Forty Shades of Green /
Subtle layers of form and foliage in this much-loved Christchurch garden are as effective as a blaze of bright flower colours, and softer on the eye in cool outdoor spaces.
Subtle layers of form and foliage are found in this beautiful Christchurch garden
IN THE MARSHLAND AREA JUST NORTH OF
Christchurch the land is flat, with a relatively high water table and rich peaty soil ideal for market gardening. It’s difficult to visualise it now as the primeval wetland it was until the mid-19th century. Work continued until well into the 20th century to lower groundwater levels enough for crops and settlement, achieved by constructing complex networks of deep ‘box’ drains, lined and braced with timber. The system has the capacity to manage storm flows, however new subdivisions near Prestons and Hawkins Roads at the edge of Marshland are also constructing stormwater detention ponds and new wetlands; better options (where possible) for higher stormwater quality in the long term.
Some box drains are well over two metres deep, and when I cross over Horner’s Drain to work in a private garden nearby the effect is like that of a drawbridge: the outside world is quieter and seems some distance away, as the driveway curves from the entrance gate towards the house under pin oaks and flowering Japanese cherry trees. The whole property is around 5.8 ha, with slightly less than half this area laid out in parklike gardens surrounding the house with lawns, trees, hedges and long vistas. The remainder is in grazing, and young cattle and other stock often gather along the electric fences to watch the tractor trundle around with prunings and bigger branches.
The house started life in the 1970s in a characteristic midcentury style: single level, with dark shiplap on the exterior, open timber pergolas along the sunny northwest side, and quantities of brown brick and lush cream carpets inside. The basic forms of the building were well-proportioned, with high ceilings and gently sloping rooflines. However, when the current homeowners bought the property some years later it was time for a change, and they asked Christchurch architect Kerry Mason for a significant upgrade, carried out in due course by Takahe Construction. Black long-run steel roofing was retained, however the exterior walls were clad, plastered and painted to a crisp white finish, new raised terraces were paved in concrete and tile, and wide covered verandahs replaced the earlier timberwork. Inside, spaces were reorganised and finished simply in white, with clearly defined areas at different levels for separate activities. It’s been said that ‘good clothes will take you anywhere’, and this black and white style has a recognisably late 1980s/early 1990s self-assurance. The proportions and materials are confidently handled, with good natural light and well-resolved spaces. The house has a timeless quality, along with the character of its period – not always an easy balance to get right.
Many of the furnishings also have a classic timeless quality. The owner recently showed me pieces of furniture which he had crafted from ash timber, and stained a rich dark brown, almost black: an armoire for the main bedroom, a slender hall table with three beautifully fitted drawers, and a square work table. Some were inspired by pieces he and his wife had seen in a Paris showroom years before, and in the accompanying printed catalogue; and all have that sense of good proportion – hard to describe but easy to recognise. They stand out distinctly against the white walls, elegant forms without unnecessary decoration. The hall table in particular has a lightness and poise about it, with slim square tapering legs and almost imperceptible convex curves down the long sides of the tabletop.
From photographs I’ve seen of the first garden around the original house, this was also characteristic of its time: a cheerful mix of colourful ornamental conifers plus Australian and New Zealand native plants planted closely around the outside paving. The modernised house would have looked uncomfortable surrounded by such a busy garden, and respected local plantsman Alan Izard was asked to advise on proposed new plantings, most of which were carried out by Alan’s son Johnny and his team; and sourced from Mitchell’s Nursery. After approximately 30 years the layout and mature plantings have stood the test of time, and judging from a landscape designer’s viewpoint – and the owner’s positive comments and enjoyment of the garden – there are clear objectives and style influences in Alan’s ideas.
Flat landscapes such as this lend themselves to quite formal gardens from the Western European tradition, particularly through the 17th and 18th centuries in Holland, France, and Veneto, the mainland region of Italy administered by Venice. Modern designers in Belgium and the Netherlands such as Mien Ruys in the 20th century have also responded to their local flat landscapes, using straight avenues of trees, clear vistas where space allows, and hedges to define spaces: restrained layers of different greens rather than a reliance on the bright colours of flowers for their effect. We sometimes forget that green in all its variations is a colour in the garden too, and valuable in its own right. Roman writers 2000 years ago described the simplicity and refreshment of their rural gardens which had both formal and natural green plantings, including Acanthus (whose leaves were carved on Corinthianstyle pillars), box Buxus topiary, cool water, and plane trees for summer shade.
The use of these basic elements has persisted from ancient times for good reason, and I see echoes of them in different parts of this Marshland garden. The most recognisable is a circular box parterre in the front forecourt, centred on a fountain in the shape of a classical vase. Spires of Thuja ‘Emerald’ complete the illusion that we might be in Italy, and having the water gently overflow down the sides of the vase is a practical solution for our windy climate – a tall jet of water would tend to blow in all directions. This is the most intricate formal feature of the garden, however the spaces and plantings right next to the terraces and near the main house are also formal, and at the scale of a (large) room. This can be a useful pattern to consider in a large garden: formal, ‘tighter’ and smaller spaces close to the house, gradually becoming ‘looser’, broader and more natural further away. A framework of box Buxus and camellia hedges encloses the concrete terraces, with trimmed bay trees. Gardens close to the house are planted with Portuguese laurels trimmed as standards, and Buxus pillars, above rhododendrons, deciduous azaleas, and perennials such as hellebores, Bergenia, and herbaceous peonies. Beds of white ‘Iceberg’ roses complete the sequence.
Mowing over two hectares of lawn is an ongoing process which the owner enjoys: a time for reflection, and an opportunity to assess the trees and other plantings personally.
There is certainly colour, but not in large blocks, or appearing all at the same time.
East of the main house, tall hedges of Thuja enclose the parking areas and outdoor swimming pool, and a framework of larger hornbeam hedges screen the south-western terraces from the driveway, enclosing medium-sized lawn spaces. It can be tempting to overplant lawn areas with trees; however in this case a silver pear, two evergreen alders Alnus jorullensis and a large Gleditsia for shade are the only trees, and shades of green are the main colours. Along the driveway there are more park-like and colourful arrangements: regularly spaced pin oaks and Japanese flowering cherries, with a garden of shrubs and spring bulbs every so often: daffodils ‘Tête-àtête’, rhododendrons, wintersweet, scented deciduous azaleas, evergreen Magnolia ‘Little Gem’, Michelia yunnanensis, and Himalayan daphne D. bholua. Roses and wisteria are trained on a ‘T’ shaped pergola which extends from the front of the house and ends in two big rosebeds of ‘Iceberg’ edged with catnip Nepeta.
There are significant avenues of trees: flowering cherries stretch the full length of the road boundary by the box drain, and lines of large deciduous trees extend for hundreds of metres out to the east, and define the largest open spaces: horse chestnuts, English oaks and ash Fraxinus. English beech, claret ash, Wellingtonia, Eucalyptus, cedars (Himalayan and Blue Atlas) and elms are threaded through the spaces between avenues, and were planned to give a beautiful view from any room in the house – and a variety of seasonal changes which are much enjoyed by the owner. Mowing over two hectares of lawn is an ongoing process which he also enjoys: a time for reflection, an opportunity to assess the trees and other plantings personally, and a practical task which takes a certain precision to achieve good results. Several flattopped soil platforms show where the first owner had started
to lay out a golf course – these are now mown like the other lawns with no special treatment. Two part-time gardeners and occasional tree work from outside contractors keep the garden well maintained.
The owner’s hobbies include classic cars, fine cabinetry and benchtop-sized working steam engines: perhaps the lawns are an outdoor extension of this same attention to detail! His wife was fond of the garden too: her particular interest was the potager – a generous square enclosure sheltered by hornbeam hedges (there’s a separate herb garden closer to the house). The potager has six raised beds separated by limestone chip paths, and a central grass walkway. Some of the beds are for annual summer crops: lettuces, spinach and tomatoes. Others are planted with strawberries, asparagus and rhubarb. There are cranberries Ugni molinae with their tart apple-flavoured red berries, currants, feijoas, figs, a cherry and other fruit trees, and green and black table grapes trained along wires. This productive area makes good use of the rich soil, and fits comfortably into the wider garden.
Family and their friends have always enjoyed the house and garden together as a quiet green oasis, away from the bustle of Christchurch city – such places take time to develop their personal character, and are all the more cherished for that.
After approximately 30 years the layout and mature plantings have stood the test of time.