Christchurch Botanic Garden, NZS

We arrived in Christchurch and within 20 minutes of our arrival, I felt the earth move. Sitting in a desk chair, the ground moved me up and down, back and forth and up and down.  Then it stopped. We haven’t felt anything since. So, with a heightened sense of awareness, we arrived at the Botanic Gardens near the CBD (central business district) of Christchurch. This awareness increased as we noted the extensive construction scaffolding around the building’s of Christ College that joins the garden. This is a city still rebuilding and repairing....   Continue Reading

Chantecler, A private garden near Queenstown, NZS

What was originally a small holiday house on 40 acres in the Wakitipu Basin overlooking The Remarkables mountain range is now a grand home surrounded by a glorious garden. While many who travel to New Zealand do so intent on tramping through some of the great walks in this country, I did a different walk beginning near the barn and the lavender field and walked my way up to the Asian Garden at the top and looked out toward The Remarkables mountain range in the distance....   Continue Reading

Coastal View

Driving down a coast road I wondered, “What will grow along the sea, with salt air, wind and waves?”  Turns out really quite a lot of wonderful things. I knew immediately a grand gardener lived here as we arrived at a coastal side patch of grass and waves of orange gazanias (daisy style) blooms accented by a rustic bench set to enjoy the views of the rocky beach. Coast Haven garden on the Taranaki Garden Festival tour has been under the care of one gardener for the past 30 years....   Continue Reading

Taranaki Garden Festival, New Zealand

Mount Taranaki peeks through the clouds above New Plymouth, New Zealand. As I begin to explore the gardens ringing this mountain I realize the pitch of the peak is the landscape gardeners would transform into magical gardens in their own backyard.  The houses may sit on a bit of flat ground but then as you go round back and the gardens descend into terraces and zig zag pathways leading you to a seat with a view of a river or the mountain itself....   Continue Reading