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Episode: New Zealand? Bay of Plenty
New Zealand?s temperate climate and good rainfall makes it the perfect environment for establishing plants and this is why it has some of the worlds most beautiful gardens.
Helen and Peter Underwood?s hectare of gardening bliss is located in the heart of a Kiwi fruit orchard. Despite the ideal environment they have set sound gardening practices in place to ensure the best results.
The first and most important is establishing a wind break and the incredible Japanese Cedar Hedge (Cryptomeria japonica) tightly clipped to reduce wind accelerated evaporation and increases humidity allowing a wide array of plants to be grown.
Feature plants include deciduous trees such as the Burgundy Judas Tree (Cercis Canadensis ?Forest Pansy?) bursting into foliage. The flowering dogwoods are outstanding and the Horse Chestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum) is grown for its showy spring flowers.
The Snowball Tree (Viburnum opulus) is a stunner and whilst they are positioned to provide shade, most are maintained to remain under 5 metres meaning they don?t start shading plants out, creating barren patches in the garden.
The gardens carefully considered design uses standout colours and different times of the year. The Rhododendrons (Rhododendron Hybrid Cultivar) take centre stage with a striking display and the burgundy contrast of the Japanese Weeping Maples makes a statement against the greens of the garden bed.
A rare and collectible pine is the Purple Wreath Vine (Petrea volubillis) with vibrant purple flowers. The rambling roses are in peak flower, offering a colourful backdrop to garden beds.
A classic demonstration of the versatility of the climate in the region lies in the sunniest section of the garden. Around the swimming pools there are exotic and tropical plant species many of which you would associate with waterwise gardening.
The JapaneseGarden located below a burgundy maple is a place for solitude and contemplation.
Helen and Peter Underwood
www.gardenandartfest.co.nz
Handcrafted Jewellry
Helen Underwood
Jewellry Designer
Ph: +64 7 573 8433
peter-u@xtra.co.nz
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