Two Private Gardens of New Zealand’s South Island: Broadfields and Maple Glen

New Zealand’s South Island boasts an extraordinary variety of public and private gardens, as well as spectacular natural landscapes including Milford Sound, The Catlins & the spectacular Mackenzie Region. By special appointment, visit Broadfields NZ Landscape Garden designed by Robert Watson in Christchurch and Maple Glen Gardens in Eastern Southland with horticulturalist Professor Tim Entwisle on our tour Natural Landscapes and Gardens of New Zealand’s South Island.

Broadfields NZ Landscape Garden, Rolleston

Broadfields Garden is a NZ Garden of International Significance, designed by Landscape Architect Robert Watson for owner David Hobbs. The ‘pancake flat’ site for this garden in the middle of the Canterbury plains posed special problems for Robert. His highly original solution incorporates a cricket field leading to a long avenue at the centre of which is a watercourse leading to a round pond. It has allowed the owners to implement a planting scheme featuring an extremely important collection of New Zealand native flora in stages.

Of the plantings, Robert has stated, ‘I wanted it to be a garden that reflects the character of Canterbury – it’s not trying to be an English garden or an Italian garden or something from anywhere else…’ The framework of the garden is created by hedges, allowing for twenty-one discrete garden areas using cross axes from the main lines ‘to create a journey through various formal and informal spaces. Although each garden has its own visual focus, the design also takes into account the vastness of the sky in this region.’

Maple Glen Gardens, Wyndham

Maple Glen is a private garden, nursery, aviary, woodland and wetland set in the rolling green countryside of Southland. The garden is home to a large population of native and exotic birds, including hand-reared parrots and waterfowl. Established in the early 1970s by Bob and Muriel Davison, this 25-acre garden, which developed in a curving glen, includes massive collections of spring bulbs, perennials, magnolias, dogwoods, rhododendrons and azaleas, exotic trees, maple trees and several lakes.

The annual rainfall here is 1,100 mm allowing the European and cool-loving plants to thrive. Conifers and other trees were planted for winter interest, with an excellent range of spring-flowering trees and autumn-leaf-colouring trees planted for year-round colour. Around the ponds and lakes they have planted masses of astilbes, bog primulas, daffodils and bluebells.

Images

Broadfields Garden photos, courtesy of David Hobbs and Craig Lidgerwood
Maple Glen phots, courtesy of Maple Glen and Craig Lidgerwood