Kate’s Garden
Tiny but mighty! This garden takes a unique view to using a small space that is easy to maintain.
The focus is art – music, movement and light. The plants have been chosen to maximise birdsong, create their own subtle sounds in the wind, and for the way they cast shadows on the paths and house. Rachel Callaghan has done a brilliant job capturing Kate’s thoughts in the design of this garden.
3 Coralie Place
Cashmere Oaks, Masterton
The brief was simple: easy maintenance, minimal lawn, plenty of off-street parking that integrated with the garden design, and privacy. We think all boxes are ticked here!
Inspired by Dutch designer Piet Oudolf after visiting the High Line in New York, Kate is working on incorporating Oudolf’s designs into her own small space.
Liquid Amber (Gumball) edge the carpark. Five Dogwoods (Eddies White Wonder) will eventually form a canopy over the clipped Muehlenbeckia, which are being trained into waves. You will already be getting a sense of the earthy colour palette of this garden. The Lomandra Tanika gives a great colour contrast and has lovely movement in the breeze. The mass planting of star jasmine produces a heavenly scent in the warm evenings when sitting outside in summer.
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Pseudopanax crassifolius (which start as a lancewood and mature to a Horoeka) look like statues and provide an architectural element to the garden casting shadows across the solid cedar-clad wall.
Olives provide the perfect thick hedging along the back boundary without taking away from the garden’s colour palette. These have been underplanted with Miscanthus Morning Light and Calamgrotis Aaetytlova. Karl Foerster (also known as Feather Reed Grass) throw different shades in the morning and evening and the Gaura Lindheimeri (whirling butterflies) are an excellent mass-contrasting pairing.
The orangery struggles with the clay at the eastern end of the garden, but the Viburnum and Pliccliem provide structure.
Kate’s High Line garden can be found on the South side of the house. It’s a naturalistic planting using perennials that are grown through their harvesting stage and to their seed heads. The Jack Humm Malus crab tree will create shade here.
This tiny but delightful garden changes season to season using trees, grasses and perennials but stays true to the original design – to create music, movement and light. We hope you can see and appreciate this as you stroll through.
We’ve only provided one teaser photo of this small garden – you’ll have to come and see the rest for yourself!
GALLERY
