A romantic garden in Taranaki with plenty of history to share.

A couple’s love affair with flowers and colour has seen this old garden thrive once more

The woman who created this romantic Taranaki garden had the right name for the job. Edna Pretty and her husband David rescued the rundown property many years ago, and have left a pretty flower-filled legacy for current owners Judith and Wayne Gilmer.

Regan House, as it’s known, captivated Judith with its wisteria-covered verandah and cottage charm when she first saw the house, while Wayne was taken by the size of the 1.21ha property and the large sheds. Although both were smitten, they could see the work involved.

Many families have called the 1910 house home during the years and according to local stories, it has been used as accommodation for teachers and students at nearby Stratford High School.

Over decades, the late Edna Pretty skilfully planted the garden. Mature trees, shrubs, perennials, herbaceous borders, a glasshouse, a series of gardens, winding paths – it had all the ingredients of a charming property when the Gilmers arrived. It needed attention however as its size had become unmanageable for the previous owners.

“I started at the back fence and worked my way forward, then around the house

and then to the front and that took me over six months,” recalls Judith.

It was a seesaw of an operation, moving forwards while going back to ensure tidied areas remained weed-free. One area, so beset with wandering willy, revealed an array of rhododendrons only after the tangle of invasive weed was removed.

Wayne was Judith’s fixer-upperer, rebuilding structures like pergolas and bird baths; pruning, hauling and listening. It was hard yakka they say but deeply gratifying.

“You wait for the seasons to roll by and all of a sudden there are flowers like dahlias popping their heads up. It was amazing what Edna had planted and obviously she was a very good plants woman because what is here is beautiful,” says Judith.

Coming into an established garden was a new experience for Judith whose previous gardens were started almost from scratch.

As well as tidying up she filled in the underplanting and developed garden rooms to gain vistas and views.

“As far as gardens go I clicked early on that people really, really like flowers and colour. The modern gardens with their straight lines and greenery don’t offer that.” The property already had dozens of roses; she’s added many more and estimates there are now at least 200.

There are also clematis, irises, rhododendrons, buxus hedging, hostas, viburnum, hydrangeas and cottage garden delights like bluebells, aquilegias, foxgloves, forget-me-nots, lavender and poppies.

The property is used as a wedding venue and a bed and breakfast; in the five years since they moved in the Gilmers have hosted around six weddings a year.

“It’s such a lovely time because everyone is dressed up and hopefully happy and it’s nice to see the garden used.”

Services are conducted on the wedding lawn with a pergola at one end. Lush borders on either side feature flowers in red-orange tones as well as, appropriately, the wedding cake tree, Cornus controversa ‘Variegata’, plus a number of magnolia trees.

Paths from the top lead past flowering rhododendrons to the adjacent summer

‘I CLICKED EARLY ON THAT PEOPLE REALLY, REALLY LIKE FLOWERS AND COLOUR’

house garden where foxgloves tower over a colourful collection of everything from lupins and delphiniums to scabiosa and catmint. Scent wafts through the air. Says Judith: “I just love old-fashioned plants. I like to pop them in and see what happens.”

The area next door is newer. Once home to veges, it was converted into a whitesilver garden although rogue colour has crept in. The glasshouse was also located here before being moved to the back of the garden, opening up space and enhancing flow from one area to the next.

Directly behind the house new raised vegetable gardens house rows of frilly lettuces and other produce.

Judith is a little shy about her green fingers, downplaying her plant prowess, but devotion and love seeps through the grounds here. It’s obvious that this heritage property is again in good hands.

THESE PAGES Wayne and Judith Gilmer’s Taranaki villa and gardens have all the ingredients for romance, making it an ideal wedding venue; the wisteria-draped verandah was a feature that first captivated Judith; this dell includes planting with a fragrance focus including David Austin roses, boronia and daphne; the silk tree is later leafing and makes a wonderful display as camellias and rhododendrons finish flowering.

THIS PAGE (from top) Judith wanted to unify the garden furniture and structures so painted everything white. Rhododendrons are a feature in the garden, although weeds obscured many of them when the Gilmers first arrived. OPPOSITE (from top row, left to right) Wayne and Judith Gilmer with West Highland terrier Maggie Mae. A pink rhododendron. Purple irises beneath a cherry tree. The bird bath is a new addition. A clipped ball of Lonicera nitida ‘Elegans’ in a white urn on the wedding lawn. Light filters through the layered vegetation. Wisteria on the verandah.

THESE PAGES The base of a weeping silver pear (Pyrus salicifolia ‘Pendula’) is fringed in the burgundy foliage of Heuchera ‘Dark Secret’; this part of the garden also features tree ferns, rhododendrons, magnolias and maples underplanted with hostas, Japanese anemone and liriope.

(from top) Wedding services are held on the lawn with a pergola at one end; the paulownia tree drops its soft purple flowers in mid-spring, which visiting children love to collect. The russet leaves of a maple tree contrast with the greenery; Judith plans to plant more maples in this sheltered area. The driveway is lined with trees including a copper beech. THIS PAGE