Feature garden

Poor soil conditions don’t necessarily mean a poor garden. Turn your wasteland of rubble into a pretty paradise Photo via Getty Images Gardeners are constantly exhorted to improve their soil conditions, to add lime, well-rotted compost and manure, to water in the evening, to do this, do that… all to give their plants their best […]

Once lacking life and vibrancy, this inner-city Auckland garden has been turned into a subtropical sanctuary with a subtle Asian sensibility Among the many beautiful architecturally designed homes and gardens that line the streets around Auckland’s inner-city, there’s a special set of trees that grab the attention of passers-by. The graceful trunks and cloud-pruned foliage […]

No more mud, no more mowing. A total backyard redesign has given this family exactly what they wanted – a garden that almost takes care of itself.

This nurse-turned-designer wanted a garden that offered privacy and poolside fun for her family as well as biodiversity for birds and bees Meet + greet Louise Hanlon, (landscape designer), her husband Nick, Maxim, 18, Scarlett, 14, plus Monty the dog. Nursing and landscape design may seem like two very different professions but for Auckland-based designer […]

Ten years of hard work by this green-fingered gardener and her handy husband have transformed an empty Marlborough paddock into an abundant and blooming garden fit for a king – and hordes of garden-loving visitors It’s considered a great honour to have your garden selected for Garden Marlborough, a renowned garden tour that has taken […]

This mid-century home’s garden was overdue for a modern update. Landscape designer Ben Shearer found inspiration in the geometric shapes and concrete elements of the original house – as well as the needs of two adventurous kids How to create a garden that would meet the needs of a young family without compromising the elegant, clean […]

Longing for an outdoor space that reminded him of Mauritius, this Auckland man found the perfect collaborator in fellow Mauritian Arnaud Daurat, who designed a garden with its heart in the Indian Ocean and its roots in the Pacific When Michel Adolphe wanted to revamp the outdoor living areas of his Castor Bay home on […]

For this seasoned Blenheim gardener, a brand-new patch was an opportunity to create a potager garden that nourishes the body and delights the eye.

By using plants instead of fences to define their property, this couple ended up with lush green spaces and a sense of privacy – all on a small section in urban Auckland Borrowing views of the surrounding landscape is an age-old design trick traditionally used in Japanese gardens that is now a feature of many […]

Carved out of a blustery, salt-licked site by a couple and their obliging teenagers, this lush garden is still drawing the clan together years later – along with hordes of admirers They say gardening is a great way to connect with family. This is certainly true in the case of Jenny and Guy Oakley whose […]

A post-earthquake rebuild was extended to incorporate a garden makeover for this Christchurch section, which includes mature native trees and a private lake A post-earthquake rebuild incorporated a Swan Lake garden makeover Facing a complete rebuild of their house after the Christchurch earthquakes, Marisa Bryan and Mike Payne decided to take the opportunity to reshape […]

This remarkable couple have turned a corner of Taranaki wilderness into a lush idyll with a uniquely Pacific flavour  See how this Taranaki garden was transformed into a lush idyll It’s been nearly 40 years since Ian and Elsie Lind first moved to their bush-covered section in the heart of New Plymouth. During that period […]

A bare slope in Auckland was transformed into a calming Zen oasis with the clever use of rocks, boardwalks and Japanese planting This Auckland garden was transformed from a bare slope into a Zen oasis In 2004 when Siew Ng left Malaysia for New Zealand, her fondest hope was for a house with a garden. […]

The landscaping plan for this new site in Christchurch took advantage of established neighbouring gardens to create leafy sight lines and a sense of privacy How the landscaping of this Christchurch new-build helps it feel established When Craig Wilson of Form Garden Architecture admired some mature trees next to a bare section in the Christchurch […]

Take a tour of landscape designer Debbie Hardy‘s stunning palm-filled garden, complete with pool, 90-year-old oak tree, flowering citrus and fragrant gardenia Words by: Karlya Smith. Photography by: Jon Day.

This family chose a series of decks and platforms in lieu of a lawn When you have a beautiful park right next door, why bother with a lawn? Jacqui Vaughan and Craig Kells came to this conclusion when planning a redesign of their inner-city Auckland garden bordering Grey Lynn Park. “The kids play in the […]

This exotic Auckland garden is designed as a series of circles, with colour, artistry and excitement at every turn The farmhouse and exotic garden hidden in New Lynn The best gardens are created by passionate gardeners; people with vision and determination who want to make something extraordinary. In the west Auckland suburb of New Lynn […]

This Italian-inspired Tauranga garden has turned its interior-loving owners into green-fingered fanatics. It has taken almost two decades of successive, comprehensive home improvement projects to propel Donna Edge outdoors. The serial renovator has long favoured interior design over landscaping. Gardening has been an annoyance to her; a distraction from the work of transforming a humble […]

Behind this former bank in Eltham, Taranaki is a “secret garden” filled with cottage flowers, roses and much more A rose-filled garden in an old bank in Eltham, Taranaki Barbara Valintine calls the space behind her home in a former bank building in Eltham, her secret garden. The building’s high walls are softened by black fig […]

A plain little garden on Waiheke has been transformed into a place of enchantment with a range of subtropical plants THE SITE Stuart Jobling and his partner Barry Danby have created a delightful, densely planted subtropical garden on Waiheke Island. With its canopy of palms, flowering trees and lush-leaved subtropicals below, the exotic garden is a far […]

This garden is so abundant and established it looks as though it’s been the life-long companion to the Victorian-era weatherboard home it surrounds Despite looking like it’s always been there, this garden is a recent development, installed in tandem with the home’s renovation two years ago. The Cheongs retained the Victorian facade and added a contemporary extension at the […]

Strategic use of screening plants and clever design create a private oasis in the midst of a subdivision After living north of Auckland for about 10 years, Henry Lin and his wife, Coco Liang, decided to move to Millwater, a new housing development a little further north, near Orewa. As well as the glorious beaches […]

Award-winning designer Kirsten Sach transforms a completely bare garden at housing development Millwater in Orewa In a nutshell Who lives here? Henry Lin (director/head of consulting services for a dairy commodity consulting company), Coco Liang (retail banker), Chelsea, 5, and Bush, the Japanese Spitz. Henry, what attracted you to the Millwater area? Good local communities, […]

More than two decades have gone into creating this lush garden which unfolds over three tiers It’s no secret that artists will often extend their creativity into their domestic surroundings. Step into the beautifully designed garden of glass artists Ben and Suzanne Hanly and you’ll see what I mean. The couple have spent the last […]

This Italian-inspired Tauranga garden has turned a serial renovator into a keen gardener! The story It may have taken almost two decades of successive, comprehensive home improvement projects to propel Donna Edge outdoors. But this serial renovator has now has turned her talents to outside areas. What’s more, the Tauranga retailer is surprised to find she likes […]

This serene, green sanctuary was cleverly created to combat a common complaint – loss of privacy When a two-storey rest home was built on the back boundary of her Blenheim home, Anne Bassett turned the situation into an opportunity. Instead of staring at a tall building from her kitchen and living room, Anne now looks […]

Planting in this Mission Bay, Auckland, garden has been slow and steady but it’s now in full bloom Who lives here? Robin Houlker (educational consultant) and Peter Houlker (accountant). Robin, what would you advise people to do when planning a garden? Try things out before buying in bulk. I have things in pots for a […]

Planting in this Mission Bay garden has been slow and steady but now it’s in full bloom and a far cry from it’s former bare, muddy-self An enviable courtyard garden in Auckland’s Mission Bay Moving from a large section to one less than a third of the size has got to be hard when you’re […]

On any sunny weekend you can bet Debbie Hardy will be working in her garden The landscape designer has created a subtropical oasis around her four-bedroom double-bay villa in Western Springs, Auckland. The house sits on almost a third of an acre (1,225 square metres) and is wrapped around a majestic oak tree – just one […]

A magnificent New Plymouth cottage garden is filled with pastel pink and creamy roses Twelve years ago when Coleen Peri first saw the quarter-hectare New Plymouth site that was to become her garden, thoughts of romance filled her head. Not the Mills and Boon variety, though. Coleen’s vision was more botanical in nature, with the […]

Garden photographer Jane Dove Juneau is ready to share her own oasis Who lives here? Jane Dove Juneau (photographer), Rick Riccitelli (mathematics and music tutor/mentor). Jane, what other things do you do in your spare time besides gardening? We go away for trips in summer so it is hard to keep up with the garden […]

Although small in size this courtyard garden in St Heliers is beautifully designed and a constant source of joy for owners Robin and Jack This picture-perfect courtyard garden is small in size but perfectly formed Who lives here? Robin and Jack Dawson (both retired) and Mabel the black schnauzer. Robin, what was top of your […]