A fund-raising event for a decade, the Milton Primary School's garden tour gives people the opportunity to see some of the best gardens in the area.
Rachel Fegan describes her garden as "quite new", being a mere 14 years old, but it has the appearance of a long-established garden.
There was, she says, a garden here on their farm near Milton but - apart from a few old apple trees some distance from the house - nothing has survived from the days when the district's first Anglican vicarage was on the site.
After Rachel and her husband Ross ("Sam") built their farmhouse 15 years ago, they had a garden plan drawn up.
"They gave us a kick-start. We took out what we didn't like, kept what we did, and carried on," Rachel says.
Sam built all the garden structures, including a quirky windmill, to remind his wife of her Dutch heritage.
A former Clutha District Council gardener, she was keen to have a succession of flowers through the yearHellebores start the cycle, flowering in winter and spring, with the well-named Earlicheer narcissus, first camellias and flowering cherries hard on their heels.
Daffodils are a feature, too, in spring, as Rachel bought 1000 mixed bulbs and was thrilled at the variety as well as the ease with which they multiplied.
Her favourite spring bloom is probably the lemon-yellow Magnolia, Yellow Fever, which she describes as "absolutely stunning, absolutely fabulous", although a free-flowering pink Magnolia also gets the thumbs up.
"Then the rhodies kick in and the paeonies overlapping with roses, and we've [Dutch] irises, as well as bearded irises, everywhere," Rachel says.
Among the numerous perennials are strong-growing delphiniums.
"I bought 12 for $1 at The Warehouse and someone asked, 'Why are you buying dead plants?' and I said, 'Don't you know delphiniums come up again?'," she says.
Knowledge like that and enthusiasm for planting what suits the area, ensures Rachel has achieved her aim of having "something flowering in this garden all year round".
Rachel and Sam Fegan's garden is open from 1pm on November 8 as part of the Milton Primary School's garden and kitchen tour.
Tickets cost $15, which includes afternoon tea, and are available from the Milton Primary School office, Milton Hammer Hardware, Tokomairiro 4 Square and, on the day, at the Coronation Hall, Union St.
