9 ways to make your orchard a mindful happy place

■ Incorporate a play area for children, your chicken coop, the worm farm.

■ Position it so it’s a pleasant alternative route to the letterbox.

■ Plan secluded nooks so you can lie under the trees when they’re heavy with blossom.

■ Create a seated area so you can sit among the citrus and appreciate their scent.

■ Structures such as pagodas can support grapevines.

■ Create hedges using ‘tea’ camellias (Camellia sinensis), or Ugni molinae (NZ cranberry, evergreen, pretty pink flowers, gorgeous red berries).

■ Put in a water feature for birds and insects.

■ Plant quinces, persimmons, and crabapples in prominent positions close to the house – they all give stunning shows of flowers and fruit.

■ Citrus looks lovely all year round – you can even trim them into topiary shapes if you want them to look formal.

You can use sheep to 'mow' an orchard, but it means every tree needs a protective fence. Mowing is much easier.