Fothergills

Fothergills on Mimiha

84 Mimiha Road, Matata

http://www.gardenstovisit.co.nz/garden.aspx?gardenid=50

Hilton and Bev Fothergill

07 322 2224 / 0274 605958

The entrance to Fothergills.  Clever use of reinforcing wire.

Part of the fun of being in G3 is discovering new parts of the Bay of Plenty, especially for a Southland girl with a terrible sense of direction. We drove out onto Domain Road to the Papamoa Junction and turned toward Te Puke. Donna was driving, which was lovely as I am not a confident driver and enjoy nothing more than relaxing with a chauffeur.   

Unfortunately the chauffeur had neglected to look up where we were actually going, I was, of course no help being pretty much lost after the Whakatane turn off. Michelle cleverly used her mobile phone on route to search the address as we drove and we were back on course in the nick of time for the Mimiha Road turn off.

Our hostess Bev met us at the car park.  We had been concerned that she would be disappointed as our original estimate of six attending had dwindled during the week with work and family commitments to a more modest three. Bev recovered from her surprise at our small group like a professional and we made our way through the entrance arch into her garden. 

 Teucrium hedging and mowing strip.

We paused while Bev filled us in on her garden. Bev and Hilton Fothergill have lived on this property for 45 years. The original home had been very small and was expanded as the family grew in size. The gardens spanned over one hectare with approximately 230 roses. Many trees shrubs and perennials complimented the roses with a garden pond being completed for Bev’s 60^th birthday. There are also large vegetable beds and fruit trees.

We passed under one of many rose laden arches to make our way towards the house. This walkway into the garden was hedged attractively on one side with Teucrium fruticans. 

This handy plant can be grown in most conditions but prefers a hot well drained area in the garden with plenty of sun.  It is fast growing and can require pruning six weekly to keep a formal shape.  Donna commented that she had this plant in her garden and was interested that this one was nearly ten years old and still looked in good condition.

Clematis climbs one side of the garden arch

The other side was a large rose bed with Buxus edging.  We noted that the hedges were not edged into the lawn itself but the grass was killed in a strip beside.  This is seen in the above photo.  It enabled Hilton (Bev’s husband) to mow the lawn with a ride on mower.  Surprisingly, it gave a neat and tidy appearance to the garden and did not look strange on the larger scale of this garden.

The large rose bed on the walkway was planted in pastel shades.  We all admired the pereniall cornflowers that were growing (self seeded) in this garden.  Bev was kind enough to give us seeds from this lovely blue flower variety and some pretty Aquilegia or Grannies Bonnets that were very unusually coloured.  The stunning feature of this bed was the trellis arches that ran the full length of the garden.  Most of these had Clematis growing on one side with a climbing rose coming up in the other direction.  Bev advised us that Clematis (particularly deciduous) made a very good companion plant to climbing roses on a trellis.  I was interested in this and took several photos, as I am planning my own pergola on a wish list and always looking out for plants that would grow well together.

Acanthus plant - 

not from Bev’s garden

What I liked about this garden trellis and many of the garden’s arches were that they were made of simple concrete reinforcing mesh that was bent into shapes.  This reinforcing mesh did not need extra support and plants could grow happily on it with plenty on sun and air circulation.

At this point we stopped for our Devonshire tea which we enjoyed with coffee instead.  Bev had made fresh scones and strawberry jam.  She also had a selection of other preserves and chutney availably to sample and buy.  The three of us particularly enjoyed a spicy pickle called Tomatoe Kasundi.  Later, just before we left, we bought the last three jars of this delight from Bev’s little shop.

We covered the rest of the garden after our coffee.  A shady area outside the house was pretty and featured a plant that also grows in Michelle’s garden, Acanthus Mollis or Bear’s Breeches. This showy plant can grow up to 1.5 metres in sun or semi shade and is loved by slugs and snails. It provides an architectural feel with its shapely leaves and showy spiky flowers.

Heuchera – 

pretty plant with a spitty name.

I was pleased to discover the correct pronunciation of a shade plant that is growing in popularity due to its delicate leaves and bright colours.  Heuchera is pronounced like the name for the throaty spitting noise that men are so good at.  “Hoik – er –a” according to Bev. 
Bev’s other beds were organised in colour waves to great effect.  It was an extremely tidy garden with every weed banished and roses frequently dead headed.  

Exotic trees and shrubs complemented her planting and clever edging added a more formal feel to the beds.  I liked her edging of Lirope which Michelle also has at her house, and clever use of Mondo grass as edging and decoratively in pots.  Mondo grass effectively edged the larger trees in photo below.

View through the arch to the Mondo grass edged trees in the formal lawn

A Wedding Cake Tree – 

not from Bev’s garden

On the way out we stopped to admire a tree which we learned was called Wedding Cake due to its layering effect.  A new layer forming each year.

Beverly was a lovely host and suggested we check out her facebook page and garden blog after we got home.   http://fothergillsonmimiha.blogspot.com

Highlight – roses, roses and more roses, the fragrance and the colour was almost overwhelming.

Other good bits, learning about new plants, free seeds, gardening advice and the lovely Devonshire Tea and Kasundi pickle.


Paula

Bev, Donna and Michelle as we leave Fothergills.