Gillian Vine previews a Waikouaiti garden that will be open this weekend.
Waikouaiti has an enviable number of excellent gardens, five of which will be open on Sunday.
"Beyond the Garden Gate" is an added attraction for people visiting the South Island National Dahlia Show, being held this weekend in the East Otago Events centre, Waikouaiti.
Among gardeners opening their gates on Sunday is Gill Shelah, whose property overlooks Hawksbury Lagoon.
"It is the setting that is so special," Ms Shelah says.
Although a young garden, just four years old, it looks more mature, thanks to the retention of some existing trees.
When Ms Shelah moved from Auckland, she was so captivated by the views she bought an old house, "really a crib", next door to her daughter.
For a year, she lived in that house, then had it demolished and built a new home "designed around the view".
Lockdown in 2020 gave an opportunity to begin clearing the overgrown garden, with help from her daughter and son-in-law.
"We chopped and chopped and chopped."
Ashford Landscaping was responsible for the hard landscaping — rocks, paths and steps — and Ms Shelah opted for sturdy concrete sleepers rather than wooden ones.
"I’ve had a lot of help [as] it was a bit overwhelming."
From the house, the lawn sweeps down towards the twin borders that edge the pathway, planted mainly with natives on the lagoon side and exotic plants on the house side. The combination of lawn and smaller plants in the borders ensures an uninterrupted outlook to the lagoon. Near the water, framing the view, are two cabbage trees and a pair of silver birches, remnants of the original garden.
Other survivors of the original garden can be seen in the woodland area. Here, where fantails (piwakawaka) often flit at head-height, Ms Shelah has underplanted a fir, tall camellias, rata and akeake with some of her favourite shade-lovers — hydrangeas, hostas, maidenhair fern ("It’s so pretty") and fuchsias.
"I love fuchsias for their colour and form," she says.
She admits her favourite flower is the dahlia.
That attraction goes back to her days as a nurse in England where she bought dahlias when in season from a local market.
"I think, of all flowers, dahlias have the biggest variation of colours and forms," Ms Shelah says.
"I consider the garden my art form. I paint with plants."
As well as the plants she has added, there have been some surprises.
"I’ve never planted a lupin, lily or poppy, but now they’re here in abundance."
One of the lilies is a flamboyant orange/red beauty, possibly Royal Sunset, an older longiflorum-Asiatic (LA) hybrid once popular with florists.
"The other thing I’m amazed at is the hydrangea colours that grow together," she says, pointing to a strong blue beside a deep pink. Usually, minerals in the soil determine pink or blue flowers and the two contrasting colours are a source of delight.
Until she moved to Waikouaiti, Ms Shelah had not grown vegetables, but now has raised beds with lush vegetables, herbs and strawberries, plus a worm farm.
In a truly Otago touch, she bought four Carisbrook seats and the Waikouaiti Men’s Shed made frames with side trays for drinks. They’re perfect for a summer sundowner, whether sitting above the woodland or facing the lagoon.
As Ms Shelah says: "I’m so, so blessed."
