PRIVATE OASIS

A floating deck connects the living areas with raised gardens and screening to create a secluded outdoor living environment in this idyllic retreat by Design + Garden Landscapes of Dunedin. Natural river stone in the gabion wall contrasts nicely with the block planter and lush green foliage. The sculptural water feature adds a focal point to the space, tying the different elements together to create an attractive aspect and ideal sun trap for outdoor living.

BAY BEAUTY

William Murphy of Pollen Workshop Landscape Architecture designed the garden for this Hawke’s Bay home, which was completed at the end of 2015. Rustic limestone walls are used to retain the long open lawns which stretch out towards the Te Awanga vineyards. Permeable paved areas link the main spaces and plantings are predominantly New Zealand natives found in the Hawke’s Bay, including formal instant hedges of ‘Matapouri Blue’ totara and Olearia traversii.

A CENTURY OF STYLE

The garden of this large rural property was redesigned and extended by Simonetta Ferrari Landscapes so that its proportions were better suited to the house. Avenues of white flowering cherries (Prunus shirotae) follow classical lines to visually connect the house and garden. The designer selected the smaller prunus variety to ensure it wouldn’t conflict with the well-established 100-year-old trees. The red-roof Edwardian-style gazebo provides a focal point.

1. Quartz Paper Bag, $36, from Crave Home.
2. Hanging planter, $25, from Flux Boutique.

3. This & That Fruity Salad plant, $100,  from Sill Life.
4. Antique Redstone herb-pot set, $72, from Father Rabbit.

WATER WORLD

Wendy Twine Landscape Design created this elegant outdoor room (above and below) on Lake Karapiro to ensure the home owners can enjoy their fabulous vistas all-year round. A louvred pergola roof and an exterior fireplace extend the use of the space into the cooler months. Materials include locally sourced Hinuera stone for pillars and pavers, along with the natural tones of cedar and copper, all of which pick up tones of the lake and surrounds.

IN THE FRAME

This contemporary garden near the Waimea Estuary balances structured spaces with relaxed mass coastal planting. Designed by Nelson landscape architects Canopy, it features grids of flowering cherries, which define the entrance, and clipped hedges. The pared-back material palette includes concrete, timber and steel. Interior designer Emma Morris of Eternodesign styled the outdoor room with furniture, lighting and accessories with touches of yellow.

GREAT SOUTHERN LAND

This beautiful South Island garden by Design + Garden Landscapes of Dunedin complements a contemporary house by using native plants and local materials. It has won several awards, including Landscaping New Zealand Best Residential Garden. The judges described it as a “stunning example of the importance of landscape design in placemaking”, praising the way the garden seamlessly connects to the wider surrounding landscape.

5. Zakkia Watercolour pot, $49, from Flux Boutique.
6. Stone Buddha, $1950, from Indie Home Collective.

7. Brass Mist Sprayer, $69, from Father Rabbit
8. ZZ Top plant & pot, $55, from Sill Life

 

 

FABULOUS FOLIAGE

“Adding foliage and layers of texture, pattern and colours brought this garden to life,” says Rachael Matthews of Wellington’s Hedge Garden Design and Nursery. Rachael worked with TSE: Wallace Architects on the landscaping of this renovated house in Thorndon, Wellington. Plants include boxwood balls and dark red Cercis ‘Forest Pansy’ in the foreground, with its burgundy foliage repeated in potted copper beech, which provides height and privacy.

FORM AND FUNCTION

Plantation Design House created this pared-back contemporary garden in Taranaki to complement the home’s strong lines. Mass planted yellow gazania (G. arizonica) provides a vivid splash of colour, drawing the eye to the bush and views beyond the hilltop site. Groves of ornamental pear (Pyrus calleryana) and native titoki provide vertical structure while palms, cycads, bromeliads and other subtropical plants add bold sculptural form to the garden.

SHEAR GENIUS

Shearer Design turned the space between a traditional Auckland villa and a modern extension into a green outdoor room/lounging space. To create a private outdoor dining area, a vertical cedar screen was constructed, which adds warmth to the area and conceals the mix of retaining styles at the boundary. Plumbed into the cantilevered leathered-granite benchtop is an Electrolux gas barbecue. LED lighting is concealed in black steel above.

SUN LOVER

Toni McErlane of Favourite Gardens in Gate Pa designed this low-maintenance, drought-tolerant garden on a west-facing clay hillside. Rather than digging into the clay, she planted into 150mm of compost with a mix of Mediterranean and drought-tolerant plants, including native gossamer grass (Anemanthele lessoniana), Phormium ‘Jester’ and salvias. This clever garden includes mounds and swales for filtration and walls constructed from stones found on the site.

GO WITH THE FLOW

Thoughtfully chosen planting frames a series of garden rooms (below). Small trees add vertical interest and provide shade in this garden in Hokowhitu, Palmerston North. Oversized squares of exposed aggregate surrounded by Manawatu river stones create a pathway on two sides of the deck, linking the outdoor areas. Created by Kathy Bills Landscape Design, this welcoming space forms a hub for outdoor living.

WATER WORLD

Wendy Twine Landscape Design created this elegant outdoor room (above and below) on Lake Karapiro to ensure the home owners can enjoy their fabulous vistas all-year round. A louvred pergola roof and an exterior fireplace extend the use of the space into the cooler months. Materials include locally sourced Hinuera stone for pillars and pavers, along with the natural tones of cedar and copper, all of which pick up tones of the lake and surrounds.

PERFECT MATCH

This garden in Scarborough Hill won gold in the Landscaping New Zealand awards for Canterbury firm Erik Ellis Landscapes. For the luxuriant subtropical garden, the designers chose scented plants, palms and natives. Box hedging and topiary cones add structured elements. Retaining walls were needed on the steep, windswept coastal site to create flat areas for planting and provide tranquil spaces to contemplate the view.

CROWNING GLORY

A touch of art adds character to your garden. “Sculpture needs to be in a main sight line viewed from the garden or from inside the house,” says Rachael Matthews of Hedge Garden Design and Nursery. The garden below features a quirky artwork topped with succulent ‘hair’ (Sedum mexicana ‘Acapulco Gold’) that’s planted among pale pink carpet roses. The solidity of the statue surrounded by blowsy flowers enhances its femininity, says Rachael.