G3 Weekend Away to Rotorua

28-29 July 2012

Garden of John and Marian Sandrey

Waikite Valley

Rotorua

I think we all felt relieved that the sun was shining on Saturday 28^th July as we drove to our first garden on our Inaugural G3 weekend away.  We had been warned by our hostess to bring warm clothes and we were pleased that we had followed her advice as there was a distinct chill in the air.

We met Marian in the driveway and she explained that her family had been in the Waikite Valley for 45 years and in this property for 35 years.  The garden was testament to this with hundreds of large specimen trees providing the back bone of this lovely property.  From the massive silver birches in the entrance way to a rare poplar tree on the hill and a cherry tree that was grown for its distinct bronze bark, there were many wonderful specimens.

Hellebore bank

We started with a walk down the long driveway, admiring the bank of pastel shaded hellebores, perfectly positioned so that their shy nodding heads could be viewed from below.

Maple waterfall

Then we followed an outer path upward past the massive poplar and maple waterfall and up through woodlands passing by Marian’s many special artistic touches. Marian told us how she would often keep items recycled from the farm until the perfect spot for them could be found.  These became garden art with thoughtful placement and much consideration.  A series of interconnecting inner and outer paths joined the many distinct areas in this garden which was on a grand scale of approximately 4 acres of gardens and woodlands.

We had a lot of ground to cover and had we felt the need to rest we could easily have done so on one of the 15 seats around the garden. Marian did joke that she rarely sat on any of them. The garden was immaculately groomed with neat lawns and edges and not a weed in sight. It was easy to see that Marian and her husband both worked very hard and did not have much time for rest. Marian said her husband John was very helpful in the garden, with one of his main jobs being the lawn, which took around five hours to mow!

Highlights of the garden for me were the wonderful trees, so sculptural in winter and the hellebores and woodland areas.  Also popular amongst the G3ers was the silver birch glade, Keri loved this and comments were made about how it would be a great spot for wedding photos.  Michelle enjoyed the formal element of the buxus hedging close to the house, leading up the stairs to a white seat in the shadow of a rolling hill.  We all enjoyed the sunny deck looking down on the valley as we stopped to admire photos of the garden taken in autumn with spectacular colours and commented on how we would love to come again to see it in a different season.

We finished our tour with hot drinks and scones and had time to ask our hostess many questions while we looked out at the rockery visible from the lounge window.  

Next stop was a lakeside picnic before we made our way to our 2^nd garden of the day.
Paula

Our second garden was that of Pam Montgomery. She lived across the valley and had a garden which had a lovely calm atmosphere in the dappled afternoon light.

Vicki grew up nearby and Pam is an old family friend, so she introduced us as Pam emerged in the driveway.

We started with a meander through the edibles. Donna would have loved it. There was a glorious urn with thyme draping over its edges, and all sorts of unusual little plants – even saffron! Her soil was uncovered in a portion of the dug-up garden and it was remarkable for the small ball bearings of pumice littered throughout it.

We ambled around the path skirting the bottom of the section, through sweet smelling Daphne, violets, climbers, ponga and large kowhai, and popped up at the far end of the garden. The view out over the valley was lovely and we were again grateful for the sun in what must be a bitterly cold place on a ferocious day.

Pam had some lovely mature ornamental trees and a pergola which drew the eye towards the home. Two swans shaped out of lonicera stood sentinel next to a step onto the lawn. One of the most striking features was a hedge made of a plant on which the leaves turn brown but cling until new growth emerges. The spectacle of a brown hedge in winter was really striking. There were other shaped bushes around the property, a bird bath, a massive hedge of buxus which in one corner was more than a metre wide and an ivy ball Pam made by sitting one hanging basket-shape on top of another.

Inside, a sumptuous cinnamon pinwheel-type cake beckoned. These ladies were so generous!!

And it was over a cuppa where we learned all about Pam’s late blossoming as an artist. When her children left home, she figured she better find herself a new focus. So she enrolled in fifth form art by correspondence. Soon she was studying art fulltime at the local polytechnic, and now she is an artist in demand – continually fulfilling commissions, many of which are for local farmers who ask her to paint the rolling hills they call home.

The chats with the gardeners are one of the most loved parts of our rambles.

Pam says her painting informs her gardening. On a crisp, clear Waikite day, it’s easy to see how her inspiring garden may also play a role in bringing her art to life.

Keri

Garden visit to Keri's house

28 June 2012

Keri's House

Maungatapu

Tauranga

On a windy, crisp winter morning, a bunch of gorgeous gardening girls wrapped up warm for a stroll around our Maungatapu garden.

We bought the house in February. The previous owners had commissioned a landscape plan, of which they left us a few copies, but it's evident they did not stick to the planting guide. As a result, it was a bit of a mixed bag. She had a banana palm next to a hydrangea, and ferns in amongst the tropical rock-bed. 

There were also two big sharp triangular gardens. We surmised they might have been to draw the eye to the view, but they annoyed me.

While I like structure in the tropical part of the garden, I prefer flower gardens and lawn areas to be a bit more rambling - less sharp lines. I have absolutely no technical garden design expertise and my approach is probably all up the boohai but that's the joy of it being my garden - I can do whatever I want!

In a storm around March a Phoenix palm inside the planter box started to topple. Dave dug it out and we planted a nikau...which promptly died. The planter box garden was covered in pebbles.

Date palms and Queen palms around the pool

There was an overgrown corner near the pool where nothing was growing and the pebbles had run out. That was the bit we decided to leave to Steve. He ripped out all the plants (none of them belonged there) pulled up the weedmat, threw in some compost and planted mature palms to start addressing the imbalance with the other half of the garden. He also moved clumps of taro and carved up an agave into smaller clumps, and filled in the pebbles. While it was a lot of work, it's one of those things where most other people wouldn't recognise the difference. But where it will be striking is in 2-3 years when the bushes have grown and the corner starts to resemble the rest of the pool garden. Without that work, it would have always been a sad and empty corner where nothing grew.

The black bark which has replaced the pebbles under the yukka in the planter box looks fantastic. Of course, as with any 'makeover', it now highlights the fact the paint job on the planter boxes needs attention. Next year!!

Perhaps the most transformed part of the garden is the entranceway.

They had a row of some spiky houseplant, a sickly frangipani and some date palms which were failing to thrive. I was determined to keep the banana palm but wanted it out of the fruit orchard (!!) so we thought we'd try it at the entranceway. I love it there! Steve replanted the cycad to make it the feature of a garden by the front door and I love the way he tilted it to face the sun. He also re-used some of the plants from the corner of the pool garden to continue the tropical theme at the entrance. Black bark again, which looks great and he says the yellow grasses will really pop when they get bigger.

What next? Again, the parts of the garden which are tidy now accentuate the parts which are still unkempt! Next big project is the orchard. We are going to dig out a mowing strip, lay it with grey bricks like those on the house, and I want to plant a ground cover (very Xanthe!) under the fruit trees. Turns out the ground cover Xanthe used (leptinella rotunda) is very rare. So Steve gave me some names for some alternatives. We are going to go for a native called pratia angulata. Dave is going to build me a small planter box along the fence line. I'm thinking one piece of timber high and 50cms wide. I was going to grow crops which require more space - sweet corn, watermelon, zucchini, potatoes, and some berries  - but Donna's pointed out I'll need to pick plants which are okay in the shade. First things first, we need to rip out the orange blossom! Unfortunately it's going to be a bit of a dog's breakfast until spring, when I can fill in the triangles of former garden with grass. Hopefully the lemon and lime take off!

Michelle has pointed out I need to train my star jasmine or they'll bush out and that isn't the look I'm going for! I also need to tidy up the berry patch (just strawberries at the moment but I'd love to have raspberries there and I may even plant a passionfruit, although mum reckons they attract some annoying hopper so I might just make do with encouraging the neighbour's one to come over).

Big project for spring will be my fern rockery outside the bathroom window. At the moment it's all over the place - some tropicals, some cacti, some southern alps grasses! Will be painting the trellis black to match the fence around the other side.

Next year (when we've saved up some money!) we will attack the garden outside our room. It's a perfect spot for a spa pool and we have a few ideas on how we could do it. I'd be just as happy with a bush bath (plumbed to the hot water from the bathroom) but we'll see. I need to plant something to grow over the trellis - Michelle suggested the wisteria some of you collected from the last garden. Will see how they take off and might nab a clipping.

Long term, we will focus on the access down the hill. I'd like to put up a wrought iron fence and get some steps put in. It's very steep!

The council is building a floating boardwalk around the edge of the estuary. We'd love to build steps down to meet it. It'll take money as we'll need retaining walls and structured steps and gates at the top and bottom. But it would be fun to have a more rambling and wild place to chuck plants and embrace the overgrown look! We had a beautiful garden in the middle of a paddock at the bottom of our farm growing up. It was huge and overgrown and lovely mosses and climbers rambled all over fallen logs. I remember lots of small white flowers and butterflies galore. I'd love Lyla to have an enchanted garden like that to play in when she's older but it will cost money to make it safe!

Thanks for coming over ladies. It was such fun to talk you round our garden and have Steve there to rattle off some fancy names and give you a few tips on plants for specific uses. If you ever want to track him down, he’s on groundsworks@slingshot.co.nz

Looking forward to inviting you back in the future so you can (hopefully) see my orchard as I imagine it!

Keri

Visit to Vicky's house

31 May 2012

Townies come to the country!

Vicky's House
Tepuke










Vicky and her husband and two children have a kiwi fruit orchard just outside of Tepuke. The garden is large and has some lovely established trees. 

We started our garden tour with a stroll through the bush track, which vicky and her kids have great fun mountain biking around.

We then wondered around to the vege patch area which Vicky wants to move and revamp. 








The property has a fantastic large lawn area with great views out to the coast. The garden is a work in progress, so it will be great to come back in few years. After our garden tour, we sat in the sun on the deck, with coffee and morning tea and chatted about some thoughts for the garden. Thanks for the visit Vicky
Donna

Cottleways Straight

26 May 2012

Claire and Peter Walker
'Cottleways Straight'  
508 Cambridge Road
Bethlehem

Claire & Peter Walker have a garden that is worthy of a Michelin star. Starting with a bare plot of land c.15 years ago, this husband and wife team have worked whole heartedly to create a garden with space for everyone. 

Imagine a picture perfect lawn for children to frolic barefooted, a vegetable garden that feeds the neighbourhood and ensures strawberries are on tap for the summer, fruit trees to savour through the year, daffodils in spring, the glorious scent of a majestic Peaches & Cream Wisteria, beautiful roses, a love seat, trees for the Tui, a bird bath for lunchtime entertainment, formal lines softened by colour and ramble. Her once bare plot now shows the maturity of time, yet many of her plants started their lives as humble cuttings. 
It would be impossible to imagine if it weren’t for the photos she shared with us of those early days.  This is a garden that tells a story, the story of Claires family, grandchildren and friends.  There is the tree the children climbed one summer when visiting from abroad, the bonsai being cared for on behalf of Claire’s son and the three Kauri he insisted she plant, the red plant tucked discreetly in a corner as it is Peter’s favourite but not Claires! 

The trusses and pergola’s designed by Claire and built by Peter, the lawn which celebrated a marriage and solemnly honoured a loved one. Kind and generous of heart, Claire impressed as a seasoned professional with a desire to see young gardeners be inspired and enjoy the journey of building and caring for a garden.  If ever there was a garden to be inspired by this is it, afterall Claire will tell you, you don’t need to buy 5 of this and 7 of that, by using cuttings and dividing plants, you can create a garden that is truly a pleasure to behold. 

The nitty gritty…… Claire spends a couple of days in the garden 6-9 months of the year, her philosophy is simple rather straightforward if it’s not growing cut it out!  A decision oriented gardener Claire doesn’t worry about taking tree’s out or moving plants about and as for ‘space’ she is definitely a fan.  Space can be great she says, and it doesn’t grow as fast! As for weeds her approach is again straightforward, if you don’t have them you don’t get them. So this sensible Gardener has relentlessly pulled and picked weeds whenever she has seen them and now by and large does not get many at all.  When it comes to cuttings, there is no great need for growth hormones, Claire simply dip’s her cuttings in honey or Willow tea and watches them flourish. For the novice gardener, Claire brings a refreshing and enjoyable approach to establishing and moulding a garden for everyone. Inspired? Absolutely!

Becks






Then of course there was the traditional coffee and debrief, which we had at Coffee at Villaridge www.villaridge.co.nz. Thanks Megan for organizing this G3 outing.

Daltons Plantation

29 March 2012


280 Hinuera Road West
Matamata
07 888 8999


www.daltonplantation.co.nz

Looking good in our 'Hi Vis'!

Making garden products is a dusty, dusty business. We piled into some big wagons and toured the Daltons site in Matamata, learning about the difference between a growing mix and compost. Our executive tour guide, Jeff Fairweather, said the site covered 150 acres – enlarging every time the operation purchased a neighbouring farm. Because the company uses chicken manure for some of its products, the large site offers an environmental buffer.
The placement of the business in Matamata may seem incidental but 400,000 years ago, the Waikato River ran through the Hinuera Valley. Today sand is 10 per cent of the Daltons business. The company mines the valley’s tract of sand to supply brown sand for civil construction, white sand for concrete companies and specialist sands for the golf and turf industries.

Bark products are collected by a team scavenging among the logs at the Port Of Tauranga and Carter Holt Harvey sites. The bark is munched and crunched into various sizes – from “bark” to “mulch”.
Daltons is the largest manufacturer or growing media in New Zealand. Jeff said it exported to the islands and the orchid industries in Japan, Taiwan and California.

During windy weather, a water truck works its way through the moonscape of mounds, wetting the various products to keep them from flying away. There was beige chicken manure, bark fines, sawdust, and waste gib-board. Minerals, such as calcium, ammonium and nitrate, were added to different blends, which were then laid in mounds for 12-14 weeks and turned regularly until they were ready to form the base of potting mixes.

Bark grading

Jeff said all of Daltons’ products were bark-based, rather than soil. One of the advantages of manufactured growing media was that it was not riddled with teeny weed seeds, he said. Fifteen per cent of its bark goes offshore.
Daltons also imported coconut husk blocks from Sri Lanka. It swelled when applied to the garden and exposed to rain. And it had some fairly exotic products, such as Lithuanian peat (rotted foliage). There was pumice and riverstones and a variety of fertilisers and organic products.

Specific fertilizer mixes

Jeff said that all the products in Matamata were available at Daltons’ depot in Hull Rd (Mt). It was a really fascinating insight for those of us who buy “soil” and have wondered what’s in it!
(PS: Jeff’s advice - don’t breathe in the first “puff” of air that comes out of a bag of compost)

And then… 

we went for a wander around the plantation garden, designed by Xanthe White. I was particularly taken with the ballarat apple (strong fruiting, needs sun) and I loved the garden of pinks and purples stretching out from the plantation verandah.

The award-winning water feature garden wasn’t such a thrill for me – it seemed too austere – but I fell in love with her use of ground covers.

The impressive vege garden

The edibles section was a dream. The circular gardens of fruits were joined by a vege patch to envy. The plantation kitchen uses only fruits and veg and herbs found in its own gardens so there is the full range of products and they are used to dramatic effect in the menu.
We had an absolutely exquisite meal. And, at $25 incl a coffee and the Daltons tour, it was very reasonable too.
Always good when you leave with a full puku and a massive plastic bag of fat feijoas!










Most striking: the leptinella rotunda inside the curls in the concrete courtyard, the lonicera ruby honey hedge, the rambling cottage garden, the very impressive leptinella walkways down to the water feature garden and the circular edibles garden.

Tepuke Garden Visit

23 Feburary 2012


On a very wet gloomy day we visited a garden in the hills behind Tepuke. The drive up to the property took you through lovely large established trees, the garden had a large lawn area, with great views (not that we could see it) and a beautiful large formal area, it was just a pitty we had to rush around as the weather was not on our side. But we managed to have a catch up over a drink and tasty treats, discussing up coming garden visits and gardening ideas.

G3 Members Garden Visit

26 January 2012


Donna's and Megan's Places
Tauranga


The first visit was at my place, my garden has been created from what was on the property when we purchased the place. Reusing white stone from a garden bed to make a pathway and straight concrete 1970's pathways broken up and made into crazy paving surrounded by stones. Its still a work in progress but from all the gardens we have visited so far, I can see that I dont ever think you are 'finished' in the garden!
I like recycling in the garden, dividing up plants, composting our house hold paper and green waste and I have just started a worm farm, so fingers crossed my wee worms will supply me with lots of good juice for my veges.  My main focus and time is spent in the vege patch, which manages to feed our house hold all year round.
We then headed of to Megs lovely garden. They havnt been in there property for long so it was nice to wonder around and listen to Meg talk about some of there ideas for the place. Looking forward to revisiting to see the progress. Megan has a lovely big sunny backyard which has lots of potential, large deck areas with areas made into outdoor rooms. Off course we had coffee and tasty treats (wouldnt be G3 without coffee and cake) see our recipe blog for my yummy brownie recipe.
Donna