Gorgeous in Greytown
A pocket of lawn has been transformed into a unique plant-filled garden.
“Greytown had an instant appeal with the historic buildings and established trees in the town’s main street. It just felt right.”
One of the first things Craig Thorburn did to create more space was to push the gates closer to the street – to gain 21 square metres of valuable gardening real estate.
Stepping into Craig Thorburn’s garden is a Tardislike experience. Measuring a little more than 700 square metres on the ground, the compact space is anything but small on the inside. Lush green “living” rooms create a sense of space and grandeur while large, leafy exotic subtropical plantings provide a sense of luxuriance and expansiveness that doesn’t seem possible from the outside. The experience is epitomised in the name of Craig’s garden and homewares shop, Grand Illusions, right next door.
Working his magic, Craig has woven clever design, attention to detail and an eclectic mix of colour and form to transform what was seven years ago, an ordinary pocket of lawn and asphalt driveway on Main St, Greytown, Wairarapa.
Back in 2014, Craig – an event planner and stylist – was living in Auckland when a visit to the Wairarapa changed his course. Dining with friends in Greytown one summer evening, he found himself picturing his life here. “It had an instant appeal with the historic buildings and established trees in the town’s main street. It just felt right.”
As luck would have it, at that time a historic cottage on Main St was for sale. Located in the heart of Greytown’s boutique shopping area, the property was able to accommodate a home and a business. An adjoining wing had previously been a bed-and-breakfast.
Built in the 1880s for Greytown’s twice-mayor and local preacher Hart Udy, the cottage was small but full of character. Craig was attracted to its nooks and crannies. “It had a church-like feel,” he explains.
He could see how, with a few tweaks, it could fit his vision and be opened out to connect better with its surrounds. The borrowed landscape of nearby established trees was another bonus – providing shade, shelter and privacy, the neighbouring olives, elms and pin oaks helped set the scene of tranquillity for the garden yet to unfold.
Craig drew out his design on paper “to get the scale and access lines right, and test the outside spaces in relation to the house.” One of the first things he did to create more space was to push the gates closer to the street – to gain 21 square metres of valuable gardening real estate.