New Zealand's top selling gardening magazine, NZ Gardener, has appointed Jo McCarroll as its new editor.

Jo McCarroll is an experienced journalist with over a decade in newspapers and magazines, most recently as deputy editor of Next magazine. She will lead the team at the much-loved Fairfax title NZ Gardener under the watchful eye of the current editor Lynda Hallinan, in a new role as editorial director.

Fairfax Magazines' general manager Lynley Belton says McCarroll's good editorial judgement, strong leadership qualities and genuine love of all things gardening made her the obvious choice to head up NZ Gardener's talented team.

"All those qualities give me confidence she'll build on the innovative development of the title. Jo describes herself as 'a genuinely passionate gardener' and has an intuitive understanding of what matters to gardeners; simply by dint of being one. She'll identify strongly with a typical NZ Gardener reader."

Belton says the magazine has flourished under Lynda Hallinan's leadership and she is delighted that Hallinan will remain as part of the team at NZ Gardener in a new role as editorial director.

Jo McCarroll says she is relishing the opportunity to work with Hallinan and to work on a specialist title that reflects her own love of gardening. "I admire what Lynda has done with the magazine and, by extension, the brand. My goal is to continue this approach and introduce more readers to the NZ Gardener brand.

"NZ Gardener has given me so many great ideas for my own garden, as it has for so many others. With creative and original ideas like her self sufficiency project and the Get Growing e-newsletter, Lynda has built circulation and readership for NZ Gardener at a time when other magazines have found it tough," says McCarroll.

NZ Gardener magazine continues to grow in both circulation and readership with an increase of 18.3% in circulation year on year and 15% growth in 10+ readership (January- December). NZ Gardener was awarded top honours by the Magazine Publishers Association last year as MPA Magazine of the Year.