FEATURED GARDENS

With only 400 square metres to play with, passionate and innovative gardener Helen Dew designed “Garden for Life” for maximum and sustainable food production.

Gardener Graeme Wilson and his wife Kate have been developing their two-hectare property on Kokotau Road on the outskirts of Carterton for the past 14 years. It has evolved from an almost tree-less property to a wonderful oasis of twists and turns and surprises hidden away in private pockets.

This rare historic beauty is a chance to see a little slice of Europe tucked away near the town centre of Carterton. Carterton’s first town clerk, Henry Wolters of Brunswick Germany built the villa in 1887 and named it after Richmond Palace in Brunswick near where he was born.

This rural Carterton garden beneath the Tararuas benefits from a high annual rainfall and has to stand up to strong winds. Over 13 years, Anna and Malcolm have transformed a bare paddock into a lush oasis of native bush.

Nestled beneath the Remutaka ranges is the enchanting and historic 1868 homestead of Mary and Peter Biggs, Te Puhi.

Kotare (kingfisher) have flitted about the gardens of Amanda and John Perham wherever they have lived, and the couple have become very attached to this sweet little blue and green bird.

Twenty years ago Liz Stringer and Rob Morrison purchased the property and began an ambitious project to establish a series of formal and informal gardens, with a sweeping cherry tree-lined lawn, croquet lawn with herbaceous borders, a sunken garden, orchard, and picking garden.

Perched on the Eastern hills behind Carterton with panoramic views is Tikara Country Gardens. Converting two hectares of farmland over the last nine years has been a labour of love for owners Mary and Bruce McCallum.