Botanical Overload
Key features: Full-day tour of five gardens - four country and one urban - two of which are new; fabulous rural views; clever, botanically diverse gardens unique to Marlborough, with imposing established trees and bold and amazing plant varieties. Lunch is included.
Talamhmaith, Gaelic for ‘Good Earth’, is a peaceful garden with meandering walkways along a gentle stream. NZ natives form the bones of the garden, with a wonderful diversity of special areas creating surprise at every turn. Enjoy the citrus garden, olive grove, fernery and hedged vegetable garden, all surrounded by a boutique vineyard.
An arched entranceway frames a pathway lined with blue pots and agapanthus, leading to the ‘Wedding Area’, bordered with liquidambar, camellia, buxus and red roses. Spring sees wisteria, flowering cherries and bulbs, then irises, azaleas, rhododendrons and clematis, followed by summer blooms of roses, hydrangeas and dahlias.
Burnlea features a pristine aquifer-fed creek framed by impressive, large trees above a variety of interesting plantings. With its inspiring avenue of Himalayan cedars, an ancient peppertree, kauri, exotic flowers and shrubs and the intrigue of an old sunken garden, this is a property full of surprises.
Purchased in 2003, this land was full of thriving weeds but still retained the structure of beautiful old trees, and a wide terrace looking out to a stunning mountain vista. The open and expansive garden that was then developed celebrates the broad views and compliments the owners' home and vineyard.
When this century-old house was purchased over twenty years ago, its owners were lucky enough to inherit a property of beautiful trees. These now frame the well-established garden of gorgeous hydrangeas, azaleas, camellias, roses and other varieties, bringing changing colours, shapes and fragrances with each season.
