roselands didn’t just grow, it evolved. In the late ‘80s, the shop was upgraded to meet earthquake standards and in the ‘90s, they bought Springlands Garden Centre. By 1999, they were opening THE ATOMIC CAFE’ which quickly became one of Blenheim’s busiest coffee spots.

“We weren’t just following trends,” says John. “Customers were coming from the supermarket next door asking, ‘Where can we get a coffee?’, so we built them one.” They ran the café until 2006, when the lease was taken over by a new family; just another chapter in a business that has always rolled with the times.

As the big-box stores muscled in, Roselands pivoted again. With retail plants getting squeezed out, the team embraced pets, launched a Hobby Corner, and continued to diversify with creativity and care. Today, aside from having a conversation with a parrot, you can pick up plants, garden and pet supplies, chat about budgies and canaries, explore the wide variety of fish and other small animals, browse model planes and choose from a myriad of great gifts. The best thing is that the service doesn’t just come with a smile, it comes with a whole lot of plant and pet knowledge from decades of experience.

Three generations now work at Roselands. John and Raylene’s granddaughter Sam is part of the next wave, helping run the shop floor and guiding decisions about new stock and trends. “They’ve grown up with it,” Raelene says. “They know the customers, they know the animals, and they’ve got a real instinct for what works.”

It’s that personal touch that keeps customers coming back. “People come in not just to shop, but to talk; to show us pictures of their gardens, ask about their fish, or just say hi to the birds. You don’t get that from the internet,” John says.

To mark the milestone, Roselands held a community celebration on August 9th, complete with a coffee caravan, barbecue, sales across the store, and, of course, special appearances from their famous feathered residents and others visiting especially for the day.

From a Mosgiel escape plan to a Marlborough institution, Roselands Pets and Plants has been built with heart, humour, and a whole lot of hard work. Here’s to the next 40 years.