The Mill Grove Collective
14,18 and 32 Mill Grove, Carterton
Mary McCallum is no stranger to the garden tour, however, this time round she has traded two hectares, 300 Japanese maples and 250 roses of immaculate Tikara Country Gardens (on tour in 2018 and 2020) for a downsized manageable 1500m2 section in Mill Grove. You’ll be impressed at the layers and maturity of the garden which is only 3 years old. Formal repeatable borders and full country gardens and you’ll also get to meet Fred and Frieda the automatic lawn mowers!
On arrival there were “some shrubs, flaxes and grasses” Mary promptly removed what didn’t fit with her dream of a cottage garden with lots of roses, irises, bulbs and flowers for colour. The result is stunning.
Mary recognised a fellow immaculate gardener in Sharon’s Garden. The self-designed 1500m2 garden began 6 years ago with helpful advice from her Mother who has landscaped 6 sections! Sharon’s vision was to make the most of the space by creating garden rooms that flow and connect to give a feeling of walking through different areas. Sharon loves to pick and arrange flowers so unsurprising is the variety of year round flowers. Scent is a must, you’ll be gently nudged by Jasmine, Philadelphus, Michaella Fairy Cream and Daphne.
Jenny’s garden is the most mature of all three – in its 7th year starting from scratch. Jenny engaged a local landscape designer to help segment the large areas, determine what she wanted to achieve and break up the daunting task ahead. Creating a haven for birds and insects, a sustainable edible garden and space to unwind and enjoy throughout the day were key priorities. With just over 2500m2 this is the largest section with the most mature trees on the boundaries. The mature trees was one of the drawcards for Jenny to choose this section as it had a ready made insect, bird, bee and duck and frog habitat…
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Mary’s garden offers the formality and structure of a seasoned gardener, Sharon’s garden offers immaculate group plantings in rooms that flow together and Jenny’s garden has a relaxed rustic feel that capitalises on nature and the existing plantings.
The big projects are done on all three gardens, it’s now time to watch the gardens grow and mature.
There will be Devonshire teas and propagated plants available to buy in Mary’s garden – cash only please!
These gardens have been generously sponsored by WBS – helping our community prosper through lending and investments, and supporting Pūkaha and the Pūkaha Garden Tour.